thegreatrandini
Gold Member
I have lived my life out of town and out doors. I have never had a big problem with coyotes. Kitty cats often missing coyotes blamed but don't know. I lived out on a horse ranch in NorthEastern Colorado for a time. We lost a few chickens there. I used to just light fire crackers when I heard them in close and that ran them off. Science has proved that for the most part natural coyotes are pretty harmless. They eat mice, voles, and rats almost exclusively. Next time you kill one open it up if you don't believe me. Ferral dogs on the other hand are very dangerous to everything. Even in africa with Lions and Hyenas wild dogs rule. Jackals wich I think of as African coyotes (but are not) are mostly harmless. Coyote/dog crosses are not very common and are very dangerous. Foxes will attack anything if they are cornered. Foxes eat cats too. Natural coyotees seldom attack anything except mice, rabbits, and rats etc.... They will kill fawns and sheep are an easy meal. They will kill a helpless calf etc....Donkeys llamas and alpaccas will eliminate that problem in a fenced area. Great pyrenees and komadores are effective at guarding sheep. Irish wolf hounds can run down and kill coyotes or coy dogs. Dogs and wolfs use the pack tactics effectivly but natural coyotes don't hunt in packs as often. They are opportunist. Coydogs are actually a cross of dog and wolf but time has changed that to mean any cross. The problem with coyotes is that a given amount of land will support a given population. If you kill the existing coyotes others move in. If you kill an older pair then a younger more productive pair moves in. If a young pair have a large litter and no helpers they will be more likely to prey upon larger game or livestock. They are trying to feed the kids. If you kill off some them more pups may survive because food is move plentiful. Most pups die. That is the truth of it. Your best situation is an older dominate pair with a few helpers. The older pair will not produce many pups and will make it very hard for competing families to survive in your area. Once in a while people do get attacked by coyotes or coyote appearing animals. Children have been killed by them. If you are a rancher with live stock you have to keep a balance. You can not totally remove them. You have to take action if they are killing your stock. If there is an aggresive preditor of any kind looming where you live it is best to remove that individual. That don't mean "shoot all coyotes on sight". You can worsen your problem. If you have some established individuals in your area that you can get along with then that is your best senario. If you kill them worse will probably come. A family of "good" coyotes will keep others out of the area. If you just live out in the country then light some firecrakers if you hear them close in.....If you have a big ranch then you already that you need a good balance....And unless you have a big ranch (last and most important) if you love your dog.....don't let it run loose.......A coyote is not going to like being in a fenced off dogs territory......You have little to worry about.....I am so tired of yahoos moving out into the country on 5 or so acres and just letting there dogs run. This is a much bigger problem then the coyotes.......
