Yesterday we sent in the paperwork (and fee) to obtained the coot depredation permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This will allow us to reduce the coot population by 250 birds for this season. But more importantly is the fact that these birds are not stupid and at least some of them should start relocating once we start thinning them out. The bad news is that it will take a minimum of 60 days to get the permit and I am told to expect it to be closer to 90 to 120 days. We'll just have to wait and see.