How would you get rid of coyotes?

[Teery]

OK so maybe there are a few good country gals who can shoot, I applaud you and never intended to underestimate any of you. I am specifically talking about women who have never fired a shotgun before. I have 30+ years of military and law enforcement experience with weapons. I have seen on numerous occassions women firing loaded shotguns with magnum rounds, usually slugs or even buckshot, drop the shotgun because the kick was too much for them. If you have never been on a live firing line when a loaded shotgun is dropped you do not know what I am talking about.

I lost a friend in high school from a dropped shotgun that was loaded. I have another friend who has no forearm muscle on his left arm from a shotgun going off in the backseat of a car. I had a neighbor blow a hole through his roof, in front of his face, with an unloaded shotgun. My brother in law broke his nose first time he shot a magnum round. I shot a friend while rabbit hunting just like Dick Cheney did quail hunting. That tunnel vision you speak of when aquiring a target is true. My friend had broken off from the group and walked into the woods then circled around in front of us. There was five of us in a line we did not know he had left the group. A rabbit jumped up I followed up and shot it killing it at the same time my friend screamed rather loudly. It seems he was standing behind the bush the rabbit was shot in. He got peppered real bad only a few #6 shots pierced the skin but it could have been much worse. I felt horrible even though it was not my fault I quit hunting the rest of the day.

The idiot got me back a few weeks later on a hog hunt. Three of us and two pitbulls went into the swamp; I was last in the line my two friends and our two dogs all stepped right over a 4ft. cottonmouth. I looked down and it was right between my legs, I hollered for Mike, the idiot, because the snake did not see me and I did not want to make any fast moves and give it a chance to bite me. Mike stuck his shotgun right into the snakes mouth, it struck the end of the barrel, he pulled the trigger blowing the snakes head and mud straight up into my face and eyes. I could not see anything. I did not know if I was blinded or not at that moment. They had to walk me back to the truck. I opened my eyes up with my fingers and they were full of bits of meat, bone, blood, and maybe venom, I don't know but it burnt like he**. I made Mike stop at the closest store and buy two bottles of visene I used a whole bottle flushing out each eye. Then I used a t shirt to dab out the bigger pieces.

A shotgun is a wonderful weapon in the hands of someone trained and capable of using it. It is an extremely dangerous weapon in the hands of an untrained user or an idiot.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Sans Serif]Stop with the Grandiose sense of self-worth[/FONT] and admit you are wrong. Why are you patronizing the woman on this board by stating "ok maybe a few old country gals who can shoot" are you suggesting if you are not a old country gal you can't shoot? That just demonstrates a [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Sans Serif]deprecating attitude toward the opposite sex[/FONT].

From Wiki: "Egocentrism is characterized by preoccupation with one's own internal world. Egocentrics regard themselves and their own opinions or interests as being the most important or valid. Self-relevant information is seen to be more important in shaping one’s judgments than are thoughts about others and other-relevant information.[1] Egocentric people are unable to fully understand or to cope with other people's opinions and the fact that reality can be different from what they are ready to accept."

 

[chickiemomy]

take a look at this website I found yesterday for LGD. She doesn't agree they have to live with the flock 24/7 - but they do have to be bonded to them.

http://www.lgdnevada.com/

She also believes you need more than one - as one dog, even a large one, can be overwhelmed by a pack of coyotes.

Am looking at getting a couple of LGD's & we're going to complete our fence which we've been working on this summer. We're now thinking the coyote came in the unfenced area, just left with the chicken over the fence in another area. It's certainly not predator proof, but thinking it should still be a little more resistent & give the new dogs a defined area to defend.

I don't know - the coyote population ebbs & flows - it's just quite high right now & I'm not happy. Fortunately there are others in the same boat, in this neighborhood, perhaps we can figure something out...

 

[Teery]

take a look at this website I found yesterday for LGD. She doesn't agree they have to live with the flock 24/7 - but they do have to be bonded to them.

http://www.lgdnevada.com/

She also believes you need more than one - as one dog, even a large one, can be overwhelmed by a pack of coyotes.

Am looking at getting a couple of LGD's & we're going to complete our fence which we've been working on this summer. We're now thinking the coyote came in the unfenced area, just left with the chicken over the fence in another area. It's certainly not predator proof, but thinking it should still be a little more resistent & give the new dogs a defined area to defend.

I don't know - the coyote population ebbs & flows - it's just quite high right now & I'm not happy. Fortunately there are others in the same boat, in this neighborhood, perhaps we can figure something out...

Mastiff's are nice dogs. They get big and with that so does the feed bill..LOL..Keep working on it and I am sure you will come up with the right solution..Dogs are great and should deter coyotes. Keep in mind, a injured predator becomes prey..If the risk outweighs the reward, the predator won't take the risk.

