Anyone have any experience with coyotes?

[gatorsmom]

We watched one hunting mice in our yard this evening. He was big. Well, big in my opinion, I'd never seen one before but he was doing the characteristic pouncing on the mice and he had all the markings. (I googled coyotes).

Our neighbor says we should shoot them because they carry diseases. We can't because we don't own a gun. And i really dont want to if he's harmelss. He offered to shoot any for us that come on our land. The Wisconsin DNR site says they rarely attack humans but it can happen. They will go after mice, squirrels, cats, small dogs and large dogs if they are in pairs. That site also says that only rarely carry diseases.

But that coyote was big. He was at least the size of a big Labrador dog. I don't want to worry about them being around here but this one was big and my twins are still so small. We watched him catch and eat 2 mice. I LOVE that! But I don't want to worry about my kids playing outside.

I also noticed in the last 2 weeks that the deer that came into our yard to feed every night have not been around. Maybe it's related to the coyote in the area? I just don't know.

We live in the city but there is forest behind our house that connects to the forest that is outside the city and is undeveloped for miles.
Anyone have any experience with coyotes?

[JBaxter]

My mom does in PA they kill small dogs, poultry of all kinds, barn cats/ kittens. They shoot any they see.

[scrooks]

My DH always says he would shoot one if he saw one. We apparently have them in our area but we have so far never seen one. I am always afraid to let our small dog out at night, in fact now we always take her to our front yard versus back and stay with her. I really think they are a bigger danger to pets versus people. They are supposed to be spooked by people.

[lhafer]

Most people in wooded areas shoot them. I might think about getting a big dog like a Great Pyrenees.

[niccig]

We live in a populated canyon, but because we're in the hills, we get coyotes. Normally, they've scared off easily. For several months we had one we think was kicked out of the pack. It would be seen in middle of day and wasn't scared of people. I pulled into my driveway one day and he was in middle of it and wouldn't move, even when I beeped the horn. You would see it in people's front yards.

DS was about 4yo and I wouldn't let him out the front w/o me and we talked about what to do if saw it. Make yourself look big (put hands up and yell), not sure if that would work as this particular coyote was not scared at all of people.

We can't shoot them here. Don't know if that's a good idea or not. Not sure if they get territorial or not?

This is why I won't let us get a cat. Too many neighbours have lost their cats to coyotes.

[pb&j]

We've heard and seen them in the area on rare occasion, but they're not really a nuisance. Where I am, they're scared off by people and dogs so it has been a non-issue. Same thing with bears and foxes - we see them, but it's a non-issue.

It might be helpful to contact animal control in your area to find out if they are aggressive/accustomed to humans and/or disease vectors.

[JBaxter]

Most people in wooded areas shoot them. I might think about getting a big dog like a Great Pyrenees.

My mom keeps 3 they live in the barn and guard the goats. They still shoot the coyotes

[OKKiddo]

We had them in the Mojave Desert and they would frequently jump the 5ft fences and eat family pets. At that time we had several Basset Puppies and were worried for their safety. Someone at work told my husband to pee in our yard and around the fence line. I know, weird and gross but it totally worked.

[crl]

We lived on the Presidio in San Francisco, which is a National Park. We had coyotes. I saw one ten feet from our back door and another standing about two feet from the street just about on the sidewalk. I saw others from farther away. They are referred to as urban coyotes. We were not permitted to shoot them, of course. If they came close, we were told to throw rocks at them to scare them. The park police were authorized to shoot them only if they actually tried to hurt someone or a dog or cat. Park staff monitored them and if there were numerous incidents of a coyote acting like it had lost fear of people, they would relocate it.

Catherine

[Snow mom]

They're certainly a danger to small house pets but really not a danger to you or your kids. I would consider wildlife a part of living in a more "wild" area. I find the killing of wildlife just because the wildlife is there (when really humans are encroaching on the remaining habitat) pretty ignorant. If the animals are truly causing harm then it would be something to consider but honestly it should be a last resort. The marking your territory isn't a bad suggestion--one of my exBF did that and it did help. Don't you have a pack of little boys who would love the chore of peeing around your property ;)

[lovin2shop]

Just saw one in our front yard yesterday! So creepy! We called animal control, but they won't come out unless it is contained, and they don't recommend trying to contain them.

[Kestrel]

We have an air horn in the car and in the house. They make huge amounts of noise, without harming anyone - animal or person. Seams to work great, and has been a great solution for us. We wouldn't want to have a gun, even a pellet gun (like my parents do) with small children.

