I live in upstate in a fairly rural area, but certainly not deep woods. My home is sandwiched between Route 81 (a main north-south thruway) and a parallel road Route 11. The two roads are about 200 yards apart.
I've had issues with coyotes before and ended up shooting one with my .270 after it kept coming right up to the house in broad daylight looking for food. I had several run ins with it for over a year and it got bolder and bolder and refused to run when I confronted it. I have a bunch of grandchildren who love to play in the yard on the swing set, monkey bars, and trampoline. My brothers and sisters have small kids that come over all the time and play in the yard as well as nieces and nephews with their small children, so I don't like coyotes that close.
Now there is a litter of pups that routinely play in the yard and aren't that afraid of people. They watch me mow the lawn with curiosity rather than fright. When I park my car, they stop playing long enough to watch me get out of the car and walk to the door, then return to playing.
I love nature and am fascinated with the bald eagles, weasels and mink, coyotes, and the occasional bear and even wild pigs, etc., but I just don't want to shoot these little coyotes that I fear are going to become a big problem in a very short while.
The DEC is closed this weekend, but I was going to call them Monday morning to see if there's a way to capture them and take them into the deeper woods somewhere.
Any other suggestion is welcome.
I took a few pictures this morning of them playing in the yard or the flower box by the shed.
maybe the mother died? and those pups just need to be relocated.
is a fence an option?
otherwise the basics, keep food sources away, keep comfortable habitats for them away, etc.
And delicious
maybe the mother died? and those pups just need to be relocated.
is a fence an option?
otherwise the basics, keep food sources away, keep comfortable habitats for them away, etc.
I haven't seen their mother, but I guarantee she's around and hiding, keeping track of them...or maybe out catching a rabbit while they are playing. I heard her yipping the other day and they all came running back to the woods so I assume she's calling them.
Actually, she is my biggest worry. I don't trust mothers of any wild creatures that decides her babies are under threat.
I do make sure there's no food around and the once high population of rabbits has disappeared. My neighbors on both side of me have large dogs and I was hoping that would make them move. Instead, they gather at my place where there is no dog. That could be my next best option - get a big dog.
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around? those all look like pups
maybe the mother died? and those pups just need to be relocated.
is a fence an option?
otherwise the basics, keep food sources away, keep comfortable habitats for them away, etc.
I haven't seen their mother, but I guarantee she's around and hiding, keeping track of them...or maybe out catching a rabbit while they are playing. I heard her yipping the other day and they all came running back to the woods so I assume she's calling them.
Actually, she is my biggest worry. I don't trust mothers of any wild creatures that decides her babies are under threat.
I do make sure there's no food around and the once high population of rabbits has disappeared. My neighbors on both side of me have large dogs and I was hoping that would make them move. Instead, they gather at my place where there is no dog. That could be my next best option - get a big dog.
I hear them at night too in suburban Mass, and there are regular reported sightings, but I only saw one and it wasn't that close to my house it was running along the edge of the woods on the cusp of conservation land.
I have a fence though so unless they're really motivated to dig under it they won't get in my yard.
I used to get foxes (and during the day too which worried me since they're supposed to be nocturnal) but coyotes concern me too.
Most of the predatory urine solutions do work, temporarily (in my experience) until it rains and then scent is diminished, but I'm not they work well with pups who don't know the predatory landscape and also not sure wolf urine would work for a coyote in NY where I'm not sure there are any wolves (so I'm not sure it's an innate fear vs a learned one)
I used fox urine to keep rodents away from my house and it worked for a while like I said, but the rain lessened the scent.
I'd see what animal control says on Monday, but fence and as a last resort gun probably the best tools you have unless they can capture and relocate them.
LOL
Here's a DEC link that might help you out.
Link - ( New Window )
Here's a DEC link that might help you out. Link - ( New Window )
Also from DEC:
Fencing your yard may deter coyotes. The fence should be tight to the ground, preferably extending six inches below ground level, and taller than 4 feet.
for a Coyote to scale an 8 foot fence (which is definitely possible) you'd need to have something on the other side they can smell and be starving otherwise.
They venture into fenceless yards b/c of the opportunity
Keep shooting them?
