Keeping Coyotes at Bay

[Teacher Terry]

I live right in town and we have coyotes occasionally. They have pulled a leash with a small dog right out of people's hands. I don't walk my small dogs at night. They can easily jump a 6 ft fence. One jumped a fence and killed 3 small dogs while the owner was in the house in the bathroom. She left them for just a few minutes. Here we call outside cats "coyote cookies". Now I have a 80lb dog so don't think I have to worry about the little guys.

[Koogie]

I don't know about the American western coyote but here in eastern Canada and in the NE US a lot is being made recently on the news about the fact that we are increasingly coming into contact with the aggressive CoyWolf hybrid.

coywolves-are-taking-over-eastern-north-america
Coywolves are Taking Over Eastern North America | Smart News | Smithsonian

They are much larger and not to be taken as lightly as foxes and small purebred coyotes. A much publicized and sad case is the death of a young woman in Cape Breton who was killed by coyotes (later said to be coywolves but I can't find that citation)

coyotes-kill-toronto-singer-in-cape-breton
Coyotes kill Toronto singer in Cape Breton - Nova Scotia - CBC News
Special Report: On Coyote Attacks and the Death of Canadian Folk Singer Taylor Mitchell | Field & Stream

Mind you, you are probably still a billion times more likely to be killed by a car on the way to the park than by any wild animal. More interesting fact than something to worry about.

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teacher Terry I live right in town and we have coyotes occasionally. They have pulled a leash with a small dog right out of people's hands. I don't walk my small dogs at night. They can easily jump a 6 ft fence. One jumped a fence and killed 3 small dogs while the owner was in the house in the bathroom. She left them for just a few minutes. Here we call outside cats "coyote cookies". Now I have a 80lb dog so don't think I have to worry about the little guys.

Yeah, one of my neighbors saw a coyote snatch their outdoor cat right off their deck. I would think an outdoor cat here has a lifespan measured in weeks.

Mostly I just enjoy the local coyotes when they howl. They are pretty darned shy and the smaller of our two dogs is 30 pounds of solid muscle. I had not heard they could vault a 30 foot fence before. If they manage to get into my yard they will be leaving it in a trash can. Happily the only real nuisance that seems to occasionally come into the yard is the raccoons and they are smart enough to do it only in the middle of the night when the Plott hound is unlikely to be handy.

[LOL!]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 Mostly I just enjoy the local coyotes when they howl. They are pretty darned shy and the smaller of our two dogs is 30 pounds of solid muscle. I had not heard they could vault a 30 foot fence before.

I think you have been watching too many Jurassic Park movies.

[ugeauxgirl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ABQ2015 My concern is for my cat and I am sure that some are concerned about their small children, grandchildren, and small dogs. One person actually saw their poodle carried away by a coyote. I have a cat door and my cat has always loved the great outdoors - I got her at 7 months and she was already used to going outside. Fortunately she is now going on 14 years and much of her outdoor time these days is lying on a patio chair surveying her back yard territory. So far I am shutting the cat door at night and not allowing her out until 8 am or so. Lack of traffic and pet safety was one reason that I selected my home 25 years ago - I did not expect to have to contend with large predators.

You are right to worry about your cat. Two of our outdoor cats disappeared and we do have LOTS of coyotes here. We had decided not to adopt any more kitties, but were talked into accepting one from a desperate friend. This one sticks close to the house, and he's been around for a year. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

[Teacher Terry]

Adopt kittens and never let them out. When that is all they know they do fine.

[travelover]

I like coyotes, not too fond of loose running cats. Worst thing the coyotes do is dig in my compost pile and poop on the trails.


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[redduck]

It looks like the deterrent will be a whistle and an air horn. There might not be enough time to shoot off any kind of spray and then again the aim must be fairly accurate. Coins in a can wouldn't work because first chance she got, she'd spend the coins on cigarettes and beer. The hazing sounds like a great idea as she already knows how to yell and scream and wave her arms.

[redduck]

Or, maybe this would work.




