Coyotes coming close to house

[MossRoad]

I have read several predation studies and the overall scientific take away is they just aren't sure, less coyotes, more fawns survive and than starve due to overfeeding. Historically anytime man has tried to manage nature it has turned into a gaggle.

Personally I have not seen the deer herds significantly impacted either way by the local coyote population.

To the OP if you feel your pets or livestock is threatened you have the right to protect your castle, just remember I bullet can't be recalled so pay attention to your direction of fire. Like others have said it is very likely the coyotes will move on their own. One year it seemed we had a dozen coyotes in the woods behind our house, one morning I looked in my back yard and my dog and a coyote were running side by side on opposite sides of the chain link fence. Since then I have seen a coyote within 2-miles of our house.

About the only study I ever see is that one in South Carolina at the Savanna River site where they radio collared 60 fawns. 44 didn't survive to adulthood. 36 of those 44 were killed by coyotes. Makes me wonder, though, if the human activity of collaring the fawns put scents in the area that the coyotes used to find the fawns? Or how old the fawns that were killed by coyotes were when killed, etc... lots of unknowns. About the only known is that even aggressive shooting of coyotes did nothing to stunt the population of coyotes. The coyotes just had more pups per litter to fill the gap created by the abundance of food when the other coyotes were shot.

 

[MossRoad]

I think one of the most telling statements - 2011, South Carolina, 32,000 coyotes killed. No impact on the deer population.

Again - sooner or later, you might realize that the "urban mentality" will do no good out here in the boondocks.

As has been indicated in South Carolina - Mother Nature plays a much stronger hand than all the hunter could muster.

I don't think it has anything to do with urban mentality. There's plenty of multi-generation farmers, hunters, and long-time rural resident that think the same way.

 

[oosik]

MossRoad - you might be right. Unfortunately - whether they kill a few coyotes or not - it obviously will have little to no impact in the overall scheme.

The idea that killing a few coyotes solves a problem is an infantile analysis. There will always be plenty of coyotes. They have just moved to locations where they are not as obvious.

And as far as how the farmers, hunter & long-time rural residents might think - neither I nor the coyotes give a hoot.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

When I was in college, I spent several summers working the wheat harvest with a farmer in Garfield County. He hunted coyotes with dogs. He used trail hounds to find them, and when they trail hounds got on the trail, he would let out his Greyhounds. The Greyhounds made short work of the coyotes. He said there were a few times when the trail hounds would even catch the coyotes. The Greyhounds were unbelievably fast; they could out run a jack rabbit. I watched a couple of them after a jackrabbit and they were faster, but the rabbit was so tricky they never did catch it.

Here's a video of dogs hunting coyotes; they skipped the part with the trail hounds.

 

[kcflhrc]

They come into our backyard and get apples off the ground. Scaring them away is only temporary, they will come right back unless you dispose of a couple.

 

[MossRoad]

MossRoad - you might be right. Unfortunately - whether they kill a few coyotes or not - it obviously will have little to no impact in the overall scheme.

The idea that killing a few coyotes solves a problem is an infantile analysis. There will always be plenty of coyotes. They have just moved to locations where they are not as obvious.

And as far as how the farmers, hunter & long-time rural residents might think - neither I nor the coyotes give a hoot.

The point is you can't call it an urban mentality when it's the long time rural people thinking that way.

 

[atsah]

We have this conversation about once a month, it's pretty simple, if you have one or two that gets to close for comfort, eliminate them, chances are you wont see any for a long time.

You aren't going to wiper out coyotes, they are here to stay, controlling them is what needs doing, just like any other predator that has no predator..

 

[teejk]

We have this conversation about once a month, it's pretty simple, if you have one or two that gets to close for comfort, eliminate them, chances are you wont see any for a long time.

You aren't going to wiper out coyotes, they are here to stay, controlling them is what needs doing, just like any other predator that has no predator..

They don't get along with our out of control (and growing) wolf population so they do have a predator of sorts. Not to suggest anybody import wolves though.

 

[jmc]

... He hunted coyotes with dogs. He used trail hounds to find them, and when they trail hounds got on the trail, he would let out his Greyhounds. The Greyhounds made short work of the coyotes.... The Greyhounds were unbelievably fast; they could out run a jack rabbit....

What happens when the trail hounds finally catch up with the greyhounds, after the fun is over? (Reminds me of horse breeding where they take a regular stallion to warm up the mare, maybe get kicked, and then taken away so the pedigree stallion can finish up.)

 

[drssg]

I just shot one Friday morning in my front pasture just behind my house. He was standing right on the fence line eying the neighbors ducks and goats. One shot with my .22LR and he was down. ...

That must have been a well-placed shot. I use a 22-250, and they will sometimes run a good distance after being shot.