Dear editor:
I am very disappointed that The Lake Report dedicated so much space to Randy Norris’s gruesome blood hobby of killing coyotes for sport In NOTL, (“Hunter says hobby is legal, needed,” March 4).
The whole story sounded like an attempt to justify his “hobby,” making him appear as some sort of hero coming to NOTL to help save the deer and pheasants, coming to the rescue of farmers who have lost livestock to coyotes and to put wildlife out of its misery because they could have mange.
I am not against hunting. I have friends and family who hunt deer, moose and pheasants to eat, but they don’t go on a binge and blast away 40 to 60 in a single season. Makes me wonder why anyone would even find this an enjoyable hobby?
Real hunters aim for a quick kill, not to chase an animal until it's exhausted, then have it face several dogs that attack it while they enjoy watching their dogs do this.
Yes, I have seen the videos these hobbyists have posted on how they train their dogs to attack coyotes, by putting them in an enclosure with an injured coyote.
And videos of them proudly watching a group of their dogs maul an exhausted or injured coyote to death at the end of the chase, sometimes causing injury to their own dogs. Why any responsible owner who claims to love their dog would put their pet in that situation is unimaginable.
I live in the rural area that is frequented by these coyote killers and over the years have had many trespass through our property without permission.
In my lifetime living in rural NOTL, we have never lost any livestock or pets to coyotes, so, Mr. Norris, you’re not “needed” here. Our coyotes are busy doing their job of keeping the rodent population down.
Mr. Norris’s story reminded me a lot of The Tiger King, Jo Exotic, a narcissistic with a big ego, complete with a showy tacky truck cage, who liked to put on a good show for the cameras, but once the camera stops, the real horror show begins.
Sandra Kingma
NOTL