We have a resident bobcat that ate one of our ducks last year while free-ranging under “loose” supervision. I was hoping they would move on, and maybe they did for a bit, but they came back this spring. Our ducks now get supervised “foraging walks”, but stay in their run (during the day) or barn (during the night) when not closely supervised. We respect the cat and the numerous other predators we have (bears, weasels, millions of raccoons, foxes, hawks, and the occasional fisher). We could kill handfuls of predators every day, and the ducks would never be fully safe. So, we do what we can on our end to keep them safe while still keeping their quality of life high and hope for the best. I don’t blame the predators for trying. Ducks (and chickens) are tasty and have zero defenses. However, that’s just how we roll. I believe that if we can not outsmart the predators, we should not continue to have ducks.
Now, I can’t remember who was posting about their coyote problem in SoCal. You have my sympathy. My husband in I used to live in the Mojave desert, and the coyotes 100% ruled the land. Folks where I live now will talk about a coyote problem, but I just shake my head. I’d take my bobcats and raccoons and bears and hawks over those desert coyotes any day!
Now, I can’t remember who was posting about their coyote problem in SoCal. You have my sympathy. My husband in I used to live in the Mojave desert, and the coyotes 100% ruled the land. Folks where I live now will talk about a coyote problem, but I just shake my head. I’d take my bobcats and raccoons and bears and hawks over those desert coyotes any day!
