Coyotes

[cissy]

I live in the suburbs, but noticed there have been a lot of coyote sightings. My neighbor found three coyotes inside his yard which is surrounded by a 5 foot fence. I worry about letting my dog outside without me. Is there any sort of deterrent for coyotes?

 

[Lazz]

Shotgun works for me, but if you are in an area that prohibits firing weapons within city limits, I would contact animal control.

 

[presley]

No deterrent that I know of other than more fencing. My husband saw a coyote jump the fence once. To get into our yard, they have to jump several fences (neighbors and then ours). We had chickens at the time that he saw the coyote jump the fence to leave our yard.

When driving, I saw one jump over a brick wall that was probably 6 feet tall. The coyote looked like a ballerina - no struggle at all to leap over it.

Some people have made smaller fenced areas to let their dogs out alone. They fence the top, too, so it is more like a cage than a fence.

 

[SmithOp]

They may be coywolves.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/coywolf-meet-the-coywolf/8605/


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[Phydeaux]

Shotgun works for me.

Me too.

 

[Passepartout]

Alright, alright, I give up. Just goes to show that irony and sarcasm don't show well on the typed page. You can't see my tongue firmly in my cheek. Forget it. Never mind. Crawling back under my rock now......

 

[theo]

They may be coywolves.

Not likely, here in New England where the inquiring OP apparently lives, but...

Coyotes have certainly thrived in New England in recent years and reports of coyote incidents are definitely on the rise here. Just yesterday in a small peninsula area of the coastal city Gloucester, MA, called Rocky Neck (a small, rocky peninsula, a former artist colony area with virtually no woodland cover) a coyote attacked and killed a small poodle-like dog on it's leash inside its' own yard, very close to the house. The owners just stepped outside their door and --- too late --- actually saw a coyote just standing right there with the small deceased canine still in its' mouth. Cats are apparently also a favorite menu item of opportunity for coyotes in the 'burbs.

We live in a more rural and considerably less populated, more "downeast" area of coastal New England and we hear packs of coyotes late at night on a regular basis, more noticeable in warmer weather months (when the windows are open). I don't know if all the racket they make is associated with hunting behavior or mating behavior or if it's just a form of pack communication, but their ongoing "group" cries are very loud and really quite eerie --- enough to make one's hair stand on end. Only very rarely do we actually see them however, and then only in daylight, individually, as they scurry quickly from one area of "cover" to another. At night, if we hear them while we're awake and just turn on an outside light or merely open a door or window, there is immediate silence; coyotes are very alert, quite wary and very stealthy.

I'd certainly worry about the unintended consequences of employing poisons within baited meats in the 'burbs (or anywhere, for that matter). Neighborhood dogs and cats (and / or other small mammals) might be just as likely to discover and eat any such "planted" poisoned meat. This would not seem to be the best way to make new friends in the neighborhood --- and it's not a good idea to inadvertently "introduce" poisons to non-targeted species --- the poison will ultimately just get "passed along". Frankly, I'd confine the use of D-Con to unwelcome indoor mice.

A motion-activated spotlight might provide some silent coyote deterrence (at night, anyhow) for a limited area outside the house when Rover gets let out at night to take care of bodily business. However, coyotes are infinitely "adaptable" so I certainly wouldn't bank on the long term success of that approach, but it's at least easy, completely safe, inexpensive and silent --- with no potential for harm to any other critters.

 

[DeniseM]

[You might try folding some D-Con into some hamburger or ground chicken for them. Don't let your dogs out while it's available. Much quieter than a shotgun, and equally effective. Also, no corpse to deal with.]

In many places this is illegal and it can get into the food chain - and your neighbor's dogs and cats.

 

[Ty1on]

You might try folding some D-Con into some hamburger or ground chicken for them. Don't let your dogs out while it's available. Much quieter than a shotgun, and equally effective. Also, no corpse to deal with.

Please tell me you're joking

 

[Phydeaux]

You might try folding some D-Con into some hamburger or ground chicken for them. Don't let your dogs out while it's available. Much quieter than a shotgun, and equally effective. Also, no corpse to deal with.

Bad idea on the D-con.

Suppressors are effective in reducing noise pollution.

 

[Ty1on]

In just about the same way those advocating using a shotgun in a suburban back yard are.

I wouldn't advocate either, but shooting an animal is far more humane than poisoning it and whatever scavengers might happen upon its body.

 

[WinniWoman]

Reminds me of the time my two golden retrievers were outside. We had the invisible fence. A coyote happened by and my female ran right up to him, but on the inside of the "fence" line. The coyote stayed on the outside of the "fence" line. My male stayed way behind the female near our home.

Our female stood perfectly still- staring him down. The coyote didn't know what to make of it- why she was staying put instead of going for him and he, in turn, just stood there frozen as well. My male golden did the barking but not one of them moved.

The coyote eventually took off- just walked away as my dogs followed his moves and kept him in sight staying behind the invisible fence

 

[WinniWoman]

[You might try folding some D-Con into some hamburger or ground chicken for them. Don't let your dogs out while it's available. Much quieter than a shotgun, and equally effective. Also, no corpse to deal with.]

