Coyotes

[herfrds]

We went into town for the Christmas celebration that happens every year.
Got home after dark. we all went into the house. I asked DS to close my birds in while I started supper. He did.

About 20 minutes later DH went out to throw away some cans, he came back in the house pretty quickly.
There were coyotes about 50 feet from our front door.

i gave him my 10 million candle flash light and DS grabbed and loaded his .22 Mag
They didn't see them. The coyotes had scattered.
Figured there was 6 of them.

Sure glad DS did as I asked or I would have been missing some birds.

 

[oswegoscott]

GREAT !!! Just seeing a human made them disperse. By putting the birds in for the night you kept them (and the coyotes) safe. Why slaughter predators when there is an alternative,ya know?
If it was legal people would drive hawks, owls and eagles to extinction . Some folks shoot them anyway. I have chickens and find it VERY simple to keep them safe--indoors at night and fenced in
outdoors during daylight. This way,too, the predators eat the rodents. I have rabbits around and figure fencing my garden is better then slaughtering every rabbit I see. I sometimes think that people
rationalize their need to kill a critter. There are hunters who will blow their chance of bagging a deer--if a coyote strolls by! Maybe cuz the darn coyote might get HIS deer and then eat one of
his chickens for dessert. Ya never know,right? Blow 'em ALL away !

 

[Mountain Man Jim]

We just had a coyote visit the property about an hour ago ~11 AM. Bold little creature. It stood about 8 ft from a wire fence with three dogs barking and running the fence on our side. It didn't leave until my it spotted my wife. And, then it came back!! It took my wife walking to the fence to finally make it leave.

Good thing for our Aussie who saw and reacted first. For some reason our Pyr gets too thick headed to believe that there's a predator at the fence. She thinks she knows better so, if she doesn't see it, it can't be there; no matter how much we give her the command to check the fence for predator (yes, we have a separate command for that).

I think I agree with oswegoscott. We don't own any firearms (they're expensive, man). We have gotten by for years by just securing the border and running predators off with dogs, people and airsoft or paint ball guns. Plus, after reading Prodigal Summer, I respect predators more.

Jim

 

[bobbi-j]

Better luck next time. When they're bold enough to come that close to your home, they need to go. We have an overpopulation of them here, and have seen some with mange. Poor things. I would shoot a coyote while out deer hunting. (And yes, I do deer hunt.) Why? Because I know what they do to fawns, pheasants, ducks and other wildlife. Not to mention the calves and lambs that they take in the spring. There needs to be a balance. I have cats that take care of the rodents around here. Even if it were legal to shoot hawks, owls, and eagles, they would not be in danger here. That's because they don't bother my free-ranging chickens. Coyotes, on the other hand, have.

 

[NitaAZ]

Quote:
I keep my chickens locked up at night, but I still have very heavy losses to coyotes at this time of year. They *always* come during the day - usually between 10 and 2, but they have come earlier and later (one time I let the chickens out at 4:30, thinking they could get 30 minutes of safe outside play before going back into the coop. Nope, coyote was there within 15 minutes.)

We haven't killed the coyotes, but it's much too simplistic to say that keeping them locked up at night and only out during the day will keep them safe. I haven't lost a single bird at night. Only during daylight hours.

 

[oswegoscott]

Quote:
I keep my chickens locked up at night, but I still have very heavy losses to coyotes at this time of year. They *always* come during the day - usually between 10 and 2, but they have come earlier and later (one time I let the chickens out at 4:30, thinking they could get 30 minutes of safe outside play before going back into the coop. Nope, coyote was there within 15 minutes.)

We haven't killed the coyotes, but it's much too simplistic to say that keeping them locked up at night and only out during the day will keep them safe. I haven't lost a single bird at night. Only during daylight hours.

I SAID "fenced in outdoors". Not with crappy chicken wire- it requires tight 1/2" square wire buried a foot with a well set post every 4 feet. A WOLF couldn't get through. If you free range in a known coyote area,well,then
you're being irresponsible or,maybe,lazy. If raptors, weasels or coons are a problem--then you need a "lid". Simplistic? Jeez,I didn't think it was that difficult

 

[oswegoscott]

Quote:
Your coyotes eat fawns,pheasants and other critters? That's what predators DO to survive!! YOU kill the fawns' mom & dad ! We ALL kill other animals directly or indirectly.
A balance?? YES-exactly-but a balance is NOT maintained by removing parts of the equation.

 

[Kittymomma]

Quote:
Here's the link to the please read sticky at the top of this section: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=5808


Here's some of what it says:

*Compassion will go a long way toward helping to educate and help solve someone's predator problem. No matter the reason, most members' birds are their pets and being a chicken doesn't make it less of a pet than a house cat or companion dog. Please don't lecture or hassle anyone about their losses. Glass houses......

*If you wish to suggest an alternate non lethal means of control, please share it in a non judgemental way that is a viable solution and not merely complaining about who was here first etc, IF it is directly related to the OP's request for assistance. If a non lethal alternative is offered, please be appreciative and remember that there are many ways and means and flaming a member for suggesting such an alternative will not be tolerated.

 

[breezy]

Glad they scattered when they saw your son. I live west of Denver and I can tell you the coyotes here not only hold their ground as you approach they are more than willing to engage you. The really scary part is we arent allowed to shoot them since we're urban. In fact when I asked fish and game if I could shoot one who came at me I was told "better make sure it bites you first for proof". My employee saw one on the lawn at her son's school at 8 am watching the little kids. When she contacted animal control they told her to ignore it. Seriously??? What the heck? I dont get that kind of thinking at all.

So just out of curiosity if the coyotes are that close to your house does that mean the wolves have left the territory? Am I right in remembering you were having wolf trouble? My grandpa used to run a trapline and told me that wolves and coyotes didnt seem to live in close proximity to each other but I dont know if he was yanking my chain about that or not.


Quote:

 

[herfrds]

breezy they were spotted 3 miles east of us the day before.

Had the federal trapper fly our property and the neighbor to the north of us. He shot over 20 coyotes.
The worse thing to see is coyotes dying from mange because they have lost all their hair and are freezing. A bullet is more merciful.
As long as their population is under control I really have no problem with the coyotes.

Had a coyote several years ago come very close to my son when he was younger.
He was behind the house sledding. Came in the house screaming about a coyote.
The coyote was chasing my Corgi in a circle.
I never got a clear shot of that 'yote. Took the trapper 3 tries to get that dang thing.

Just a couple of months ago I was walking into the house and I happened to look up and just above our house sat a coyote watching our dogs and my birds. Grabbed a gun, loaded it and the dogs tipped the 'yote off.
I did get a shot close enough to warm it's tail.

They are too close.