[urquie]

Teach gator to use a slingshot... :-D

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dsporting&field-keywords=Sling+shot

I use one on wildlife that I don't want in our yard.

[essnce629]

We live in LA and they're in our neighborhood almost daily! I've never seen one on my street, but my next door neighbors have and there's been about 4 cats killed by them in our neighborhood over the last few months. There was one killed on our next door neighbors' lawn this week and I heard them outside making a bunch of noise just 2 days ago. We get Neighborhood Watch emails and we got one saying that they are usually out roaming our neighborhood around 6 or 6:30am and for those who are out walking their dogs to be careful.

I grew up in a really small rural town and there were tons of coyotes always around. We'd hear them almost every night. We had 13 chickens, and one night their door to their coop was closed so they couldn't get back in to sleep and all but 5 of them (including my favorite one) were killed by the coyotes.

I would never do harm to them though. They are wild animals and we've built our homes in their habitat. They aren't really a danger to people and the ones that were always around when I was growing up were definitely scared of people. I just wouldn't allow any small pets out to roam around at night.

[ckso]

We have a big problem with coyotes and they're not afraid of people. They've been seen at all times roaming around and in people's yards. There's even reports of them attacking animals while being walked by their owners and 1 neighbor reports that a bold coyote actually went up to her front window trying to get her cat (I get neighborhood emails).

I have 2 young kids and no way feel safe to let them play by themselves outside. About 8-10 years ago, a coyote did attack a child so the city came out and killed a bunch of them. Now they're just attacking animals but they're so bold now, it's better safe than sorry

We're also not allowed to hurt them in any way.

[scriptkitten]

I just saw a coyote in our yard two days ago! Crazy!

Previously I'd only seen one near our new house when I was out walking deep in the wildlife preserve out back near dusk

Shooting it never occurred to me. They belong here more than I do. I just don't let my cats roam

[buttercup]

There was an article in the Economist a couple of weeks ago about how coyotes are so prevalent now in urban areas (Chicago was mentioned). I did not come away from it feeling threatened though.

[Meatball Mommie]

We have them frequently in our area. I've never seen more than one at a time although I know they live in packs. We hear them in the summer time howling :) I've heard reports of missing cats or small dogs, but no one I know has been affected (so just rumors of that happening, kwim?). We live in an area where coyotes live - it's never occurred to me to shoot them even though we do own a gun. I've never felt threatened by them.

My SIL runs and before she had a dog (a doberman) she ran with an air horn and pepper spray just in case. I think she saw coyotes, but never needed to use either the horn or spray.

[egoldber]

We're pretty sure we have one hanging around the yard of our new house. DH and I are in some disagreement about whether it is a coyote or a fox. I am beginning to think he is right and it is a coyote.

We are NOT in a rural area, but our yard is an acre with many trees and brush and it's been essentially unoccupied for several years.

[trales]

We have quite a few in our area. In fact they were in the yard every night the dog was in heat. They have never bothered us, they keep the skunk, raccoon, squirrel, chipmunk and mic populations down. Our neighbor shot them a few years ago and then we had a huge population explosion of skunks and raccoons and possums etc. With the coyotes things are kept at a natural balance.

I would not shoot them unless they were attacking you, which would be rare. There are a lot of urban myths to scare people, it is the same things with wolves and the big cats. If you leave your garbage out, they will come. If you are responsible you can live with nature and nature will ignore you.

[Roleysmom]

There was an article in the Economist a couple of weeks ago about how coyotes are so prevalent now in urban areas (Chicago was mentioned). I did not come away from it feeling threatened though.

Yes! Saw one last weekend mid-afternoon hanging out on the edge of Lake Shore Drive near the prairie area at 47th Street. He was just looking at the cars zooming past. I've also seen a pair walking across North Avenue at dusk to get to the abandoned lot where the Y once was. It catches me by surprise. I always think at first that it's a strange-looking and skinny husky! This is a story from 2010 but interesting: http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2010/12/08/131876027/60-wild-coyotes-patrol-chicago-and-occasionally-stop-at-convenience-stores

Gatorsmom, I would definitely be surprised and a little freaked out but would just let him do his job of eating varmints. I'd rather have a coyote than mice!

[gatorsmom]

I'm the last person who wants to harm innocent wildlife. Which is why I'm posting on here. To find out what others experiences are with coyotes. Ill do everythhing in my power not to tempt them closer to our home (including peeing around our yard-great idea!) but if I see that they are becoming to comfortable around my children, well, the coyote will lose.

