Hi from Montana!

[j.w]

Addy that would be horrible and I hope that does not happen to my kitties. One loves the great outdoors and the other is my shadow,wants to be wherever I am most of the time. She goes out for a little bit then wants right back in 5mins later.

CE I don't think that is fair what those hunters do. Why they hunting coyotes? Cuz they kill their farm animals? Don't really want them here but could not shoot one for just walking around trying to survive. Could not shoot a heron either for trying to catch my fish. I found a hunters perch out in the woods once while walking w/ my hubby. I didn't think that was fair either so told hubby we must pee all around that tree and area as much as we could so maybe the deer would catch our scent and run away. Well I think I saw that in a movie once :biggrin:

 

[mtpond]

We use to get coyotes howling right below our place ( like a couple hundered yards) and it would drive our dogs nuts. Thank god they never bother anything. When hubby was growing up they had a Shepard cross and a standard poodle both female. During hunting season they would throw the scrapes to the dogs. The coyotes would come in as a team one would get the dogs to chase it and the other one would grab the food.

 

[callingcolleen1]

The coyotes up here are very very bad and have killed many cats and dogs in this town! They tore my poor Poppy's back legs and butt till the flesh hung and I was so very scared!! It cost me a thousand dollars to get the vet to put Poppy back together again, and thank God I had Bear and Sadie back then or they would have tore my Poppy to bits!! That was about four years ago, and I have no reservations about killing those bad coyotes!!! Have Gun, and I know how to shoot very well, but at the time I was oblivious to the danger that they posed and that was my fault, I should have listened to the people that lost their dogs, but I thought it would not happen to me cause I had three very large dogs, boy was I wrong!!!

Thank goodness some guy I know went there and killed that dangerous pack!! Don't be blind to the danger that they pose, they have even taken dogs in town right off peoples front door and when they pack grows very large they get VERY mean!!!

 

[CountryEscape]

I think they hunt them for the pelts, not positive, though. I know you used to be able to sell all sorts of animal pelts, then that stopped totally about 20 years ago or so, but now I think they get a pittance for the pelts again. I think it's more a hobby to shoot at something, though. What I really hated was them killing the red foxes. When I first moved here 4 years ago, that month of moving car load after car/truck load, I saw a red fox within a mile of my house probably 3 out of 5 days. Now, I have not seen one in 3 years. That first winter, those hunters were stalking the road, chasing the fox into the open, and driving literally into the fields to shoot them! They were using high powered rifles that were likely illegal to hunt with anyhow (only can use certain rifle for deer season, high powered are not allowed), so it ticked me off. And, I don't mind hunters getting a few, but taking them ALL? That's just sickening to me. I didn't bring my laying chickens with me when I moved, because of all the red foxes I saw. They will get into a coop and kill all the chickens, because of the mass hysteria. I didn't want to come out one morning and have them all be dead on my watch, and would have been too much for me to set up a secure pen for them when I needed to move ME first. But, now the foxes are gone. Sad sad sad.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Yes, that is very sad, but the truth is the darn coyotes are also taking over the whole darn country, seen that it on the news, we have trouble with coyotes from Nova Scotia to Vancouver! I used to see lots of foxes here too, but since the coyotes took over about 15 years ago, they killed off most of the little foxes, Iread that in the newspaper a while back. the only way to get rid of coyotes is for Wolfs to move in and then the wolfs will kill off most of the coyotes, or for man to shoot them and keep them in control.

No hunter should ever hunt just to kill, and especially foxes cause they don't cause too much trouble and help the praire rodents under control, but sometimes there is a need to take out problem coyote packs. I heard that the coyotes are out of control at the other end of town now, down by Police Point Park and that the city is going to "take care of the problem" cause too many people are complaining. My friend lives down there and those coyotes chased her and her dog one day and she had to fend them off with a stick while waking in the newly developed land just stolen from the coyotes.......

