California 2-Year-Old Dragged From Yard by Coyote in Third Such Attack in Five Days

Associated Press ^ | May 07, 2008

[Doomonyou]

It’s “for the children” should be the answer to the Greenies.

They care more for the coyote than the children.

[Doomonyou]

You’ll love this thread.

[Finny]

Yep. A better way to ensure the safety of guns on the premises is to teach kids about guns young. Knowledge is power. One of my nephews accompanied us to the shooting range when he was about nine ... my liberal sister-in-law (not the mother of the kid) was horrified!!! Scandalized!!! But that nephew at the age of nine got an EXCELLENT lesson in what guns can do and why he should be scared as hell if he sees any kids goofing around with them. The other nephews, on the other hand, would have no idea what danger they were in if they had friends who discovered a firearm and goofed around with it. Yes, keep the guns where kids can't get to them ... but IN CASE THEY DO (and kids will be kids and are even more ingenious than coyotes at getting places and things you think they can't), give them the power of knowledge. It may save their lives and the lives of their friends. It's why I also feel it's important to teach kids to swim as early as possible. It has the potential of saving lives, plural.

[CJ Wolf]

“Yet you’ll do 5 years in prison if you shoot one (a coyote).”

Really, they are a nuisance species here in Virginia we can shoot them anytime except Sunday. I’ve seen one in my backyard from time to time near the chicken coop. He ain’t gonna last much longer, if my timing is correct.

[Varmint Al]

Coyotes can be hunted in California. The season is all year long and there is no limit. If coyotes are hunted they become very respectful of humans and quickly leave the the area when human scent is detected.

Here is my Coyote Hunting Page. It has info on how to hunt coyotes.

Here is my page listing some of the Coyote Attacks in the last few years.

Good Hunting... from Varmint Al

[CJ Wolf]

coyotes can jump a 7 foot tall fence.

[Rappini]

We were told by Local Law Enforcement here in Indiana that if the Coyote’s threaten then shootem. We don’t have animal control in our city.

[CJ Wolf]

Hey that’s an awesome page. Do you know if these calls will work on the east coast

[Finny]

Wow! Thanks, Varmint Al! I was just talking to my mom, and she kind of laughed when I told her about the coyote attacks and wondered about the mountain ranch where she had a bunch of little kids. She said the ranch had guys come in and hunt them, regularly. Thank goodness.

[Finny]

coyotes can jump a 7 foot tall fence.

Aren't they smart enough to figure their way (eventually) around really high fences? In a semi-urban place, I bet they could figure their way around chain fences and corners and landscaping.

[CJ Wolf]

yes but if they can’t find a way in they can always jump it.

[DoughtyOne]

Sorry if I already replied to this, but I do agree with your comments here. Your mom sounds about like we were on this subject. You take care.

[DoughtyOne]

Sorry, Doughty, but to say It is still undeniable that these kids were not protected well enough reveals a degree of inexperience on your part. Maybe you don't have much or any experience with coyotes.

I understand your concern for my comments.  It seems to you I'm being a little unfair.  I might buy into your concerns except for one thing, the age of the child here.  We are talking about a mother going inside the home leaving a two year old child outside alone.  Personally, I never did that.  My wife and I never left our children outside at that age.  I can't imagine anyone doing so.

I come from a long line of ranch/farm women who raised lots of kids in rural areas. There is NO WAY IN HELL that they managed to do so by adhering to your unrealistic expectations of not only keeping an eye on the kids every second, but of remaning within grabbing distance (which is exactly what it would take when you're talking about ultra-smart critters that lie in ambush) of the child at all times. My mother raised FOUR boys on a ranch, and they were all toddlers at the same time, and there were lots of coyotes around, not to mention lots of deer and mountain lion or two, wild pigs, rattle snakes, etc. Mothers throughout history have had such challenges in protecting their kids. The reason my brothers didn't get snatched up as toddlers by coyotes or the moutain lion is because ANYONE on the ranch who caught sight of either animal SHOT AT IT PRONTO. Shot to kill, and the animal knew it, so it kept its distance. In urban and semi-urban areas, to discharge a firearm is asking for trouble and most peopel don't learn how to shoot at a young age anyway. My mother and every ranch woman I know, learned how to shoot young and how to shoot well. Coyote attacks on toddlers were unheard of.

You're going to a lot of overkill to make your case.  The problem is, I'm not addressing a situation that is even remotely related to what you had to go through.  I'm addressing a mom who lives in a surburban setting up against the foothills, who is more than likely aware that other kids have been taken by coyotes in the last week or so.  Not only that, she readily admits she went inside to put the camera away.  She didn't even go inside to take care of a time related task that had to be comleted.

This woman didn't have outside chores to do.  She wasn't out hanging up clothing with four kids running around.  She wasn't feeding the livestock, changing out the hay in the barn or the chicken coop.  She was outside in the front yard with a two year old.  If she would have had six, five, and three year old children around, I wouldn't have viewed it quite as dramatically either.  At least the older kids could have watched what was going on.  This mom left a two year old kid in the yard alone.  There's just no excuse for it.

Really, you are very much misguided in attributing this to lack of parental watchfulness. The fault lies with the coyotes and the lack of either the will or ability of homeonwers to discharge a firearm in the coyotes' direction to make them have a healthy FEAR of man.

The fault here lies squarely on the shoulders of the guardian.  There's a reason for that name.  This woman did not live up to the name.

[CindyDawg]

You too.

[Oyarsa]

Like most spitz breeds, Elkhounds WILL go after animals it considers to be “game”. They need firm, consistent training to learn the difference between varmints and livestock/pets you don’t want them to kill.

[Oyarsa]

That’s the first I’ve heard of Elkhounds being very, very good in terms of coyotes.

I owned an elkhound, and we had coyote packs, but we always brought her indoors whenever the coyote packs could be heard in the area; she might have been able to take on one, but we didn’t want to risk her becoming a meal for the pack. We didn’t have a mole problem or skin or possum or raccoon with her on patrol, that’s for sure, and she took on the neighbor’s German shepherd once when said Shepherd was chasing the family cat.