I've got a pair of Great Horned Owl's that have taken up residence in the woodlots around the house. They're hooting right now. Harbingers of doom and death is the legend. Two nights ago, approximately 6-8 coyote's were yipping, yapping, and howling a couple of hundred yards down the road. There is the remnants of a deer carcass there now. Don't know if the deer was roadkill or killed by the yodel dogs. Now, this morning, around 3:30 or so, I heard a Bob-cat scream. A couple of weeks early for them to be looking for a mate. Now, I need to go out with the dogs at dusk, dawn, and in the overnight hours. Gonna need to lobby the city council to permit coyote hunting inside the city limits. The 'yotes are getting bolder by the day. Way too many of them, and if they are hungry enough, they will jump a fence to take a family pet that is smaller than they are. Currently, coyote's, bald eagles, and the bob-cats, are the apex predators around here. Anybody else having predator issues?
No - although we do have Tawny owls calling and foxes screeching for a mate. They both keep the vermin under control here so we love to have them around.
We have many Coyotes here. Its like a chorus at night. They will take a small pet if they are hungry enough but not likely a deer. A deer has front feet that has hooves razor sharp. They will not usually attack anything that has the capacity to injure them. Everyone here has cattle and even if newborn they have not bothered the calves. But if you are close to the city where natural food is scarce (gophers, moles, mice, rats ect) better keep an eye out !!
Not to the extent of you, but we are seeing many more hawks in this area as of late. It's mating time for the squirrels, so that may be a factor.
We have a resident pair of Cara Caras which resemble a cross between an eagle and a vulture, coyotes of course, and recently saw our first fox. Hawks are fairly common, both the red-tailed and the Cooper's. We don't have a vermin problem, which I'm sure is due to our predators hanging around. Plenty of food in the pasture (voles, mice, etc.) so they leave our hens alone. Of course, the fact that the inside and outside coops are fortified top and bottom helps!
We are rural, and so we have all the regular predators ... coyotes, owls, hawks, fox, and fishers. I have seen evidence of bears, but never actually seen one. But the wet bear prints on my dog walk one morning sure keep me alert! I have also seen a cougar just a few miles from my house.