 

[CountryEscape]

Well, yes, I have heard stories of coyotes fighting dogs on chains, killing them, for their food. They run in packs, and can be extremely destructive in farm animal baby populations. Most farmers around here are aware of the possible problem and have their animals (cows, pigs,sheep, goats) inside when they have babies. Some have gone to Great Pyrenese dogs or llamas or donkeys. All of these will patrol the perimeters for predators and chase them off. I know my mule, Clyde, would chase off a coyote that got into HIS pasture. Originally he chased my dogs each and every time they went into the pasture, but now he has come to realize they belong here, and he allows them to be in the pasture with him now. Not sure that he wouldn't chase off a strange dog that ended up in his pasture, though.
The problems with foxes is that they will come close to a farmstead, and if you have cats or chickens, anything small, they will kill them if they get the chance. But, I didn't bring my chickens so that I could enjoy seeing the fox instead, and not have to chase them off. But, once the hunters noticed them in the fields in winter, scavenging for food, they eradicated them, and I'm really sad about that. No, I don't want a bunch of coyotes out there either, but to take them all out is awful. They are needed to keep dead animals cleaned up and not to rot away. This time of year, the coyotes eat very well, since deer season means lots of gut piles laying there for their picking. If they are smart and fill up at night, they are safe. If they come during the day, however, the hunter is often waiting for another kill. I don't want wolves released in this area, but they have been in southern IL to help with the deer population. And, if there is an abundance of predators, then give the hunters some incentive to help keep them under control. Coyotes have open season, as my son said, "From January 1 through December 31". LOL, he says that's how it's listed now, instead of "open season". They usually only get shot in the winter, as that is when their coat is best for selling as a pelt.

 

[Big Lou]

Below is a very good article about coyotes migration from eNature.com.


...............
Coyotes— They’re Turning Up Everywhere!
Posted on Friday, November 01, 2013 by eNature

Coyote
© Rebecca Richardson
Red Fox
© USFWS
People curse them, trap them, even shoot them, but Coyotes continue to thrive.

In fact, their range has expanded greatly in the last fifty years. Whereas people once encountered Coyotes only in Canada and the American West, now these carnivores can be found across the East Coast of the United States as well, from Maine down to South Carolina. They’ve even been spotted in the heart of New York City and Washington DC.

But who are these new arrivals? And is their presence reason for concern?

Experts believe that the spread of Coyotes across the continent has been southward, from Canada, rather than eastward, from the West, with the largest numbers moving into new territories within the last several decades. Three factors have drawn Coyotes to these regions: an absence of natural predators, abundant habitat and prey, and wildlife regulations generally favorable to the animal’s survival.

It also helps that Coyotes are extremely adaptable. They prefer to live in open plains and prairies, but since such land is scarce in the East, they’ve settled into brushy areas instead, as well as fields, marshes, and at the edges of deciduous woodlands. The home territory of a single Coyote can measure up to five miles in diameter, and though Coyotes sometimes travel with their mates or with an extended family group, most often they’re seen alone.

At first glance, a Coyote looks a lot like a Red Fox. Their size and coloration are about the same. The most obvious difference between these two animals lies in their tails. The tip of a Coyote’s tail is dark, while a Red Fox has a white-tipped tail. Also, a Coyote runs with its tail down, and a fox runs with its tail pointing straight out behind it. Another distinction is in their calls: both yip, but the Coyote quite often emits a series of barks and howls prior to its yipping calls.

As noted, Coyotes eat meat. Rabbits, hares, and White-tailed Deer carrion make up the bulk of an Eastern Coyote’s diet, but there are many other items on its menu, including the occasional family pet and one or a few watermelons from a garden patch. Coyotes are not shy around houses, and their curiosity and predatory instincts occasionally lead to trouble with humans.

For the record, Coyotes very rarely bite people, and when they do it’s usually because they’ve been induced into feeding from the hand. Yes, they raid garbage cans and gardens and have been known to kill cats and small dogs, but overall they’re not a negative addition to the landscape. The best strategy for dealing with them is to fence off sensitive areas and keep pets inside at night, when Coyotes are most active.

Have you encountered a coyote in a place where you didn’t expect to see one?

Share your stories below— we’d love to hear them!

