COYOTES

riptides · Feb 2, 2023

They like to traverse our property frequently. Have multiplied in the last few years. Quite a serenade
at night now.

Jstpssng · Feb 2, 2023

Not coyotes, but I now have a weasel problem. I came home last night and my best laying hen was on the floor of the coop, obviously in distress. I picked her up and her entrails were hanging out her tail. Dang! I didn't have my axe in the truck and am not much on wringing their neck so I brought her outside and put a bullet in her head. As soon as it gets light I'll be out setting a trap for the little bugger.

jamesmm · Feb 2, 2023

Slowpoke Slim said:
I used to spend a bunch of time outside on farms and ranches back in AZ when I was growing up. Later as an adult, not so much.

I know this will rile some folks up, but I guess I'm the odd man out.

I have personally watched packs of coyotes pull newborn calves out of their mothers while being born. I've watched them kill the calf, not eat it, and then start chewing on the back side of the mother cow while she was still laying down. Some of those cows had to be put down as the wounds were too severe to save them. I had to shoot a few cows myself for this reason. I've watched coyotes circling herds during calving, waiting for the opportune moment to swoop in and pull a calf. It was so bad for a while that guys would post up with rifles around the herds and shoot at any 'yote they saw. It would discourage them for a while, and then they would be back. We would shoot any coyote we got a set of sights on. Didn't matter what they were "up to". Get a bead on one, and BANG. No more coyote. Was it imagined? Nope. Happened frequently enough that come calving season, we'd ask around our circle of friends to see who was free to provide guard duty.

Would we get completely rid of them? No. Not ever.

But the idea was to deter them, and make the survivors want to hunt somewhere else. My personal reckoning was that it worked. We started losing far fewer calves and cows each season.

I guess it depends on where in the country you are? What other habitat there was? Dunno, frankly don't care. 'Yotes were a problem for a few years in a row, until they weren't. Chalk it up to aggressive 'yote management if you want, or not.

But there it is. Just my own personal Milo Manheim historical sampling, from decades ago, before Disney started making musical cartoons like Lion King, and ranchers and farmers (at least in AZ) still knew what was what.

Mmmmm, Interesting approach.

oosik · Feb 2, 2023

Years ago I lured the coyotes in with a boom box and a squealing rabbit tape. I had a gun but had no intention of shooting. I was surprised, and somewhat scared, how close they would come before becoming spooked. When they got the closest - you wondered if it was the noise from the boom box or me that was attracting them.

If they only knew - I was no tender spring chicken.

Rockbadchild · Feb 2, 2023

oosik you are a good neighbor for saying yes, it will help him alot by saying yes and I am sure that favor will bounce back your way someday... I have no empathy for coyotes we didn't have them years ago in my area but, now they are everywhere... I have a little bit more empathy for wolfs but even then, the population need to be kept in check.

oosik · Feb 2, 2023

It's been two days now. No airplanes or copters and no - boom, boom. It's been high overcast - nothing that should stop a small plane or copter. I'll have to call my neighbor and see what's happening.

Langanobob · Feb 2, 2023

Here is an older, long and very interesting coyote thread.

Found a coyote, I think

My neighbor was out walking behind our two places the other day and found a baby puppy just a few days old. It was in a burn area with no brush at about 5,000 ft elevation. She put it in a paper bag with a rag in the bottom and fed her a bit with an eye dropper, then called us to come see and...

www.tractorbynet.com

We live in the middle of coyote country and they’ve never been a problem, I think because there are plenty of rabbits and rodents in general to keep them happy.

I remember reading somewhere that trying to exterminate coyotes is a fool’s errand. Their birth rate increases to more than compensate.

MossRoad · Feb 2, 2023

Langanobob said:
Here is an older, long and very interesting coyote thread.

Found a coyote, I think

My neighbor was out walking behind our two places the other day and found a baby puppy just a few days old. It was in a burn area with no brush at about 5,000 ft elevation. She put it in a paper bag with a rag in the bottom and fed her a bit with an eye dropper, then called us to come see and...

www.tractorbynet.com

We live in the middle of coyote country and they’ve never been a problem, I think because there are plenty of rabbits and rodents in general to keep them happy.

I remember reading somewhere that trying to exterminate coyotes is a fool’s errand. Their birth rate increases to more than compensate.

Same thing with mice, yet we don't want them in our house or garage.

Rockbadchild · Feb 2, 2023

Langanobob said:
Here is an older, long and very interesting coyote thread.

Found a coyote, I think

My neighbor was out walking behind our two places the other day and found a baby puppy just a few days old. It was in a burn area with no brush at about 5,000 ft elevation. She put it in a paper bag with a rag in the bottom and fed her a bit with an eye dropper, then called us to come see and...

www.tractorbynet.com

We live in the middle of coyote country and they’ve never been a problem, I think because there are plenty of rabbits and rodents in general to keep them happy.

I remember reading somewhere that trying to exterminate coyotes is a fool’s errand. Their birth rate increases to more than compensate.

