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Would night vision make coyote hunting safer? Divisions arise

Sun Apr 03, 2016 8:16 am

Under current Minnesota law, night vision cannot be used while hunting, but a proposal aims to change that.

Highlights:
Some hunters want to use night vision gear to shoot coyotes.
Today, coyotes can be be hunted year-round, day or night.
Night vision equipment cannot be used today.
Supporters say night vision would be safer. The DNR disagrees.



By Dave Orrick | dorrick@pioneerpress.com
March 29, 2016

POLL: http://www.twincities.com/2016/03/29/wo ... ons-arise/

Yes. You can already hunt them at night. This would be safer.

No. It violates fair chase principles.

Killing coyotes is just cruel.

Let's see some research first.




Hunting coyotes with night vision equipment could become legal in Minnesota under a proposal at the Capitol.

The plan is being pushed by some hunters but opposed by the state Department of Natural Resources.

Current law affords coyotes little protections. They can be hunted or trapped year-round without any license. There is no limit on the number someone can kill. Unlike the vast majority of animals that are often sought by hunters, coyotes can be shot at night.

Such relaxed rules, as well as the animals’ wily nature, might explain why coyote hunting appears to be increasing in popularity, with calls, decoys and specific ammunition commonplace in stores like Fleet Farm and Gander Mountain.

But coyote hunters are not exempt from the ban on shooting animals with night vision scopes and other equipment. Such technology has historically been frowned upon by hunting groups as a violation of the principle of “fair chase” that guides hunting ethics: It gives the hunter an unfair advantage.

But hunters who want coyote hunters exempted say it would make night hunting safer. Modern night-vision technology can allow hunters to discern the entire animal, as well as its surroundings, the say. Spotlights, which are often used in night hunts, are limited, illuminating the eyes of an animal but often little else, hunters told lawmakers in a recent hearing on the idea.

Lt. Col. Rodmen Smith, who heads enforcement for the DNR, told the House Mining and Outdoor Recreation Policy Committee the opposite: Allowing night vision could create safety hazards, he said. Today, most coyote hunting at night is done under a clear sky with a full moon, when a hunter eye can see well enough to identify his target — and what’s beyond it — with the naked eye. Allowing night vision equipment would encourage hunters to go afield under much darker conditions, he said.

Smith also noted that the plan allows for night scopes to be used to shoot all predators, a wide category of animals that could include protected species like the wolf and Canada lynx. State Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, who is spearheading the proposal in the House, said he’d be open to changing that, since the primary goal was to allow night scopes for coyote hunters, not necessarily other species.
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