my coyote jihad

[Art Eatman]

Funny how things work out: Just this morning I ran across an article in the LA Times about wild animals in cities. More bears and cougars are being seen than in the past, for instance.

As for coyotes, the collated results from some 500 radio-collared coyotes in cities such as LA and Chicago show that they do well, with ample food. The kicker is that if they are killed out in an area of a city, it is only a matter of weeks before more coyotes move in and start families.

As was said decades ago, all that will be left after a nuclear holocaust will be cockroaches and coyotes.

 

[Magnum Mike]

couldn't you just build a pen for your dog so that wild animals can't get to her?

Tried that with my daughter to keep her from dating animals. Needless to say the neighbors and ex didn't take kindly to this.

I know i'll probably get flack for my comment

Yep, your right!! Take away the dogs freedom, make it burden for the owner because of an over populated varmint! Why to you think there is no closed season, no need for a license? Kinda like moving cattle because of the flies!

 

["JJ"]

MDD I am grateful that Maggie has made the recovery she has and I am sure she is grateful for you!
She is blessed to have such a loyal "best friend"!

gaseousclay I won't give you any flack for your comments as I would guess you just haven't had much experience with coyotes. So I am going to throw out some info on them.

They are the ultimate killing machine!
They can run at speeds close to 40 mph for miles.
They can pinpoint a mouse's location from from just a squeak from almost 600 yards!
They analyze over 3 BILLION PPM scent particles each time they inhale and can detect the presence of a scent from just 2 PPM!
They can leap a 6 foot privacy fence.
They are routinely trapped and removed from fenced game reserves with high fences!
They can survive natural events that effect numbers of other species!
They have killed animals just to eat the nutritious entrails leaving the rest of the animal to go kill another.

They are efficient animals, adapting to THEIR world as WE change it. Unfortunately we have created an environment that is in their favor.
They are efficient in that they will make a choice to take an animal that requires the least amount of energy to catch over an elusive animal every time! Don't get me wrong, they kill plenty of wild animals! But while our pets still have the natural ability to detect the presence of the coyote, they aren't bread to register every animal encounter as a threat on their life. Therefore, our pets are like a fast food drive thru for them.
Yes, coyotes have to eat. They are a vital part of our ecosystem! But development and expansion has skewed the things drastically in their favor.
In my area they have no enemy other then the few humans who hunt them. They can have 5-12 pups in a litter and once dispersed, a young coyote can travel over 100 miles to find it's own territory! They literally swarm an area! Because of this, in places on the east coast where they had never seen or dealt with the canis latrans, they are now wide spread. They can wreak havoc on the native animals before they have a chance to adapt themselves!

I have a great bit of respect for this cunning creature God created! But I also believe they need controlled. We CAN NOT eliminate the species by calling, hunting or shooting every coyote we encounter. Studies have show the coyote could handle 60% of the annual population being eliminated!
If we don't keep them in check nature will. Nature does it with diseases. When the coyote population gets infected they spread the diseases (rabies, mange, heart worms and some say lyme disease) to other species. While it could be argued that all the species effected needed a population check. This route is a VERY cruel one!
The population boom we have witnessed since WE eliminated the wolf allowed the coyote to become the top predator in North America. This has greatly reduced other species such as red fox and prey species. Some upland game birds have all but been removed from the wild in some ares.
But, as these pictures show, they effect many other species!

coyote with a fawn

coyote with a turkey

a nice whitetail eventually hamstrung by coyotes

while this little guy may have gotten in a lick or two I am sure it did not end well

possibly like this one

and then fluffy never had a chance

Their existence and population effect ALL other species.
They have every right to be here! But so do the other species.
We have to right the balance!

 

["JJ"]

Here is another game cam pic of two coyotes eating a trophy whitetail while it is still alive. There was a series of pictures that circulated online where they slowly take the deer down. The pictures run from around 10pm to day light the next morning.
It is assumed that, to capture pics of trophy deer, the owner placed some type of nutrient rich supplement as an attractant that the now exhausted deer desperately needed causing it to meet its demise in the view of the camera. There are several pics of the deer, in between the attacks, with its head down to the ground.

The coyotes appeared to have eaten the entrails and left the rest.


So I post all of this to simply say that the canis latrans is not looking for any sympathy nor does it deserve it! It will take what it needs and then some! Sometimes what it needs is an important part of our life!
Sometimes a shot here and there will make OUR yard a bit less inviting causing them to adapt and find another source of food!
Sometimes they need more of a deterrent!

MDD, I want to let you know I am delivering deterrents 55 grains at a time here in Northeast Texas!
Good luck with your endeavour sir!!

 

[twins]

JJ,
Is the black/white photo showing a coyote carrying a cat? If it is, then I'm all for luring/keeping a coyote in my neighborhood. There's a "cat lady" one block away that doesn't personally own any cats but put out cat food for the stray cats (I've counted 14 so far and multiplying). They seemed drawn to the mulch in my yard (hate cleaning up their poo). Since I can't kill them myself (within city limits), need help from mother nature. I have the same feeling about the stray cats as MDD has about coyotes.

 

["JJ"]

That is a similar situation with probably a lot more hatred!

If you were in the country and took care of this problem like MDD has and the general public found out you would be burned at the stake by animal rights activist and the rest of the locals.
Some, who normally don't get involved in things like this, just won't be able to understand why you would kill a defensive animal like a domestic cat!
After all, they can't pose a threat to you or your loved ones. They can't harm, damage or kill any of your pets, livestock or other wildlife!

All of the critters have their place. But when we alter their environment, whether it be food or shelter or both, things can get out of control! Cats too will get diseases when they get over populated in an area.

With coyotes I get complaints on some of my photos but, in general people know what kind of damage coyotes are capable of! There are those who are extreme but let a coyote get one of their best friends a things change!

But it is almost always human involvement that has created the imbalance!
AND, it usually takes human involvement to correct it!

I would suggest a call to the city about your feline problem! If they can't help live traps work quietly and are harmless! Just check them regularly!
After a catch, a proper relocation will help solve the issue!

 

[Art Eatman]

Looks like we've done enough of this iteration of Killer Kyotee. Don't need to go into the feral cat problem.