A couple who live in rural southwest Bartholomew County was horrified to find five dead coyotes dumped on their property.
Tom and Vickie Schoolcraft, whose home is near Interstate 65 on more than 100 acres, notified the Indiana Department of Natural Resources about finding the coyotes, which appeared to have been shot, on Dec. 21.
A DNR officer took photos at the scene but initially told the couple they would be responsible for disposing of the carcasses, which they have not yet been able to do, Vicki Schoolcraft said. However, when DNR law enforcement learned of the couple’s predicament, an officer went to the scene to dispose of the animals on Thursday.
“This is just unreal, people bringing dead animals out here and dumping them,” Vickie Schoolcraft said. “We would offer a reward to information about who had done this but we can’t afford that.”
Of the five coyotes, four appeared to be fully grown while one was smaller, she said.
“It’s just disgusting — totally sickening,” she said.
The carcasses were piled up next to a large fallen tree along a gravel road that leads to the Schoolcraft’s home, an area that is part of their property.
Vickie Schoolcraft said she and her husband occasionally have allowed individuals to set small wildlife free on their acreage, such as skunks or snakes. However, the couple emphasized they would not accept anyone trying to dump cats or dogs or family pets on their property. There are also limits to the amount of wildlife that they would allow to be released on their acreage, Tom Schoolcraft said.
This incident is not the first time the couple has had deceased wildlife dumped on the property, Vickie Schoolcraft said.
About three months ago, the couple found a baby deer wrapped up in plastic and dumped along the road leading to their home, she said.
“This is not a dumping ground,” she said of the property surrounding her home. “This just upsets me to no end.”
DNR officers have advised the Schoolcrafts to consider putting up video surveillance to identify who might be dumping the carcasses on the property.
Indiana Conservation Officer Jet Quillen said the hunting season for coyotes in Indiana is Oct. 15 through March 15 and there are no restrictions as to hunting hours or the type of firearms that may be used. A hunting license is required except when a homeowner has labeled the animals a nuisance and is trying to eliminate them from their property.
However, coyotes can’t be shot randomly and then dumped on other people’s property, Quillen said.
Coyotes are considered a nuisance animal, meaning that if a homeowner feels the animals are a threat to their family members and children, property, livestock or family pets, they may be trapped and destroyed, Quillen said. But it is illegal to dump the carcasses on other people’s property or along roadsides, he said.
Quillen said DNR sees dumping of deer carcasses quite often. Some hunters will take a deer lawfully, with a hunting license, and process it, he said, but then have the remaining carcass and are unsure what to do with it.
“It is littering,” he said of dumping deer, coyote or other animals on other people’s property.
Having the carcasses along roadsides or on private property brings other scavenging animals to it, which can also create more nuisance problems, he said.
Coyotes, which run in packs, are nocturnal scavengers who are always looking for the easiest meal possible, Quillen said.
They will try to feed out of trash cans and look for dog or cat food left outside. They also eat small rodents, rabbits and squirrels. Coyotes are common in this part of the state, according to the DNR.
Quillen cautioned coyote hunters that if they are hunting, and not going after a nuisance animal, they must have a hunting license and have permission from the landowner to be on private property while hunting.
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To learn more about hunting rules in the state of Indiana, visit the Indiana Department of Natural Resources website at in.gov/dnr/.
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