Coyotes

[steveks]

I kill every coyote I can. My hunting/trapping partner lost his male beagle to coyotes last sunday. He has never wanted to trap coyotes because of the fur prices but we have lost other animals caught in traps to them and now they got his dog, so now we are going to set a line for nothing but coyotes just waiting for bird season to close. And sell them for what we can.

 

[jlap380]

AGREED

 

[Dave K]

I agree, get them all. We don't hardly have any rabbits here anymore. The turkey that were getting a good hold are getting scarcer. What does a quail look like? Anyhow, the coyotes absolutely cannot be surviving off of rabbits as they are not out there. The coyotes must be surviving on deer and other critters like even cats(not a bad thing in out in the wild). Even groundhogs are not near as numerous as they once were and finding them is getting tougher. Actually around here, some farmers will not permit coyote hunting as they feel the coyotes are taking out all of the animals that are feeding on their crops, like deer, groundhogs, rabbits and turkey. When it comes to coyotes, I think it is very honorable to use a muzzleloader or even a bow, but when I hunt them,I use my c-fires so I can reach out and take them OUT.

 

[Skylinewatcher]

I have trapped them critters for my pocket book all my life. Now, while deer hunting I try not to shoot them as I don't eat yote and I try not to shoot anything I don't eat, but I will admit that there will come a time when you will be forced to thin them out. They will make your table venison scarce. Takes a while but they will. Here in Alabama we have some real problems with yotes and coydogs. I have had several heated debates with a game biologist over if a coyote will hurt a man or not. I will admit "A" coyote wont give you much trouble but several of them piney mutts will. I was circle several times by three on night. I was getting home late from a trap line in a dark river bottom. They went around and arond me for several miles(I was about 6 miles deep in that bottom) I'd yell at them with out much good. Ithought to just try a shot or two from my .22 trapping pistol, but I only had 6 shells so I saved them. They never did close on me but the came real close. Game biologist claims I was mistaken, but he wasn't the fellar being hounded either. I invited that blow hard to come with me, but he declined. I wouldn't advise a wholesale slaughter but I do advise a close watch. They get out of hand and everything from pets to table meat will suffer. Besides trapping is the only way to control them. Count yourself lucky to see one of those critters in the daylight. :grin:

 

[hoochiepapa]

Wholesale slaughter!! They are becoming so bold here in CO that they attack dogs while on a leash, and a woman on the outskirts of Denver was attacked by three. I shoot on sight, even while hunting, there's always another day to kill a deer or elk. But you don't see these scum too often in daylight, like you said.
When I lived in Pueblo, our neighbors' dog was killed right in front of them by four 'yotes right at dusk. We heard the commotion and ran to the back door just in time to see one of the 'yotes running off with their dog.

 

[oletymepreacher]

Agree with Mike. I have seen them run down full grown deer, get them cornered, tear their guts out, then have a meal. All this without even a flake of snow on the ground.

I hunted a private ranch. The owner hired a man whose job description was-Kill all the coyotes you can. He killed 450 throughout the late spring and summer. By the next elk season you couldn't tell if he had killed any.

I see a coyote, his hide is coming home with me.

 

[Pete Gaimari]

Coyotes are cowards. They won't mess with an animal that fights back.

That's why I own a Pit Bull.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Coyotes will kill a solitary dog, even if he fights back, if they can gang up on him. I have a friend who lost a fine dog two years ago to coyotes, who killed him before she could get out to help him. Ripped his throat out. She has always suspected that he had killed some coyotes, and that this was pay-back. He was protecting a flock of sheep-about 300 at the time, along with other guard dogs, and of course, his owner. When he heard the coyotes, he took off after them, not waiting for the other dogs to back him up. The coyotes were waiting for him.

 

[Pete Gaimari]

I have a lot of experience with coyotes when I lived in Big Bear. I heard them kill dogs every night. The sound drove me crazy.
I had a 90 lb Pit then, and they tried everything to get him. He always came out on top.

I never saw so many coyotes as I did in Big Bear. A day didn't go by that I didn't see at least 25 of them.

I have a 65 lb Pit now, and he's already had an encounter with 4 coyotes. He's fine. Coyotes..not so much.
Like any predator. They don't want to get hurt, because they know they won't survive.