[QUOTE=urquie;3756056]Teach gator to use a slingshot... :-D

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dsporting&field-keywords=Sling+shot

I use one on wildlife that I don't want in our yard..

This is an excellent idea! And all of our boys will be so excited to do this!




Gatorsmom, I would definitely be surprised and a little freaked out but would just let him do his job of eating varmints. I'd rather have a coyote than mice!

DH thought it was a fox but fox are more the size of a large cat. This was the size of a big dog. He ws really neat to watch and I was THRILLED that he was eating our mice! When our neighbor told us to shoot it, I wondered if we really had a reason to worry about them. I can see now that we probably don't.

Thx everyone!

[dogmom]

My general rule of thumb is if wildlife is behaving like wildlife I don't mind them around. (Hunting like they should, don't want to be near humans) I get concerned when they are bold about digging through garbage right next to the house or not leaving when humans come by. Then they aren't really wildlife anymore.

Having said that, I also have a bias towards predators. Growing up in Western PA we were overrun with deer because the lack of predators and hunting dropped off. From a disease stand point rodents and deer bother me much more than coyotes and other predators. I got a snake living under my front step that is almost 3 feet long that I have an uneasy truce with because I see the rodent lump in him on a regular basis in the summer. Likewise I cheer ever time a the hawk pair picks off a chipmunk. The only thing I would worry about with predators is rabies, and you have to get bit with that.

[gatorsmom]

Having said that, I also have a bias towards predators. Growing up in Western PA we were overrun with deer because the lack of predators and hunting dropped off. From a disease stand point rodents and deer bother me much more than coyotes and other predators. I got a snake living under my front step that is almost 3 feet long that I have an uneasy truce with because I see the rodent lump in him on a regular basis in the summer. Likewise I cheer ever time a the hawk pair picks off a chipmunk. The only thing I would worry about with predators is rabies, and you have to get bit with that.

I am all about predators feeding on rodents! I actually am more scared of mice and not snakes. I have never been afraid or disgusted by snakes-as long as it's the garden variety type. If anything could be a threat to my kids, though, the friendly feelings end.

[mommylamb]

I grew up in Connecticut and we had them in the yard frequently. I think it's likely that they were responsible for the early demise of some of our outdoor cats, but they never did anything that was threatening to any of the people. Some of them were really big and really looked like wolves. Supposedly some Eastern coyotes are actually coyote-wolf hybrids, and they really are a little intimidating to look at. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/11/111107-hybrids-coyotes-wolf-virginia-dna-animals-science/. You would never confuse one with a fox, that's for sure.

I've only seen one coyote since moving to Virginia.

[StantonHyde]

We have at least one pack in the hills above us. Growing up in Idaho, we saw them every day. So I have spent over 20 years living with coyotes. I run by them, rode my horse by them, walked large dogs past them, went into the barn where they were eating mice, etc etc. NEVER EVER had a problem with my personal safety. Not one.

Common sense prevails.
1. Don't leave garbage cans out. (ours stay in the garage)
2. Don't leave small pets out at night or have outdoor cats. (my mom got tired of providing the coyotes with "barn cat dinners" so our cats stayed inside at night and most of the day)
3. If you see one, just yell at it. It will go away. I have done that when I would see them while walking my dog. They left. Never had a problem with a medium to large sized dog (60-80 lbs).
4. Don't walk your small at dawn or dusk. Those are prime hunting times. Again, they will run away from humans. But they will try to pick off a small pet.
5. Don't leave pet food outside.

And--shooting coyotes does not work. They simply breed back up to capacity. So all these people who shoot them are actually increasing the coyote population. Seriously, get a decent chicken coop and close up the garbage. People can be such idiots about wildlife!! (not aimed at you Lisa)

So get those boys peeing!!! And be happy that they are clearing out the mice!! (that would be the best part for me. I hate mice.)

[egoldber]

Oh I dunno. DH spent well over an hour on Google and it really isn't that easy to tell a coyote from a gray fox, which is bigger then the red fox and has more of the coyote coloring. This was definitely the size of a medium dog vs. a cat.

[Tenasparkl]

I've seen many here in the LA area. We used to go for hikes in the canyons in the morning and ran into them frequently. We also used to see them occasionally when we were out late in certain parts of the hills/Hollywood. One night as we were walking to the car with some leftover pizza my husband got spooked by one. He looked right after it then started to run. I had no choice but to run to as by then the coyote was chasing him. It was funny after the fact, but so stupid!

