Coyotes Are Predators
BY Herschel Smith
2 years, 7 months ago
Remember boys and girls, Coyotes are predators.
Two toddlers were taken to the hospital after being attacked by a coyote in separate incidents in the Massachusetts town of Arlington, officials said Monday.
In the first incident, around 5:40 p.m. Sunday, the animal approached a 2-year-old girl, bit her on the back and dragged her across the yard, according to police. About 10 minutes later, police received a report of a coyote scratching another 2-year-old girl at a different yard, authorities said.
Both children sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to a hospital for evaluation. Officials believe the same coyote was involved in both attacks, but they were still searching for the animal Monday.
The two incidents come just three weeks after another child had a violent encounter with a coyote in the same town. The 5-year-old victim in that attack was playing in a sandbox when a coyote approached him and bit him in the leg, police said.
They won’t just take your pets, they’ll take your children if you’re not aware of the threat. And they’ve learned to hunt in packs, and are no longer afraid of humans.
On September 6, 2021 at 10:10 pm, Ozark Redneck said:
No Kiddin’ That’s why we shoot them on sight!
On September 6, 2021 at 11:25 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
Re: “They won’t just take your pets, they’ll take your children if you’re not aware of the threat. And they’ve learned to hunt in packs, and are no longer afraid of humans.”
Coyotes, unlike their cousins the wolves, are not choosy about where they call home – and are consequently present in substantial numbers in urban and suburban settings and habitats and not just in the wilder and more-rural areas. When our family lived in the far-western suburbs of Chicago, our home backed up to a golf course. Many nights we were treated to a serenade of coyotes howling at the moon. There was a pack living on/in the golf course and surrounding areas, for years.
I have no proof but have always speculated that the pack included wild formerly-domesticated dogs, as well. Since canine species can/do often interbreed and hybridize. There are known to be pockets of “coywolves,” i.e., coyote-wolf hybrids, living in certain portions of the eastern U.S. and Canada.
Coyotes can harbor rabies, so take suitable precautions if you find yourself interacting with or handling one. They prey upon raccoons, a known vector for rabies, and can end up with the virus themselves. Be particularly cautious of a coyote or dog behaving erratically and/or foaming at the mouth, as these are signs of the disorder.
Coyotes are omnivores and even can subsist upon a diet of garbage. They prefer to be carnivores, however, and will opportunistically pursue prey and game items which satisfy that instinct. Unprotected children, especially small children, toddlers and babies, are therefore at risk – as are smaller pets. Don’t feed coyotes, as like bears, they habituate to food sources provided by humans and lose their innate caution of being around humans.
Like other predators, the feeding habits of coyotes are tied to weather and climate, as well as the condition/supply of natural sources of food, whether vegetable/plant or animal. Most ranchers are well-aware of this fact, that during a drought or hard winter, they may see an uptick of coyote presence near their farms and ranches, and their poultry and livestock. And even during good times, one has to be on the lookout. Having good farm/ranch dogs trained to keep them away is often a wise course of action, and even in the event of a pack, your dog can warn you of trouble so that you can take care of it.
Years ago, for a period of time, I worked doing field research with a biologist who was researching and using conditioned taste aversions as a means of predator control, including control of coyotes. This was thirty-some years ago, but at the time in the mid-1980s, the method showed considerable promise as a non-lethal means of controlling coyote predation.
On September 7, 2021 at 5:26 am, Dov said:
People need to have dogs for pets that stay with the children when outside. A nice livestock guardian dog would have kept the coyotes far away.
On September 7, 2021 at 5:35 am, Mike Austin said:
Dear Georgiaboy61:
Thank you for that information.
I have become extremely wary when camping with my little dog. Coyotes are the reason. Coyotes are also the reason that I am always—always—armed when out in the bush (or anywhere else for that matter). Do a search on ‘Taylor Mitchell’ and learn the fate of the unarmed.
On September 7, 2021 at 7:07 am, Daniel said:
So, coyotes do not hunt in “packs”. They only ever are with one mate. They mate for life until one of the pair is killed, then they finds new mate. What most people think when they hear coyotes at night, they misconstrue the sounds as “it must be 5-10 coyotes”. This just simply is not true. They are not mine wolves in any sense of the word. They are more closely related to the fox than a k-9 or a wolf. When we start seeing a single coyote out in broad daylight, it’s typically during early spring and towards end of summer. This is because the litter needs extra food and as summer rolls on, food becomes scarce. Any parent who leaves a freaking 2 year old child alone, to the point of a damn coyote would come up and try to drag it away, should have the right of being a parent taken away from them, as they show they are not responsible enough to actually care for a human being.