 

[sepiatone]

I have a lot of experience with coyotes when I lived in Big Bear. I heard them kill dogs every night. The sound drove me crazy.
I had a 90 lb Pit then, and they tried everything to get him. He always came out on top.

I never saw so many coyotes as I did in Big Bear. A day didn't go by that I didn't see at least 25 of them.

I have a 65 lb Pit now, and he's already had an encounter with 4 coyotes. He's fine. Coyotes..not so much.
Like any predator. They don't want to get hurt, because they know they won't survive.

If you're talking about Big Bear California, I've seen probably as many mountain lions :shocked2: . They used to give me the heebe jeebes.

 

[Huntin_Dawg1215]

In a New York minute!

 

[gonpce]

I live in southwest Virgina and my son, his friends and I kill every one we can, gun, muzzleloader, car, etc. This hasn't helped any, no matter how many you can kill it doesn't hurt the population of coyotes. Once you start seeing them it is too late. They have hurt the turkey and deer where we live. Kill them all.

 

[Pete Gaimari]

I'm with you guys, but an outsider looking at this thread would be shaking their head.

We want to kill the coyotes, because they're killing our game that we want to kill.

 

[gonpce]

Maybe I was wrong in the way I worded my comment. That is part of the reason, but where I live they also kill livestock and family pets. I have also read of attacks on children when coyotes are overpopulated.

 

[Pete Gaimari]

Maybe I was wrong in the way I worded my comment. That is part of the reason, but where I live they also kill livestock and family pets. I have also read of attacks on children when coyotes are overpopulated.

I wasn't responding to you, but in general.

I hate the way we have to respond to someone on this forum. If I want to respond to someone. I'll just quote them like every other forum.

 

[playfarmers]

We have an over-population of coyotes and as a result you see very few rabbits. I have also seen the results of them pulling down full sized whitetails as they come out of a creek. I also witnessed several coyotes taking down a big buck in the deep snow, and lots of sign of turkeys being taken. I think it was New Brunswick were a woman out jogging was killed by coyotes, and children have been attacked in Saskatchewan. My wife and I have been growed at an circled by coyote at a late afternoon deer kill site. Thus I have no problem sending them on there way with a bullet. I took 2 of them while deer hunting this year. If my knees get better this winter I will be calling them in and doing away with them using modern rifles.

 

[George]

The consensus seems to be that coyotes are the devil incarnate, but not everyone agrees with that idea. Here's an entry from my hunting journal:


"Dec. 18, 2002 Grand afternoon hunt, but no deer. I decided to go a bit earlier, since I have seen deer at about 1600 two recent days, so arrived at 1515. Mostly cloudy with some intermittent bright sun, temperature 63F dropping to 57F, wind 15-25 from the south-southeast, with gusts. I hiked down the west side of the divider fence by the hay lot, slowly approached the bedding area there, but saw nothing. Down through the strip of woods in the fence row with Brown, so any deer in the southeast corner of the 9-acre field couldn't see me, then through the persimmon peninsula and came at the round island woods patch from the north for the same reason, plus the wind. Set up in a great spot just in the northeast corner of the island, was all snugged in by 1545. At 1555 I saw a coyote walking toward me in the 9-acre field, near where they denned at one time. I had brought the good binoculars along in order to get a better look at the buck if he showed, so I put them on the coyote. Gorgeous animal, fat and happy, full winter coat all fluffy and clean. She was a deep cinnamon brown around the face and neck, darker on the flanks and back, with the typical coyote markings around the face. She sat down, scratched her neck with her left back leg, bounced up and began walking toward the row of round hay bales on the western side of the peninsula. She would walk a few yards, then sit and scratch, walk and sit, walk and sit. In about 5 minutes she was by the row of bales and disappeared behind it, only to suddenly pop up on top of the last bale to the right. This was only about 100 yards from me, and I had a marvelous view. She "hunted" along the top of the entire row of 12 bales, sticking her nose into the hay and acting as though she were after something. Made her way in this fashion to the last bale on the other end, where she again sat and scratched. It was 1610, and she lay down on her belly, put her head on her front paws and apparently went to sleep. She was still for 15 minutes, then sat up, stretched, and began grooming, licking first her belly fur and then her front paws. After about 10 minutes, she went back to sleep and stayed that way, only occasionally raising her head for an alert inspection of the area, for the next one hour. At about 1720, right at sunset, she awoke, moved to the other end of the bales and began "playing" like a puppy. She jumped off the bale and ran around in a fast, tight circle, then jumped back up. She did the same, but when she jumped back up, she bounced off the bale sideways and went back into her circle. This continued for almost 5 minutes, then she lay down on the same bale and began biting at it. She bit the hay and pulled out a mouthful of it, then shook her head like a puppy "killing a mouse", tossing the hay away from her. She did this repeatedly for several minutes. All this time I was expecting her to set out on her evening hunt, but she never did. I had the thought about then that there was absolutely nowhere else I would rather be at that moment. About 15 minutes after sunset, at about 1740, she once again lay down on her end bale as though going to sleep. We both held our ground as a very pretty sunset sky developed, then darkened quickly. The light was fading fast, although the full moon was about 2 hands above the eastern horizon, and since I had seen not a hair of a deer, I eased out from my spot and moved slowly across the field toward the southwest and Keith's woods. I thought she would bolt, then, but she didn't, just stayed right on her bale until I got out of sight. What a real privilege to see such a marvelous and gorgeous animal doing its natural thing, and in such a beautiful, relaxed spot."

