Coyotes - too close?

[California]

Going back 60 years we have heard coyotes here very rarely. Now judging from the racket at night, there are maybe a dozen partying right outside my door. Then instant silence and they disappear when I aim a spotlight at the noise.

I assume the coyotes arrived because my new neighbor installed a chicken run at the back of her orchard, right where it drops off into impenetrable jungle in the ravine.

The feral peacock who was here for a couple of years has disappeared. All the gopher holes have excavations where the coyotes (?) tried to dig them out. (Actually I wish all the gophers would disappear). The deer don't seem bothered, they still nap in the orchard rows where we see coyotes at other times. I don't have pets. But come to think of it, I haven't seen neighbors' cats watching any gopher holes recently.


This old guy in the photos below is fearless. I've seen him with a smaller companion, just moving along after he realized that I walked around the barn and found him there. Today he acted the same as a neighbor's cat would, backing off walking in the driveway and detouring into the tall grass when he realized his route would bring him directly to us. Then - like a neighbor's cat - he just looked annoyed that we were spooking the gophers he was stalking, and ignored us as he went on hunting. I don't see any of the wariness typical of wildlife.

Any advice? My neighbor's house and barn are behind the area in the photos (and she's fresh from the city) so shooting that direction from my porch isn't an option.

These pictures were at 100 yards after I went and got the camera. He had been nearly close enough to hit with a rock when we met him in the driveway.



More photos - Coyote Hunts Gophers In Orchard

 

[Tomtint]

Hang a piece of chicken from a bronco and shoot them when they show up for dinner. Those are a huge problem up here as well, we see them in the back yard on a regular basis and they present a potential problem to my family and pets as well.

 

[Branchchipper]

We have always had similar coyote activity and numbers...

We have well-worn, regularly-traveled coyote highways under fence lines and across fields, and they often wake us up at night with an active chorus a few yards from the house (on the closest of their "highways").

We also have a healthy bobcat population- I saw one at mid-morning recently, sunning himself near our cattle. They were totally unconcerned.

Several neighbors raise large numbers of chickens, turkeys, etc; many of us have cattle (including occasional new calves) and everyone has dogs.

Bottom line- virtually no predation problems.

These predators are plentiful and active because of abundant natural prey.

The poultry are all cooped at night. Common sense management of the calves (but no permanent stalls/shelters) seems to work fine. The dogs help out with "guard" activities (mostly barking)(when they bother to stir from sleep).

A neighbor lost a miniature collie during a party this summer (spooked by fireworks), and the assumption was, because of his size and house-dog status, that the coyotes eventually got him.
Instead, he wandered about 3 miles, and turned up at a small store/gas station in a few days, no worse for wear.

I will acknowledge that predators can cause problems, especially for sheep, in the right circumstances. Those circumstances often involve inadequate protection.

But I can tell you, after decades of continuous experience, that the overall "threat" is ridiculously exaggerated.

The State of Oregon did an interesting study a few years back. Two populations of coyotes were tracked; one was actively "controlled," while the other was left alone.

The results were striking: the population that regularly lost members to shooting responded by increasing their birth rates dramatically; "control" actually increased population throughout the range.

 

[yooper1]

Is this something that a donkey / jackass would help at?

I have seen on TV that many people have a mule / jackass in with the cattle / sheep / animals to ward off wolves. Maybe they would ward off coyotes?

and I realize that the OP may not have a farm per say, but other people with animals might benefit.....maybe?

 

[Tomtint]

Coyotes are at the top of the food chain here, recently fisher cats have shown up in small numbers, those things are a bit freaky. As far as the studies go, they have been conducted here as well and most end up being sponsored by nature conservationists. That can, and as a normal course of business, rort statistics that lean toward their agenda. Bottom line in my book is that if they are on my property, I will do everything in my ability to eliminate them forever.

 

[TripleR]

Agreed, if I see them, I will shoot them regardless of the studies; problem is finding the darned things. We hear them around our house all the time, but just can't seem to catch one out in the open.

 

[Tomtint]

Hang a piece of chicken from a branch, it's like ringing the dinner bell

 

[creekbend]

Around three years, I left Southwest Florida and came to North Carolina. While in Florida, I worked part time as a Taxi Driver. During the hours of 12:00am to 5:00am, I would occasionally have coyotes appear in my headlights while crossing the road. This was in a County of 400,000+. There were entire areas where almost all the pet cats had disappeared. I saw a report on the evening news where a coyote had snatched a man's small dog that he had on a leash while walking his pet. This happened in a neighboring County-Polk in broad daylight. I saw the man on TV while he was being interviewed. Last Spring, while I went down the driveway to check the mail, a lone coyote crossed over from a neighbor's farm and headed toward the creek on our side. I recall a thread in regards to this topic around 4-5 months ago.

 

[forgeblast]

Guard llama

 

[frenchie4x4]

Here in Pa. we have seen more and more Coyotes. This summer before work I could here one in the yard barking. When I shined my mag light at them I saw my little cat (Stinky) out there. So I ran out there in my socks and sweat pants swinging my Mag light at him. he didn't seem to bothered with me he would just trot along and stop and look back. So I chased him until he disappeared in the woods.
My neighbor also has chickens and has shot some coyotes he even had them on his deck and grabbed one of his cats.
I have also the fisher cats ( I thought they were minks or weasels ) they make an awful screech sound at night. They have run across the road in front of me several times.
I remember growing up as a kid if you saw a wild animal it would run. Today it doesn't seem that way.
Frenchie