[alexsmommy]

Yes! Saw one last weekend mid-afternoon hanging out on the edge of Lake Shore Drive near the prairie area at 47th Street. He was just looking at the cars zooming past. I've also seen a pair walking across North Avenue at dusk to get to the abandoned lot where the Y once was. It catches me by surprise. I always think at first that it's a strange-looking and skinny husky! This is a story from 2010 but interesting: http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2010/12/08/131876027/60-wild-coyotes-patrol-chicago-and-occasionally-stop-at-convenience-stores




This freaks me out. I do long bike rides in the forest preserves around me in the summer and I have seen plenty of deer and foxes as I leave at the break of dawn. They are so acclimated to humans that with one deer it caused a log jam of bikers because it was standing in the middle of the path. We were all looking around for a fawn nearby that was causing the deer to refuse to move, but never saw one (doesn't mean it wasn't there). I am nervous about coming up on a coyote unexpectedly.

[pb&j]

Oh I dunno. DH spent well over an hour on Google and it really isn't that easy to tell a coyote from a gray fox, which is bigger then the red fox and has more of the coyote coloring. This was definitely the size of a medium dog vs. a cat.

Foxes look "foxier" for lack of a better word. Kind of smaller faces, not as leggy. Coyotes look more "snouty." I have seem some pretty large red and gray foxes near me, and I imagine that it would be quite tough to tell a coyote from a fox if you didn't have a few minutes to just stare it down.

[bisous]

I've been around them a little bit. They don't make me very nervous. The ones I've seen have been quite frightened by humans--especially grownup humans. I'd watch your yard and get to know your coyotes. If they run when they see you, you're probably fine.

[ecofem]

We live on acreage outside of the city. Our deer herd comes and goes ...sometimes we see them everyday, other days not at all. We see coyotes once in a great while. They are skittish and do not bother us. As long as they stay away from us, we will let them go on their way.

[sophiesmom03]

I would not get a gun just to shoot them, if you would not otherwise want a gun. Likewise I would not be comfortable with the neighbor's offer as I would be concerned about potential accidents with shooting close to your home (this is assuming your neighbor is not, say, a trained law enforcement officer whose shooting and judgement are beyond question or reproach). JMO.

[StantonHyde]

This freaks me out. I do long bike rides in the forest preserves around me in the summer and I have seen plenty of deer and foxes as I leave at the break of dawn. They are so acclimated to humans that with one deer it caused a log jam of bikers because it was standing in the middle of the path. We were all looking around for a fawn nearby that was causing the deer to refuse to move, but never saw one (doesn't mean it wasn't there). I am nervous about coming up on a coyote unexpectedly.

It will just run away or look at you. Deer are more of a problem than coyotes. Deer actually kill more people than any other animal. (due to car accidents)

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

I would never do harm to them though. They are wild animals and we've built our homes in their habitat. They aren't really a danger to people and the ones that were always around when I was growing up were definitely scared of people. I just wouldn't allow any small pets out to roam around at night.

:yeahthat:

We have them, they are generally scared of humans, I don't worry abut them.

[mommylamb]

Oh I dunno. DH spent well over an hour on Google and it really isn't that easy to tell a coyote from a gray fox, which is bigger then the red fox and has more of the coyote coloring. This was definitely the size of a medium dog vs. a cat.

The ones we had up in Connecticut were much bigger than any fox of any sort. Really, they looked like wolves. They were easily the size of a German Shepard.

[hellokitty]

We occasionally get them, so I don't like to let my dog out alone, he's about 12 lbs, so very small. They do a good job keeping the over-population of rabbits under control. However, I have a feeling someone shot the neighborhood coyote, b/c our rabbit population is rising again. I don't think I'd ever shoot one unless it actually posed an actual threat to us, they seem to be easily scared off. Whenever there is a sighting, we usually get a notice in our mailbox to warn us and to encourage ppl not to kill the coyote on sight.

[arivecchi]

I saw one in the woods in my lot a couple of days ago. I was warned not to let small pets roam around by my neighbors when I moved in last summer. We have a big dog though, so I am not too concerned. The coyote ran as soon as it saw me.

[egoldber]

The one in our yard is easily the size of a small German Shepherd. But it has a very fox-y head and also a reddish cast to its coat. So it is really hard to tell!

[smilequeen]

We have them. I am just very cautious about my dogs at night (we have 2 pugs). We also have a fence and they've just never been a problem other than the sound sort of creeps me out. We live behind a state park, so you aren't really allowed to shoot anything near the park so no one around here does. I sure as heck wouldn't be able to shoot something and I'm sure as heck never going to buy a gun. I'd call animal control and figure something out if there was a problem.