Joey, I think he's referring to upstate NY. My guess is somewhere toward Watertown. I'd assume there's lots of critters moving in and out of the Adirondacks.
I live in Upstate New York, not VA. If you drew a triangle between Syracuse, Binghamton, and Ithaca - I'd be in it and that area is my stompin grounds.
Rt 81 and Rt 11 runs through both Syracuse and Binghamton. Coyotes are especially plentiful in the Castle Creek / Whitney Point area where they are found dead on 81 almost on a daily basis. I live between Whitney Point and Cortland where they are becoming more plentiful, but not as prolific as Castle Creek.
Although, the strip of land between the two highways is not ideal for coyotes to make a home, that's what they've chosen to do. The further they go away from Route 81, the deeper and safer the woods where it's far more rural. Seems odd that the mother would decide to raise a brood of pups in such a rather populated area when a mile in any direction away from 81 would make more sense.
Keep shooting them?
I hate shooting them. I love dogs and they look too much like dogs...and I can't kill a dog. If they went after one of my grandchildren, I'd shoot it without hesitation. But they are just curious, playful pups right now. Last week they looked like furry kittens. They've doubled in size in a week. They won't be a threat to kids for a few more months. By the time they are 7 - 8 months, they'll be skilled hunters and big enough to be a threat to small children and pets. And they see everything from the point of view that "if it moves, it must be food". That's why I want to get them removed before they get to that point.
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They'll scale an 8 foot fence or wall without a problem.
Here's a DEC link that might help you out. Link - ( New Window )
Also from DEC:
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.....
Fencing your yard may deter coyotes. The fence should be tight to the ground, preferably extending six inches below ground level, and taller than 4 feet.
for a Coyote to scale an 8 foot fence (which is definitely possible) you'd need to have something on the other side they can smell and be starving otherwise.
They venture into fenceless yards b/c of the opportunity
In my previous house I had one that would sit on a six foot high block post overlooking an arroyo while he scanned for dinner.
Best bet to get rid of the pack is probably to make life as annoying for them as you can. They'll eventually move to some extent but you'll still be in their hunting zone and they'll venture through on occasion.
Don't relocate the pups unless you relocate Momma, too.
I live in an area with a lot of wildlife including Black Bears, Foxes, wild dogs, coyotes, etc.
The animals will not come into our yard but will go to the neighbors. Our dogs establish their territory by marking the area.
We have had Akitas and our last dog was a Boerboel ( by far and away the best dog for this type of situation)
Don't relocate the pups unless you relocate Momma, too.
This. I'm amazed you see them. There's one or more packs near the farm. We hear them yipping and howling almost every night, but have never seen them. We don't worry about the horses, or even the barn cats- the pack(s) for whatever reason stay in the woods and never venture into the pastures, much less one of the barns. Raccoons on the other hand are keniving pieces of shit. I'd shoot them on sight, but my family is a bunch of hippies that believe in catch and release (a few miles across the river, at least.)
Don't relocate the pups unless you relocate Momma, too.
I agree. I see coyotes all the time, but they are always on the run and trying to hide so they can't be seen. Other than the one I finally shot, coyotes are very skittish and high tail it out of there once they know you can see them. These pups come right out in broad daylight and don't run. They seem very curious about humans. When I mowed last week they simply came out, sat on their haunches and watched like they were amazed. That's not normal IMO. Of course, this is the first time I've had an entire litter of pups near the house - at least that I know of. I'm surprised the mother hasn't taught them to run for their lives and hide whenever a human is around. They'll probably learn. Especially once hunting season starts and they get shot at by deer hunters and especially those guys who strictly hunt coyotes.
the kind of electric fence I think you mean only works when your pet has a collar that make the pet receive a shock when they touch the fence.
If you mean this, it's kind of dangerous for his kids too, and probably very expensive.
Every kid has to learn own their own no matter how you warn them. I have some on my property I know I had to try for myself when I was a kid and then we used to dare guys to do it in our teens and early 20's.
Marvic, shoot them now.
OK, maybe not coywolf, but definitely hybrids - ( New Window )
New York is being overrun - ( New Window )
Did you try to reason with them?
I would tell them - "Look, I grew up with your Uncle "Wiley E" and he would be very disappointed with this behavior".
I say leave em be. I doubt they will bother you.
