Unfortunately I'm putting the journal on hold until I get a decent aviary run put on the coop. Right now I've got an 8' tall, 8' wide and deep run of hardware cloth in addition to the floorspace in and under the coop that is keeping the coydogs and hawks out and we have gone from 40+ to 26 during the week or so I was building. I also almost got bit several times. Fish and wildlife told me to go get a gun and shoot it, which here takes about 12 weeks. That was too many opportunities for near misses on my and my kids' safety, so now we have a great pyrenees to watch over us and the goats and are bringing in a puppy to be her backup against the coydogs, bobcats, cougars that supposedly aren't there, bears, mink, weasels, and fishers WHILE we wait on the state to let us have our $200 firearm licenses so we can go buy a $300-$400 gun so we can quickly learn to shoot and kill the coydogs that stalk us in broad daylight in our yard. So far the pyr is working, but I worry about her safety. Once we have our gun, if that particular coydog comes back (and he is bigger than our 120lbs dog, so we would know if he did) he will be killed. We are also working on putting up a perimeter fence around our 7 acres in addition to letting the goats clear out the unused woods so the dogs can get around, be loose, and fight better.
Massachusetts isn't using our many tax dollars they take to protect my kids very well, so I'm a little peeved. "get a gun" they said, "shoot it" they said (even after it started going after us). Give us 3 MONTHS and 200 additional dollars before you can even handle a gun the laws said. Police and animal control won't do anything either. So the dog, airhorns, and mace are our only defense until the state will allow us to be armed. I'm sure PD would shoot it after it mauls my kid, but it is as tall as my 4 year old (ask me how I know), so that could be the last thing my son sees.
Of the rest of the coydogs I only ask that they are invisible in daylight like normal coyotes, don't tear my fences, barn, and coop door apart trying to get to animals again, don't threaten me or my kids, and leave my animals alone especially in daylight when the whole world can watch them.
So basically we've had a bad run, and I need to spill some blood and spend a lot of money before my kids are safe to be outside and my animals are either in with the dog or on permanent lockdown. So there's really nothing to see at the moment.
I'm hoping to make another trip to home depot for more hardware cloth and pt 2x4 for a second and third cube. Pictures will go up when it's not a terrible eyesore.
Moral of the story-when in Mass, if something wild goes after you, have a gun and SSS because they will not get off their office chairs and help. And that is all they will tell you if you ask them anyway SSS anyway so I guess the last "S" isn't necessary.
Best part is if the out of touch, rich, hippie locals from the city hear you're defending your kids (gun shots deep in the woods?) they get very, very nasty when it wasn't them that could see the color of the coy-dog's eyes staring you down. Or if you hit or kill a turtle, which is another story.
So it's a little hostile here. But some of my farm neighbors have offered to help and give me contact info for more help if it comes back before my 3 month wait is up. I'm just worried that it will go after me before I see it (but the dog helps a lot in that regard, I guess)
So anyway, wish me luck. I didn't want to embark in this journey, but it looks like the only course of action (according to the authorities). Hope we won't be going to the ER for rabies shots soon. Also glad I've never suffered from any mental illness, because you are not allowed to have a gun ever in mass if you have (depressed people are coydog fodder, I guess).
I also hope everyone else that it's going after winds up okay. A lady down the road had this thing go after her and her 10 month old while they were sitting in their yard, by their house, during the work day. And they have no animals. Yes, it is that bad. She's one of 4 or 5 neighbors that have gotten in touch with me privately, said it has gone after them and informed me that they will let me know if they shoot it so I can relax too. There's just one really big, german shepherd sized, fearless coydog that isn't even afraid of car horns (or airhorns blown in its face, I discovered). And it makes it so you just can't go outside more than briefly.
The worst thing about it is that it's not rabid. It's a hybrid-a really aggressive one that wants to HUNT you. Like a rogue pitbull from where we used to live except the cops won't take care of it for you and much MUCH bigger (pit bulls are small, didn't you know it?).
What a great journal entry! I wanted to stay quiet, but that would be a gap to dismiss as being "busy".
Busy, busy, busy.
And honest I never wanted to run around killing everything, but the govt is making me choose between my kids' and my safety and continuing to shun guns and my kids come first. So that coydog is going down.
Awesome! Can’t wait for pictures.