[doberbrat]

I live in one of the Boston 'burbs and we have them. A woman I know several years ago had her small dog snatched while on a walk off leash.

I wouldnt worry too much. Usually, they're not out during the day and kids are noisy enough during normal play to scare them off. They can get rabies so if you're worried, you could ask your animal control person about it but even that is rare enough to make the news around here.

But if I saw one during the day, I would be very concerned. Generally, if animals are doing what their species is supposed to do when they're supposed to do it, I dont worry.

I cant imagine shooting it on sight. What would you DO with it afterwards???

[StantonHyde]

The one in our yard is easily the size of a small German Shepherd. But it has a very fox-y head and also a reddish cast to its coat. So it is really hard to tell!

Coyotes have a variety of coloration. Size is really the determining factor. I have seen foxes that can be tall and lanky but definitely not as big as Shepherd. So you probably have a coyote. (could also be one that is not fully grown)

[elliput]

The one in our yard is easily the size of a small German Shepherd. But it has a very fox-y head and also a reddish cast to its coat. So it is really hard to tell!

It's a coyote. :)

Coyote
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTqioXNCtrx22e6iv_7aeRLqUb3mzJrN CSHIErukhyNb1HVruptBw

Grey Fox
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQp5J-4ftUNVxBJVB_OBp12p0YwPWR7PTZA3p-iPsw-g45dwbrwEQ

Red Rox
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRaZ2-w9LGGVBq0f5nINklWYi8AFUFd1C1U5YZaIHQas6gXmk8rIA

[dogmom]

Oh I dunno. DH spent well over an hour on Google and it really isn't that easy to tell a coyote from a gray fox, which is bigger then the red fox and has more of the coyote coloring. This was definitely the size of a medium dog vs. a cat.

All of the coyotes I have seen have seen in NE have had their winter coat on look slightly smaller than wolves, there really are quite obvious up here. Although I have seen pictures of coyotes in other areas and not so clear. On a funny note our little local paper has police log and one day someone called in and said there was a sick animal in their yard, but they couldn't tell if it was a deer or a fox! I don't think I would trust anyone to assess the health of an animal if they can't tell the difference between a fox and a deer.

http://thoreaufarm.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/bigstock-Coyote-Family-Portrait-182056.jpg

[egoldber]

Elliput, honestly, it looks more like the gray fox photo, it definitely has that coloration and head shape, but it has the size of a coyote. Hence our confusion. :)

But if size alone is the determining factor, then it was definitely a coyote.

ETA: And it looks nothing like what dogmom posted.

[pb&j]

Elliput, honestly, it looks more like the gray fox photo, it definitely has that coloration and head shape, but it has the size of a coyote. Hence our confusion. :)

But if size alone is the determining factor, then it was definitely a coyote.

ETA: And it looks nothing like what dogmom posted.

I'm in VA (not your specific area, though) and I will say our foxes are pretty large. I think they live pretty good lives here, especially with the recent renaissance of urban chicken keeping. ;) Around me, foxes are far more common, so I'd guess fox.

[dogmom]

Elliput, honestly, it looks more like the gray fox photo, it definitely has that coloration and head shape, but it has the size of a coyote. Hence our confusion. :)

But if size alone is the determining factor, then it was definitely a coyote.

ETA: And it looks nothing like what dogmom posted.

There has been in a lot of discussion up in New England about Coyote/Wolf interbreeding. It has been established it occurs, but we don't know how often. I'm not sure how much that affects our coyotes.

[EllasMum]

We have a lot of coyotes around here, and they do periodically carry off or attack small to medium sized dogs. There was a particularly bold one that attacked a 2 year old child, recently. The child's mother was able to scare it off but she said it was bold, and initially held its ground. Scary. Having said that, the advice in the news reports here is that if you see a coyote you should make a lot of noise as they are usually fairly skittish. Also, never run away. Back away slowly while making noise.

[khalloc]

we has coyotes at our last house. We lived next to a wide open field and our land alone was 30 acres and some was swampy. We saw them mostly in the field next to our house. our dogs would bark at them. we had 2 dogs. A large black lab, and a 3-legged German shepherd mix.. They didn't bother the dogs. The lab would hide from the, and run away. The shepherd was more ballsy and would stand her ground and bark at them. Bt they never caught or anything. We never shot them.

[scriptkitten]

this is the coyote we saw in our yard last week
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8377/8582644084_7a57af83ee.jpg

[Snow mom]

this is the coyote we saw in our yard last week
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8377/8582644084_7a57af83ee.jpg

Looks like he's missing part of his tail.