Maine’s Coyote War: Are Hunters Scapegoating a Vital Predator?

缅因州的土狼之争：猎人是否在为生态替罪羊背锅？

www.bangordailynews.com

Coyotes aren't the villain they're made out to be — they're just doing what predators do. Yet every deer hunting season, the eastern coyote becomes public enemy number one in rural Maine. Hunters blame them for declining deer numbers, but biologists point out that deer populations are still strong in many areas and that deep snow, habitat loss, and logging practices are bigger threats.

土狼并非人们所描绘的恶棍——它们只是在履行捕食者的天职。然而，每到鹿类狩猎季，美国缅因州乡村的东部土狼就成了头号公敌。猎人将鹿群减少归咎于它们，但生物学家指出，许多地区的鹿群数量依然充足，真正更大的威胁其实是深雪、栖息地丧失以及伐木作业方式。

Here's the irony: the very people who accuse coyotes of killing too many deer are often the same ones benefiting from state-funded predator control programs that cost taxpayers $174 per coyote. Meanwhile, conservationists argue that coyotes actually help control tick-borne diseases by keeping deer populations in check.

讽刺的是：那些指责土狼杀死太多鹿的人，往往正是从政府资助的捕食者控制项目中获益的人——每杀一只土狼，纳税人要花174美元。与此同时，环保人士指出，土狼通过控制鹿群数量，反而有助于遏制蜱虫传播的疾病。

Old School Bucks Hunter (老派鹿猎手)

I've been hunting these woods for 40 years. I've seen coyotes chase deer into frozen ponds and drown them. You can talk all you want about 'ecosystems,' but when I see my local herd wiped out, I’m not thinking about predator-prey dynamics — I’m thinking about my freezer.

我在这片林子里打猎已有40年。亲眼见过土狼把鹿群赶进结冰的池塘活活淹死。你们可以大谈‘生态系统’，但当我看到本地鹿群被消灭时，我可不会去想什么捕食-猎物动态——我在想我的冰柜还空着。

Coyote Whisperer (土狼低语者)

Respectfully, your freezer doesn’t outweigh the entire food web. Coyotes keep rodent and tick populations down. They’re not evil — they’re essential. Maybe instead of killing every coyote you see, you ask why the habitat’s failing deer in the first place?

恕我直言，你的冰柜可比不上整个食物网重要。土狼能控制啮齿动物和蜱虫数量。它们不是邪恶的——而是不可或缺的。或许你不该见一只杀一只，而该问问：为什么鹿的栖息地首先就失败了？

Taxpayer From Bangor (班戈市纳税人)

So let me get this straight: I pay $174 in tax money for each coyote killed, while a hunter profits from the pelt, all to protect deer that might not even be declining? That sounds less like wildlife management and more like a subsidy for hunting culture.

让我捋一捋：我每缴174美元税款就换来一只土狼被杀，猎人却靠卖皮毛赚钱，就为了保护那些可能根本没减少的鹿？这听起来不像野生动物管理，倒像对狩猎文化的变相补贴。

Deer Biologist PhD (鹿类生物学博士)

The data is clear: coyotes do impact fawn survival, especially in northern Maine’s deep snow zones. But they’re one piece of a larger puzzle — forest fragmentation, climate, and winter severity matter more. Blaming coyotes is convenient, but it’s not science.

数据很明确：土狼确实影响幼鹿存活率，尤其是在缅因州北部的深雪地带。但它们只是整体图景中的一环——森林破碎化、气候和冬季严酷程度影响更大。归咎于土狼很方便，但不是科学。

Maine Guide with Heart (有温度的缅因向导)

Anti-Snare Activist (反套索行动者)

Let’s not forget the snares killed lynx, eagles, and even hunting dogs. Calling it ‘predator control’ doesn’t make it ethical. It’s industrial cruelty dressed up as tradition.

别忘了，那些套索曾杀死猞猁、鹰，甚至猎犬。冠以‘捕食者控制’之名也难掩其不道德。这是披着传统外衣的工业式残忍。

Furbearer Policy Watcher (毛皮动物政策观察员)

The 2020-2030 Furbearer Management Plan shows most trappers think coyotes are the least beneficial species. That shapes policy, even if science says otherwise. Perception > data, in practice.

2020-2030年毛皮动物管理计划显示，大多数捕兽者认为土狼是最无益的物种。这影响了政策，即使科学结论相反。现实中，感知 > 数据。

Balanced Woodsman (理性林间人)

Maybe we don’t need to romanticize or demonize coyotes. Maybe we just need to manage them smartly, protect habitat, and stop pretending one predator holds all the blame.

也许我们不必美化或妖魔化土狼。也许我们只需明智管理、保护栖息地，并停止假装一个捕食者该负全责。

Maine’s Coyote War: Are Hunters Scapegoating a Vital Predator?

缅因州的土狼之争：猎人是否在为生态替罪羊背锅？

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