Using our Senses                            

When a leaf falls in the forest... the eagle sees it... the deer hears it... and the bear smells it.

This old saying clearly speaks volumes about how human senses fall very short compared to the sensitivity of wildlife. Deer, for example, have extremely sensitive hearing and smell, as well as decent vision. Bears have great noses, but relatively poor eyesight, which explains why they sometimes stand up on their hind legs trying to see what they smell. And then there’s the eastern coyote, but more about that later.   

Successful hunters know that we can’t rely on purely on luck because the odds are heavily stacked against us. Hunting today, for many of us, is our attempt to even up the odds, to overcome our disadvantages. We use artificial scents to disguise our own scent, much like some humans use perfume. Other scents are used to attract wild game, again much like some perfumed humans. We use binoculars and trail cameras to help us see, and we use blinds and camo clothing to become less visible to game. Hunter hearing aids help us hear, and we use game calls to call in game, like some humans today use a cell phone. Decoys can attract game such as ducks and geese by increasing the feeling of security, and fish decoys have even served to position a school of fish for underwater photography of salmon in the St. Mary’s River.

Hunting helps us develop an understanding and respect for the ability and behaviour of not only wildlife, but also of humans. After all, we evolved together and have much in common. There’s always something to learn, and most hunters I’ve met are continually amazed by the ways of wildlife.

Last week, unfortunately, some Cape Breton coyotes showed us, through a shocking and tragic attack on 19 year old Taylor Mitchell, that we need to develop a better understanding of coyote behaviour. The eastern coyote is, after all, a “new” creature genetically, with both wolf and coyote characteristics and traits. It is also in new territory, the first specimen taken in Nova Scotia in 1977. Trapper Ray Buckland told me that he was once confronted by coyotes on his trap line. Fortunately, Ray’s rifle quickly scattered them. Perhaps the recent tragedy wasn’t, as some scientists suggest, uncharacteristic coyote behaviour, but rather behaviour that these experts simply haven’t observed yet. We need to develop serious strategies to deal with coyotes, particularly in residential areas. Hunters and trappers can help.

Please stay on the line …