I say leave em be. I doubt they will bother you.
The levels of paranoia combined with cluelessness here are scarier than coyotes.
I say leave em be. I doubt they will bother you.
I tend to agree. Personally, I love being around nature and all that goes with it. I find wild animals fascinating, but not so much that I'll invade their space or threaten them. When they wake me up in the middle of the night fighting over a rabbit or whatever the pack caught, it's loud and irritating. I've gotten up several times over the years and opened the door and yelled, "will you shut the fuck up and let me sleep". They are so loud when they are packed and fighting.
Actually, the ONLY reason I worry at all is because I have so many small kids that play in the yard and I can't watch over them every minute. That is the only reason I want them to move away to better hunting grounds.
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And I have never heard one incident of them messing with people. Though they will pick off small dogs and cats. They skirt my property though because I have loud dogs.
I say leave em be. I doubt they will bother you.
The levels of paranoia combined with cluelessness here are scarier than coyotes.
Yeah, there's tons of paranoia here. great post.
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In comment 13523468 Johnny5 said:
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And I have never heard one incident of them messing with people. Though they will pick off small dogs and cats. They skirt my property though because I have loud dogs.
I say leave em be. I doubt they will bother you.
The levels of paranoia combined with cluelessness here are scarier than coyotes.
Yeah, there's tons of paranoia here. great post.
I wouldn't worry about the kids, but if you have any kind of live stock, you don't want them around. They cost you money.
Link - ( New Window )
you take away their habitat they are forced to enter yours.
I wouldn't worry about the pups in the picture, my first thought was the mother was killed somehow (hit by a car, hunter, etc.), but adult coyotes are absolutely a threat to small children.
not sure if that qualifies as paranoia though so I'll wait until a passive aggressive poster comments on it (not you ctc)
just an excerpt about some attacks in suburban Mass.
High school sophomore Jed Aubertin took his dog for a walk down a dirt trail in late February, and a coyote attacked him.
"I didn't have time to square off with it," Aubertin said. "I went for my knife, but it was already in the air at my neck."
Coyote attacks on humans are considered rare, but they can be vicious when they happen, like the bite on a 2-year-old girl's head in Weymouth or on 9-year-old Alex Cazmay in Haverhill.
"I thought it was a dog," Cazmay said. "That's why I put my hand out. Then, it bit me."
Often it's the smaller animals, like rabbits, running into trouble when it's a one-on-one fight. In farmer Tyler Kimball's case, a pack of coyotes made a meal out of his $1,200 buffalo.
"And when I see a coyote, I am going to shoot him," Kimball said.
Each of these stories happened in the last year in Massachusetts or New Hampshire.
Then, there was the wild run at the Ted Williams Tunnel. A coyote on the loose scampered through the Big Dig.
If it seems like they're showing up everywhere these days, it's because they are.
"Even if you haven't seen coyotes in your area, it's best to assume that they could be in your yard," said Laura Conlee of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.
Wildlife biologists estimate the summer population in Massachusetts will hold steady at about 10,000, including their pups.....
1) he uses large firecrackers to get their attention. 90% of the time, the bear will run for the hills and they pose no threat at all
2) When they don't run, he uses a special gun that shoots rubber bullets. This usually makes the more stubborn ones run for the hills
3) When a bear doesn't respond to firecrackers or rubber bullets and seems unafraid of humans, they shoot the bear dead using 300 Win. Mag hollow points.
As long as a wild animal runs away from you, they are not a threat. It's when they don't run it becomes an issue.
My experience with the coyote that I finally shot a couple years ago was interesting. I had seen him numerous times for over a year. But one day I went outside to have a smoke and there he was about 30 ft away concentrating on a field mouse. So I said, "HEY!" He looked up at me and at first just stared. But he didn't run. So I said, "Look - Fire" as I held up my lighter and lit it. Instead of running, he cocked his head to the side like he was curious. So I said, "you're supposed to run asshole", but he didn't. I then thought to myself, "I am not giving my yard up to a coyote" so I took a couple of quick steps towards him. Instead of running, he took a couple of steps towards me. That made me nervous. So I started running right at him and he took off, but not very far. He hid behind a tree and poked his head out to see what I was doing and snarling at me. So I said to myself, "fuck this, I'm going back inside". Then he took off. A while later he was coming right to the house looking for garbage or food right in the broad daylight. So I got out my .270 and popped him. I felt like shit killing it, but he had just gotten too bold and unafraid.
