During our winter, and only occasionally then, we see one of these in the pasture: Coyote just passin' through ( photo / image / picture from marlingardener's Garden ) As long as the coyote stays in the pasture, we are fine with its visit. However, if it starts to move up toward the barn, I fire a shot over its head. I think it is learning to stay near the pond and avoid buildings (and that lady with a pistol!).Fortunately, the coyote doesn't know I couldn't hit the barn, much less him, with my pistol. Coyotes do have their place--they are great vermin catchers, and keep the vole, rabbit, and mouse populations in bounds. Places who are trying to eradicate the coyote population are noticing a spike in their rodent populations. We will let our coyote hunt the field, just stay away from my chickens!
Great photo MG!! I like coyotes and agree they have their place. I like to see them out in the fields, and I know they do cross my yard at night sometimes, but get worried if they are near the house during the day. Two or three years ago their population was so large that neighbors wouldn't go for a walk without a golf club or baseball bat to defend themselves. Farmers were losing huge amounts of livestock and they decided to take matters into their own hands and started shooting them. Soon there were none left and so the rabbits, rats and mice were taking over. (Remember my rabbit problems?) They must be making a comeback in my neighborhood because I can hear them yipping at night sometimes, and haven't seen any rabbits - which is a good thing.
Netty, our coyotes "yodel" at night. It really sounds like Alpine yodeling! Luckily, our coyote population hasn't been eradicated, or even decimated, so we don't have a huge varmint problem. 2ofus, the coyote saw my husband with a camera, and was checking it out to see if it shot photos, or just shot! Our coyotes aren't particularly shy or aloof, but they are learning to avoid coming near the barn and yard.
Great photograph. I just hope the coyotes leave your chickens, ducks and other water fowl alone. Our Red foxes do the same job here by eradicating rats, mice, voles and rabbits. Some farmers dislike them as they can cause havoc in a chicken coop but I would hate to see them all killed off.
Not sure if we had coyotes or wolf when we lived at our last place. You would see them at night if you were coming home along the side of the road eating road kill. You could also hear them howling and when you are training a puppy or out with an old one that is sick, it is not a good feeling...my husband would not of known I was gone until morning because he never woke when I took them out. We owned 3 acres at that time and a large beautiful woods in the backyard....very dark at night. Our neighbors had even spotted bear and thank heavens I never did.
Hi Jane. A good pic that and a very alert and intelligent looking animal it is. Scaling it against the seat they are bigger than I thought they were. Sounds like a fair deal you are giving it - "Hunt my fields but leave my chickrens alone". It can't complain at that methinks. Syd.
We have them here too... can hear them really close some nights. I don't have any livestock or chickens, so I don't worry about them. Except for Sassy Marie. I don't want her trying to befriend one of them and get in a tussle. You managed to get a good photo!
I live in the middle of a very populated area and we have them running around some housing developments. Their habitat is being taken over by houses and stores so they move into neighborhoods to find pet food and pets for food.
We live 10 miles from town so we hear them sometimes at night. The dogs in the neighborhood bark with them once in awhile. dooley
marling--that is a beautiful animal. I also agree that they have their place in nature. Our neighbor asks us sometimes if we heard the coyotes howling a few days ago. Or one of our other neighbors say that he has seen a coyote track on his walks around his 8acre property. I tell both of them that I have never seen one on our acreage or even heard one at night. But my little dog likes to stay close when we go hikes in our woods in the summer time. She must know that there out there. I only saw a beautiful silver fox one winter hunting mice.
