Dawson County Coyotes

--By Scoop Biggers on --

DATELINE:  JULY 26, 2011

About this time last year, I got in touch with my state senator (whose name I will not mention) to ask what could be done about the rising coyote population in the state of Georgia, and particularly in the northern half of the state.  We had seen these varmits around our house several times, and I had a lot of friends in Dawson County tell me of seeing them often, and in some occasions running in packs.  There are also some pretty large packs of wild dogs on the loose in Dawson County, and I have been told that in some cases coyotes and wild dogs breed to produce a very dangerous sub-species.

So what can our state government do to help us with this problem?  Well, pretty much like always, when the citizens need a hand from our paid representatives, the answer is not much.  If you live outside of the city limits, you are allowed to shoot them, and if it is wild dogs, you can call the county animal control people, but if you live in the city limits, and they are coyotes, about all you can legally do, is pay someone to trap them and haul them off, and it ain’t cheap.

I asked the Honorable state senator if the state legislature couldn’t pass a law to put control of these animals under the jurisdiction of the county animal control folks, but he said there just wasn’t much interest in taking on this problem in the capitol with his fellow senators.  I guess there wasn’t enough money, or votes in it for them.  However, now, it is an election year, which seems to be the only time these boys pay attention to the voters, so maybe if you have coyote problems, you could send a letter, or e-mail to your state senator or state representative.  After all, if the government can go after wild dogs, why not wild coyotes?

As my Great Grandfather Bascomb Biggers always said, “Now that’s the way I see it, and you can tell-em I said so”.