Coyote's howling close by tonight...

[gsim]

Best approach I can think of for most posts I saw here is to first of all, trap and shoot. Buy the largest trap and stake it down really good or chain it to a tree. Second thing is to spend the time and money to make a really secure run and do a coop lockdown at dusk to be doubly sure. No way to avoid some losses if free-ranging. It goes with the territory. Non-secure runs and coops are likewise going to result in losses. Preds are patient and more hungry in the wintertime.....and seems they are not as afraid of humans then too. i saw a coyote run across my front yard in mid day last year. There were no rabbits or feral cats to be seen all year long. This spring the rabbits came back gangbusters, but petered out by midsummer and are again nowhere to be found. Ditto for feral cats too.

Just saw a piece on discovery about a pit bull rescue center in Calif. They rescued a pit bull from a public park and it had scars on it's hind legs from coyotes. I had a pit bull once and no single or maybe even two coyotes could get the best of him. But a pack is a different thing altogether. Some distract the dog head on and others try to hamstring him to bring him down, as wolves do. I won't let my dog out at night to pee unless I go with her. And she is on a leash even tho I live on 15 acres.

I have coyotes, coons, opossums, and skunks all around me. Have not yet had one loss. I do have a 6 ft welded wire fence set in cement, with a fence charger and 4 courses of hot wire. I do a coop lockdown at dusk every day no matter what. So even if the power fails long enough for a pred to climb in (coyotes are almost as good climbers as coons) they still will not get into the coop. I might even get lucky and find them still there when go out in AM to let the inmates out for the day. (POP goes the weasel, or whatever critter it is.)

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I don't know if there really is prey animals out there. Over here it started out with rabbits and squirrles and now its raccoons and coyotes. One gives rise to the other and then famine when they are out, unless we feed them.......like our animals or garbage. Thats why we can't be careful enough. I have a 2 year old child. Just think. Thats one of the reasons I want the perimeter of my yard fenced in better.

 

[songbird]

YEs, we had a coyote snack on all of our chicks one spring. Took all six.

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

I would have ran screaming like a little girl.

 

[Roy]

When I see them in the fields out behind my house, I drop them in their tracks. But, they just keep coming. It's going to get worse before it gets any better...

 

[muttly]

Look at the bright side, coyote's eat coons.

 

[ErieSpurs]

We have a den behind our house. Luckily I've never had a loss from coyotes. We can hear the whole pack howling and chattering back and forth. I really enjoy listening to them.

 

[Benelli]

I had two within 100 yards of my house two weeks headed to my house and I scared them off. Then last week I pulled into my driveway with my city slicker sister and her two children. My American bulldog was in his kennel on the porch going nuts. I thought the stray cat that hangs around was on the porch. I got out of my truck and much to my surprise was the nastiest looking coyote on my porch with my dog and two pea hens 10 feet away. He jogged away towards the coop. All I had was my .380 in my purse. I'm a great shot, but he had about 80 yards on me before he disappeared. Too far to be effective with that particular gun. He was practically hairless. My county is overrun with them and the game wardens are practically begging hunters to kill them when the see them. I just can't believe he came up on the porch with my dog going crazy. The peahens didn't even seem to be bothered by his presence. Needless to say, my niece and nephew were afraid to go outside the rest of the holiday week due to that stupid coyote. Traps are in my future I do believe.

 

[ellieroo]

We have had them right outside our fence over the years.Get a mustang to patrol if you have room.Coyote got into the pasture and Whiskey went after it hooves flying and the poor thing forgot how to get out.He ran in panic circles for a few seconds with mustang in hot pursuit. Made a few laps that way then a big yelp and the coyote shot under the fence.Very smug horse!