Coyote Nesting Near Our Property - Concern for Kitties

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around concerns regarding a coyote nesting near a participant's property and the potential threat it poses to their pet cat, Little Tyke. Participants share their experiences and opinions on wildlife interactions, particularly with coyotes, and the implications for domestic animals. The conversation touches on various responses to wildlife management, safety measures, and personal anecdotes related to encounters with coyotes and other wildlife.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern about a coyote nesting nearby and its potential threat to their cat, Little Tyke, noting previous wildlife encounters since the passing of their dogs.
  • Another suggests a more aggressive approach to dealing with the coyote, while some participants advocate for non-lethal methods to manage the situation.
  • Several participants share personal anecdotes about their experiences with coyotes and other wildlife, highlighting varying levels of threat and interaction.
  • There are discussions about the behavior of coyotes, including their wariness around humans and the implications of feeding them.
  • Some participants question the danger coyotes pose to humans, particularly children, while others recount instances of coyotes following people or interacting with small pets.
  • One participant mentions the ecological impact of coyotes, noting their adaptability and range expansion despite being hunted.
  • Humorous exchanges occur regarding the idea of using firearms against coyotes, with some joking about the culinary potential of coyotes.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the best approach to managing the coyote situation. There are competing views on whether to resort to lethal measures or to attempt to scare the coyote away. Additionally, opinions vary on the level of threat coyotes pose to pets and humans.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference personal experiences and local wildlife management practices, which may vary significantly based on geographic location and community norms. The discussion reflects a range of assumptions about wildlife behavior and human interactions with it.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals living in rural or suburban areas with wildlife interactions, pet owners concerned about safety, and those interested in wildlife management practices may find this discussion relevant.

Ivan Seeking
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Crud, it looks we have a coyote nesting in the brush next to our property. I saw it this morning as I was walking down to the office. Bad news for our kitties. :frown: And right now I don't know where Little Tyke is, but she usually is out this time of the morning.

I was afraid of this. Once the dogs all got old and died, the wildlife started moving in. Already we've had deer nesting this spring, so he may be after them.

I have a neighbor who is a cattle rancher who will hopefully take care of the problem. I almost got a chance to get off a shot but he was probably over 100 yrds away. I can't safely shoot that direction with a rifle and he was out of range for the shotgun. As soon as I approached he took off.
 
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You could mine the nest while he's out...
 
Oh No! Please let us know if Little Tyke shows up. :frown:
 
Is Little Tyke old enough to carry a gun? Just in case?
 
Evo said:
Oh No! Please let us know if Little Tyke shows up. :frown:

She is probably fine; otherwise she would have been hanging out of his mouth when he took off.

Borek, I tried to give her a gun but she is one of those bleeding-heart liberals who refuses to use one.
 
Good luck, Ivan. Those guys are pretty wary - that's how come they keep expanding their ranges into well-populated areas. Luckily, red squirrels aren't that bright, so I was able to clean them out of here with a pellet gun. Before I got rid of them, I could tell all my chipmunks apart by their scars - they were getting ripped up pretty badly. A few months after the squirrels were cleared out, the only way I could tell the 'munks apart was by their behavior - this one runs at me, climbs my clothes and searches my pockets for seeds - that one runs to my feet, and waits for me to lower my hands with some seeds in them before she'll climb in and let me pick her up - you get the picture. I just couldn't stand to see them all gashed up over and over again.
 
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Oh well, I'll probably get my *** burned.

You can't fool with Mother nature. If you do you face the consequences.

Sorry.:rolleyes:
 
Tsu just called and said that Little Tyke is asleep on the bed. Whew.

Around here the cattle people keep the predators in check. I called one of the leaders in that group who probably already has someone working on the problem. But this is not good. That was much too close. He or she may be nesting just a few hundred feet away from where I sit.
 
Ivan Seeking said:
Tsu just called and said that Little Tyke is asleep on the bed.