When it's not a problem it's not and you don't have to deal with it or even think about it, but when it is action need to be taken if not there is not point having wild stock or domesticate animals around other than feeding the coyote or wolfs.

It's not about exterminating them it's about decreasing the surrounding population or to move them away or to show them this is your territory and that you are a threat to them. Once you take one out of a pack the other knows what's up.

jaxs · Feb 2, 2023

Rockbadchild said:
It's not about exterminating them it's about decreasing the surrounding population or to move them away or to show them this is your territory and that you are a threat to them. Once you take one out one out of a pack the other knows what's up.

I lean toward your philosophy that it isn't always necessary calling in the calvary with airplanes. If you must protect property for one reason or another, a lot can be accomplished by taking out 1 or 2 when there's opportunity. Even a missed shot or dog chase that doesn't result in capture can make them think twice before coming around again. I recall two times my dad didn't have a gun when he saw a coyote and yelled at the top of his lungs. Once was while driving along on the way to buy groceries ,he stopped,jumped out and yelled get out of here you *!%&@^#. We had a large flock of free range chickens and ducks that never fell prey to coyotes. Our farm dogs were smaller than coyotes but were protective so I'm sure sure they played a part. On the subject of dogs a neighbor kid told my brother his dog was afraid of his shadow and wouldn't fight a cottontail. My brother said skit him Ricky and the kid climbed the bumper,accross the hood and onto cab of his truck when the dog let go of his pant leg.

ponytug · Feb 2, 2023

Reminds me of a story one of the neighboring ranchers told me; he was out helping another rancher in the back of beyond, when the owner saw a coyote. The owner whipped out his gun and shot at the coyote, missing by a mile. The coyote hightailed it away. My friend said as far as he knew the owner had never managed to hit one, but the coyotes generally stayed away, since they all had experience with the owner.

bcp · Feb 3, 2023

A dead coyote learns and teaches nothing. A live but missed one learns and teaches others..

Bruce

westcliffe01 · Feb 3, 2023

bcp said:
A dead coyote learns and teaches nothing. A live but missed one learns and teaches others..

Bruce

Where you you come up with such conclusions ? If you went out and never came home, do you think your family would not notice ? If your body was found at the front gate, you dont think they would conclude that some great danger is lurking out there ? What if your brother had been standing right next to you when it happened ? That would make no impression on him? Jeez O Pete... Killing coyotes and leaving them lay is the best lesson the pack can learn and someone else is going to have to take on the alpha role with less experience, thus weakening the pack.

bcp · Feb 3, 2023

Yes, with those conditions a dead one teaches others.

Most of my experience has been with seeming "loner" coyotes in the SW desert. Not until I moved to SW WA did I ever see or hear families or packs.

Bruce

westcliffe01 · Feb 3, 2023

Its annoying when people are going to lecture others who have in fact sat out in freezing pre-dawn conditions for hours, waiting for the coyotes to show up and have seen the reaction in their behavior after their leader is killed in front of them. Here in the midwest with our super suspicious coyotes I would typically only see one for every 6-7 trips to the field before dawn. At night its a different story because they feel safe, but its much harder for me to be sure of whats behind them, so not ideal even with Gen 3 night vision equipment.

California · Feb 3, 2023

bcp said:
Most of my experience has been with seeming "loner" coyotes in the SW desert. Not until I moved to SW WA did I ever see or hear families or packs.

Bruce

No loners here. We hear a chorus of coyotes howling every few nights. Sounds like a half dozen voices, occasionally more.

But that racket is far more frequent than any known killing of chickens, housecats, etc which might be 1 or two in a year.

The little rabbit who timidly hangs around the barn here seems like an obvious coyote snack but he's still around. Hopefully most of the diet for local coyotes is gophers.

jaxs · Feb 3, 2023

I find lectures a lot less annoying than "sitting out in freezing pre-dawn conditions for hours, waiting for the coyotes to show up only seeing one for every 6-7 trips to the field before dawn."
If nothing surfaces after 30 minutes calling I move on and if there's no action after 3 or 4 set ups I cut my loses by going to do something else then try later with different calls. I haven't damaged the population over the past 10 years as much as my Grandson and the hired hand. Every year about this time during breeding season they keep rifles in reach while plowing and feeding to pick them off crossing open ground during daylight. I assume those are alphas but I'd never considered the difference in consequences between killing them and others but it makes sense. Maybe I should contribute to their silencer and thermal fund to up the odds of getting both animals and really upsetting the pack's apple cart.

5030 · Feb 3, 2023

Open season here, 24-7-365 and I use a 22-250 with an ATN nigh vision scope from the back deck. Pelts aren't worth squat anymore so I let them lay and their 'brothers' eat them. Recycling at it's best.

GeneV · Feb 3, 2023

5030 said:
Open season here, 24-7-365 and I use a 22-250 with an ATN nigh vision scope from the back deck. Pelts aren't worth squat anymore so I let them lay and their 'brothers' eat them. Recycling at it's best.

Same here in IL, open season on them year round. I see them all the time but only one time took shot at one, when I cought him in the act with one of my ducks in his mouth.