ASK AMY – Fall/Winter 2020-21

First, make sure your land is properly posted according to your state’s guidelines. My family and I replace our signs annually since they weather and fade. We indicate the current year on each sign. We also photograph our property lines prior to hunting season so that a hunter can’t destroy a sign and then claim it wasn’t there. Additionally, because you’ve already had trespassing issues, you might be able to request special signs from your sheriff’s department. These signs state that the property is being “surveilled,” and may be more of a deterrent.

I recommend using outdoor cameras that con- nect with your phone or computer for instant viewing. I am technologically challenged, and I assure you, it’s easier than it sounds! Not only will this allow you to monitor your property, you’ll have documentation if trespassing occurs.

I’ve found more success in staying off our land during hunting season, and monitoring with cam- eras, since the deer KNOW where it’s safe. My biggest fear is scaring them out of their hiding places and onto adjacent, hunted land. However, every property is different. A friend of mine has a very large property—over 100 acres—and has had success with perimeter patrolling. If you patrol, be careful. Wear orange and carry your phone with you. We’re often not dealing with the brightest or kindest folks out there.

Finally, think about what you can do to keep the deer on your property. Is there a water source? Is there cover for them? We used to mow a field on our land, but have let it go wild to provide more cover. Selective mowing can also keep deer close. They love hidden areas, along with areas to browse.

May the deer find shelter on your land this season. May you all stay safe.

Amy

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Hey Amy,

I’m guessing you saw the recent viral video of a cougar stalking that hiker in Utah. I’m a proud Montana sportsman (hunting, trapping, fishing, you name it) and what I can never understand about all you crazies out to steal our rights is what kind of fantasy world you live in. Do you seriously think we can “coexist” with predators who stalk people? Do you just not get how vicious wild animals are? Instead of you idiots pitch a fit about a sportsman posting a photo of the predator they’ve harvested, maybe you should say “THANK YOU!” instead. We’re the ones keeping you and your kids and pets safe.

Brent David Leffler, somewhere near Bozeman, MT

Dear Brent,

Yes, I’ve seen the video you’re referring to! For those who haven’t, it’s worth a watch, but I’ll summarize here: A lone human hiker encounters cougar kittens, and is promptly escorted from those kittens by their protective mom who sometimes runs at the hiker as he backs away and films, but who mostly keeps him marching slowly backward, away from her kittens, before turning around and high-tailing it home to them. Start to finish, the encounter lasts a little more than six minutes.

First, it’s important to consider how the video was portrayed by the media. “Stalking” was the term chosen by most outlets to describe the cougar’s behavior. “Aggressive” was also a favored characterization. While there’s no doubt this was a terrifying experience for the hiker, anyone who seeks to understand wildlife behavior knows that is was equally terrifying for the cougar. Let’s dismantle this notion immediately: Cougars don’t show themselves in plain sight when “stalking” their prey. Cougars are stealthy predators, unseen and silent, until the final moment. This isn’t a crazed beast looking for human lunch—cougars, like other predator species, want nothing to do with humans.

Nonetheless, the human encroached on this cougar’s territory. Like any good mom, this cougar was clear in her request: Leave my kids alone, she’d have said if she could. Instead, she uses the language innate to her. She growls. She makes herself look larger than she is—turning her body to the side, as we often see our domestic cats do—showing her paws and running a few steps to tell him she’s serious, and otherwise, walking the hiker away from her little ones. The hiker, to be fair, does a good job doing as he’s told. This isn’t his first hike, and he’s clearly educated on how to behave in such an encounter (though it would have been wiser to hike with a friend and carry bear spray).

Brent, your assertion that killing wildlife prevents this kind of encounter is baffling. Hunting and trapping aren’t the answer here—education is. And it’s not just the general public that needs to be educated, it’s the media, too. “Stalking” and “aggressive” are inaccurate, sensational terms. If we’re being generous, we might assume that ignorance is the source of that language; more likely, those terms are intentional, chosen to sell stories. Both the media and sportsmen know that language matters. If anyone should be accused of living in a “fantasy world,” it’s sportsmen themselves, who envision recreational killing as the only barrier between balance and chaos. Guess what? The animals do just fine without us. The environment thrives in the absence of people. And in situations where people and wildlife overlap— like a hiker encountering a cougar family—education saves both human and nonhuman lives.

Consider another recent example of a wild animal dubbed “inordinately aggressive” by the media. Gerald the turkey was a resident of a park in Oakland, CA, where he had begun to “attack” visitors. Headlines described Gerald’s behavior as “terrorizing.” But most assessments reveal that Gerald had lost his natural fear of humans after repeated feeding and even possible tormenting. (People feeding and/or wanting “selfies” with wild animals is a serious problem, perhaps meriting discussion in a future column.)

Wild individuals responding to inappropriate human behavior, or even to a human inadvertently encroaching on their territory, doesn’t justify killing that individual or others of their kind. “They’ll get me (or you!) if I don’t get them” is a simplistic, erroneous mentality propagated by sportsmen and the state wildlife agencies which represent their interests. It has no basis in reality. Rather than fear-mongering, let’s embrace education. Let’s reject the language of sensationalized story-selling. Let’s acknowledge that the cougar, the turkey, and all other wild lives vilified for the sake of the sportsmen’s agenda have every right—as much right as you and I—to exist in their homes. One day, I hope, the law will reflect that.