Coyotes are bad this year

We have had LESS coyotes than usual this year. We haven't had any problems with them in 20+ years living here. Apparently, there is enough small game for them in this area so they are filling their natural niche. So we leave them alone because if we hunt them out for no reason it leaves a habitat open and we might end up with a problematic population moving in. The chickens have a secure coop and get shut in every night. We try to put new calves and their mothers in the corral for the first two or three nights. So we try not to provide the coyotes with the opportunity to learn bad habits.

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It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with the simple pleasures and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong.
Laura Ingalls Wilder

Post of the day.

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It's not that I don't like mankind, I just like nature a whole lot more.

Our coyote population cycles with the rabbit population. Lots of rabbits = lots of coyotes. They'll knock the rabbit population down and move on. Usually every couple of years we get the high coyote pop. when the rabbits make their comeback.

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I agree Mo cows said it all. The rest of the USA must have some mutations or people cant tell a dog from coyote or a mutation.

Get dogs. Big dogs. Multiple dogs. Our neighbors who lack livestock guardian dogs have coyote problems. Our dogs eat coyotes. Literally. Dogs are the best defense. They need to be more than one - it's a gang war.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
Read about our on-farm butcher shop project:
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/butchershop
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/csa

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SugarMtnFarm.com -- Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids

I want to reply to a couple of post on here , but I know if I do my blood pressure will deffinatly go up. So I will keep my comments to myself at this time.

Tonight we had a great moon light with some clouds making the sky a murky mystery and the sound of the coyotes in the distance completed the atmosphere. They dont bother us and so far they have left the heifers alone and our only loss was a barn cat.

I have taken to walking the back pasture at night for relaxation and their sound is awesome.

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The neighbor on the place next to ours saw one ambling down the road. His wife wouldn't let him just run it over with their car so he kept bumping it. It'd get up and keep going. Finally he bumped it and it went into the culvert in front of our place where he shot the dumb thing. They are just so bold.

MO, our place was strip mined years ago. The people across the road give campers access to their place. Some people keep trailers there and actually spend the night but most people just fish. That place will always attract coyotes and there's nothing we can do about that. I think our problem is mostly due to the weather we had this spring and summer. The numbers of all pesky critters is way up in these parts.

DH just got another opossum yesterday.

DD wants to learn how to shoot.

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Totally agree with highlands. I was tired of having coyotes in my yard in broad daylight, and my old (now 15 yrs) dog not going after them. So last year I got a maremma and have had no problems with any unwanted 4 legged visitors or 2 legged ones either for that matter.

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A wise person speaks when they have something to say but a fool speaks just to say something

Where are you located? The ones here are HUGE. I had one 2 summers ago come right into my driveway within 10 feet of me, trying to get my ducks that were following me across the yard. I grabbed a handful of gravel & threw it at it, the thing was as big as a full grown German Shepherd. My dad said a few weeks ago he saw one (Johnson co) that was really big,too, like a wolf, he said.

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Please take the time to watch this video about Cerebral Palsy!
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Coyotes around here are not small anymore.

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Real is Beautiful -Sherry in Maine

I am 47

They are thick as thieves up here as well. Large pack near my place (13-18), the other packs are smaller... (6-10).

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Around here, we have many coyotes but it hasn't seemed to reduce the rabbit population one bit. They got my entire sweet potato and green bean plants, helped themselves to parsley and cabbage. It's nothing to go out at dusk or even after dark and see 3 or 4 just from the back porch.

Well, that's probably the only good thing about all these gas wells that are being drilled around here - keeps the coyotes away.

I was poking thru some coyote scat last week.
Didn't see any bones, fur, etc.
What I did see was lots and lots of acorns.
I just thought that was a little strange.

coyotes will eat ANYTHING, they are creatures of opportunity.
Ed

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a well trained pack of curs or catahoulas will eliminate yotes, or at least keep the yotes thinned out, imho, works for me anyway

I am in SE NY. inthe Hudson River Valley. The wolf/coyotes were released in the Weat Point area. They do travel. We just had a mtn lion in the area that was hit by a car and was traced back to the Dakotas.

RJMAcres, the rabbits got the veggies in my garden, not the coyotes. The garden is within the fenced yard where we have 2 Pyrs and a GSD. I wasn't clear--sorry.

Coyotes like fruit and veggies once in awhile.
They love watermelon.