Spence

 

[Pete Gaimari]

I don't see the point of your post?

All animals look cute at certain times.

Maybe if you saw it killing a fawn, or someones dog. Maybe attacking a child. How about if you were a farmer or rancher, and were losing your stock to your cute coyote?

Maybe you'd feel different.

 

[longcruise]

Maybe if you saw it killing a fawn, or someones dog. Maybe attacking a child. How about if you were a farmer or rancher, and were losing your stock to your cute coyote?

Maybe you'd feel different.

Interesting juxtaposition of views on coyotes. One sees it as a duty to the wild and wildlife to kill them all and one sees them as a thing of beauty in nature.

I'm not siding with or condemning either though. Both seem to have a passion for the outdoors. I enjoyed reading Spence's little story and it brought back memories of some of my own times in the wild when something completely captured my attention, imagination and admiration.

OTOH, I live only a few miles from a public open space area where dog owners are allowed to let their dogs run without a leash. Several dogs have been killed by coyotes in that park and one person was bitten while trying to save their dog.

And, in other areas around the metro area dogs and cats are regularly harvested by coyotes. That's what they do! They will eat anything. You can kill every coyote you see, but it won't make your pets safe.

I don't agree that coyotes are a serious pradator on deer or other big game animals. I'm sure they get some fawns but it has been shown that in CO the bears get a lot more fawns. The majority of coyote food staple seems to be mice. In winter they feast on winter kill and highway kill. No need to pursue deer or elk through the snow when they are laying all over on each side of the highway.

Every sheep, cow, horse or any other animal that dies of any cause will be surrounded by coyote tracks. It does not mean they killed it. OTOH, A major exception, and it's pretty well documented, they are very hard on sheep, especially in the spring and winter!

Here is a photo I took during the winter of a coyote hanging around near a herd of elk. Coyote was probably 20 or 30 yards from the elk. The coyote was busy hunting mice and showed no interest in the elk. But, even more telling, the elk showed no interest in the coyote. They apparently did not view the coyote as enough of a threat to even look twice at him! :shocked2:

The spokesperson for the division of wildlife always has the same explanation when coyotes, bears or mountain lions are in conflict with humans. It's always "human encroachment on their habitat has forced them into conflicts with humans". Same line is echoed in the media. It's simple BS. Most of these conflicts take place in areas that have been co habited by these animals and humans for years. Just seems that the uban humans of today don't get it!

 

[Dave K]

I agree capper, I really don't understand his post as well. ALL CREATURES are cute at times. Just because they have a need to eat, doesn't make them bad, but it certainly makes them a competitor for food. I thought one of the cutest things I ever watched was a fox with kits. I have no malice at all to fox, for they aren't as large as coyotes and they are less likely to hunt and take down large came. Everything needs to eat and they will do everything in their power, just as you, to ensure that they do it. Regardless, I am at war with coyotes. They are large enough to hunt the same game I hunt and they also put my pets at risk. Like cockroaches, I doubt I will ever be able to drive them to extinction. It wasn't all that many years ago, coyotes were not known in this area and small upland game was fairly abundant. Now it is the other way around.