I'll buy that ...
Posted on 06/08/2005 12:47:58 PM PDT by ZULU
Are Coyotes Becoming More Aggressive?
California Department of Fish and Game spokesperson Lorna Bernard notes that much of the Golden State is prime habitat for the opportunistic animals.
"They are scavengers as well as hunters, and they are very smart," she said. "When they learn that people aren't a danger to them, they become very brazen."
"We've had quite a few attacks," she continued, "but people don't typically get seriously hurt."
In California there has only been one documented human death attributed a coyote attack. The incident occurred about two decades ago, when a coyote killed a young girl in Glendale.
Timm and Baker list some 35 other coyote attacks over the past three decades on small children that could have been fatal, had an adult not intervened.
Eastern Coyotes Flex Muscle
Close human-coyote encounters are not restricted to California. In New York State, wildlife biologist Gordon Batcheller studies coyotes from his post at the state's Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
He said coyotes are "becoming habituated to humans and human environments, and adapting their behavior to ours."
From the coyotes' perspective, this human environment "is a 'subsidized environment,' meaning it provides an artificially high amount of foods with an unnatural absence of threats," Batcheller said. "These adaptable animals take quick advantage of these unnatural environments."
At Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, wildlife biologist Paul Curtis and his team are beginning a five-year study of coyote ecology and behavior, funded in part by the state's DEC.
"The goal of the project is to look at changes in both coyote and human behavior that may be leading to more conflicts and complaints," Curtis said.
New York DEC officials estimate that 20,000 to 30,000 coyotes live in the state.
Curtis describes a progression of behavior in so-called problem coyote areas. First, the generally reclusive animals are increasingly spotted in daylight hours. Next, pets begin to vanish from yards and are even snatched off leashes by coyotes.
"That's the last stage before a human attack," Curtis said. "And we're at that stage in New York now." New York wildlife officials hope to head off such conflicts before a serious attack or death occurs.
Most coyotes, even those living near humans, are seldom seen and are reclusive. But dealing with human-adjusted animals is a management challenge.
"It appears to be a learned behavior," Curtis noted. "Certain animals seem more adapted to an urban environment. They catch a few cats and say, Hey there is abundant food here."
Animal control officers are experimenting with ways to reintroduce fear of humans in coyotes that have lost it. Many states have open season on coyote hunting. But the practice is controversial and often impractical in suburban and urban areas, where most problems occur.
Other non-lethal methods, including rubber buckshot and fencing, have met with mixed results.
"If they persist in aggressive behavior, the ultimate solution would probably be to remove problem animals," Curtis said. "Nobody is happy about that."
Human Causes?
Meanwhile, Timm's data suggest that certain areas seem more predisposed to coyote-human conflicts.
"The data on pet losses in recent years is not very different in the states of Texas and California," the University of California wildlife specialist said. "Yet there have been few, if any, human attacks [by coyotes] in Texas."
No one is certain what might account for the discrepancy.
"We're speculating at this point, but something is different about southern California, and in many cases we think that intentional feeding in neighborhoods is a factor," Timm said. "It's probably more typical than we know."
"People in Texas don't have a kind of Disney attitude about animals," he added. "There may be more of that rancher mentality, where everybody recognizes that we don't want [coyotes] in the neighborhood."
Scientists stress that respect for animals, especially predators such as coyotes, means keeping them wild.
"Don't feed them, either purposely or inadvertently, and stay away from animals that show no natural fear," Batcheller, the New York wildlife biologist, cautioned. "Like other wildlife, coyotes should be enjoyed and appreciated, but from a distance. It does this species no good to encourage abnormal behaviors."
As Curtis, the Cornell wildlife biologist, noted, "Hearing [coyotes] howling in the woods at night is a wonderful thing. And that's where we want to keep them—in the woods, away from people."
I have had coyotes come on my land, within a few feet of my yard fence....stare me in the face and run(they were after my geese). This is in broad daylight. I have a photo of one of them. It is not clear, but I got it. They are losing their territory out here and are getting desperate and gutsy.
I'll buy that ...
The best place to start is with FReeper Varmint Al's website.
I like either an AR in .223 or a bolt gun in .243 for longer work. Remember - fur don't count!" If you have a helicopter you might try a 12 gauge.
Do you find your dog is better behaved after he sees you drop a coyote?
All you had to do was turn in the ears. State payed 15 dollars, ranchers paid 10.
Okay, a dumb question. Was the original purpose of wolfhounds to hunt wolves or are they part wolf?
All the dogs at the deer club seem to mind better after that happens.
they don't
Quote 95Tarheel:
General (sort of joking) question: Does hunting really instill fear in animals? I know to some extent it's a true phenomena, but when you think about it- the only time animals who are being hunted should "learn" to fear humans would be when they are wounded- and hunting these days typically is one shot, one kill. Are there that many animals out there watching and observing their buddies getting killed, or are there that many bad hunters leaving animals wounded?
When you hunt predators then the ones most likely to get killed are the most brazen. You are essentially removing aggresiveness toward humans from their gene pool and making fear toward humans a reproductive advantage. Domestic dogs were bred to be docile in just this way; selective breeding. So you are not actually "teaching" them fear of humans, you are breeding fear into them.
I have compiled a list of coyote attacks on children. It is by no means complete, but what I have been able to find on the internet and with the help of people emailing me accounts.
Good Hunting... from Varmint Al
If I lived somewhere where they were common, and I were out in the country, I'd probably invest in a 2nd generation night scope. Maybe even 3rd gen.
"I've often wondered how long it will take coyotes and/or wolves to get back down to North Carolina."
They've been here for a while now, depending upon what area of the state you're in. The Red Wolves were reintroduced by the Wildlife people... a big mistake, if you ask me, deliberately bringing back large predators. Most people would agree; that's why it was essentially done in secret.
"Do you find your dog is better behaved after he sees you drop a coyote?"
I was thinking that black lab looked a little... confused, maybe? Not the usual thrilled look that they get with game.
Remington Premier V-Max would certainly do the trick...remember to gut-shoot it so it goes off and dies on someone else's property.
Either that or shoot, shovel, and shutup.
Coyotes here in our urban subdivision have killed our two cats, and countless other pets around here.
Perhaps if they ate the mayor's kids, something would happen about this problem.
I invested in cyanide pellets and ground beef.
More effective than a night scope,even.
Glad you waded in on this one...your web site is one
of the best when it comes to varmints and showing what
coyotes are really like...and why they need to be controled
imo
if you're interested in keep the fur, a sub caliber is better, i.e. 17, 15 and even 14.
These are really starting to get popular.
I've lived out in the courtry here in NE Texas for 9 years. I hear the coyotes nearly every night, but have only seen them on my property 3 times. Once about 3 years ago and twice in the past 3 days. Sunday, I was mowing with the small tractor and one trotted in front of me about 30 feet away. This happened in full daylight about 3 p.m. in the afternoon. Last night we heard them yelp so close to the house that we put the dogs up. A few minutes later we saw a big one (the size of a German Shepherd) running along the property line. I bought a BB gun today, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to bring out the big guns.
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