A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
So, Steve, last night before the show started, I went for a jog, and I rounded a corner, and right there in the middle of the street, a couple of coyotes, taking a nap.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Wow.
MARTÍNEZ: Right there. When they noticed me, they got up, moved to the sidewalk. I walked past them and went home.
INSKEEP: (Laughter) Amazing.
MARTÍNEZ: Those are the coyotes in LA.
INSKEEP: OK, they're just, like - they're just hanging out. They weren't worried about you. You weren't too worried about them.
MARTÍNEZ: And they were courteous, apparently, because they moved aside.
INSKEEP: Very polite. Excuse me, sir, after you. Well, coyotes are in the news, it turns out, and also in the sights of hunters in Michigan. After a long debate, the Michigan Natural Resources Commission says it is committed to extending coyote hunting season all year long.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. Justin Tomei is with Michigan United Conservation Clubs, a group focused on protecting people's right to hunt fish and trap.
JUSTIN TOMEI: Coyotes exist in all 83 counties in Michigan, so their populations are booming. They are doing extremely well here in Michigan.
MARTÍNEZ: Tomei argues year-round hunting can manage population growth and lets farmers protect land and livestock. Naomi Louchouarn disagrees. She's a scientist for Humane World for Animals, a nonprofit specializing in animal protection.
NAOMI LOUCHOUARN: What we know about coyote ecology is that coyotes are very good at reproducing, very, very fast. And the fewer coyotes there are, the faster they reproduce. So really, we've got a lot of evidence to prove that the more you hunt them, you're really not reducing the population.
MARTÍNEZ: And when you kill one, she says...
LOUCHOUARN: You destabilize a pack that relies on each other, and when they're destabilized, they might go for easier prey. And easier prey includes farm animals, pets, etc.
INSKEEP: OK, so that's the counterargument. But data from Michigan's Department of Natural Resources indicates year-round hunting will not significantly affect the state's coyote population either way. Louchouarn says the reality might be less certain.
LOUCHOUARN: Nobody counts coyotes. The only numbers we get are from hunters telling us how many they killed.
INSKEEP: I suppose we will find out more about that in days to come, and we'll cover it here on NPR (imitating howling). Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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