Coyotes for pest control

[CapeCodCubs]

My neighbor and I grow stuff together and he made a good point. Looking back over the past growing season. We didn't get the plots entirely fenced in and we didn't have any pests problems what so ever. There are a lot of coyotes around here and I mean alot! There are lots of deer, too. Lots of owls and a really good mix of all kinds of wildlife. There are not as many rabbits as I remember. Lonnie mentioned that he didn't care if coyotes cross the fields and they do frequently in broad daylight 2 or 3 together maybe 300 feet or so from us. He said they are good pest control and seeing that not a single plant got eaten maybe he's right. They don't bother us...we don't bother them and rabbits, woodchucks and racoons don't seem to be as abundent. I have a woodchuck problem at my farm but I'm heavily fenced in to keep my flock of sheep safe. At his farm he doesn't have the heavily fenced in setup I do and the coyotes stroll through at will...so maybe shooting them might be a farmers mistake. Okay guys...you can take some shots at this post. Open season on me, now.

[smigelski]

Ok I will go first. We just got coyotes down here about 10yrs ago. they say natural migration(BS - 1 got hit by a car. it had a radio collar on). I use to raise goats, notice the term use too. My pastures have 4ft high woven wire fence, with electric high and low. once the coyotes run out of wild animals it is all over. After they kill their first domestic animal they never go after anything else. In Cape May county they snatch dogs and cats out of yards like never seen before. once they ate 1 goat, it became a smorgasboard for them. they drug 1 through a culvert that was half full of water and another 300 yds into brush. Coyotes may take down a fawn in the spring, but they are not going to go after a large deer when there are so many other animals to eat.

[SONNY]

This is NOT a shot at you, but I think it mostly depends on your specific area and what the food supply is.---We have COYDOGS around here and they will attack people!!! There is a difference in the hybrid as to what they will do!---I am sure that if we had animals that we would have problems.---Our biggest problems here are robins/small brown timber birds/rabbits/deers/ etc. I have never shot a true coyote, never could get close enough to! thanks; sonny

[RaymondDurban]

Coyotes around here were becoming quite a problem until the last year or so. Game wardens let it be known that they could be killed year round with no bag limit. Encouraged thinning out the population of coyotes to keep the small animal populations up (turkey, rabbit, gopher tortoise which are endangered, as well as others). You used to not be able to walk out at night without hearing them howling or yapping up a storm, but haven't heard them at all in 6 months or more.

....once the coyotes run out of wild animals it is all over. After they kill their first domestic animal they never go after anything else. ....

I agree. Although you may not see a problem now, coyotes will multiply so fast they will soon overwhelm the wild food source and will turn on "Fluffy and Spot" real quick! The natural migration is also BS, hunters brought them here, with the blessing of the wildlife officers, when the statewide fox population ran thin, and argueably has never recovered.

I have never shot a true coyote, never could get close enough to! thanks; sonny

If you are looking to do so, start depositing the 'leftovers' of deer from hunting in the same place. The coyotes will of course congregate there looking for easy food, and will become easy targets. They are very smart, and are very quiet. You have to have a sharp eye out for them sneaking up.

[SONNY]

Since I am not able to hunt,-- or be out in the cold for long periods of time, I have to rely on traps to do the catching for me!! thanks; sonny

[Joe Malinowski]

Here in western Ma. the other part of the state the coyote population is getting out of control. Many missing house cats and dogs being attacked while tied out in thier own yards. Not to mention the attacks on small farm animals. There have also been a couple random attacks on people, I think the danger outweighs the benefit.

[Billy Fussell]

Yep. Kill every one you can. They may be a novelty right now, but they will become a problem later on. They will cross with dogs and the hybred will be agressive towards humans. They will thin out the pet dog and cats too. Will kill young deer. They are not good for anything.

Billy

[CapeCodCubs]

Convincing points...they seem to have a good food supply but one bad winter could change that. My friend made the point and whereas he is older and "wiser" (in most cases) than I am I kind of grasped the concept and forget about the domestic dog and cat part of the mix. Thanks for bringing me back to reality.

[beaconlight]

Is this a case of where the cure is worse than the disease????????????

[flyawa]

There are three packs on my section. Some nights they fight over a kill. They are very reclusive and hard to get a shot at. Would not feel at all bad if their population dropped a bit. The rabbits and coons try to stay close to the buildings hoping the coyotes will stay back. My dogs will charge them if they get too close. They seem to have worked out some sort of balance though