On September 7, 2021 at 7:47 am, Mike Austin said:
Taylor Mitchell was mauled, killed and partially eaten by a pack of coyotes in 2009. She was on a popular Canadian hiking trail. Her death was viewed by several other hikers who, rather than immediately intervene and kick the crap out of those coyotes, simply dialed 911. Nice folks.
I cannot tell you how many times that my campsites were surrounded by a group of coyotes at night. At first when I accosted them—headlamp on and 9mm in hand—they would flee. More and more they stood their ground, lamp and gun be damned. Now that is one creepy feeling.
On September 7, 2021 at 8:06 am, Matthew W said:
It doesn’t matter what I’m hunting, when I see a coyote, it’s a coyote hunt.
Predators indeed !!!
On September 7, 2021 at 8:48 am, Done. said:
@Georgiaboy61
“Since canine species can/do often interbreed and hybridize. There are known to be pockets of “coywolves,”
We called them coydogs up in Maine in the 80’s. They would kill livestock as well as pets.
On September 7, 2021 at 10:23 am, Ned said:
I’ve killed two while hiking in AZ. One was coming in on us – my wife, me and two dogs.
I’m always amazed at all the people who go hiking without a gun.
On September 7, 2021 at 11:31 am, Dov said:
Coywolves are still in northern Maine. We have had them stalking our cattle. We actually had a wolf and a coyote hunting the same calf; sadly I think they were mates.
We also had a pack of coyotes kill a friend’s Belgian draft horse; they still went after it as the owner on a backhoe was trying to bury it. He actually killed a few with his tractor; they were that hungry.
On September 7, 2021 at 12:56 pm, Mike Austin said:
Dear Ned:
It is inexplicable to me, a triumph of ignorance, fear and carelessness over reasoning. An adult who decides to live an unarmed life must live with the consequences of that choice. But then, so must his wife and children.
And Daniel has a fine point: What sort of parent would leave a two year old alone and so become a food option for a coyote? Again, inexplicable.
On September 7, 2021 at 2:24 pm, Steady Steve said:
Time for a 365 day a year coyote season.
On September 7, 2021 at 3:54 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
@ Mike Austin
Re: “I have become extremely wary when camping with my little dog. Coyotes are the reason. Coyotes are also the reason that I am always—always—armed when out in the bush (or anywhere else for that matter). Do a search on ‘Taylor Mitchell’ and learn the fate of the unarmed.”
I was not aware of that case. An unfortunate and gruesome end for Mitchell. Back in the mid-late 1980s when I was doing my masters work, the TA for one of the chem labs I was taking was a very nice young cat whose name escapes me, but long story short, the course ended and summer break happened. Later that fall, when I returned to taking classes, I learned that this particular TA had been killed by a pit bull while out jogging in a remote rural area. He’d been badly-mauled but managed to escape but bled out trying to reach help.
A lot of people who ought to know better -adults with kids of their own – have been lulled to sleep by entertainment and the media, who portray wild animals as cute and harmless. Urban living, too, since people don’t come into daily contact with the natural world as often as they once did.
Do not go out into the wilderness or even a nature preserve without some sort of weapon which can used to defend yourself should it come to that. If firearms are prohibited, then carry a knife; if that is prohibited, then a stout walking stick, cane or club. Many places which ban fixed bladed knives will allow folders or pocket knives. The point is to have something…. even a stout screwdriver is fine.
@ Daniel
Re: “So, coyotes do not hunt in “packs”. They only ever are with one mate.”
Pair-bonding of the kind displayed by wolves, coyotes and other canids does not preclude hunting in packs. Your information is in error; vertebrate zoologists are not in anything like unanimous agreement about the social organization of coyotes. It is up to you, but maybe you ought to rely less on Wikipedia for your info… seeing as anyone (even some 8th grader in his P.J.s sitting in his parents basement) can write entries.
