Posted on 05/13/2008 11:42:42 AM PDT by george76
"Their aggressive behavior seems to be on the upswing," said Steve Martarano, a spokesman with the state Department of Fish and Game. "They just seem to lose their fear of humans."
Since the 1970s, more than 100 coyote attacks on humans in Southern California have been recorded, with half the incidents involving children age 10 and younger.
"If they see a young child and they have a chance, yeah they'll take it," said Kevin Brennan, a state wildlife biologist.
Game wardens don't normally hunt coyotes unless they pose a threat to people. After attacks, they trap and then shoot coyotes. They also carry shotguns or small-caliber rifles, but won't fire on the animals unless they get a clear shot.
Authorities dissuade people from hunting renegade coyotes themselves and suggest that they instead make noise or throw objects to scare them from neighborhoods.
coyotes in recent weeks with reports of the wild animals sleeping in yards and pestering residents.
"They're so brazen right now," she said. "They just stand there and look at you."
Earlier, a coyote attacked a 2-year-old girl playing in a city park in Chino Hills...
The next day, a coyote in the same place made a beeline for another child,
Since last year, there have been seven coyote attacks in the Chino Hills area, including four in which children were bitten.
"Coyotes are opportunistic," Timm said. "They go where the food is."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
WARNING: Do NOT buy your traps from the "Acme" company!
We all know from years of Warner Bros. cartoons that roadrunners are the coyote's favorite food.
not if you "make noise and throw something" at the predator! Then you're an equal! And the coyote will scamper away, knowing that you're a human and therefore his better! /sarcasm
Mark
That is likely why authorities prefer people not hunt coyotes. If these are relatively populated areas and there are children outside playing that can be attacked by coyotes, they can also be shot by a person hunting coyotes.
I am not sure exactly what is going on in Chino Hills, but it certainly goes against most of what I know and have seen. I have never been able to get within 50 ft of a coyote. The residents of Chino Hills are either feeding these animals, doing a good job emulating prey, the coyote population is too high or any combination of the three. In April and May they will have pups and this may also be a factor. Coyotes are smart but still fairly easy to trap and that is the preferred method for problem animals. You put a little urine on the mark and back your trap 1-1.5 ft. off the mark. The coyote picks up the mark thinking there is another in the territory, attempts to re-scent and is caught.
“”They just seem to lose their fear of humans.””
Surprise, surprise... Having lived in west Texas for about 15 years, my buds and I would occasionally go coyote hunting out on remote oil leases (yes, wild life survives quite well on oil leases). Anyway, back to the story at hand, coyotes that are actually wild are very elusive and takes considerable amount of patience and skill to call up for a decenet shot. However and on the otherhand, those who have moved into the suburbs or the suburbs have moved to them have learned to not fear man and to hunt small critters found in the suburbs such as rabbits, cats, small dogs, and small children - all are the same to ole wily coyote. He just rushes in and makes a snatch and is gone in a flash. Here in the DFW, Texas area I have not heard of any small children being snatched but I hear of small pets being snatched routinely. But, nevertheless, these suburbanized coyotes have to be exterminated as they have lost their fear of man and have learned that it is easy hunting in man’s backyard...
That's for mountain lions, with coyotes it's S.H.O.F.P.
;)
It's just illegal to carry a handgun out there. Good luck carrying a semi-auto rifle as well.
Well I don't know where you are from but it is perfectly legal in California to carry a handgun(open carry)and you can carry concealed if you are fishing. As for rifles you can carry one wherever you want as long as you can tell the cop who stops you that you are going hunting, have been hunting, going target shooting or coming from target shooting and several other good answers.
Semi-autos are perfectly legal here, I own several and hunt and shoot targets with them, no permit required.
Used to do a lot of coyote hunting but I am older now an setting out in the brush blowing a rabbit call doesn't appeal to me the way it used to, but I still shoot all I see when deer hunting.
Learn a little about CA before you post it will keep you from looking like an idiot.
PS, I have a CCW also and carry concealed. Wow, that must be illegal in CA too, according to you!
“Authorities dissuade people from hunting renegade coyotes themselves and suggest that they instead make noise or throw objects to scare them from neighborhoods.”
7.62x39, .270, & 5.56 all make more than enough “noise” for our coyote problems...
Nonsense. In many counties, it is effectively shall-issue.
We can open carry a handgun (although I wouldn't do it in town) and we can have semi-auto rifles, just as long as they are not ugly black ones with nasty things like flash-supressors, barrel shrouds, pistol grips, or folding stocks. You know, all that stuff that makes them deadlier. Just ask Diane Swinestien.
I am a bit confused here.
I have lived in the County of LA all my life and regularly see coyotes in the local hills. I am not allowed to carry a weapon or get a hunting license in these areas that I know about.
You must be talking about different counties of California or something?
“Scientists probe recent coyote attacks in California”
Scientists or environmental bureaucrats? There is a difference.
Licences are good state wide. If you can't hunt in your county, it must be some LA thing.
I have lived in the County of LA all my life and regularly see coyotes in the local hills. I am not allowed to carry a weapon or get a hunting license in these areas that I know about.
In CA proper you can hunt coyotes, no bag limit, no season. If you can't carry a weapon in your county you should be raising hell about it because it is legal according to state law. You should be able to get a hunting license regardless of where you live, but there may be restrictions on where you can hunt. Most counties in CA do not have restrictions on hunting coyotes. I live up north and we can hunt coyotes all we want and carry weapons also. You need to be raising some hell if they say you can't carry weapons.
BANG!!!!
< sound of bolt ejecting spent .25'06 shell >
Good Grief. I forgot about that stupid "urban Wildlife" thing.
Is it still OK to "Harass" one with a well placed .357 if it's dragging you kid out of your yard?
I have one of the worlds neatest noisemakers that you have ever seen. You look through the hole and place the cross where you want the noise to go. Then you slide the short lever and KAPOW the noise goes exactly where you wanted it to. I figured out after using it for quite a while that the size of the noise is .270 of an inch. It’s really neat. I like my noisemaker!
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