Coyote attack in the middle of the day.

[Toad9000]

Shooting a coyote, in my opinion, is exactly like shooting a dog. Which, having been on here for some time, I know many people have no problem with. I am fortunate enough to have just added a Shiba Inu puppy to my household. I worry that he could dart out of the house and any of my neighbors would shoot him in a heart beat. Shibas look very similar to foxes.

Bears and coyotes both will eat domestic and feral cats, no question. The cats should not be outside. I understand that there is sometime nothing that can be done with feral cats except to spay/neuter and release.

I am sorry this is happening and wish you and all the animals the best.

After you watch a coyote eating the puppies of a *real* dog alive, you'll realize that shooting one is nothing like killing the genuine article. 30,000 years of domestication makes an awful big difference between a wild animal and man's best friend.

 

[SamLockwood]

This isn’t a question so go ahead and move it if I’m posting in the wrong forum, I’m just so frustrated and need to say something about this.

I haven’t lost a bird to a predator in nearly six years and today, while my birds were free ranging, that streak was broken. They hadn’t even been out for more than thirty minutes when a coyote jumped the six foot fence around my yard and took off with my splash Marans. I was in the barn when it happened but didn’t hear anything because I was in the tack room which has a loud portable ac unit for my barn cat. It wasn’t until I went out and saw feathers everywhere that I realized something had happened and checked the cameras.

I’m completely in shock because although I know coyotes aren’t nocturnal animals, I’ve still never considered them a daytime threat. I really had thought my birds were pretty safe in free ranging from everything except hawks and I was wrong.

The worst part about this really is that I know he’ll eventually be back, and while I trust my birds are all safe in their runs, my barn cat obviously isn’t safe to be roaming free. The issue is that it’s going to be super hot this week and the barn traps heat so locking him up in here feels cruel. At the same time I can’t take the risk so I guess supervised outside time is going to become the norm for him for a while

This really is just not how I was hoping this week would start so any words of support would be greatly appreciated as I sit with this

"Nocturnal" is really a preference, it's not mandatory for them. Although it's infrequent, I've gotten daytime "visits" from raccoons, opossums, owls, coyotes, and a bobcat.

 

[SamLockwood]

I've never felt it was very "fair" to try to hurt or kill any of the coyotes or foxes. It feels a bit like dangling chum in the water and then getting all bent out of shape when a shark shows up. (Living basically fully circled by the woods, I'm the one encroaching on their territory, not the other way around).

That's a cute sentiment but these are animals we're talking about, not the Cherokee.

Plus, the OP mentioned they put a fence up so your shark analogy really doesn't work. Essentially, it's like saying "if you didn't want to have your house burglarized you shouldn't keep such nice stuff in it!"

I have a similar living situation: I live on a heaviliy wooded property with wildlife. 2/3 of the property, including the multiple creeks that criss-cross it, is open to their use. That area houses a ton of of squirrels, rabbits, armadillos, wild turkeys, and God knows what else. They're free to do whatever the hell they want out there.

I've got about 1/3 fenced off for my house and my animals, and if you're a land predator and you don't want to get shot, don't get caught inside the fence that marks the border of the Empire of the Birds. If you're an aerial predator and you want to tangle with a squad of enraged guineas and three roosters, good luck!.

I've only actually had to shoot at a coyote once, and in the 18 months since then if I do see one at all it's running away from the screaming guinea fowl. I haven't even caught them on camera near the fence except afer dark: they tend to keep to the wetlands and the waterways. As an added bonus, I think their presence keeps stray domestic dogs and cats away.

 

[Anon112]

That's a cute sentiment but these are animals we're talking about, not the Cherokee.

Plus, the OP mentioned they put a fence up so your shark analogy really doesn't work. Essentially, it's like saying "if you didn't want to have your house burglarized you shouldn't keep such nice stuff in it!"

I've got about 1/3 fenced off for my house and my animals, and if you're a land predator and you don't want to get shot, don't get caught inside the fence that marks the border of the Empire of the Birds. If you're an aerial predator and you want to tangle with a squad of enraged guineas and three roosters, good luck!.

And everyone is welcome to protect their animals as they see fit. To me, my point of view isn't "cute", it's what I consider respectful to the place I live.

Animals---and that includes predators---are part of the ecosystem where I live. I'd rather put my energy into preventative measures for my flocks and pets.

I recognize that sometimes more aggressive measures might be necessary, but I have a tremendous amount of sympathy for the pressures that are put on wild animals as people increasingly encroach on their homes.

 

[Toad9000]

And everyone is welcome to protect their animals as they see fit. To me, my point of view isn't "cute", it's what I consider respectful to the place I live.

