coyotes ....again

whiterock · #1 09/30/10, 12:01 PM

Seems to be a pretty common topic on here lately. Got a text a little while ago from a friend's daughter. We lost him 2 years ago today, and I am the "Uncle" she calls for help.

She wanted to know if I knew anyone that would trap coyotes, last night she took her dogs out, and one ran off to the edge of the property, and she had to listen to it being killed. She got in the car and drove over to the area and saw it come out of the tree line and collapse. This scared her and she called her mother who lives on the same property. Mom ran out in gown and pair of dad's old shoes, called police and an officer came out and picked up the dog and put it in a trash bag to be burried today. Girl(32) was too scared to get out of the car herself without the officer close by.

They have seen coyotes in the yard areas 3 times in the last week. The property is 5 acres, within the city limits, but not in the city limits, the properties around it were annexed but not this property, Developed all around,huge parking lots on two side, park with soccer fields behind, it is on a creek, and huge amts of wildlife there. Coyotes, bobcats, feral hogs, raccoons, etc abound along that creek because of the development around it compressing them.

Sunday, I went out on the porch about 5:30 and I could hear coyotes working the creek about a half mile from me well before sundown. Have heard them regularly for some time now. Girl called game warden for info and was told that they are every where, causing lots of problems, and nothing he could do, just too many.

Feed stores have coyote sized live traps out front now.

The population seems to be growing exponentially in this area. How's the #'s in your area?

Ed

Head Roller · #2 09/30/10, 12:04 PM

Coyotes are terrible here in rural Colorado. You can hear them running in packs. We kind of have a "joke" around here... sunlight hours are for the pets and livestock. As soon as dusk hits, you better secure anything you want to be here in the morning. We also have a problem with fox, large birds of prey and the occasional mountain lion.

highlandview · #3 09/30/10, 12:33 PM

We had a pack of coyotes for awhile now we just see one alone. It comes around during the daytime. The kids can't play outside. The fire whistle in our area makes it howl.

Farmerga · #4 09/30/10, 12:40 PM

We have a lot of big coyotes here in North Georgia. I have seen them stalking my dogs, but, I have catahoulas and I believe that the yotes would have a bad day if they were ever to catch one. My brother has had some of his goats and birds come up missing, but, my dogs and pigs have no problems with them.

http://www.dostersheritagefarm.com

**highlands** · #5 09/30/10, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whiterock

She wanted to know if I knew anyone that would trap coyotes, last night she took her dogs out, and one ran off to the edge of the property, and she had to listen to it being killed.

It is gang wars. We have LGDs. Our pack is bigger, meaner and nastier than their pack so they steer clear of our farm, or get eaten. The coyotes will kill small dogs, cats, etc. Do not let your children wander.

Quote:

Originally Posted by whiterock

Feed stores have coyote sized live traps out front now.

Please, please, please do NOT use live traps. If you do use a live trap then kill the animal. Do NOT relocate it. Nobody else wants it either. Moving animals around spreads disease and just dumps the problem in someone else's back yard. It is actually illegal to live trap and relocate animals in many places including our state. If you have a problem with a predator, kill it. This is nature and you're a part of it. Killing is a part of life. The coyote knows that.

Wolf mom · #6 09/30/10, 01:04 PM

Yup, kill them coyotes. Next people will complain about the rat population.

My area is over run with elk that do a lot of damage. Their only natural preditor is a wolf. Because of fear-mongering, we now have no wolves.

Ever hear of co-existence?

Lyra · #7 09/30/10, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolf mom

Ever hear of co-existence?

"because of the development around it compressing them."

That says it all. We forget that it is their turf and not ours. This thread reminds me of an interesting program called Life After People.

I saw my first coyote about two weeks ago. I think they are amazing creatures.

Michael W. Smith · #8 09/30/10, 01:21 PM

We've have them here too. For a few years the population seemed to decline, but it's rising again. We here them all around our house - but then we live in rural America and own 128 acres.

I've been told that up in Erie, PA people were losing pets all the time. It wasn't until the city had to get into a large sewer drain pipe and they found out where all the lost pets had gone to. There were lots of dog collars and cat collars in there. And there was evidence for them to conclude that all those pets had been caught by a coyote and taken to it's den to eat them!

