Urban Coyotes

[Kevin]

Since it’s so hot, the only time I can take Jelly and Rainy for a walk is 6:30 am.

So we are up and out the door either 6:30 or 6:45. They like it.

But the last two mornings I’ve seen a coyote directly in my front yard. The first day was when we left. We crossed the street and Jelly kept looking back. Finally I saw it. Tall and brown. He crossed my yard into the neighbors and around that house into the alley.

The second day we came home, at 7:30 and the coyote came from my yard into the other neighbor and back into the alley.

Both sides of my house has a fence that connects with the neighbors fence. So the coyote could not go through my backyard.

So Dallas has a special number to call for coyote sightings. And they actually called me back.

The woman told me tons of interesting information about coyotes.

She knows the two families of coyotes that have territories in my neighborhood.

one of her jobs is to “educate” the coyotes that it is not ok to be seen by people.

She hazes them with a plastic bottle with some rocks in it. They do not like that sound when thrown at them.

I’m very urban, so shooting guns here is not an option at all.

Anyway, it was all interesting to learn about coyotes. I didn’t ask but I’m curious now if the city gives them rabies vaccines. This woman with animal control knew the adults and the coyote pups.

 

[themousethatroared]

I have discovered my property is on a wildlife migration path, between parks, schools, golf courses, cemeteries, railroad tracks, and wooded areas behind industrial buildings. I thought we were just on the kids cut-through path between schools because we were the only remaining lot not fenced. My father claimed he saw deer in the backyard 10 years ago and nobody believed him. Somebody claimed they had damage from deer eating their plants, and I had some limbs missing from pepper plants what were 4 foot off the ground, but had doubts. I saw 2 deer in the corner of the yard that took off around and behind, and no more doubts. The neighbor at the end of the street saw deer and then coyotes at the school next to his property, talked to animal control, and their response was "Oh, yeah, we know there are coyote's in your area, try not to get bit, have a nice day, (click, dial tone)."

The witch who moved in next door, threw a fence across our property, and pointed surveillance cameras at our bedroom windows. The cameras are all pointed outward, and she has her property enclosed. She has commented to other neighbors that she "saw coyotes in 'her yard' on her surveillance cameras". As I said, her cameras are pointed at my yard and do not show any of her own yard, and no animal would crawl over her fence to walk around her completely enclosed yard that it would have to crawl over another section of her fence to get out of. So she's seen coyotes in my yard.

There was a commotion outside in the spring, and by the time I got to the window, there was a big shadow cast by the light coming out of the basement window below me, but I couldn't see anything when I looked down. I'm going with 18 inches tall maybe three feet from the wall and window.

 

[Kevin]

This woman who called me back about the coyote talked to me for probably 20 minutes.

I was worried that a coyote would start a fight with my dogs when we are walking. But she said that is extremely rare.

She also said if they are crossing a busy street with cars, they will wait on the sidewalk for a break in traffic. So they are pretty adaptable to urban living.

She wondered if any neighbors feed outdoor cats. I know @contender always says to remove the food source.

Our cat is indoor only. Her territory is not more than 10 feet from her food dish and comfortable bed.

But my wife did tell me about 2 blocks away, by the creek one house puts out food for an outdoor cat. So some people are slow learners.

 

[Neon Vernon]

Pneumatics are legal inside city limits where I live. 30 caliber air rifle, just sayin...

 

[contender]

Many wildlife species are quite adaptable to urban life. It's how they have survived for centuries. And while the local officials seem to spend time & money tracking these coyotes,, I find it absurd. They could easily spend a small percentage of that budget to capture, neuter, and rabies shot many of these animals to prevent bigger problems.
I understand that many places get grants to study wildlife. And it's good to learn a lot about them. But when you are capable of tracking & studying a species that has a history of diseases, very adaptable, and problems with human interactions,, something should be re-evaluated.
Once you have a study complete, then advance it to assist in the various control methods to prevent problems.

 

[Jim Walsh]

The witch who moved in next door, threw a fence across our property, and pointed surveillance cameras at our bedroom windows. The cameras are all pointed outward, and she has her property enclosed.

If my neighbor did this I would send a nice letter via registered mail requesting removal or reorientation of her surveillance devices, with a specific date of compliance.
Then I would disable the devices one day after the requested date of compliance… surreptitiously if need be.