Animals---and that includes predators---are part of the ecosystem where I live. I'd rather put my energy into preventative measures for my flocks and pets.

I recognize that sometimes more aggressive measures might be necessary, but I have a tremendous amount of sympathy for the pressures that are put on wild animals as people increasingly encroach on their homes.

Coyotes have expanded their range by 40% in the past 70 years. They're one of the few "winners" of urbanization. Foxes however, I would be less inclined to shoot. Primarily because fox populations are being destroyed by yotes. Where I grew up we used to get the occasional fox and never saw yotes. That has completely flipped since I was a kid. In fact more so. Foxes are nearly extirpated from the area and coyotes are everywhere. Hence why I personally have no qualms with zeroing canis latrans. I'm much more interested in protecting both my own flock as well as native mesopredators, ground nesting birds, and any other number of critters suffering because HUMANS have allowed coyotes to expand outside of their natural range

 

[Anon112]

Coyotes have expanded their range by 40% in the past 70 years. They're one of the few "winners" of urbanization. Foxes however, I would be less inclined to shoot. Primarily because fox populations are being destroyed by yotes. Where I grew up we used to get the occasional fox and never saw yotes. That has completely flipped since I was a kid. In fact more so. Foxes are nearly extirpated from the area and coyotes are everywhere. Hence why I personally have no qualms with zeroing canis latrans. I'm much more interested in protecting both my own flock as well as native mesopredators, ground nesting birds, and any other number of critters suffering because HUMANS have allowed coyotes to expand outside of their natural range

I get it. I really do.

Where I am, the coyote and fox populations really oscillate season to season. I just had a coyote-related conversation with one of my local DNR contacts the other week. Mostly the coyotes stay up in the mountain where there are far fewer houses. In the case of where I am, the coyotes are still in their natural range.

I understand why people sometimes kill coyotes. My personal point of view is that people are often too fast to kill animals that become inconvenient and I like to treat it as a last resort while focusing on non-lethal preventative measures.

 

[FurryHerbalist]

He’s been chased by dogs before and he always climbs a tree to escape. The issue is that coyotes can climb too and he’d end up trapped if that were to happen. He’s a super tiny cat, the size of the chicken the coyote took off with, so not worth risking it at all.

Coyotes definitely go after cats, it’s a big issue with outdoor house cats in rural areas. My neighbor lost a barn cat to one a few years ago so I always lock mine up for the night to be safe.

You’re absolutely right that coyotes go after cats. I lived in Ojai, CA for a bit and customers of my holistic pet supply routinely lost outdoor cats, even during the day.

One fence suggestion. The coyote probably didn’t clear jump a 6 foot fence but rather got their front paws over the top and then boosted themselves over. To prevent that, put a roller on top of the fence that will dump anything off that grabs hold, even hawks. Just search for “coyote rollers” and you’ll come up with both pre-made ones and DIY. They aren’t hard to make.

 

[McChooky]

That makes sense. Their little paws are vicious. We had a mama leave her kits (? Cubs?) in our car port and the little bastards hissed at me when I tried to get in my car. Fun fact: animal control considers them a pest but very few exterminators will deal with them. So that’s nice when they’re trying to eat your suburban chickens

I remember my aunts husband having a coon for a 'pet' when we was kids. I don't have any problems with them but I have hw cloth over everything

 

[Appalachickens]

I woke up one night to what I thought was the sound of a puppy crying in my backyard. I looked down out of my window and directly under me there was a fox with one of my cats up against the house. (This cat thinks he's Superman and has, in his career, chased deer and scaled a tree to try and capture a vulture at least twice his size).

I once saw one of my cats get into an accidental, brief skermish with a raccoon. (Some fur flew, but I took her to the vet and they couldn't find any cuts/scratches/injuries).

My yard has lots of places for a cat to run, and all of my outdoor friends did well for the 8 years before I decided to make them permanently indoor.

Just today, I heard this (not my video, but an identical sound!) coming from my woods. My chickens were out free ranging while I was mowing and I swear they all turned and looked at me, lol.

Just yesterday one of our cats (strays that have made a home on our porch) got annoyed with the raccoon eating its food and took a swipe at it. The coon just calmly moved over to the next plate of food.

 

[Appalachickens]

"Nocturnal" is really a preference, it's not mandatory for them. Although it's infrequent, I've gotten daytime "visits" from raccoons, opossums, owls, coyotes, and a bobcat.

Yep, we’ve had day visits from all of those too and one raccoon drops by our porch at least twice a day. I think she’s a nursing mama and is loading up on calories.