Sheepish Mainers? (how much, move to, to eat)

[BrokenTap]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

I have two coming to the house at night. I'm going to get a night permit before the next full moon.

If you are a "agricultural producer" as defined by the USDA you may be entitled to a nuisance permit from the Game Wardens. Its like Turkeys...open season on those flying rats. (Salmonella poisoning). It's worth checking into.

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

Coyote night season doesn't normally start until January. I know a guy who got about 18 from his kitchen window over a few years.

Two full moons from now then. Maybe between now and then they'll learn to stay away.

[BrokenTap]

Last year Alfred looked out the window and saw this cow up in the field circling slowly. Fearing she had Listerosis, or Mad Cow Disease he grabbed the binoculars and looked out the window and there it was; a cow had given birth to a calf and the coyote was trying to get it. Coyotes won't bother full grown cows, so the cow got in between her daughter and the coyote. They were doing this very slow circle in a battle of wits. Luckily Alfred was able to get close enough to get a shot off as the coyote was distracted. It was a big one too, but even at that, only two calfs can be attributed to coyote kills in the years we have been here.

I am not saying its not a problem elsewhere, I am just saying here (so far anyway) its not a problem. A woman over on the sheep forum recently listed some reasons why certain farms don't have big problems with coyotes and the biggest common denominator was water. On this farm you can see Mt Katadin and Mt Washington at the same time so there isn't a drop of water to be had here. Maybe that is the reason they pass us by?

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by CoastalMaine

Can you utilize the meat from a coyote for anything? I would think it would be rather tough unless they're really fattened up from their kills. Is it cost effective for any animal feed or even bird suet? ...

'Varmint sausage'

In a deep stock pot, we boil for a full day until the meat falls off the bone. Then slice it all off the bone, and run the meat through a meat grinder. Then back into the stock pot with all that broth and put lots of oats into the broth. Meat and oats together boiling in the broth until the oats have absorbed all the broth. Then run it through the meat grinder together. Then into pails and into the freezer. Every week we pull out one pail into the frig to thaw, and our dogs and cats each get a scoop every day as a treat.

They like their wet pet food.

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by BrokenTap

If you are a "agricultural producer" as defined by the USDA you may be entitled to a nuisance permit from the Game Wardens. Its like Turkeys...open season on those flying rats. (Salmonella poisoning). It's worth checking into.

That may be.

From talking to our neighbors we have been told that we really do not need any permits.

Fishers, mink, muskrat, otter, weasel, martin and turkeys pestering our chickens; deer eating our goat feed; beaver coming up out of the water making noises at our livestock, etc; just shoot them and include their meat into the pet feed.

[boonelsewhere]

people eat beaver, i've seen on tv.

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

That may be.

Fishers, mink, muskrat, otter, weasel, martin and turkeys pestering our chickens; deer eating our goat feed; beaver coming up out of the water making noises at our livestock, etc; just shoot them and include their meat into the pet feed.

[BrokenTap]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

That may be.

From talking to our neighbors we have been told that we really do not need any permits.

Fishers, mink, muskrat, otter, weasel, martin and turkeys pestering our chickens; deer eating our goat feed; beaver coming up out of the water making noises at our livestock, etc; just shoot them and include their meat into the pet feed.

I here you, and we do that ourselves but I was trying to be politically correct. The Game Wardens came out and gave the boys some bullets that have a lot of bang, but no distance to them. It didn't work so instead we eat plenty of turkeys. The wild ones taste pretty nasty but those that eat the cow grain taste just like a store bought one.

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by boonskyler

people eat beaver, i've seen on tv.

Years ago I ate beaver, but it was a long time ago.

[tankratt]

Originally Posted by BrokenTap

If you are a "agricultural producer" as defined by the USDA you may be entitled to a nuisance permit from the Game Wardens. Its like Turkeys...open season on those flying rats. (Salmonella poisoning). It's worth checking into.

MMMMMM pass the flying rat and the green beans

[Northern Maine Land Man]

I used to get beaver carcasses from trappers. I fed them to my sled dog team. The resultant flatulence was incredible. You could get used to the smell, but it hurts the eyes.