 

[reuben_j_cogburn]

the city could be just bowing the the animal rights activists. Years ago a black bear and 3 cubs were causing trouble in anchorage. F&G said they were going to shoot them. Well... you can guess what happened next.. public outcry!!! so instead the state spent a reported $300,000 trapping and moving the bears to a "super secret", location.... "Hope Alaska"...
where the bears were released, only to raid garbage, etc, in the village of Hope.... So.... the locals shot them...... The greenies got their way at the expense of $300,000 to the tax payers....

 

[themousethatroared]

If my neighbor did this I would send a nice letter via registered mail requesting removal or reorientation of her surveillance devices, with a specific date of compliance.
Then I would disable the devices one day after the requested date of compliance… surreptitiously if need be.

50 states and 50 rules, and I'm in one with bad privacy rules. But the same rule allowing her to point surveillance equipment at me cuts both ways and that relates to that light from the basement window casting the giant shadow of the coyote on the wall. She's complained in vain to the police and higher about the light coming out of our windows interfering with her cameras. She still has her cameras but she no longer sees any coyotes or anything else with them.

I wish the dang skinny coyotes would develop a taste for chipmunks, and get really fat.

 

[Mobuck]

If this wasn't such a serious issue, it would be hilarious.

 

[Kevin]

As far as I can tell the coyotes aren’t causing any trouble. They aren’t the ones that got up in my attic and chewed a hole through the siding.

Contender has a good point about neutering them along with rabies vaccines.

Way back when in the early 90’s Bulgaria had a huge problem with packs of wild dogs. They were everywhere. Hundreds of them running around town. I was more afraid of those dogs than these coyotes.

The city of Plovdiv got rid of the dogs. And now they have cats. Thousands of them. People all over town are feeding them.

But the city has some sort of program to spay neuter them. I’m not sure how it works because there are still thousands of cats.

But if the city got rid of these coyotes, something else would pop up in their place.

 

[Jeepnik]

First, the coyote expert is wrong. Hazing doesn't work, but the greenies point to it as successful. Coyotes will and do , regularly attack both leashed dogs and their owners (one local park has signs warning of such). Such an incident recently occurred about 100' from my home.

The only way to control coyotes is to kill them. I try to target females but kill any I trap.

The attitude of allowing them to live in close proximity holds no benefit. But, go ahead, do nothing and you'll find out the reality.

 

[Jim Walsh]

As far as I can tell the coyotes aren’t causing any trouble. They aren’t the ones that got up in my attic and chewed a hole through the siding.

Contender has a good point about neutering them along with rabies vaccines.

Way back when in the early 90’s Bulgaria had a huge problem with packs of wild dogs. They were everywhere. Hundreds of them running around town. I was more afraid of those dogs than these coyotes.

The city of Plovdiv got rid of the dogs. And now they have cats. Thousands of them. People all over town are feeding them.

But the city has some sort of program to spay neuter them. I’m not sure how it works because there are still thousands of cats.

But if the city got rid of these coyotes, something else would pop up in their place.

Sounds like a great place to open a Chinese restaurant.

 

[TestEngineer]

Both sides of my house has a fence that connects with the neighbors fence. So the coyote could not go through my backyard.

So how tall is this fence? 10 or 12 feet?

I've seen foxes easily jump over 6 ft privacy fences, and animal control pursued German Shepherds clear 8 footers. Coyotes are close to Shepherds in stature.

 

[wproct]

First, the coyote expert is wrong. Hazing doesn't work, but the greenies point to it as successful. Coyotes will and do , regularly attack both leashed dogs and their owners (one local park has signs warning of such). Such an incident recently occurred about 100' from my home.

The only way to control coyotes is to kill them. I try to target females but kill any I trap.

The attitude of allowing them to live in close proximity holds no benefit. But, go ahead, do nothing and you'll find out the reality.

I agree, coyotes don't belong in town period. I live in the country and killing them is legal. I tolerate them to a point but sooner or later they have to be dealt with.

 

[Jeepnik]

My rear fence is 6' on the inside of the yard, and close to 10' on the outside. Coyotes can leap up, grab the top with their front paws, from the outside, and haul themselves over. I actually thought about putting broke glass on the top as is done in Europe to discourage fence climbing.

 

[redhawker]

Both sides of my house has a fence that connects with the neighbors fence. So the coyote could not go through my backyard.

Unless you have something like a 12-foot or higher fence, they can access your yard at will. I've seen them jump over 8-foot fences while carrying a good-sized dead cat in their mouth.

