Just thought I'd share some info; This morning around 4:30 I happened to be awake when a coyote showed up. Back story; I have large fowl and bantams and this time of year the bantams all seem to think it's a good idea to sleep in the witch hazel tree above their coop. I am chasing them out of it every night. (teenagers!) Well, got home too late last night and they were all up and it was too dark to chase them out. Also it was raining and going to rain even more, I thought perhaps they'd learn a lesson from spending the night in the rain (we shall see tonight).
Anyway, 4:30AM and my cats on my bedroom windowsill are growling and running away, so I get up and get my flashlight. I never actually did see it due to a large pine tree being right in my line of sight but I could hear it moving about, snapping twigs, etc.. and boy could I smell it! Upon investigation this morning I found he'd dug under my fence, see pics. I think my shining the light may have scared it off as the movement I could see seemed like he was trying to find his way back out. Note: It is the second day after a full moon but also it was absolutely pouring out. So while I knew predators like to hunt by the light of the moon I always, mistakenly apparently, thought that they didn't want to hunt in the rain. I guess when you're hungry...
I didn't get any good tracks due to the rain but can see that the foot size was large, the smell it turns out is the giveaway. In doing some internet research I validated what my nose knew, a wet coyote really stinks! I've read especially if they have mange as well. I would describe the smell as musky, wet like a dog but so much more. Not overpowering like a skunk but definitely had a funky, rank quality. Perhaps, like a dog, he'd rolled in something but I tend to think it was his own body odor. Even though at the time I didn't ID it, it was like some deep recess of my brain knew.
The good news is he couldn't reach my bantams and didn't bother to try for my quail or my rabbits, again maybe due to my flashlight. Wish I'd gone outside to scare him off! I'm hoping he burned so many calories for no gain that he won't try again!
Pics: I put my foot and shovel in for perspective, also note in the last pic, the dirt was thrown all the way to the bottom of the pic. Apologies for any blur, it was very humid out after all the rain.
Anyway, 4:30AM and my cats on my bedroom windowsill are growling and running away, so I get up and get my flashlight. I never actually did see it due to a large pine tree being right in my line of sight but I could hear it moving about, snapping twigs, etc.. and boy could I smell it! Upon investigation this morning I found he'd dug under my fence, see pics. I think my shining the light may have scared it off as the movement I could see seemed like he was trying to find his way back out. Note: It is the second day after a full moon but also it was absolutely pouring out. So while I knew predators like to hunt by the light of the moon I always, mistakenly apparently, thought that they didn't want to hunt in the rain. I guess when you're hungry...
I didn't get any good tracks due to the rain but can see that the foot size was large, the smell it turns out is the giveaway. In doing some internet research I validated what my nose knew, a wet coyote really stinks! I've read especially if they have mange as well. I would describe the smell as musky, wet like a dog but so much more. Not overpowering like a skunk but definitely had a funky, rank quality. Perhaps, like a dog, he'd rolled in something but I tend to think it was his own body odor. Even though at the time I didn't ID it, it was like some deep recess of my brain knew.
The good news is he couldn't reach my bantams and didn't bother to try for my quail or my rabbits, again maybe due to my flashlight. Wish I'd gone outside to scare him off! I'm hoping he burned so many calories for no gain that he won't try again!
Pics: I put my foot and shovel in for perspective, also note in the last pic, the dirt was thrown all the way to the bottom of the pic. Apologies for any blur, it was very humid out after all the rain.
