- Dates
- 2009-09-18 – 2009-10-19
- Kind
- Public_safety
- Where
- Beaver Island
- Eras
- Modern era
- Concepts
- wildlifeconservationpublic-safetygovernment
- Within
- Beaver Island
Summary
In September 2009, Deputy Travis Williams posted that he had contacted the DNR at the request of residents concerned about coyotes and summarized what he understood about nuisance-animal rules and firearm-discharge limits. The same thread records reports of two family dogs killed, increased sightings near homes, a proposal for organized hunting, and later objections to an alleged poison-bait effort.
Evidence limits
The deputy’s identity and stated law-enforcement role make his post stronger than anonymous commentary, but the thread is not a statute, DNR ruling, incident report, wildlife census, or court record. His legal summary is preserved as reported guidance rather than adopted as a definitive legal interpretation. The dog deaths, coyote counts, and poison-bait allegations remain claims within the discussion unless independently documented elsewhere. Named owners’’ first- hand accounts are stronger than anonymous repetition for documenting community experience, but still do not substitute for veterinary or law-enforcement records. The associated deer-season thread records an informal proposed survey and self-reported observations, not completed sampling or evidence of herd size, predator density, or causation.
Sources
See the sources block above.
Sources
- A prospective caller offered help and a participant said residents were discussing an organized winter coyote hunt with possible prizes and reduced lodging rates. This establishes a proposal and planning stage only; it does not establish that a hunt occurred, who organized it, or that it was lawful or effective.forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 02 · t002003
- The thread records a sustained argument over coyote predation, deer management, hunting, and the need for a census. Participants reported sightings, packs, trapping numbers, and alleged deer impacts, while others challenged the evidence and urged DNR or other expert study. These are attributed observations and advocacy, not a wildlife survey or scientific finding; cited external studies in the posts are not independently verified here.forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 02 · t002020
- Deputy Travis Williams identifies himself as a Charlevoix County Sheriff's Office deputy and reports contacting the DNR at residents' request; the thread preserves his nuisance-animal guidance, a claim that two family dogs had been killed, and later discussion of sightings, proposed hunting, and an unverified poison-bait allegation.forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 01 · t001921
- Named pet owners report laboratory-tested poison exposure in dogs, including a severe illness that later improved; the thread reports three alleged pet-ingestion cases but contains no veterinary records, police report, toxicology report, or confirmed baiter identity.forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 01 · t001989
- A hunter proposed an informal survey and reported one harvested doe, two coyotes, and numerous coyote observations during roughly 30 hours of hunting; another participant reported seeing many deer earlier in the year but fewer after hunting began. These are self-reported observations, not official harvest data, a wildlife census, or evidence that coyotes caused a measured herd decline.forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 02 · t002036
- Beaver Island Forum, "Doe Season-Pro or Con," October 28–November 10, 2009.The discussion records conflicting community observations about deer sightings, doe harvest, food plots, coyote predation, and herd management. Jeff Powers identified himself as a veterinarian and attributed reduced herd size to local work and the opinion of DNR biologist Brian Mastenbrook, while other participants urged study before action. These are attributed statements and debate, not a population survey or official management decision. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 02 · t001999
Added 7 August 2026. Recent changes
Cite this article
Beaver Island Archive, “Beaver Island coyote concerns prompt law-enforcement guidance and debate, 2009”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/events/beaver-island-coyote-concerns-and-nuisance-guidance-2009/, accessed [date], citing Dennis and Gavin West, “Coyote Hunting,” Beaver Island Forum, November 3–4, 2009. (and 5 further sources listed on the page).
Last revised 2026-08-07. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.
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