Coyotes

Just wondering how prevelant these little critters are around the country. Here in North Texas they're doing very well. They come out at night, and sometimes it sounds like there are 30 of them right oustside the bedroom window having a party. They especially like small pets. I don't think I've ever had a barn cat that lasted 3 months.

There are quite a few in s.d They will get large dogs out in open areas then gang up on them and kill them. Alot of people hunt them I don't know if there is a season on them here or not as I don't hunt but people do shoot them all year long here. At night when farming they will come close enough to shoot with a shotgun. Most of the time they aren't very scared.

They're here in SC. I saw one kill a fawn at the edge of a field along my driveway back in the summer. No closed season on them.

KEH

I dislike them as I have cattle but....this year we are overwhelmed with rodents in N Oklahoma and I just can't bring myself to kill them. I hope they will help control the rats. same with bobcats and wolverines and snakes....I have had chances to off them but leave them for now till the rats are back in control.

Plenty of them here in central New York. They often come past the house in the middle of the night - wooping it up sounding like they're a bunch of teenagers with a case of beer.

My next-door nieghbor is a wildlife technician for the State of New York. He's been out lately trapping them to install radio collars. State wants to keep tabs on them and see where they go.
I found out when my border collie stepped into one of Encon's traps.

As far a killing goes? I haven't seen it, but I know they get blamed for a lot. True or not, I don't know. All the coyote droppings I find in the woods and fields are full of mouse fur. We often have baby goats in the barn and always have chickens - and many times I've found coyote tracks in the snow - where they peaked in, but would not go in. I think the human scent keeps them out. Only animals I've had killed were done in by weasels, coons, fisher, and red fox - and of course, other people's dogs. I've had more pigs and chickens killed by domestic dogs -then anyting wild. But, here we get paid for it. State of New York requires the towns to have their own animal-damage assessors. If he/she determines a farm animal is killed by a domestic animal - and not a wild animal - the town pays for it. Not very much, but something. Last I heard it's around $50 for a pig, and $7 for a chicken.

I had a real problem with them until I got 2 Great Pyrenees dogs. I have yet to see a pack of coyotes that will challenge these dogs more than once. These dogs live to kill predators, including skunks and raccoons. They also are the most gentle dogs that I have ever had around people and farm animals.

How are they around visitors and strangers, the difference being that visitors are welcome and strangers are not and might come while we're away? And how much do they eat?

Christopher

Country?? Sheesh, we"re in the middle of the city, and they just put out a notice that cats and little dogs are disappearing. There"s a sunken RR grade with 30 foot blackberry covered slopes for cover a mile or so away.
Went upstairs and turned the light on in the front room; a raccoon was on the porch roof, looking in the window; if I"d"ve opened it he"d"ve probably come in.
People leave out cat and dog food, which brings on the wildlife, which brings the coyotes.

They are fine around any people and even kids, very friendly. Mine are very good natured dogs, but when I hear any coyotes they bristleup and go after them. Usually the coyotes go off in the woods and don't return. The dogs will stay out a while to see that they don't come back.It is hard to imagine until you see, but the dogs can out run a coyote in an open field. Usually the coyotes get in the woods before they get caught. They really like sheep, goats, and cats, to protect.

I keep my dogs close to the house here but they're not as bad here as they were in western NC. Last summer while passing through Charlotte I heard on the local radio that there was now a problem with coyotes inside the city limits of Charlotte.

Never used to have 'em here in central Michigan. Now we hear them about every third night. They howl up quite a ruckus for a few minutes, and then quiet down. If you go out with a spotlight, you can never find them. Have only seen a few in daylight. They keep pretty hidden. We have sheep, and I worry about them, but apparently the coyotes don't have the nerve to come close to the house and barns. Maybe the 4 llamas we have keep the coyotes away. Llamas don't much like dogs or coyotes. Will try to kick them to death if they can get close enough. Will herd the sheep into a corner, and put themselves between the preditor and the flock.

Have read they are quite fond of nice fat suburban cats.

I live next to a wildlife refuse here in north cent. ALA. and we see singles most everyday and hear packs most every night. Jets in their flight path for Huntsville really set off the packs howling. There are more of them every year. The refuse game wardens say we don't know what we're seeing and hearing and there is no problem.

They are thick as fleas in South Texas. Used to only see and hear them at night now I routinely see them trotting across pastures in the middle of the day. Went past a childrens home 2 weeks ago and their goat herd was being harassed by a coyote even with 2 people near the fence line. Had 2 adults and a pup come out of the woods on the back of the property and stare at me like I was a cartoon road runner. Apparently they have taken to pulling my drip irrigation hoses from the garden and shredding them to pieces.