Coyotes are VERY adaptable, and while mostly skittish with people, have no problem living in a high human population area. In fact, as long as there is enough cover for them to live, they actually thrive in the area - because there are all kinds of 4 legged "meals on wheels" in people's backyards.

backwoodsman · #9 09/30/10, 01:33 PM

Its doubtful or highly improbable that you could catch full blooded coyotes in cage traps. This will be my 35th season trapping and for over 20 years I tried to cage/live trap a yote, never happened. Ive seen many others try it too. Yes please dont relocate the yote if you do catch it. .22LR bare minimum and we prefer a .22Magnum for yote dispatch in foothold traps. For the person who wished for wolves, be careful what you wish for. Wolves make coyotes look like kittens. Here "officialy" over 12 wolves have been killed in the last 4 years. Unofficialy Im sure its much higher and the problems are just starting. Calves and lambs are very vulnerable to both canines but more so to wolves in particular. Yotes are hard to stop or exclude from an area and lethal methods are the only alternative in most circumstances. If legal, hunting at night with a good spotlight is very effective for them and until it was prohibited here most of our successful yote hunts took place at night. Might try posting this in the Great Outdoors section also and someone there may have some ideas or advice for you?

**GREENCOUNTYPETE** · #10 09/30/10, 01:39 PM

we have them so bad they were running horses thru fences this winter , then chasing the hearded up horses around back and forth across the roads , the owner called it in to the police the police were in the middle of cleaning up one horse car accident when another happened int he other direction a 1/4 mile away

foot hold traps all thru that creek would be best call you state trapping association they should be able to give you contacts to local trappers who will either be liciences for fur , or nucence , the fur guys wouldn't charge you but the nucence people somtimes do it dpends a lot on what they are getting

trapping is very important to keep them in thier place , once the know the scent of trouble as others have pointed out they stay away for the most part. but if they go unchecked , un trapped or shot , then they get too at ease with the human population and it will only be a matter of time before it is more than just little dogs.

cathyharrell · #11 09/30/10, 01:52 PM

I am afraid that is what happened to my little Shih Tzu, Reggie. Also, my poultry population is way down.

ufo_chris · #12 09/30/10, 01:52 PM

I just talked to a guy in southern Ohio yesterday that has lots and he says electric fence, first wire 12" off the ground then one at 32". i WOULD PUT UP MORE TO KEEP THEM OUT, would not be terribly expensive to fence in a decent size area for your dog ,just get a strong charger!(that would be the main expense)
He says he has seen the tracks going clear around huge pastures instead of going through.
I mean sure you can kill some ,but you can't kill them all .
Chris

**GREENCOUNTYPETE** · #13 09/30/10, 02:00 PM

in south east wis where some of my family is they have fox in town now the coyotes were to much competition outside of town and the fox have been cleaning up on the rabit that plaged the gardens in town so they have been left to have thier run of the town as soon as the rabits run out or the yotes figure out what the fox already know it will get interesting , they have little fear , mid day a fox walked right up the drive way stood a few feet from the back door scan the back yard for prey my son was playing in that yard at the time , he was up in the play house 5 feet up a ladder , i was standing at the back door and then trot thru to the next yard

DW · #14 09/30/10, 02:10 PM

they're bad. Some nights they wake me up & I worry about our one pet that stays out...a cat. Whenever the dog barks at night, I am right out the door. We also have bambi & her mom here...I'd like them to stay!

Wolf mom · #15 09/30/10, 02:22 PM

Yup - fearmongering.

Used to be you fenced to keep creatures OUT. Now it appears that humans are entitled and don't need to do that anymore.

Those that say coyotes & wolves kill sheep & other animals - I'd agree -

BUT two things: if you have those animals, isn't it your responsibility to care for them by whatever means including fencing?

Secondly, if you watch their kill (unless they are in your non-secure area), they kill the weak and infirm thereby preserving the best DNA to be passed on through generations.

But, then....

pastelsummer · #16 09/30/10, 02:23 PM

We have yotes and wolves here in my area, we shoot first and question them later. I have lost multiple cats to the dens a couple fields away. Not a huge problem to me, the problem started this last month when 2 of the yotes tried to attack my BIL when he was out changing water for my dh while we were gone. He was lucky to have the shovel and managed to smack one and then they took off but since then we have kept a closer eye out because they have moved thier hunting grounds closer to my house. Hence the reason i am practicing with my dh rifle adn buying my own hand guns next month. I say shoot the ---- things before they come after the girl and her mother

AuntKitty · #17 09/30/10, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolf mom

Yup - fearmongering.