 

[Mobuck]

Won't make any difference how tall you make the fence. I have a 25# dog that can tunnel under a chainlink fence in just a few minutes. The only way to prevent this is to line the dog pen with 4' of chainlink on the ground inside the fence.

 

[Jeepnik]

My rear fence is also a retaining wall(due to the angle of the slope). If a coyote digs under that footing he better bring lunch.

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

I L A there’s a place they call the coyote hotel. It was an unfinished apartment building that the coyotes took over. Nobody seems to be obliged to move them out. Very expensive skeleton of a building that apparently they ran out of money before finishing it. It was for the homeless and just as expensive for the homeless as the coyotes.

 

[gnappi]

A local city, county, state or fed government agency claiming that some activity "cost" the taxpayers is kinda silly.

Unless the people who perform the activity are hired out of the phone book (not employed by the municipality) it "costs" them nearly zip.

Police, fire, EMT's, animal control, arborists, water service workers and more are always there getting paid whether they're responding to a particular event or eating donuts at city hall. OK there may be some extra gasoline / diesel or supplies needed (something like body bags) or overtime in some cases that all "should" have a slush fund / contingency budget to account for these issues.

PS, If you call the EMT's or the fire department in my city, the city charges you or your insurance company $500 and up as reimbursement for their "costs".

 

[Mobuck]

There are 'solutions' but no one wants to get the finger pointed at them when the results are counter to public approval.
Contender does much of his work with traps-he has a lot of experience and is more professional. I do more of mine with a rifle as a sideline and mostly just entertainment-it's not a paying job. The results are similar but neither solution would be acceptable to the majority of city folks( ie-tree huggers).

 

[blume357]

We have them here in Greenville too... here are the signs they've put up around the town and county:

 

[MaxMan]

A local city, county, state or fed government agency claiming that some activity "cost" the taxpayers is kinda silly.

Unless the people who perform the activity are hired out of the phone book (not employed by the municipality) it "costs" them nearly zip.

Police, fire, EMT's, animal control, arborists, water service workers and more are always there getting paid whether they're responding to a particular event or eating donuts at city hall. OK there may be some extra gasoline / diesel or supplies needed (something like body bags) or overtime in some cases that that all "should" have a slush fund / contingency budget to account for these issues.

PS, If you call the EMT's or the fire department in my city, the city charges you or your insurance company $500 and up as reimbursement for their "costs".

Reimburse them for what your taxes have already paid for?

 

[MaxMan]

Have they told you how they know when and which Coyote gets rabies.

 

[gnappi]

Reimburse them for what your taxes have already paid for?

Yup! I'll bet every city does it now.

 

[Johnnu2]

How come coyotes almost never eat the greenies....?

J.

 

[GSP7]

Im scared of yotes ....

 

[Busterswoodshop]

Just do what the expert said.
Whenever you see one , just shake a bottle of rocks at it .

 

[Joey]

Most cities have laws about containing your dogs, either on your property or while walking. But to say it's ok for a predator to live in the same municipality is nuts. But then that's government for you. A few years ago a friends wife was walking their small dog on a leash. A neighbor had a large dog that he let run free. It attacked the leashed dog and bit the wife who was trying to protect it. Hearing her screams, my friend grabbed his 9mm and dispatched the big dog. The owner called the cops while the wife was being treated by paramedics and hauled to the emergency room! After a short investigation the shooting was called justified.

 

[Kevin]

First, the coyote expert is wrong. Hazing doesn't work, but the greenies point to it as successful. Coyotes will and do , regularly attack both leashed dogs and their owners (one local park has signs warning of such). Such an incident recently occurred about 100' from my home.

The only way to control coyotes is to kill them. I try to target females but kill any I trap.

The attitude of allowing them to live in close proximity holds no benefit. But, go ahead, do nothing and you'll find out the reality.

I get what you guys are saying. But at the same time, we have walked our dogs through the neighborhood for over 10 years without incident.

Plus we have two dogs at 70 pounds each. so a single coyote probably would rather stay away from that.

Coyotes aren’t know to be aggressive towards humans unless provoked or cornered or threatened. They are just more likely to run away.

Oh and my fence is 8 feet tall. And yes they probably could jump it, but wild animals won’t expend more energy than absolutely necessary. So if they can go around, it would just be much easier for them.