Last night I got a call just after dark from a neighbor to the east across the state hiway advising me that he had one of my LGD Anatolian Shepherds. (livestock guard dogs) We jumped in the truck, hurried down the mountain, and paid the neighbor a visit. It was NOT one of our 3 LGDs or 2 Border Collies..............Turns out it was a neighbor to the east or in back of him..........
Ok, now the coyote/dog situation.........We are totally over run with the durn coyotes. It is said by the locals that hang out down at the store drinkin their morning coffee that the state wildlife guys let out a bunch of the coyotes here by me several years ago. They released 2 pair and now we have what sounds like 15 to 20 or at least 2 packs...........
Last night while getting some firewood for the stove at perhaps 10PM heard the "gathering" calls of MANY MANY; but from 2 different areas perhaps 1 mile apart. At 3 AM due to old man's bladder I stepped outside again to get a piece of wood and heard a "weird" bunch of calls/howls spread out over a couple of miles down in the creek bottom........Yes, every dog in the valley was also carrying on; but these were definately coyotes over a huge range "singing" a type of howl that I had never heard.................
OK........YES, we are over run and we are right in the middle of it.............We are pretty much surrounded by dense old growth forest, about 90 percent of the land use within 2 miles and the rest farm acreage...........LOTS of critter habitat........
NOW.......the dog/coyote problem.......The dog we were called on last night, we took back to the owner. Turns out he has 3 LGDs that he allows to run loose. (Great Pyrenese) Often when I go out to get firewood or call my dogs at night I hear them barking over on the other side of the valley, perhaps 1/2 mile away.............At least NOW I KNOW where they live. In the past several months we have been getting reports from my immediate neighbors that they are seeing MY LGDs in their yards and pastures.......WHAT????.......they are always in their pastures in the mornings and belive YOU, me that LGDs are to dumb once they are out to get back into a fenceline. They end up on my front porch with the BCs...............A couple of neighbors have advised me that they will NOT abide them in with their cattle and will take care of them.......OK as I would if I caught them with my livestock.................
In the past couple of months have caught these 3 dogs in my game camera by my feeders.........so yes, they are on my property, my neighbors are confusing them for my dogs, and obviously running loose, they are NOT taking care of the coyote situation witnessed by hearing so many of them last night smack dab in the middle of the 3 dog's range/home...................
The coyotes and fox situation is NOT out of hand.......Yes, we have very few stray dogs and cats..........We still have a HEALTHY deer population though a bit diminished from past years, rabbits are still showing up as road kill, tree rats (grey squirrels) are totally aundent, and the ground squirrels (chipmunks) are in hiding.............I perhaps SEE a coyote once or twice a year......I capture a picture of them at night perhaps twice or so a week.................Do they threaten ME????.........NO..........During kidding season we make sure that the electric fences are in order and the kids are safe in the barn at night......Our 3 LGDs are right there with them and in 12 years and perhaps 500 kids have had NO losses to coyotes that are right there outside the fenceline. Actually, I worry more about the vultures that abound around here swoopin in and carrying one off.
DOGS are much more of a pest and problem as these 3 LGDs are examples of..........they are allowed to run loose, not doing what they are touted to do, eliminate predators for a mile or so, and causing problems for a mile or so away with neighbors..........
WILL THE 3 S rule apply?????................Yes, but sure not gonna talk about it........God bless......Dennis
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