Oh, and apropos your remark: Perhaps you’d care to explain the pack of coyotes that lived not far from my house for literally years. We – the people in the neighborhood – not only heard them frequently, but saw them during daylight (dusk or dawn typically) upon occasion, running across the golf course and adjacent woods they called home, or at the local wildlife watering hole, a small lake or pond about a quarter mile from my house.
On September 7, 2021 at 4:14 pm, Mike Austin said:
Dear Georgiaboy61:
Damn. Mauled and killed by a Pit Bull. I can think of better ways to go.
I do not go where firearms are prohibited. Ever. Here in Oklahoma I can carry openly—and I do. Even in my apartment complex to toss trash or get mail. Always armed. I am known as “that crazy old long haired guy with a gun.” Perfect.
For a number of reasons, animals formerly found only in the wilds, now parade themselves in urban environments. People simply do not understand what “wild” means. That very imbecilic fat woman in spandex who walked up to a grizzly to “get a nice shot”. The stupidity. It burns.
See David Barron’s book.
On September 7, 2021 at 4:26 pm, Mike Austin said:
Dear Georgiaboy61:
https://www.amazon.com/Beast-Garden-Predators-Suburban-America/dp/0393326349/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=David+Baron&qid=1631049907&s=books&sr=1-8
“The Beast in the Garden”.
On September 7, 2021 at 4:38 pm, Factions Speak Louder Than Herds said:
Coyotes are a construct of the white male capitalist patriarchy and inside every coyote is a human just waiting to get out.
Discrimination against coyotes is wrongthink thoughtcrime and you shouldn’t give one a dirty look either as that is facecrime.
We can all coexist as the egalitarian workers utopia knows better than God and Mother Nature.
(sarc)
On September 7, 2021 at 4:53 pm, JoeFour said:
@ Mike Austin
Thanks for that link!
On September 7, 2021 at 5:52 pm, Mike Austin said:
JoeFour: You are quite welcome.
Factions Speak Louder Than Herds : Boy oh boy you got that schtick down!
On September 7, 2021 at 6:15 pm, Silence DoGood said:
Eastern coyotes are a completely different animal from the classic coyote of the western plains states. Yotes had been driven out of the eastern states by the 19th Century population (and farming) explosion but began migrating back in the early 20th Century (only returning to the New England states in the 1940s). That migration took them through the Great Lakes Basin which, owing to widespread forestation and more than 10,000 miles of freshwater coastline, has the highest incidence of natural hybridization of wild animals of anywhere on earth. And during their transition across the basin, they picked up 13% red wolf DNA, 13% gray wolf DNA, and 10% domestic dog DNA. Which explains why eastern coyotes are significantly larger and exhibit a far greater variation of coat colors than their “ancestors” in the west. Because they are an entirely different breed, with entirely different behaviors. Like being well more aggressive and, in some notable instances, stalking and/or hunting in packs.
On September 7, 2021 at 9:25 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
@ Mike Austin
Re: “For a number of reasons, animals formerly found only in the wilds, now parade themselves in urban environments. People simply do not understand what “wild” means. That very imbecilic fat woman in spandex who walked up to a grizzly to “get a nice shot”. The stupidity. It burns.”
We biologist types call those folks “future ‘Darwin Award’ winners”…. whose final act will be to improve the gene pool by “removing themselves from it.” That’s pretty harsh, right? But I think that’s how their verbiage goes.
Or maybe those kind and gentle types aspire to be the next Timothy Treadwell. Remember him? The guy who styled himself the “bear whisperer” but who pushed his luck once too many times, and he and his girlfriend got eaten with the recording devices – their audio-visual film equipment – running.
It’s called “Nature red in tooth and claw” for a reason…
Re: “I do not go where firearms are prohibited. Ever. Here in Oklahoma I can carry openly—and I do.”
Dang, man, you guys are looking better and better down there in Sooner Country…
On September 8, 2021 at 6:19 am, Mike Austin said:
Dear Georgiaboy61:
Mother Nature is not only “red in tooth and claw”, she is “a bitch red in tooth and claw”. Most Americans do not understand this at all. They are giddy with thoughts of Disney and “The Lion King”. They are not able to comprehend that behind the Information Booths, the spotless campsites—with electricity and running water of course—the showers, the stores selling cute stuffed animals, the ranger stations, and the nature hikes of our National Parks, lurk the bear and the lion, each with slavering jaws and empty stomachs.
