Varmints You Should Hunt: They’re Up To No Good
There are plenty of people who want to protect them, but some nuisance animals go way beyond “nuisance.” Based on the sheer amount of damage they cause, these are the top varmints you should hunt. They’re public enemies number one, two, and three, and they put up a pretty good fight. If you pick up a rifle, you’ll be doing the world a favor.
Unchecked wildlife can have a profound impact on U.S. agriculture, with damage estimates in the billions every year. Varmint populations will just keep growing without mitigating actions to stop them. Before you head out, check federal and state regulations to stay on the right side of the law, and remind yourself of the best reasons you should be hunting these nuisances.
Coyotes
These predators just might be a hunter’s greatest challenge: They’re smart, fast, have superior vision, and possess a well-honed sense of smell. And they just keep coming. Their population has spread to every continental state. Believe it or not, a female coyote can potentially give birth to more than 120 babies over her lifetime, so hunters are the underdogs. Coyotes can be particularly dangerous for deer; newborn fawns are just the right size to feed coyote broods. The secret to their success? They’ll eat anything and don’t mind going where the food is, whether it’s trash, cat food, or your treasured pet chihuahua. Coyotes are also notorious spreaders of diseases like canine hepatitis, rabies, and tularemia, as well as parasites such as mites, ticks, and flukes that can turn into flesh-eating mange.
Boars
Boars and feral hogs are threats to both the environment and agriculture. They transmit diseases and parasites to pets, livestock, and humans. Once brought to America for hunting, they’ve spread into at least 45 states. Southern hunters don’t need any motivation to hunt hogs, whether it’s at night or from a helicopter. Hogs’ sharp tusks can do a lot of damage, flattening fences and decimating crops. Boars have a temper and will attack anything if they think their offspring are in danger. They destroy the habitats of natural wildlife, too. Each year, rampant boars cost the United States an estimated $1.5 billion in damages and control costs.
Crows
These are airborne bullies, picking on rabbits, squirrels, and anything smaller than them. When hens lay their eggs, crows swoop in to crack open and eat them; then, the crows come back later to finish off the fledglings. But don’t underestimate them because there’s video footage of crows killing prey as large as newborn lambs. Crows are one of the reasons the Mojave Desert tortoise is now an endangered species. They congregate by the thousands, damaging entire harvests of pecans, corn, and watermelons. Even worse, crows are carriers of the West Nile Virus. You may not have considered them the type of vicious varmints you should hunt, but if you rent Hitchcock’s The Birds, you’ll never question it again.