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[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by redduck It looks like the deterrent will be a whistle and an air horn. There might not be enough time to shoot off any kind of spray and then again the aim must be fairly accurate. Coins in a can wouldn't work because first chance she got, she'd spend the coins on cigarettes and beer. The hazing sounds like a great idea as she already knows how to yell and scream and wave her arms.

Aside from the hearing loss and the dogs losing their minds, an air horn sounds like an ideal choice if they get too close. For sure that would stop a coyote in its tracks.

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LOL! I think you have been watching too many Jurassic Park movies.

Yeah, well, 6 feet, 30, what is the difference?

[MRG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 Yeah, well, 6 feet, 30, what is the difference?

Nothing, it is 2016.

[LOL!]

Quote:

Originally Posted by redduck It looks like the deterrent will be a whistle and an air horn. There might not be enough time to shoot off any kind of spray and then again the aim must be fairly accurate.

Park rangers tell me that bear spray is used to put up a vapor cloud between you and the bear, so aim at the ground about 30 ft or so from you. Accuracy is not so important.

[Sunset]

When we had our coyote pups under the deck, the mother would come at night and our detector light would turn on so we knew.

When she would see us at the window, she would easy as pie turn and hop over the 4 ft fence without even a run, just turn and spring over. Very amazing to see.

[niven]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 Yeah, well, 6 feet, 30, what is the difference?

Probably about a six-pack.

[daylatedollarshort]

I know from personal experience three coyotes circling a calf in our local open space can be chased off by two adults pushing two screaming toddlers in jogging strollers. We came across the calf being hunted on a hike one day years ago when our kids young. We told our kids to make a lot of noise and the coyotes ran off.

[calmloki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by daylatedollarshort I know from personal experience three coyotes circling a calf in our local open space can be chased off by two adults pushing two screaming toddlers in jogging strollers. We came across the calf being hunted on a hike one day years ago when our kids young. We told our kids to make a lot of noise and the coyotes ran off.

The exchange rate is two kids for a calf in your area? Seems a little high. Sounds like the coyote thought so as well.

[daylatedollarshort]

Quote:

Originally Posted by calmloki The exchange rate is two kids for a calf in your area? Seems a little high. Sounds like the coyote thought so as well.

I have no idea what that means.

[ponyboy]

Shoot them on site.

Coyotes are unbelievably smart. Do not judge a book by its cover. One 40lb coyote isnt a huge issue...multiple 40lb coyotes are!

If you ever hear them howl at night...its a role call. They're "checking" in with the group to make sure everyone is accounted for. Kind of impressive but its just a noise...the impressive part comes into play when part of the pack is killed and they dont respond to the role call. When that happens it triggers something in the females so that when they become pregnant...they will deliver more pups. Really fascinating.

I listen to hunting podcasts from time to time and have heard plenty of stories on coyotes and how intelligent they are. The one that stuck out the most was there was a family with a lab...anyway a coyote kept coming around and playing with the dog. This went on for a while. Eventually the coyote kept luring the dog farther and farther away from the house/yard. Lucky for the lab the owners were out one day this was happening. The owners walked out to where the coyote was going...down the hill near a wooded area. The owners saw 3 more coyotes where the lab was trying to be lured. They were going to merk the lab if it came close enough.

Stop anthropomorphizing wild animals. Nature is cruel...only the strong survive. If that coyote can figure out a way to eat you, your pets, you children, etc...its going to. It spends 24 hours a day 7 days a week figuring out how to stay alive. If you have a coyote that keeps coming around...shoot and kill it. Its friends will relocate and you wont have to worry about your pets becoming lunch.

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ponyboy Shoot them on site.

A pretty common viewpoint. I guess I have a hard time with it. They were here first where I live (the southwest) and they are an integral part of the ecosystem. We are already overrun with rabbits, I cannot imagine what it would be like without the coyotes at least making a dent in their numbers.

In any case, it is impractical or illegal to do so in the burbs/town limits. Gotta find another way. When I am out in the woods and see them they generally will not come within 100 yards of me, not that I would bother them unless they got too close for comfort.