Thread: Semi sucessful hunt

They are not native to MO but their moving in and taking over habitat and ecosystem of other native animals. And its fun, No limit, No license required.

Originally Posted by RayCover

They are not native to MO but their moving in and taking over habitat and ecosystem of other native animals. And its fun, No limit, No license required.

They also make for a fantastic stew.

Originally Posted by Theseus

They also make for a fantastic stew.

I'm from TX, and I have never actually had armadillo, though I've often heard that they are good in chili or stew. I don't know anyone personally who's had to tell me first hand how it tastes (I imagine it's not like chicken, though). I'd be willing to try it, but I wouldn't want to go through the effort of cleaning one only to find out that it tastes like crap.

I was thinking armadillo stew was like a microwave dinner and came packaged in its own cookware.

Originally Posted by joesixpack

I'm from TX, and I have never actually had armadillo, though I've often heard that they are good in chili or stew. I don't know anyone personally who's had to tell me first hand how it tastes (I imagine it's not like chicken, though). I'd be willing to try it, but I wouldn't want to go through the effort of cleaning one only to find out that it tastes like crap.

The closest I can come to describe the taste is that it tastes like racoon. Probably doen't help much if you've never had racoon.

Originally Posted by joesixpack

Though it's probably a load of fun to blow those little f***ers away, it actually doesn't help. At least according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist I was talking to a few years back. Coyotes actually breed faster in areas where they are actively hunted and trapped, so hunting has almost no long term impact. So far the only successful eradication effort has been setting traps that blast a contraceptive into the coyote's mouth. It keeps them from reproducing, but it's expensive as hell. Unfortunately, ranchers and farmers still think that shooting them is all that's necessary, but it hardly makes an impact on the population. I figure the hunting will at the very least make them a lot more frightened of Humans, which I think is a very good thing.

I had one yipping out back one night back in September. By the time I was awake enough to figure out where he was he'd shut up. I got my clothes ready and a gun for the next night, but he didn't come back. :-(

I've heard this also, but I've noticed back home that the people who hunt them have less of them on their property than those that leave them be. Where my parents live the coyotes are so thick and bold to go so far as taking calves 200 feet from houses. As a mater of fact I remember being in about the 6th grade and a friends dad popped one that was in their back yard, in the middle of town.

I agree, Devilpup. If you target them, it makes them a lot more skittish around people. If they have enough fear of humans then they're less likely to do much harm. Like a lot of pests, just killing them is not the answer. It's always a lot more complicated than that. I'm sure it's far better to shoot and/or trap them then to let 'em be, but really eradicating them is probably a much more complicated (and expensive) task.

Originally Posted by joesixpack

I agree, Devilpup. If you target them, it makes them a lot more skittish around people. If they have enough fear of humans then they're less likely to do much harm. Like a lot of pests, just killing them is not the answer. It's always a lot more complicated than that. I'm sure it's far better to shoot and/or trap them then to let 'em be, but really eradicating them is probably a much more complicated (and expensive) task.

I agree, in the same area there used to be a good deal of cougars (I mean in the old days). In around the 1930's they managed to kill off the last of them, shortly after the coyote population exploded and they became more aggressive. It's really been an uphill battle from there, in the area people either grow corn and beans, or they raise cattle. Last time I was home the neighbor actually offered to pay for my father and I to hunt the coyotes on his land because he guessed he was loosing a couple calves a month to them. We politely refused his money but did it for free.

Originally Posted by Devilpup

...We politely refused his money but did it for free.

That's neighborly of you! You and your dad should come out here. I think most of the folks in my area would love to see some more dead coyotes.

We had a cougar out here a couple of years back. Trouble was, he was going after the same easy meals that the coyotes go after, people's pets. I don't know what happened to the cougar, but the Coyotes stuck around.