On January 20th, we posted a blog titled, “Like Pheasants? Thank a Coyote,” on the Pheasants Forever Facebook page. That article generated a whopping 430 shares and 369 comments ranging from unhinged vitriol to unapologetic praise. The response on Instagram was similarly passionate. In this episode, host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Dr. Tim Lyons and Dr. Nicole Davros, both biologists with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and Aaron Kuehl, PF & QF’s habitat programs national director who also received his master’s degree in animal ecology from Iowa State University where he studied predator movement and activity. The group discuss the science behind the blog’s premise and answer the more popular questions on the social feeds generated by the post.

Episode Highlights:

• In what may be a surprising reaction, Kuehl thanks the social media commentors for their passion about pheasants and for their pushback on the science.

• The biologists discuss the role coyotes play as predators of adult pheasants and pheasant nests. They also explain the complex relationship between coyotes, fox, and pheasants.

• Lyons explains “compensatory reproduction,” and how coyotes will actually produce more litters when their populations are suppressed.