The Great Pyernees sure just that GREAT we had one that came out of Mo, He cleaned our valley of coyotes. I have seen him run down one break it's back and never stop. Just make sure they are pure and do not have another breed mixed in and make sure the parents are working dogs. gitrib

Also from Central MI and live in the woods. We havn't seen any but hear them go nuts when they make a catch out in the woods. The main reason for them where we live is the large pop. of turkeys. Nature makes the rules. Something has to keep the turkey and rabbit pop. in check and take care of the old and weak. They don't catch many "healthy" birds. People don't reallize it but OWLES take a lot more birds , rabbits AND cats than coyotes do. They get them from above and ambush them and they don't have to be old or weak either.

Great Pyernees are very popular around here. Probably the best herd protection you can get. Beautiful white dogs about the size of Saint Bernards. Very dedicated to family and stock.

there behind every tree here in central nm, singles and packs rasing cane with sheep ranches around here, we shoot them when we can, harder to hit that you'd think

I killed one last week and last night they were out making a fuss. I'm having calves born now so it is a concern. I had a calve that was attacked by something but I can't say for sure that it was coyotes but they are the only predators I've seen.

My brothre had more trouble with dogs, than coyotes around his cattle. I don't think coyotes will bother cattle that much. They will eat dead cattle. Stan

coming thru Kentucky today I saw 3 dead along roads, car kills. Saw one hit & killed in Tenn. recently

They like newborn calves.Fellow saw them trying to get one,the cows did defend the calf.Coyotes will attack small children.

They brought a lot of them to a military base where I worked back in the 1980's. They cleaned up the groundhogs very quickly. I don't know if any ever escaped. Hal

They love it up here on the NY/PA border.

In SW Michigan, we have them roaming around. I've seen a few during the day. While building our house about five years ago, saw one standing in the drive as we arrived to work. I HOPE they eat the free-roaming cats. More cats eaten = more rabbits. No more cats and coyotes with full tummies. Our dogs, three beagles and an English setter, are kenneled during the day, but come in at night. Don't need the beagles howling nor any attacks by coyotes.

Larry in Michigan

Over here in eastern NY about 25 miles west of the VT/Mass. border I think I've noticed them for about 10 years, before that, I don't recall hearing or finding droppings. They were around before, but rarely noticed, according to others I've spoken too, one who shot one in the early 70's.

It appears that for awhile, just a few years ago, the population was growing, all kinds of droppings, lot of howling at times, and I'd see a few throughout the year. They are big and healthy, we have lots of rabbits and mice.

I was down the hill in the valley, from my house, standing by our small pond, a deer comes out, down a path that I keep mowed, tongue hanging out and panting hard, he looked like he just ran a marathon, looked at me as if to say (hey bud could you get whatever is chasing me off my back ?) no concern about me at all, almost ran smack into me, went left up the hill, forget what direction, but he came right back, almost smack into me again, I've never seen a deer run out exhausted like that, moments later, I see a large healthy coyote in another path, the deer was literally doing laps. They were doing a number on fawns a few years ago, was finding quite a few small legs.

Sometimes one would sit on the hill our house is on and enjoy the view, I was working in my yard one day and another big healthy coyote was right in the tree line sitting and watching me, kept at it, never scared him away, whenever they do this, eventually they just walk on off. Funny, you hear them, load a rifle and spotlight or use the moon and snow to see em, they are invisible.

I nailed a deer during archery season in '05, it went 100 yds + into the thicket and or semi marsh land with all those large round tufts of grass that like to grow in places like that. Went up to the house, got a lantern to track it, an hour might have passed before we found it, coyotes had already tore into it, sometimes they are right under your nose and you have no clue they are here.

When the windows are open at night, sometimes you'll hear the demise of some other critter, as they tear into it, rabbits go quick, but there seems to be a lot of cats running loose here, have seen the same ones for awhile, I heard one taken by a coyote, nasty sounds of agony, went down with a rifle, was over and I never saw a one of them.

Lately, no signs of them getting any fawns, I have a tall grass area 200 yds from the house, doe always has a fawn in there, twins this year, can usually figure out when too, I've caught them bare handed, until they get their legs right, no match for a coyote. I still see droppings, but don't hear them nearly as often, they're here but not like they were for awhile.

Here in North East Ma. I never saw one until about 12 or 15 years ago. Now they are all over the area.
Lately a lot of people have been missing small pets.
This Summer, my younger son has shot 5 or 6 coyotes and a couple foxes rite in the back yard.

Pretty healthy population in Mid Michigan. See more of them than fox anymore. I've known them to get tumbling around so much they set off the motion detector lights. Luckily they haven't gotten a taste for,or brave enough to try wet calves. My oldest son got a deer Saturday night then lost it because the batteries were dead in the flashlight. He went out Sunday morning,found it just into the edge of the brush,the shoulders and most all the good meat was eaten out of it.

