Notice of Hearing on the Application to Use Sodium Fluoroacetate ...

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sheep and lambs lost to ,/arious causzs. k e indic5~2d th2c his
report ~rovided reiiab12 indications <strong>of</strong> geographical areas and types
<strong>of</strong> operations having the most predation and that the total number
<strong>of</strong> producsrs affzcted was probably quite realistic, b~ause , most,
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groducers wer2 alttarz <strong>of</strong> whether coyot~s werz pr2ying on their herds.
Gee, 2t al. stated, however, that numbers <strong>of</strong> sheep and lambs lost to
coyctes and numbers <strong>of</strong> procuc2rs with diffsrent levels ci loss
must be considered mor2 caut'ously becaus2 the besree <strong>of</strong> 9roducer
judgment is higher. -
13. Under a71 che circumstanc~s, the aost serious obstacle ca acc2ptizg
The Gee, 2; a1 . r2sul ts is the high level <strong>of</strong> iamb losses actri bux-: 2
co pr2dation- For exanplz, in ?xczss <strong>of</strong> $5 percznz <strong>of</strong> ' lamb losses1
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to all czuses in levada were attributd to predation, apprgximat2iy
59 percent in Colorado, approximat2ly 54 percen in Utah 2nd approxirnaceiy
56 percgnt in 'Ayorning. Because these losszs include pre-docking
losses and substantial numbers <strong>of</strong> lamb dea~hs during that period
are au2 to lambing complications, weather, disease, malnutrition,
etc., these high reported predation losses are difficult to accept.
Moreover, Gee, et al. state that while most <strong>of</strong> the large-scale
operators reported losses from less than 5 percent to more than 20
percznt, many sna11-scale producers had no predation problems at
all, and that 5,000 or about one-tenth <strong>of</strong> the west's sheep ranchers,
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