Following a presentation by Gordon Grant of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, county council last Thursday directed staff to report on a possible bylaw to pay a bounty to professional hunters for the culling of "nuisance" coyotes.

Coyotes have been responsible for the killing of about 100 ewes in East Luther Grand Valley alone in the past year. Although the province pays a set amount for each kill, neither it nor the coyotes distinguish between ordinary sheep and prized breeding stock.

Apparently not all coyotes choose sheep as their diet. But it's said that a coyote that has tasted sheep once will continue to seek it. According to statistics, claims for coyote kills have doubled in the past 10 years.

Mr. Grant said licensed coyote hunters are able to identify the nuisance animals. He indicated the OFA is not seeking to eradicate the coyote species, but only to weed out those that have chosen domestic animals over their natural prey.

Coyotes are not indigenous to Ontario. They are native to the Great Plains but have been moving eastward over the past century, and their numbers have been growing to a point at which East Garafraxa Mayor Allen Taylor said that in some areas they have been going into the towns and "taking pets off back steps."

Mr. Grant said the OFA is asking rural municipalities to enact bylaws to cull the animals "until such time as the province owns up to its responsibility." He said his organization is continuing to lobby the province.

Warden John Oosterhof suggested that the province might take over coyote control after local municipalities enacted bylaws. He cited the smoking law as an example of the province standardizing the rules.

Melancthon Mayor Debbie Fawcett said Grey County has a bylaw to control coyotes. She said it has paid hunters about $8,500 but has seen "positive results."

Mono Deputy Mayor David Baldwin said Dufferin County could pass a bylaw to weed out the bad coyotes, but there would have to be "supporting bylaws at the local level."

A staff report is to be brought to the council at the December or January meeting.