In areas where they are bad, I've heard of people dumping large bags of dog food away from their places (or where cows are calving) to keep them away.

They are plentiful and large in N.E. Texas, too. They have adapted to housing additions and are adept at jumping fences into a yard with a small pet, making the kill and jumping back over the fence with their kill.

Just hope they learn how to take small hogs. The feral hog population in N. Tx is getting very bad.

There is a persisitant rumour that the government's Ministry of natural resources is moving/has moved coyotes, cougars and black bears. "back into their natural habitate". As the MNR did with wild turkeys.
It's supposed to control of the run away deer populations among other things. Such as to also satisfy the armchair enviromentalist living in downtown Toronto.
Tough to find a rabit, hare, groundhog or fox around here now. Still some coons however.
I've shot five coyotes from on or near the back deck of my house.
I wouldn't have any birds left if it wasn't for our Border Collie. He comes in now and again with a few scrapes and marks from fighting something.
Discoved that on a very calm still frosty night. The sound of a 300 winchestor carries and echos for miles.

I shot my first coyote around here in 1985, owego, ny area. Have shot two others, one last year, a young blond female. This one I had mounted and should be getting her any day now. I spend a lot of time outside and I believe that coyotes eat mostly mice and small rodents, young turkeys and grouse. But they are opportunists and will eat anything thats an easy meal

Lost four beef calves to coyotes here in s.w.Pa two springs ago. Calve would be a few days old, coyotes would not eat the good flesh-just tear up the innerds, etc. Game commission guy said yes coyote kill, call someone else. They said call GC. Runaround. Go outside the next time the fire whistles sound & you'll hear the coyotes houling.

I'm having trouble feeling warm and fuzzy about coyotes right now- one got our Pomeranian last Wednesday nite. Believe I will get some meat scraps from local butcher, plant it in an area of the field where I can be in a blind about 30 yards away, downwind, with some double aught buckshot, and see if Chicadee and me can't exact us a little revenge. And if I enjoy it enough, I can envision me and Chicky continuing this program far into the future. . . Maybe sort of a hobby I take up, in my dotage. . .

You people make it sound like coyotes arn't suppose to eat. That is just wrong thinking.

I have been hearing for several years now that some of the goat farmers in the North Texas area are using jenny's to watch their herd. They say the jenny gets attached to the goats and attacks anything that tries to hurt them. Dont know if it will work the same with jacks (they might be to tempermental) but the one farmer I talked to swears by it for goats and calves.

Well Chris, it sounds to me like you've never found several hundred dollars worth of your dreams lying in a pasture dead from the coyotes. That or you're one of the types that think man is evil and animals hve dominion over man.

Let the coyotes eat all the feral dogs and cats they want. When they bother my livestock then it's war.

We ahve an HUGE population of coyotes here in northern NY. I trap and hunt them and it doens't make a dent. Lambs, calves, a foal if they can get it, it's all food to them and they eat 24/7.

I ment that as a joke. I have felt the pain. I don't begruge any one a meal, and if the coyote would just kill one lamb and eat it I would be fine with that. What happens around here is when teaching the young to hunt they will kill or injure a whole pasture full and not eat anything.

Okay, too bad we don't have emoticons here. I can't tell the jokes!

Had a coyote in the yard this morning. Drake went absoultely threw the
roof!! He was probably as ------ as I have ever seen him. Anyway, the poor coyote is looking around kinda lost, the rooster is down there giving him the 'come on over here and try this out' pose and the horses are looking at him the same way. The sheep are watching him but laying down, adding insult to injury. THEN he has a highly agile, very mobile, and EXTREMELY hostile German Shepherd in pursuit...I am telling you, that was one UPSET dog. He probably thought that the coyote had in mind chicken on the hoof or cat burgers. That coyote was gone like his hair was on fire. Drake sent him past the perimeter fence then barked a bit then trotted home. Life on the farm, gotta love it. I was afraid I may have lost another chicken after that because I kept only seeing four but all present and accounted for now.
It is getting to be time to put the chicken wire fence up for them. In summer it is ok for them to run around but now I want them more protected
as food dries up a bit.

this link gives the history of coyotes. claims we will end up getting super coyotes.
evloving coyotes.

We have lots of wildlife here; biggest problem is packs of feral dogs on livestock. One of our neighbors had his roping horse run into barbed wire and it was injured so bad it had to be put down, just a couple of days before a major rodeo.

We live close to a couple of wilderness areas, deer, javelina, coyote, coatimundi, fox, badger and lots of raptors this time of year. And then;

lion track next to my hiking boot, big and deep in the hard ground. Believe this is the same cat that took out a feral mastiff alpha leader last December; probably broke the mastiff's neck with a violent high speed T-bone attack.

Three leg stride is six feet, "Ambush Corner" in the background;


Still killing rattlers, three so far in November.

Bob