Posted on 09/28/2014 3:34:31 PM PDT by jazusamo
When Charlene Warner walks her dog each morning in her neighborhood in upscale Seal Beach, California, she’s terrified she’ll be attacked—not by muggers or gangs, but by coyotes.
“They are killing our animals. They are scaring us. I go out every morning with rocks in my pockets, tennis shoes on, mace on my neck, a whistle on my neckand a foghorn on my leash, and I still don’t feel safe,” Ms. Warner said last week in comments before the Seal Beach City Council.
She has reason to be nervous. Stories abound in nearby Orange County of dogs and cats snatched off leashes and plucked out of backyards a few feet away from their horrified owners. Mangled pet carcasses turn up on front lawns, often identifiable only by their tails.
Earlier this month, a woman living in the Leisure World retirement community opened her screen door to pick up her newspaper, only to watch a coyote scamper inside, grab her cat, and run back out. Another Seal Beach resident, Nate Kranda, started a memorial Facebook page for photos of dead pets.
It’s not just Southern California. From Florida to Washington to Maine, communities are wrestling with how to handle the influx of a surprisingly fearless coyote population. Nobody knows whether the coyote’s numbers are actually on the rise, but there’s little doubt that the adaptable predator is increasingly making itself at home in urban and suburban America.
“It’s spreading all across the United States now,” said Rex Baker, professor emeritus at Cal Poly Pomona, who’s done extensive research on coyotes. “You’re having less hunting going on, and urbanization is continuing, and the coyotes are showing up everywhere.”
In rural America, the solution is obvious: Trap and shoot the varmints. In suburbia, however, local governments are increasingly adopting a “coexistence” philosophy...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Our neighbors have had cats and small dogs go missing.
A few months ago I was up at dawn and watched one coyote jump the fence from the neighbors yard into ours.
While he stood watching at attention, five or six other coyotes jumped the same fence and quickly spread out and canvassed our yard entire looking for food or prey.
The look out coyote then bolted and jumped the fence into the next yard and was followed by the rest.
The whole thing took less than 30 seconds for a very large yard.
Guess we know why we don't see stray cats like we used to
Headed over to youtube to watch some shooting coyotes vids.
We have a ton of Coyotes here in Tucson and they scare easily. Don’t leave your pets alone outside and this won’t happen. Here Wildcats are a bigger nuisance to pets than coyotes!!
What these folks in urban areas need is a 25 cal pellet gun: quiet, subsonic and the PETA neighbors next door will never know what happened to those cute coyotes.
This is from the AZ Game and Fish dep[artment. I could not find out if I can shoot at them in the arroyo behind my house where they creep.
Coyotes are classified as predators and have an open, year-round hunting season. A valid license is required, except in a case where livestock has been killed. See Arizona Game and Fish Department Hunting Regulations.
State law bans firing a gun within a quarter-mile of an occupied residence or building while taking wildlife, unless you have the owner’s permission.
Check your local city ordinances, but most ban shooting firearms within city limits. Some cities ban using slingshots, BB guns, air guns or bows.
Refer to ARS-17-239 on wildlife depredation and Arizona Game and Fish Department Hunting Regulations for more information.
I need to arm up more anyway, and I was thinking of getting an air gun. ( The family glock would make quite a stir.) As it is now, I have these 16’ poles ( used for something else) that I have around our fence, in case I need to impale them as the scout comes around and teases my dogs.
Remember, we are the master predators.
There’s much to be said for that, but Katy bar the door if a PETA nut saw it. :-)
Intelligent is not a strong enough word to describe coyotes.
They are nature’s tacticians. They scheme, use teamwork, feign friendliness, yet are utterly ruthless. The Native American saying about them is very accurate:
“Never trust a coyote”. They are the definition of cunning.
Oddly enough, east of the Mississippi, there have been confirmed sightings of what are called “Coy-Wolves”, a hybrid coyote and wolf. Typically wolves with kill coyotes, but somehow they crossbred. Wolves have about the same raw intelligence as a five year old child, or maybe more. And combined with the attributes of a coyote, you have a dangerous thing.
The Dept of Interior, in a rare bit a clarity, has issued a “shoot on sight” order for Coy-Wolves, as they have been described as “the canine equivalent of a leopard” as far as their risk to humans.
The *only* means to confront or engage a coyote should be with bullets. Unless you typically carry a good quality Katana with you.
I personally have had a coyote run across the front of my truck as I was returning from a late night class. This was in the inner sunset area near Grand View park. I thought that was the strangest dog I ever saw so I followed him. He ran up the slope of Grand View park( basically a hilltop green area). I drove my truck over the park curb and lit him up with my brights. Sure enough a large healthy coyote was staring back at me.
Depending on the size of the dog, hawks and eagles take the little ones during the day and owls at night. I was sitting on my front step in town in NC and a Bobcat headed toward me and my 13 lb rat terrier.
“I live in the western suburbs of of Chicago and the coyotes here have absolutely no fear of man whatsoever. None.”
I’m in Dupage County, and I see coyotes about once a week running around. It’s a good thing we now have CCW in Illinois.
Wonder if they cross-bred due to a wolf hybrid mating with a coyote?
They’re thick around here. Mrs L works in Wheaton and her job requires some late nights. She’s heard them howling to each other. And yes, it’s a good thing we finally have CCW here int eh Peoples Republik of Illinois. As soon as the State Police can wade through the backlog I’ll be receiving mine.
Nice to see another local Freeper. My best to you.
L
I’d think about a stout walking stick as well.
The Red Wolf is going extinct in the East because it prefers to breed with coyotes.
There’s nothing stranger than nature...
Greetings to you, as well.
We have all kinds of critters in our area. They tend to take care of themselves if you don’t screw with the pecking order of things.
What are we New Jerseyans to do...carry and the law be damned?
Here in Wisconsin, the coyotes are as big as the wolves in many other parts of the country.
They are especially bad in the southern third of Milwaukee County in areas close to the Root River and Oak Creek, which have parkways along much of their routes. I used to live in a southeastern suburb and the howling would be almost constant on summer evenings.
The ones I saw were taller than a German Shepherd, although much skinnier. They would walk down the sidewalk with no fear at dusk.
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