Rodent Patrol
Dayton Hyde was a rancher way ahead of his time. He understood that his land was an ecosystem, and so he treated all Life present there as valued – that included the Coyotes.
He understood that if the Coyotes who lived on his land had a good life….a rich environment and plenty of wild prey… they would do him only good.
Here is an excerpt from Varmints and Victims in which author Van Guys writes of Hyde’s views ~
“Dayton Hyde, in recognizing that most ranchers created predator problems through poor range management techniques, such as neglecting to remove carrion or overgrazing, chose an alternative approach.
(Quoting Dayton Hyde) “The only thing I could do was manage my land for predators instead of against them and hope that someone, someday would look over my fences and realize that I had something special going for me.”
“By giving up poisoning, restoring marshes, and generally fostering healthy land, Hyde kept Coyotes fed year round on abundant small prey species, and had no trouble. “My Coyotes are good gentlemen” he informed a Senate Hearing in 1971. They are well fed, they are happy. They have done me not one harsh thing.”
Dayton Hyde
Dayton Hyde recognized that he was sharing his land with highly intelligent, social, sentient beings and he treated them as such.
We are learning from the leaders and then trusting in self to follow his lead.
Click on this link to read about these young farmers who are following his lead.
https://coyoteyipps.com/2023/03/12/the-new-watch-dogs-by-topsy-farms/