Bottom line: once coyotes no longer fear you - they are dangerous as hell, just like any wild animal.
There isn't some animal control farm upstate where trapped skunks, bears, raccoons, and coyotes sing kumbaya by the river.
I'd draw a map our my property, but don't know how and you'd understand. I have about 25 acres of land. I'd say it's shaped like a big "T" with my house at the base of the "T", except that the left hand side of the T is filled in. The right side of the T belongs to my neighbor and the den is on his property. It's overgrown brush and tall grass. He thinks the coyotes are cool and doesn't want to blow up the den.
I found one on my property a couple years back and destroyed it. There was a woodchuck hole under an old scrub apple tree that suddenly was about 20 inches in diameter and much deeper than when woodchucks lived in it. I suspect coyotes dug it up to get to the woodchuck and then decided it would make a good home.
Yup, the more populated they become, the food supply goes down. They feed primarily on rabbits and field mice or moles, but they will take down a small deer and we have a case in my town where coyotes killed and half ate a calf.
The most dangerous time for a doe giving birth to a fawn is during the actual birth. Coyotes can smell it for a mile and the newborn fawn doesn't stand a chance if they find it.
But year, any small animal is food to them. I'm not sure they actually eat foxes and dogs, but see them as competition for food or competition for the land they've staked out as their own. I pay very close attention to the nature in my back yard and there are times when the yard is covered with rabbits and woodchucks up on the hill. And there aren't any coyotes. Then a year later there won't be a rabbit or woodchuck to be seen anywhere because the coyotes have cleaned them out. So it goes back and forth like high tide low tide, only in year long intervals. I always felt sorry for the rabbits. Their only role in life is a food source for foxes, bobcats, and coyotes. They survive because the breed nonstop and have big litters. By the time a rabbit is three months old, it's already having more baby rabbits. Their lifespan in coyote and fox infested areas is about 4 or 5 months....if they're lucky!
you take away their habitat they are forced to enter yours.
I wouldn't worry about the pups in the picture, my first thought was the mother was killed somehow (hit by a car, hunter, etc.), but adult coyotes are absolutely a threat to small children.
not sure if that qualifies as paranoia though so I'll wait until a passive aggressive poster comments on it (not you ctc)
Thanks PJ
Dusk is the time to watch when you are walking your little dog or letting young kids play at the edge of cover. It's just common sense. There are the outliers naturally. just like teaching you kids what a rattle snake sounds like and to run
A few years back I was in with a group that leased 20,000 acres of Lykes Brothers land called rainy slough. We had the quail rights so we could train our bird dogs there. There were other leasor's who had the deer, turkey, and hog rights.
Quail are actually way down on a coyote's prey list. Too much energy to exert on little energy return. They pray on quail nest predators such as coons, opossums, skunks, hogs,etc.
I am with you that Marvic is answering his own question. Get a dog or a critter (donkey), that will run them off the pproperty.
That's where I live, I'm at the Trinity Center all the time.
Gotta think I've crossed paths with you at some point.
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No response to my input concerning a Den? Those pups just do not show up at your place for the Hell of it. Seriously....their den is close by. Young carnivores rarely travel from home base until they get large enough for Mom to train them to hunt and feed themselves. In the meantime Mom hunts and the pups hang out at your place...which is their home too. Find the den and destroy it.
I'd draw a map our my property, but don't know how and you'd understand. I have about 25 acres of land. I'd say it's shaped like a big "T" with my house at the base of the "T", except that the left hand side of the T is filled in. The right side of the T belongs to my neighbor and the den is on his property. It's overgrown brush and tall grass. He thinks the coyotes are cool and doesn't want to blow up the den.
I found one on my property a couple years back and destroyed it. There was a woodchuck hole under an old scrub apple tree that suddenly was about 20 inches in diameter and much deeper than when woodchucks lived in it. I suspect coyotes dug it up to get to the woodchuck and then decided it would make a good home.
Ummm, what happens if you destroy their den?
It wouldn't lead to cruel suffering?