All adults who knew Treadwell knew he was both a fanatic and insane. Once he embarked upon his “mission” his fate was the obvious one.
Oklahoma is the freest state in the nation. Besides having the best gun laws, Oklahoma also has oil, natural gas, cattle, pigs, barley, corn, wheat, and lots and lots of guns. And we share no border with Mexico. When things get “spicy” we have all we need to not just survive, but to thrive.
On September 8, 2021 at 8:52 am, Sisu said:
Ned, I suggest you clarify that those were “four-legged” coyotes lest you trigger an investigation based on an explicitly stated bias against “Dreamers” and their “facilitators”.
On September 8, 2021 at 11:28 am, Levi Garrett said:
There’s been some interesting research into how coyotes respond to indiscriminate hunting and trapping that suggests that the more they are persecuted, they more they proliferate (in the Eastern US). There could be something going on in terms of compensatory reproduction, upheaval in the social order, or something else. I haven’t looked too closely at all the research, but I have heard testimonies from several livestock ranchers that used to shoot and trap them without mercy and yet still dealt with losing animals to them. Since stopping that method of control and utilizing livestock guardian dogs (LGDs), they’ve not had the predator issues they once did. Having an LDG myself, I can attest to the effectiveness of a protector that’s on duty at all hours of the day and night. Regardless, I will continue to treat coyotes as the wild predators they are and will not hesitate to defend myself, my family, and my animals from them if need be.
On September 8, 2021 at 11:37 am, Fred said:
@Levi Garrett, Hunting and trapping while leaving them sanctuary to reproduce is the problem. I offer counter-insurgency warfare as an example. Limited war is NOT war. Shooting and trapping yotes and their crossbreed cousins without national open season will ALWAYS fail. You can’t fight a war of defense only and win.
Whoever (the UN?) came up with the doctrine of limited warfare needs to be taken out back and shot, bulldozed into an open grave, burned, the earth salted, and the history books to all point out how totally retarded that notion is.
On September 8, 2021 at 1:16 pm, bob sykes said:
The Eastern coyote is much bigger than its Western cousin. It is about 5/8 Western coyote, 2/8 wolf, and 1/8 large dog. They do not fear people, and are willing to live in urban and suburban neighborhoods. Prof. Stanley Gehrt at Ohio State U. estimates some 2,000 coyotes live in downtown Chicago. They are routinely seen and heard at Chicago parks. They do form packs. We have at least one pack here in rural north-central Ohio.
On September 8, 2021 at 7:13 pm, Mike Austin said:
Dear bob sykes:
Dear Lord. Two thousand coyotes in downtown Chicago.
As the Western Empire fell in the fifth century AD, the inhabitants of Rome noticed that whole neighborhoods had been taken over by feral beasts: wolves, pigs, coyotes and wild dogs.
“Plus ça change…”
On September 8, 2021 at 7:31 pm, Mike Austin said:
Dear Fred:
“Limited war is NOT war.” For the love of God is that true. Whether warring against man or beast. To “limit war” is to agree to more dead on both sides. Declare war, wage it hard or—if the enemy will not surrender–total. But win the thing at all costs save for the love of Almighty God.
After the victory, go to Confession.
On September 8, 2021 at 9:27 pm, Fred said:
Mr. Austin. I have an High Priest after the order of Melchizedek.
“Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” – Hebrews 6:20
Moreover and directly in context, after just war:
“For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.” – Hebrews 7:1-3
Because just war is NOT sin, no confession is needed.
Just war is not sin under the Noahic covenant, a covenant with all living things that was always in effect therefore with the gentiles, and that’s still in effect as the Law of God today with all men, Genesis 9:1-10. This was codified in the Sixth Commandment to the Israelite’s; “Thou shalt no kill.” Exodus 20:13
Moreover, we don’t confess sins to men, but to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” 1 John 2:1
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
“But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.” Matthew 9:6
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” 1 Timothy 2:5
Even in the OT they confessed directly to Jehovah:
“I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.” Psalms 32:5
It is our FAULTS we confess one to another:
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:15 (Dear protestants, don’t let your pastors and preachers abuse this verse with you!!! We do NOT confess our sins to each other, but to God.)