Coyote!!

[HomerS]

I live in a suburban area and we've never had a coyote in the area.  Deer, fox, raccoons, but never a coyote....until yesterday.

I just adopted a fourth dog over the weekend and he went to the vet yesterday for a badly needed grooming, rabies shot and a manny/petty.  We're not home ten minutes when I had all of them out on the deck along with my family when the wife said there was a dog coming down the yard diagonally behind us.  Wait....those folks don't have a dog.  It came down the yard and right over the fence into my yard.  Oh ****...its not a dog, its a COYOTE!!!  I don't know if it saw my 30 pounder and thought 'lunch' or just made a bad judgement as suddenly it was a one versus four.  It tried to run across the yard but mistimed the jump and slammed into the chain link fence (it left a good dent in the fence).  All four were back on it and it somehow got out of the fur pile and tried again making it over this time.  

My smallest one got a couple good scratched on his head, nose and two on a front paw (no punctures).  One of the Aussie's had a fair amount of blood on her paws (not hers).  Both made an emergency run to the vet and checked out okay.

I work at a sporting goods store and had a chat with one of the lodge guys this afternoon.  While a .177 will work, he recommended a .22.  I will take the citation from discharging a weapon if it means protecting nine year old son and the dogs in their yard.

 

[Harry P.]

Can't really blame the coyote. It's us who are taking away their land as urban sprawl gobbles up former "wilderness."

I live in NW suburban Chicago... pretty densely populated. One day there was a deer walking down the street!

[Ace-Garageguy]

It was about 2011 or '12 that coyotes began becoming fairly common in my area of the NE Atlanta suburbs. A neighbor had told me that smaller dogs and cats had been disappearing and she thought it was coyotes, but I discounted her theory until I was looking out my back French doors one day and saw a scruffy looking one ambling through the yard. Seems like we cross paths every few months. Last time I saw him was during a walk on Thanksgiving day.

The area I'm in is hardly rural, but several species of hawks, owls, rabbits and LOTS of raccoon and possum are common here. There are also rather a lot of feral cats, but they seem to keep the rodent population down. There's one hugely fat possum that still comes up on the front porch late at night, looking for the cat dish and setting off the motion detectors. Fattest possum I've ever seen, obviously not having to work too hard for a living. A nearby small lake has a year-round resident flock of Canada geese, and one solitary blue heron.

It's kinda thrilling to see a small hawk go ripping through the yard, twisting and turning to avoid branches, in hot pursuit of dinner. Much as I love the songbirds the little hawks prey on, it's quite something to watch them hunting, up close. Every now and then, one of them will perch near the house, or outside if I'm working. Man, what beautiful creatures. I've got some kind of hoot-owl who seems to have my property on his rounds too. Love to hear that sound on a cool, crisp night, with the air smelling of wood fires and burning leaves.

Had a family of raccoon living in the attic of the last place, and had a devil of a time getting rid of them. Two of them once came in through the cat-door, and the sound of them rummaging through the kitchen trash bags woke me up. My cat just sat and watched me chase them around the house and finally out, looking like "Don't look at ME, they're not MY friends".

Edited April 16, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

[Harry P.]

Nice post.

[Harry Joy]

Coyotes first turning up in Memphis in the late 80s, in Overton Park. I lived close to the park then, and you could hear them at night. Folks blamed them for lost cats.

Back then, they were considered an urban legend, although they really were here. Now, everyone accepts that they are around. And we have plenty of other wildlife that ventures into and often lives in the city. There has been a report of a big cat that gets treated now like the coyote reports were in the 80s. I have tended all my life to skepticism in all matters, but I have seen pics of this critter, and I cannot think of what else it could be. If there is a big cat, it's in my current part of town.

Funny aside - I told my friends in the 80s that I'd seen a silver pig in central Germantown in the middle of the night, and had no idea what I'd really seen. Their only explanation was that I'd seen an armadillo - which weren't even east of the Mississippi back then. And I got mocked for it. Now armadillos are rare around here, but no one would accuse you of being drunk or insane anymore. Their carcasses turn up all the time.

[Joe Handley]

I don't live too far from Harry in suburban Chicago and I've seen a few Coyotes running around at night around here, also managed to hit a deer, racoon, bird, come close to squirrels, and even skunks, rabbits, and possums.  Most of these critters aren't something that concern me, but the coyotes on the other had, they have been known to attack pets and one pack even attacked a house to try and get at somebody's dog a couple years back. One of the times I saw one, I let a local cop know and he said to just let it be instead of calling animal control.