Keep them all indoors if at all possible. I had one friend in Colorado whose cat got taken (he would have stayed and tried to fight the coyote)... and one friend whose cat was attacked but miraculously survived.

This second kitty was so fat that even though there was a large chunk taken out his side, no vital organs where damaged. The vet did emergency surgery, cleaned the wound... and since the cat was excessively chubby, there was enough skin to pull over and seal the wound. He's now "lopsided" --- with one side still chubby and the other side totally removed from the attack. But man... he's one of those "nicest cats in the world" (the kind that jump right on your lap right away, purr and settle in... then won't leave!).
 
  • #10
Thats so scary, let's hope all your pets remain safe.
 
  • #11
Ivan Seeking said:
Crud, it looks we have a coyote nesting in the brush next to our property. I saw it this morning as I was walking down to the office. Bad news for our kitties. :frown: And right now I don't know where Little Tyke is, but she usually is out this time of the morning.

I was afraid of this. Once the dogs all got old and died, the wildlife started moving in. Already we've had deer nesting this spring, so he may be after them.

I have a neighbor who is a cattle rancher who will hopefully take care of the problem. I almost got a chance to get off a shot but he was probably over 100 yrds away. I can't safely shoot that direction with a rifle and he was out of range for the shotgun. As soon as I approached he took off.


While I recognize the problem at hand, I'd hope that you'd try and run him off before resorting to killing him...
 
  • #12
Ivan Seeking said:
Crud, it looks we have a coyote nesting in the brush next to our property. I saw it this morning as I was walking down to the office. Bad news for our kitties. :frown: And right now I don't know where Little Tyke is, but she usually is out this time of the morning.

I was afraid of this. Once the dogs all got old and died, the wildlife started moving in. Already we've had deer nesting this spring, so he may be after them.

I have a neighbor who is a cattle rancher who will hopefully take care of the problem. I almost got a chance to get off a shot but he was probably over 100 yrds away. I can't safely shoot that direction with a rifle and he was out of range for the shotgun. As soon as I approached he took off.
You live next to a cattle rancher? I live in the middle of the megametropolis and we've got coyotes in the city parks...
 
  • #13
binzing said:
While I recognize the problem at hand, I'd hope that you'd try and run him off before resorting to killing him...

I kilz em an then I eatz em. Mmmmmm, nothin like coyote an grits.

This is cattle and sheep country. If my dog chases the neighbor's cow, my neighbor has the right to shoot my dog on sight. Coyotes require immediate intervention. As far as I know, they are always shot.
 
  • #14
Ivan Seeking said:
As far as I know, they are always shot.

Yet, they are least concern (not extinct)

Despite being extensively hunted, the coyote is one of the few medium-to-large-sized animals that has enlarged its range since human encroachment began.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coyotes
 
  • #15
DaveC426913 said:
You live next to a cattle rancher? I live in the middle of the megametropolis and we've got coyotes in the city parks...

In the hills around Los Angeles, they have occasional problems with mountain lions in areas where homes were built recently, and during times of drought. That can be a very serious problem. I once heard a mountain lion scream while I was walking through the woods at night, and it's not something that I'd care to hear again.

Are the coyotes any danger to humans? I guess children could be a target?
 
  • #16
Ivan Seeking said:
Are the coyotes any danger to humans? I guess children could be a target?

I read somewhere that they don't attack humans unless some people go and feed them. According to wikipedia or some other place I read, they don't look dangerous to adults (>10-15).
 
  • #17
Ivan Seeking said:
Are the coyotes any danger to humans? I guess children could be a target?

Occasionally someone walking their http://stamp-search.com/images/ant9405co-small-dogs.jpg" finds themselves holding a leash with no occupant.

Parents with toddlers have been followed.
 
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  • #18
If a coyote attacks a Cairn terrier, my money's on the Scottie.
 
  • #19
At my parents' place, there are coyotes everywhere. I've never had a problem with them. The only times I even pay attention to them are when I'm walking my tiny dog.
 
