Scientific Wildlife Management, its research, information and training, and this website are a direct result of Rob, knowing that the coyote of today is a much different animal than it was even 10 years ago. The public’s perception of an animal than can co-exist with humans, in major cities and developed areas, and have no issues or conflicts with humans, is an image portrayed by anti-hunters and animal activists. The image portrayed is a far cry from what is actually happening in rural and urban areas across America. Nature is not a fairy tale where every living thing lives in harmony with all others, the true ways of nature is a very different reality altogether. Diseases wipe out entire populations of animals in some areas and animals kill and eat other animals every day in the real world. Coyotes and other animals have become very adept at living in close proximity to humans, using their homes and buildings for shelter, eating the food put out for pets, threatening and killing dogs, cats, and other small creatures, even attacking people in developed America. As the wolf was in the 18th and 19th century, the coyote is now the dominant predator in most of America, his only real threat coming from autos and humans. This website is designed to shed some light on predatory and nuisance animals, focusing on coyotes, but also raccoons, skunks, foxes, beavers, muskrats, and other animals that are thriving right alongside the public, in their homes, garages, in the waterways, empty lots and abandoned buildings in every community in the nation. Today’s coyote has become the new 21st century wolf, thriving in both urban and rural parts of America, harassing and killing sheep and calves in rural areas and killing and eating pets in cities and suburbs. Not only can the coyote of today live alongside humans, its thriving and becoming more and more aggressive and problematic. Coyotes habituated to humans without the threat of danger become brazen and unafraid, leading to attacks on pets and even humans.
Rob's fascination with canine behavior started at the young age of 13. Since that time the Red Fox population had begun to decline and the population of coyotes continued to rise. The need to understand how the coyotes were adapting to the urban areas was critical. In 2000, Rob began to work with and train the cook county Wildlife Biologists, so that they could begin their Urban Coyote Study. Thanks to his knowledge and training, the study was able to collar and track over 1000 urban coyotes. The study continues to this day. Knowing what equipment and how to use this equipment to humanely capture urban coyotes has been Rob's speciality for over 40 years. He is the leading Urban Coyote Expert in North America. Rob continues to study and work with Biologist around the world on canine behavior.
Rob Erickson began trapping at the young age of 13. In 1978, while working at UPS, a supervisor, knowing Rob’s trapping experience, asked him to remove raccoons from his attic. The noise and smell of a family of raccoons was becoming unbearable.
Mark has been instrumental in many phases of Scientific Wildlife Management, including assisting on trapping and collaring coyotes and also promoting our goals and ethics to many of the local police departments and villages.