Wisdom from the Woods – Life Lessons Learned from Being Around a Wild Nuisance

What issue is bigger than obesity in West Virginia? There’s a laundry list of debatable dilemmas besetting the Mountain State, but the burgeoning coyote population is hard to ignore. While proposed control strategies to manage the menace present unique sporting challenges for hunters and trappers alike; there’s a simpler solution. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. In fact, the wheel has been turning in the quick minds of master game managers for decades. The only proven way to outmaneuver this mountain menace is to introduce its natural nemesis into the wilds of West Virginia. The hunter must become the hunted. So I propose we enlist road runners in the fight. As far as I know, it’s the only animal clever enough to outfox a coyote. Passionate debate will echo from hilltops to hollers about whether maliciously maiming hapless country canines with boulders, safes and anvils is a humane solution. Also, the thought of an outwitted wolf wannabe dangling defenselessly in midair over a ravine will disturb some. One could certainly argue that repeated dynamite explosions filling the fauna of West Virginia will do more harm than good. And the last thing West Virginia needs is a scandal (or a jacked up reality show about us). Any unethical or illegal behavior by ACME lobbyists at the State Capital will surely be construed as selling out to corporate bigwigs. Still, the conversation needs to occur. Otherwise, we risk losing our wonderful way of life to a wily bunch of coyotes. That’s all folks!

– Jim Shock, LBSPY #24 (Jan 14-28th).