 

[Nicole01]

I had the dogs out with the chickens right before that attack. The dogs were getting eaten alive by deer flies, so I put them in the house. As soon as the door shut and I was walking back to my flock is when the attack happened. These coyotes are very brave. I won't walk back in the woods anymore without proper protection. I seen the coyote and it is a big one too!

We take both dogs to search for the coyotes. They defiantly pick up on the scent and my Aussie rolled in very fresh poop twice now during the day on the weekend.

 

[chickiemomy]

my brother sent me this -- - http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/coyotes.html

it's a WA state bulletin on coyotes -- they have some interesting fence ideas, not all just electrified solutions. Also they say if the population is just diminished, the remaining population should become more people shy, not so bold. It's definitely not a good sign when they hunt in the daytime, with people in the vicinity. They've become too habituated.

BTW - never trap & release problem animals of any sort. You may think you are being humane, but none of us 'out in the country' want your ill-behaved wildlife any more than you do! -- not saying anyone on here was suggesting that - it's just a sore point for me- & alot of city folk don't get it!

yep I know dogs eat -- & slobber, and cost vet bills, but they are also protection for us as well as the resident chickens - we live pretty rural. Our German Shepherd earned his weight in gold for every person he scared off our property. And every work person who knew that this was not an easy house to break into! Neighbors without a dog learned the hard way.

Just need to find the right one (s).

 

[Teery]

I had the dogs out with the chickens right before that attack. The dogs were getting eaten alive by deer flies, so I put them in the house. As soon as the door shut and I was walking back to my flock is when the attack happened. These coyotes are very brave. I won't walk back in the woods anymore without proper protection. I seen the coyote and it is a big one too!

We take both dogs to search for the coyotes. They defiantly pick up on the scent and my Aussie rolled in very fresh poop twice now during the day on the weekend.

K9's add another layer of defense..as do fences, runs, coops, etc. Finding the right combination of defense is the end goal. Rollers on the tops of fences or hot wire, wolf urine spread in outlying areas, traps, guns, etc. There are allot of things that may or may not work but if you don't attempt, you lose before the battle begins. There is allot of good ideas on this board. Try the ones that best suit your needs.

 

[tackleberry]

bait the coyotes, then wait. Wait, and wait some more. The coyotes will come back and when they do you need to be ready.

 

[tackleberry]

never seen an animal with 19 titties on it.

 

[Teery]

never seen an animal with 19 titties on it.

From Wiki: "Female coyotes are monoestrous, and remain in estrus for two to five days between late January and early March, during which mating occurs. Once the female chooses a partner, the mated pair may remain temporarily monogamous for a number of years. Depending on geographic location, spermatogenesis in males takes around 54 days, and occurs between January and February. The gestation period lasts from 60 to 63 days. Litter size ranges from one to 19 pups; the average is six.[3] These large litters act as compensatory measures against the high juvenile mortality rate – about 50–70% of pups do not survive to adulthood.[30] The pups weigh approximately 250 grams at birth, and are initially blind and limp-eared.[3] Coyote growth rate is faster than that of wolves, being similar in length to that of the dhole.[31] The eyes open and ears become erect after 10 days. Around 21–28 days after birth, the young begin to emerge from the den, and by 35 days, they are fully weaned. Both parents feed the weaned pups with regurgitated food. Male pups will disperse from their dens between months 6 and 9, while females usually remain with the parents and form the basis of the pack. The pups attain full growth between 9 and 12 months old. Sexual maturity is reached by 12 months.[3] Unlike wolves, mother coyotes will tolerate other lactating females in their pack.[32]"

 

[CHICKENJOHN42]

just lost my second hen to a coyote today. The last one was a few months ago - made some changes to where they were free-ranging - but this coyote jumped over a 4 foot wire fence, next to my house & next to the coop. The chicken was within 10 feet of the house & coop & within my 'safe' zone. The coyote then jumped back over the wire fence -- I only know as I tracked the feathers thru the neighbors yard. It was 2 in the afternoon, broad daylight - I was in & out & over in the area off & on for a couple of hours. My husband was operating a chain saw in another part of our yard (we have 5 acres)

so I'd been thinking the wire fence would be a deterent - but obviously it's not. My dog was just put down, old--age, about a month ago. A german shepherd, he never saw the first attack & likely would not have seen this one. Neighbor said she's seen coyotes climb a 10 foot fence with prey in its mouth.

so - what now - I'm planning on getting a larger flock of nice birds next spring. I need to protect them. I haven't seen the attacks - so how do you shoot, if you don't see them?

I am just distressed & upset - nothing sounds like a good answer right now.

ETA- and it's a very brushy area - so am thinking the electric netting would short out &/or need constant maintenance???

Electric fence ?