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

<strong>of</strong> tne herd. Mr. Barron tsstiiied tha; some calf loss25 artrj buced
to unknown causes, two in 1972 and three in 1973, were actually
indirectly caused by predation, i.e., :he calves acquired scours
from ihe praczici <strong>of</strong> penning heifers and cows so protect them frcn
coyotes.
63. Confronxid wixh a tlble from Gee (1ot2 7, supra) dish a~oeared t3
show average ciitt12 IOSSES in ihe Scuibwest 3egisn, dhich incll~des
Texas, subsantially-below those shown in his table, Vr. 3arron
responded thac neighooring rznchers were losing ihe same aaaunt and
;hat ranchers sere just beginning is realize the extsnt <strong>of</strong> losses ts
coyotes. He siated that czlf losses :o coyotes on :he lorger 05
his ranches (Tongue River) averaged 3 oercenc <strong>of</strong> ti2 calf crop from
1975 through 1981. Calf losses to predators on the smaller ranch
have declined subs~antially, numbering six in 1980 and three in 1981,
or 1.79 percent and 0.89 percent <strong>of</strong> the herd respec~ively. Ho cows
were lost to predators in either <strong>of</strong> these years. Mr. Barron
attributed the decline to aerial hunting by the F#S, the use <strong>of</strong> M-44's,
guard dogs and ground hunting <strong>of</strong> coyotes for their pelts.
66. Mr. Dan Tracy (finding 48) submitted a table showing predator losses
<strong>of</strong> calves <strong>of</strong> one each in the years 1973 and 1975, and two in 1974.
He had no losses <strong>of</strong> calves to predators in 1976 and 1977. He did,
however, 1os2 two c11 VBS to predat~rs in 1978 and i 981 , three in
1979 and four in 1980.