Used to be you fenced to keep creatures OUT. Now it appears that humans are entitled and don't need to do that anymore.

Those that say coyotes & wolves kill sheep & other animals - I'd agree -

BUT two things: if you have those animals, isn't it your responsibility to care for them by whatever means including fencing?

Secondly, if you watch their kill (unless they are in your non-secure area), they kill the weak and infirm thereby preserving the best DNA to be passed on through generations.

But, then....

But then, when they come up on your front porch and take an elderly cat sleeping on a porch cushion and who never harmed a fly - I guess I'm supposed to fence off the porch too. I also lost a young cat who was my best mouser around the barn so they are not only cleaning out the weak and infirm. I keep my remaining cat inside now, but I refuse to live in a prison to allow what are basically mongrels to run free. I moved to the country to have my freedom and there were no coyotes here for the first five years I was here. They are moving into my territory, not the other way around, and because other people didn't handle the problem when their neighborhoods were overtaken, I have to shop for a gun to handle the situation. If you want to protect the wildlife, come on down to north Florida and you can have all the coyotes you want!

fishhead · #18 09/30/10, 03:07 PM

I second the recommendation on the HOT electric fence. It's not a physical barrier so you will have to educate them to fear it. To do that put some tinfoil smeared with peanut butter or bacon grease on the hot wire.

I read a book on coyotes called "The Cunning Coyote". The biologist who wrote it said that in order to reduce the population you have to kill more than 50%/year every year. If you skip a year they have more pups and more of them survive. That means that you aren't going to have any meaningful reduction in numbers by killing a few.

Wolf mom · #19 09/30/10, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AuntKitty

But then, when they come up on your front porch and take an elderly cat sleeping on a porch cushion and who never harmed a fly - I guess I'm supposed to fence off the porch too. I also lost a young cat who was my best mouser around the barn so they are not only cleaning out the weak and infirm. I keep my remaining cat inside now, but I refuse to live in a prison to allow what are basically mongrels to run free. I moved to the country to have my freedom and there were no coyotes here for the first five years I was here. They are moving into my territory, not the other way around, and because other people didn't handle the problem when their neighborhoods were overtaken, I have to shop for a gun to handle the situation. If you want to protect the wildlife, come on down to north Florida and you can have all the coyotes you want!

Sounds like YOU weren't protecting your cats. Especially when you later imply you knew they were around.
When you say the coyotes are moving into "your territory", that sounds pretty entitled to me.

You DON'T have to "shop for a gun" - you need to learn to do things to protect your animals.

I have lots of coyotes here. (there's also a cougar or some sort of large cat living in the canyon close by) I have field fenced my 5 acres & double fenced where needed, along with also hot wiring the perimeter. In Phoenix I used to watch a coyote sit & watch me exercise horses. Here, living next to the National forest, I've watched a pair run my fence line teasing my dogs. And I listen to their chlling calls at night.

whiterock · #20 09/30/10, 03:58 PM

The girl I'm speaking of is in her 30's, single mother, her kids won't go outside at night. She took the dogs out, then when the schanouser(sp) was killed she got in vehicle and was afraid to get out to go back in the house.

Another uncle is going to put some traps out, big live traps, tonight or tomorrow, as i understand it. Relocation IS NOT even under consideration, leg hold traps are not that effective, imo, unless checked on a very frequent basis, live traps can wait a few hours.

She talked to the game warden, he said they were in high numbers all over this area. I called the county paper today and suggested they do an article on coyotes, and remind people to keep better watch on the pets. I have been here most of my life, know how the population has grown, and know what to do on my place, remember, the property I spoke of is not in city limits itself, but all the properties around it have been annexed, so shooting there could be a problem.

On an aside, the durned owls around here could carry off a good sized animal. I lost a dog to one a few years back, and prevented the loss of one by accidentally stepping off the porch in front of the owl, that one skimmed my head as it went over and looked like a 6' wingspan in the brief glimpse i got of it.

Ed