- See more at: http://wild.enature.com/blog/coyote...5bf0-74ef9e57bb-58165111#sthash.XxFbHlFl.dpuf

 

[CountryEscape]

I find that funny that they compare the coyote to a red fox. In my area, there is no comparison. Coyotes are light tan, typically, sometimes darker in the summer, but nothing like the color of a red fox. I liked the tail down/tail straight out while running difference, that one I will agree with. But sizewise, there is also no comparison. I'd say a red fox is maybe 2/3 the size of a coyote. Maybe coyotes are smaller in some areas, but around here they are the size of a big dog. A wolf is larger yet, but there are none of them around here, at least that I have ever seen. My dog, Yukon, a puppy in this photo, looks very much like a coyote, although they typically do not have the white patches on their body. So, last winter I stopped and talked to the hunters, to make certain they looked closely before killing my dog!

The farmers leave the corn stalks up about 12-18", so a coyote could easily crouch down and hide in between the rows from most danger, but since the farmers also typically farm from the road away, that means they can drive and sight down the row, and spot the coyote and easily figure out where it is with binoculars. As I said, I'm not against hunting, but when it's done IMO unsportsmanlike, I think it's wrong. The prey should have as much of a chance to get away as the predator has to kill it. (Like when I toss a grasshopper in to the fish/frogs. I don't pull any legs or do anything to hinder it getting away. If it makes it to the side, it WON.)

 

[mtpond]

Coyotes can be bad for ranchers with smaller livestock. But the worst of the worst is the wolf! I can never remember having wolves around here when I was growing up. There was a bounty on them and there might of been some around that survived but not likely cause they seem to multiply Then some genius decided they needed to reintroduce
them. Now that they have been introduced they are multiplying like crazy and causing a lot of havoc. In my opion wolves just kill to kill they don't need to be hungry!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Yes, I have many negitive feelings towards the coyotes as many people here have had their beloved pets go missing. I know they have a purpose to keep the deer populations healthy and bla bla bla, but I still resent them and think we need to keep their numbers in control as well....

 

[CountryEscape]

I don't think of coyotes or wolves killing just for the sport of it, but maybe they do. After all, there are dogs that will kill just to kill (like the ones that kill cats, or any other small animal, they do it for the chase and the kill), so I guess wild animals do it as well. I know if a fox gets into a chicken coop, will become a killing machine, as the frenzy of the chickens feeds it's desire to kill. They tend to kill everything in sight, and then leave with their belly full, and many dead animals. My neighbor boy told me he's trapping raccoons. That made me sad, thinking of my Jethro and Ellie Mae that I raised and released years ago, at my other house. But, I guess that's a boy's sport. There sure are a lot of them around, too. There needs to be a bounty on opossums and skunks, too! LOL

 

[MitchM]

I don't think wild animals kill for fun, but as a result of the excitement of the chase. It's instinct.
That's why you should not run when you encounter a wild animal (or some domestics for that matter....)

 

[CountryEscape]

So true, Mitch. They say wild cats (lions, leopards, etc.) often cannot kill an animal that lays there and does not struggle. It's against their teachings. I know that most dogs that are vicious, are that way because they scare you enough to run. I, for one, will never turn around on a dog I do not trust! Got bit in the butt once, and that was once too many times. Stupid people said, "Oh, she has never done that before." Yeah, right. Then you have kept her locked up always before when company came. And, they had a litter of pups from her. Yikes! I didn't trust her, and when I turned around, she bit me before I had a chance to turn to make sure she was staying away! Wild animals want you to run, that's their adrenalin rush, to chase.

 

[MitchM]

Exactly, CE.
My wife did the right thing today when she encountered that cougar. She calmly turned around and came back home. Our dog kept looking back every now and then to see if they were being followed, but the cougar just kept going the other way.

 

[mtpond]

Today the wild turkeys showed up at 1:00. I work so I don't see them much since they come in the afternoon. Last time I saw them was about 3 weeks ago. When they showed up this summer there were eighteen of them, three weeks ago there were thirteen and today there were ten. After they got done scraching around on the ground below the bird feeder they went on the side of the house. I was watching through the window and one of the hens took off in flight and flew down the hill. Then all at once the remaining nine took off in flight following the first turkey. I wish I would of know they were going to do that cause it looked neat and I would of loved to get a video of that.