  • #20
moose said:
At my parents' place, there are coyotes everywhere. I've never had a problem with them. The only times I even pay attention to them are when I'm walking my tiny dog.
You probably don't notice the coyotes what with the gang of ten-year-olds stomping on your glasses and giving you wedgies after seeing you walk your tiny girlie dog.
 
  • #21
Say, are you moose from BAUT?
 
  • #22
DaveC426913 said:
Say, are you moose from BAUT?
Nope. You're referring to bad astronomy and universe today right?

DaveC426913 said:
You probably don't notice the coyotes what with the gang of ten-year-olds stomping on your glasses and giving you wedgies after seeing you walk your tiny girlie dog.

It's not my dog, it's my mom's dog. Tiny girly dogs for the win.
 
  • #23
Ivan Seeking said:
I kilz em an then I eatz em. Mmmmmm, nothin like coyote an grits.

This is cattle and sheep country. If my dog chases the neighbor's cow, my neighbor has the right to shoot my dog on sight. Coyotes require immediate intervention. As far as I know, they are always shot.

We live in the same type of country, albeit not green. I still don't agree with it, and around here in much more conservative San Juan County most people let the coyotes run.
 
  • #24
binzing said:
We live in the same type of country, albeit not green. I still don't agree with it, and around here in much more conservative San Juan County most people let the coyotes run.

You mean that you would sentence who knows how many baby lambs to death just to save a dirty old coyote?

http://www.richardedwardsphotos.co.uk/lambs/IMG_9115_lambs.jpg

Have you no heart? :cry:

And what of my little baby?

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/3384/littletyke4wkssmps2.jpg

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/1759/dsc00080et6.jpg
 
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  • #25
Ivan Seeking said:
You mean that you would sentence who knows how many baby lambs to death just to save a dirty old coyote?

http://www.richardedwardsphotos.co.uk/lambs/IMG_9115_lambs.jpg

Have you no heart? :cry:

And what of my little baby?

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/3384/littletyke4wkssmps2.jpg

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/1759/dsc00080et6.jpg
[/URL]

We lock our cats in at night here. And our pygmy goats along with our mini donkeys aren't particular protected and they're just fine.

Sheep=range maggots, lambs turn into sheep sooner or later.
 
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  • #26
binzing said:
We lock our cats in at night here. And our pygmy goats along with our mini donkeys aren't particular protected and they're just fine.

So your point is that people that have been ranching this area for decades don't know what they're doing? I think it's pretty much common knowledge that predators eat prey.
 
  • #27
What if your cat doesn't come home at night binzing?

Ivan, the pictures of little Tyke are so cute!
 
  • #28
Ivan Seeking said:
So your point is that people that have been ranching this area for decades don't know what they're doing? I think it's pretty much common knowledge that predators eat prey.
The coyotes around here kill and eat deer. I think it's safe to assume that calves and sheep would be easy prey, especially lambs.
 
  • #29
I used to shoot the skunks too but it seems that we can live with them. Course we do find one in the kitchen every now and then. And Tsu did completely freak when one came running out of the bedroom one night.

For the record, I really hate shooting animals. I had lost the heart for hunting by the time I was sixteen. One of the hardest parts of adjusting to farm life was getting used to all of the death.
 
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  • #30
Ivan Seeking said:
I used to shoot the skunks too but it seems that we can live with them. Course we do find one in the kitchen every now and then. And Tsu did competely freak when one came running out of the bedroom one night.

For the record, I really hate shooting animals. I had lost the heart for hunting by the time I was sixteen. One of the hardest parts of adjusting to farm life was getting used to all of the death.
Skunks love to eat grubs, including the larvae of Japanese Beetles and other destructive pests. Never harm a skunk if you like to garden - they work all night long for you. For every little hole they leave in the lawn, there is at least one or more grubs gone. I love skunks.
 

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