Coyotes!

[mungsurfers]

I am having my first coyote problem. I have been here on my land in S. TN for almost 2 1/2 years and never had a coyote problem. It has gotten soooo cold and the other morning while sitting in the sunny window drinking coffee and reading, I saw 4 large coyotes runing accross the far field to the other forest. My dogs took off after them and ran them into the forest. I have a large flock of chickens 24 or so (don't know now, we know one got taken) and two turkeys. I am really out in the open and the forest is a good jog away. But they have been circling since I first saw them 2 days ago. We saw them once yesterday, but have been running them off all day today. My son has his spotlight out right now and our hand .22 pistol and we are shooting at them in the dark. My chickens are in a 6 ft chain link fence but I am so scared to loose any! I am leaving this Sunday for 5 days for Thanksgiving and am worried about being off my land and them coming around. Two of my dogs will stay here to guard, but one is a herder and one is a Jack Russell.
Can coyotes get under chain link??? Do they dig??? Would a radio in the coop left on at all times help deter them? The coop is heavy duty metal and I am not worried about that, it's the chain link fence.
If anyone knows anything I can put out around out property to help deter, please let me know. I have to do it tomorrow since I am leaving first thing Sunday morning.....
Thanks in advance!
Duranne in TN<><

[sawyerob]

I am having my first coyote problem. I have been here on my land in S. TN for almost 2 1/2 years and never had a coyote problem. It has gotten soooo cold and the other morning while sitting in the sunny window drinking coffee and reading, I saw 4 large coyotes runing accross the far field to the other forest. My dogs took off after them and ran them into the forest. I have a large flock of chickens 24 or so (don't know now, we know one got taken) and two turkeys. I am really out in the open and the forest is a good jog away. But they have been circling since I first saw them 2 days ago. We saw them once yesterday, but have been running them off all day today. My son has his spotlight out right now and our hand .22 pistol and we are shooting at them in the dark. My chickens are in a 6 ft chain link fence but I am so scared to loose any! I am leaving this Sunday for 5 days for Thanksgiving and am worried about being off my land and them coming around. Two of my dogs will stay here to guard, but one is a herder and one is a Jack Russell.
Can coyotes get under chain link??? Do they dig??? Would a radio in the coop left on at all times help deter them? The coop is heavy duty metal and I am not worried about that, it's the chain link fence.
If anyone knows anything I can put out around out property to help deter, please let me know. I have to do it tomorrow since I am leaving first thing Sunday morning.....
Thanks in advance!
Duranne in TN<><

I hate to be the one to tell you this, but coyotes LOVE to eat dogs and cats. They know how to trick a dog into thinking they want to play, then they lead them off into the woods where several other coyotes are hideing, where they then kill and eat the dog.

Yes coyotes will dig, they will do just about anything, and are a huge PITA. I shoot them on site... peroid!

SR

[rassd71]

Yeah, not to be the bearer of bad news, but 6 feet of fence, I've seen coyotes clear with no problem.

Part of the reason I don't have chickens yet is because I haven't had the time to build a proper place for em here. Where they will have chain all the way around. And around the footings broken glass for when the varmints do try to dig into the area!

[flatwater]

Yes coyotes or as the indians call them "the trickster" I would rather hear a pack of wolfs howl then a pack of coyotes scream. I would ditch the 22 and go for a nice varmit rifle. A coyote skin cap and cape look pretty darn stylish in my book.
flatwater

[fnfredux]

We have had a coyote problem over the years. Two years ago "big John" showed up and stayed on, the coyotes move out a little further. I suspect they gota a copuple of my kids from inexperienced does though. This September Millie (her FnF name) showed up. She is HELL on coyotes. If she hears a coyote yip...she's off the deck and down the stairs like a shot. Millie's a Black and Tan, I didn't know they were hot on coyotes but she sure is. She and Big John each go around 100 pounds, so I don't worry about them. They travel together. I sure do like the winter nights without all the yipping and yapping which ALWAYS means trouble.
See if you can't find yourself a couple of good coyote dogs, it may cost for food, but the peace of mind will be worth it.
If you love your little Jack Russel, lock him up, as rassd pointed out coyotes love dog and he's just the right size and temperament to end up a pack-snack.

[CountryKitty]

Ditto what everyone else has already said. When my folks went to camp on Padre Island one year, there was a group of folks leaving in tears. One had owned a big beautiful german shepherd. It saw a single coyote limping near some dunes, started to chase it, it dashed between to tall dunes and when the GS got between the dunes, the rest of the pack jumped off the tops of the dunes where they'd been laying in wait. GS was ripped to pieces.

On the bright side...a woman I bought chickens from in summer claimed that ever since she started leaving a radio on all day in the back yard, the coyotes had stopped coming around. Don't know how well it would work in winter when food was scarce, the coyotes might just decide to check out the coop anyway.

[fnfredux]

Yep, I left out the part of MORE than one dog for sure and WHY.
Try to knock down those coyote numbers QUICK, one way or another, I hjave seen articles where they are building the numbers IN pack, some packs have been spotted with 20 coyotes.
I just read an article that said a female can have as many as 20 pups. It was on the "National Geographic" website.
Coyote numbers are on the rise and they are getting more aggressive due to their ever more intimate contact with man.
Kill as many as you can, there is no danger of extinction.
Your best defenses against coyotes are a COUPLE (at least) BIG dogs and a good rifle.

[fancyfowl]

Damned things are terrible. There are several good sized coyote hunts around here that pay cash awards for the heaviest, last years biggest was 48 pounds. most common weapon used is the 12 gage with the .223 being next and a few .204 rugers. getting hard to chase with dogs cause of all the stupid city types moving out and building. I gave up fox hunting, the cooc hunting. Still good areas for coon but yotes and fox are just hard to hunt now in a lot of areas.

[DM]

As of today, there's one less of them on my homestead!

http://www.fototime.com/B146F5E48FD9CFD/standard.jpg

On the way back to the house, a pheasant came running out and thanked me... ha ha ha

DM

[otterbob]

*As of today, there's one less of them on my homestead!
*DM

UHHHH, I missed something. this Coyote looks more like e a fox to me.

I would like to know what that nice looking firearm is ? looks "sorta like" an ol' Drilling.

Otter Bob

[DM]

UHHHH, I missed something. this Coyote looks more like e a fox to me.

I would like to know what that nice looking firearm is ? looks "sorta like" an ol' Drilling.

Otter Bob


I guess you missed the post before me, that was talking about fox hunting...

It is an old drilling...

DM

[otterbob]

*I guess you missed the post before me, that was talking about fox hunting...

*It is an old drilling...

*DM


Yey missed the word fox above,

What flavor {cal/gage} is that drilling ?
Always wanted one but they were beyond my “Means”

Otter Bob

[fnfredux]

*Damned things are terrible. *There are several good sized coyote hunts around here that pay cash awards for the heaviest, last years biggest was 48 pounds. most common weapon used is the 12 gage with the .223 being next and a few .204 rugers. *getting hard to chase with dogs cause of all the stupid city types moving out and building. I gave up fox hunting, the cooc hunting. Still good areas for coon but yotes and fox are just hard to hunt now in a lot of areas.

Where are YOU? the coyotes all over the country are thick as fleas. Too bad tou're stuck where there aren't too many. Ours are a real pest animal.

[Anon001]

I just keep my Winchester .30/.30 by the door...... loaded (not chambered). I have an OLD Blue Heeler and a fairly young Border Collie that have both always been good about taking care of the chickens and not letting anything get to them. However, I still shoot coyotes on sight!