Coyote fighters!

[Tig]

Where I live, the area is seeing an influx of folks from the city. As a result we are deep in coyote mania here. It been in full swing since December.
Media reports;
200 coyotes
30 missing pets
Two families were "approached"
We have also been advised (by our municipal councilor) to "arm ourselves with sticks to defend our families".

Verifiable incidents related to the coyote siege are.
1)Head injuries to a "coyote fighter" who fell off his snowmobile.
2)A dog poisoned by antifreeze left out for the coyotes.
3)A missing lhasa apso.

I'm quite astonished that people would kick up such a fuss. Over the years we have seen them on occasion. The last time we saw one in the yard he was checking out the pet rabbit run. We spooked him before we could get a picture.
Google greely coyote if you want read more about the siege.
Personally I'm amused all to heck with the "coyote fighters".
We have always had small pets and we try to keep them out of the food chain. To anyone who moves to the countryside with small pets. Please don't feed the coyotes.
To any farmers who may feel I am being dismissive. I know the coyote issue has always been real for you and you know what to do about it.

 

[Jimmyp5]

Had to have a grin reading this one. I have a friend "city" type who just moved to the country... he decided he needed a cow! Feeder calf for those who know what I am talking about. He put it inside his back yard, 3 foot chain link fence, so he can have it close to feed etc...lol. Now let's see he has a hot tub on is back porch, lawn chairs, plants (his wifes ) and he was totaly susprised to wake up and find the calf looking in his sliding glass window. Now it gets better, we finally get him to build a pen, not where we said he should...the smell will win out soon I am sure.

So he gone to work, I happen to be returning a tool at his place. And standing in is front yard is a big alfa male coyote, and the rest of the pack is around back looking at dinner in the little 5x8 pen!! I run them off (the big male did not run until he saw me get out he gun), and let him know he needs to take care of that pack, because they will be back.

He tells me "Oh, I see them around all the time, I put some dog food out a while back along with the deer feeder (another story) for them"!! So
I give him the talking too about the facts of life...not sure it done much good, he now has three feeder calf in his back yard! It will not be long before the coyotes make a meal of at least one of them.

 

[texasjohn]

You are going to have no end of fun observations as he gains experience... I can't think of anything better than 3 feeder calves to give it to him.....
Be glad he's not out there trying to shoot those coyotes.... his knowledge of weapons may match his knowledge of things rural

 

[Wayne County Hose]

My conversation with a neighbor down the road that saw me shooting the old Sako at a deer target.

"How can you shoot those lovely, defenseless creatures. They are soooo cute."

Well ma'am, they do destroy a lot of crops around here and they do taste good. You know, you have to kill it before you grill it. Are you a vegetarian?

"Well no, but how can you shoot them?"

Conversation a year later after the deer ate all of her vegetable garden, strawberry, and blueberry plants in one night. "I wish you would shoot every darn one of those bleepin things. They ate my whole garden in one night."

Ahhhh, sometimes life is good.

 

[Jimbrown]

CountryByNet.com Forums :: I am now a felon

 

[N80]

My Dad likes to shoot coyotes. He and his buddy even go out just to hunt them (they call them up). My B-I-L shoots every one he sees; he's a rancher. I don't shoot them, mostly because I don't want to but also because it isn't going to help anything. I don't like them and I wish they weren't here, but I'm not going to mess up a deer hunt by shooting a nasty old coyote.

There is lots of talk about them eating calves. I don't think it happens. They come out like crazy when the cows are calving but so far the only thing anyone sees them do is eat the afterbirth. Some accounts of seeing them with dead calves, but these were probably still born. One fairly reliable sighting of one trying to get at a live claf but the mom ran him off. A cow is pretty formidable when protecting her calf.

So I'm pretty skeptical that they are killing calves.

But on some nights you can hear them howling 360 degrees around my cabin.

They're furry cockroaches. We can kill all we want but it is not going to have any impact whatsover. We might enjoy hunting them and killing them might make us feel like we are helping. But they're here to stay.

 

[Mike120]

With Houston expanding in our direction, the poor coyotes are loosing land but are getting fat on the house cats and small dogs that those fine city-folk abandon in our area on a regular basis. When I hear them howling at night I figure it's coyote-speak for "here kitty kitty".

Every one that I see looks pretty healthy. I figure they're getting their fill of "fluffy" and "fido", so I don't worry about my foals.

 

[redlevel]

I'll shoot them when I get the chance, but I don't hate them nearly as much as I used to. I believe they eat a lot of quail predators, especially feral cats.

I don't believe coyotes eat that many calves either, but I believe they will under some circumstances. I once saw a coyote come in a pasture where there were several one, two, three day old calves. The mama cows literally chased him out of the field.

Like whitetail deer, coyotes are one of the most adaptable animals around. They will move into neighborhoods and thrive, especially if there are plenty of cats and yappy little dogs around.

Around here, the population is sort of self-controlling. According to some people, parvovirus decimates the population every few years.

A lot of deer hunters think they are about to wipe out the deer herd in Georgia, but these are mostly hunters who expect to see 25-30 deer every weekend of the season. Like with cows, I think they will eat a deer if it is handy, but I don't believe deer are a significant part of their diet.

 

[schmism]

My uncle in Northern IL was attacked by a coy-dog. ever sence then he baits and hunts them this time of year. He will avg about 10 for the 2-3 winter months he hunts them.

 

[chadincolo]

My uncle in Northern IL was attacked by a coy-dog. ever sence then he baits and hunts them this time of year. He will avg about 10 for the 2-3 winter months he hunts them.

Ten for 2-3 months? We've done that in a day...not uncommon to sit down and call, get 2 to come in, get them, pick up and move 1/2 mile, call, and get a couple more to come in... I'll have to dig and see if I can find the picture back in the 70's where there are 17 coyotes laid out in the yard from the morning hunt...Of course, the were worth $50-75 each back then too...