[slusher]

Jeff, so glad your dogs are ok.  Most of the time a coyote does not like to bee seen. It may have been hungry or going to have pups. I do keep a .22 and a shot gun  just in case but for foxes and it should work if you wanted to. I keep bottle rockets and a heavy bottle around. When they pop over their heads it scares them to death. If you have to shoot it and protecting your animals most townships and cities will not fine you or it's dismissed by a judge. I have to kill a ground hog and skunks at times. Ground hogs dig up the land scaping bushes and eat the roots. Skunks and armadillos do lots of damage to your lawn at night.

[Dave Ambrose]

I'm in southern California, and the local coyotes have been very aggressive; snatching domestic cats, and dogs. Even shooting them with a pellet gun will help. Even if you don't kill them, they will not come back. Putting barbed wire atop your fences will stop them from crossing.

[Xingu]

Here in Maryland, it is said there are coyotes in every county. There is not a lot of open space left (at least in my area), so wildlife encounters rise every year. The bear population has been increasing so there are more and more suburban sightings. Coyotes are very opportunistic, now that you have seen one you know to be more vigilant. So far I have not seen a coyote in my yard, but I have had a fox on my back deck looking in the back door. If you continue to see it, I would see about getting a trapper to come and get.

[LDO]

If you don't want the hassle that comes with discharging a firearm, look into big-bore air rifles. They are becoming more common, with prices falling. I have a Benjamin Marauder in .25 caliber. It operates like a bolt-action with a rotary magazine. It is the pre-charged pneumatic type, with an on board 3000psi air tank. The Marauder is available at a good price and can be tuned for more power. You can also re barrel it to use cast lead bullets for more knockdown power.

 

Of course, a better fence will protect your pets without need for armed overwatch.

[Scott Colmer]

I'm in southern California, and the local coyotes have been very aggressive; snatching domestic cats, and dogs. Even shooting them with a pellet gun will help. Even if you don't kill them, they will not come back. Putting barbed wire atop your fences will stop them from crossing.

I've lost three cats in two different suburbs in SoCal. I don't have cats anymore because of that.

One morning, I saw one jump a 5ft chain link fence in my back yard like it was nothing. It walked down the entire length of my driveway and out the front. A good pellet gun is a good idea, if I had time to run and get it.

I get that we are encroaching, but I still miss my cats.

 

[Crazy Ed]

    I sure understand the Loss that comes with losing a Pet. But for me out here they're just part to being here. Picture taken ~20' from where I am now.

[cobraman]

Nice !

[Rob Hall]

I know they have them in parts of AZ but never seen one here in Central Phoenix...stray cats are the biggest nuisance animals around my neighborhood.

[Ace-Garageguy]

I know they have them in parts of AZ but never seen one here in Central Phoenix...stray cats are the biggest nuisance animals around my neighborhood.

I have some cat recipes if you'd like.   

[Crazy Ed]

I know they have them in parts of AZ but never seen one here in Central Phoenix...stray cats are the biggest nuisance animals around my neighborhood.

  Ok so All the Stray Cats are in Phoenix! I wondered where they went, 'cause there sure ain't any 'round here!

[Rob Hall]

  Ok so All the Stray Cats are in Phoenix! I wondered where they went, 'cause there sure ain't any 'round here!

My previous next door neighbors were taking them in, and getting them fixed and releasing them...they were also cat hoarders I think.  After they moved out, they left 4-5 strays behind.

[Crazy Ed]

Nice !

  Thanks Ray. Since taking that Pic I've never seen it repeated.

[Ace-Garageguy]

http://catrecipes.com/

Braised Cat...   http://catrecipes.com/recipes/braisedcat.html          

Cold Kitten Soup...         

Edited April 17, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

[Harry P.]

...they were also cat hoarders I think.

"Cat hoarders?"

Is that a thing?

[Xingu]

"Cat hoarders?"

Is that a thing?

Like models, but you have to feed them.

[Rob Hall]

"Cat hoarders?"

Is that a thing?

Definitely....like the whole 'crazy cat lady' thing...I routinely hear about people found with dozens of cats in their house...dog hoarders also..

[Ace-Garageguy]

[Ace-Garageguy]

http://www.today.com/popculture/hoarders-horror-woman-has-nearly-100-dead-cats-refrigerator-1C7421024

'Hoarders' horror: Woman has nearly 100 dead cats in refrigerator

[Harry P.]

Yeesh...