In many places this is illegal and it can get into the food chain - and your neighbor's dogs and cats.

You will end up killing a lot of other wild critters with this idea.

 

[clifffaith]

We live in coastal Southern California. Used to be that coyotes were problematic if you lived in the foothills or more isolated inland areas. Not any more. We moved to our current house six years ago. Three years ago coyote sightings started all over what we call the south bay. We happen to live not too far from some canyon and scrub areas, but my parents who are miles from the same have coyotes trotting down their street in broad daylight. We personally have never seen them, but when we walk neighbors will warn us they have spotted them on the block and my house sitter arrives home to our house around 11PM and she has seen them on the street several times. The community gathered up two huge geese from the park around the corner and relocated them to another, presumably safer, pond somewhere else. All the ducks and the smaller geese are gone from the park -- don't know if they got eaten or decided to relocate themselves. Each city seems to have its own eradication program, and none are working very well. I don't want to see any animal die an agonizing death from poison, a good clean shot would suit me fine. There are so many sightings in our area, and so many pets disappearing, that it is only a matter of time before a toddler gets bit, or worse.

 

[SmithOp]

Not likely, here in New England where the inquiring OP apparently lives, but...

New England is exactly where they are Theo, check out the programs its fascinating.

"The coywolf, a mixture of western coyote and eastern wolf, is a remarkable new hybrid carnivore that is taking over territories once roamed by wolves and slipping unnoticed into our cities. Its appearance is very recent — within the last 90 years — in evolutionary terms, a blip in time. Beginning in Canada but by no means ending there, the story of how it came to be is an extraordinary tale of how quickly adaptation and evolution can occur, especially when humans interfere. Tag along as scientists study this new top predator, tracking it from the wilderness of Ontario’s Algonquin Park, through parking lots, alleys and backyards in Toronto all the way to the streets of New York City."


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[Ty1on]

Interestingly, I watched a coyote cross a 10 lane road in the city and then meander through a hospital parking lot tonight.

 

[theo]

New England is exactly where they are Theo, check out the programs its fascinating.

I watched that excellent PBS Coywolf program a while ago, but somehow thought that the eastern coyote was distinctly different from a Coywolf. However, I could very well be mistaken in that belief --- maybe they are actually one and the same. Whatever those canid packs are that roam about around here, their loud, high pitched and frenzied pack cries in the dark of night are certainly enough to give anyone the willies.

 

[MuranoJo]

We've had them in our neighborhood for years, but this year we have one that's taken over our property as a hunting ground, since we lost our last dog a year ago.

I was always a bit nervous when we had dogs, what with the stories I'd heard of lone coyotes luring dogs to the pack where they're attacked.

 

[pedro47]

I have seen these animals in the woods in the afternoon during early fall, my first thought was that they were wolves. But my neighbor who is a farmer/grocery store owner said they were coyotes and that loved small animals. Funny side story for the past two years we have been invaded by wild turkeys. I wish the coyotes would take them and the moles in my yard out.

 

[shorts]

I have seen these animals in the woods in the afternoon during early fall, my first thought was that they were wolves. But my neighbor who is a farmer/grocery store owner said they were coyotes and that loved small animals. Funny side story for the past two years we have been invaded by wild turkeys. I wish the coyotes would take them and the moles in my yard out.

Talking about wild turkeys, my daughter in Indiana is also having problems with them. She has several hanging around the house but they keep banging their heads into her basement windows! She has tried running them off but they just keep coming back to her windows. She hasn't been able to figure out what is drawing them.

 

[Phydeaux]

Talking about wild turkeys, my daughter in Indiana is also having problems with them. She has several hanging around the house but they keep banging their heads into her basement windows! She has tried running them off but they just keep coming back to her windows. She hasn't been able to figure out what is drawing them.

Perhaps their own reflection. They have incredible eyesight.

 

[Luanne]

We actually kind of like the coyotes. They keep the pack rat, rats, mice and rabbit population down.

 

[bobpark56]

I have seen these animals in the woods in the afternoon during early fall, my first thought was that they were wolves. But my neighbor who is a farmer/grocery store owner said they were coyotes and that loved small animals. Funny side story for the past two years we have been invaded by wild turkeys. I wish the coyotes would take them and a the moles in my yard out.

Have you ever tied to get close to a wild turkey? Kind slows a coyote down. As to moles, not a bad idea. I know that coyotes do eat field mice.

 

[pedro47]

Have you ever tied to get close to a wild turkey? Kind slows a coyote down. As to moles, not a bad idea. I know that coyotes do eat field mice.

The two (2) male wild turkey's loved to attack our USPS mail truck.

 

[PStreet1]

In Arizona, of course, we have them everywhere. We live on a golf course that is heavily infested with coyotes; golfers travel right alongside them. Perhaps an old fashioned BB gun? It certainly wouldn't kill them, but it would cause discomfort. Enough to make them stay away? I don't know.