Do coyotes pose a real threat?

[mi650]

Interesting responses. I'd say the common theme is vigilance goes along way. The longer your pet is left unattended in certain environments compounds the risk. Only you know your level of of risk.

It was said above but few pets know how to fight, you might think your xxx dog Is a beast but it's a housecat compared to a wild coyote. The best thing they have going for them is size(maybe) and you.

The guys with the curs and the ones running coyotes for sport with dogs don't just drop their dogs in the ring with a big healthy coyote and cross their fingers. It's a learned skill that needs developed.

I recall reading a book about how wolves were observed ripping the bellies of caribou open on the run so they would trip themselves on their own intestines and go down. Less risk to the wolf compared to wrestling a larger animal.

The only way to get better at killing, is killing. And ole Fido just isn't built for it.

There's a lot of truth here.

Something else I read a long time ago; coyotes, and predators in general, don't want to get injured in a fight with dogs. They don't know where their next meal is coming from, but they do know that being injured will make it harder to get. Dogs don't have this problem.

When I bought my property, we had 1 dog, a 120 lb. lab. My wife asked if we should be worried about coyotes. I told her no, our lab was more than double the size a huge coyote. I was wrong.


ETA: I was wrong in my thought process, our dog didn't get killed.

 

[Greenbelt]

I moved to Redondo Beach 20 years ago from the mountains of Northern California and the fascination Southern California people have with coyotes is bewildering to me lol. They absolutely will try and kill your dogs. Down at the beach they try to lure my gsp in all the time with a single and I'm absolutely sure they would kill him. Back where I'm from we kill them any chance we get. You'll see people driving down the side of the road, stop, and get a rifle out of the cab cause they saw a coyote running in a field. Lol. If you live in a rural area get a high power pellet gun and start shooting them where the sun don't shine.

Honestly I'm hoping that the packs of coyotes get big enough down here that they start eating residents so we have less liberals in the world.

 

[UpperLeft86]

My Great Pyrenees (75-ish pounds) got into a stand off with a couple coyotes this spring in the middle of the night. He was barking his ass off at them right in the driveway. They were within 40 feet of him and not backing down. He wouldn't have stood a chance if they decided to make a move. I grabbed a 20ga, ran out there in my muck boots and skivvies, and shot one in the ass while they ran off. They didn't come back, but we'll likely have another incident like that this spring during their mating season.

To the dog's credit, we haven't lost a single chicken since we got him a couple years ago, but he'd lose that fight in a hurry.

Did you see that Great Pyr that killed 8 coyotes last winter? In Georgia, I believe. Wild.
I think people tend to get a little anthropomorphic in their hatred of coyotes, but we have some bigger packs around here, and I keep a close eye on any of our little animals (two and four legged.) They're useful like all predators, but they thrive in any environment and live in closer proximity to us, which leads to quite a bit of conflict.

 

[Brusso89]

I’ve lived in Buckeye, AZ for 3 years now. My backyard wall is up against farm land and I hear coyotes at night in those farm fields at least once a week. I have a standard 6 foot block wall but it’s a bigger drop off on the other side of the wall where those farm fields are due to the grade my house is on, I’d say 12 feet on the other side so a Coyote getting into my yard I’d imagine is highly unlikely. My GSP in my pic has wrestled a few lone coyotes out bird hunting over the years. I’ve always been pretty close and able to scare the coyote off within less than a minute each time but my boy is 70 ponds and each time it’s happened it’s been just us hunting, no other dogs or people. In my opinion and experience, 100% a single coyote would not hesitate to square up with your 40 pound female. Will they enter a fenced yard to get her? I’d say 9 times out of 10 no, but I definitely wouldn’t be shocked that 1 time they do given the right circumstances.

 

[BeanPole]

They have started appearing in our area in Central Virginia; saw two on trial camera's this past deer season; and I'm about to put up a large chicken coop. Ordered heavy duty galvanized hardware cloth to install over the floor (ground) and up the sides. Hope this helps to keep them out. Might have to get a little bigger back up than my .22lr.

 

[Weldor]

I had a 100 lb.Greyhound, he would follow you anywhere. I was welding a cattle pen in the front pasture a few years back, he was chilling in the back of my Jeep. The wife stops me while welding and points a a yote cruising across the pasture and right in front of the back of the jeep. Fast forward, that dog came out of there like a shot and took that yotes achilles out and killed him right there. Best ending to any coyote I,ve seen. The ranchers around here are your best friend when you help control the population.

 

[doc holiday13]

As said above, they are definitely smarter than most people give them credit for.

This

Also coyotes punch above their weight. A 50# coyotes will take dogs that have them by 20#. Coyotes have some distinct biological differences that allow them to do so. Plus every meal is a fight so they're conditioned to fighting whereas our house pets are not

That said. I personally would not worry about coyotes. They're generally very skiddish when a human gets near them

 

[TSAMP]

I was hunting this weekend for squrriel and my dog was in a large brush pile made up of a few fallen trees. As I walked around it I noticed coyote scat in the snow in a few locations and he went on point. As I moved in he broke and began to make voice as he ran. Which is typical when he runs rabbit and can see them. Out came a large coyote running at a slow trot. My dog ran it barking for 60 yards before I called him off. The whole time the coyote was never at more than a brisk pace and kept looking back.

I believe my dog was smart enough to keep a 5 ft distance between them. I never took a shot given the proximity but in all the yote seemed more annoyed than anything.

If the coyote stopped running I think the dog may have been in big trouble. I suspect the obnoxious barking helped keep things moving.

 

[Kevin in NH]

Here in the Seacoast NH pets are a prime target and if you leave a deer overnight your lucky to find the rack!!!

 

[Rob960]

Here in PA hunters have taken Coyotes that weighed in range from 35 pounds to 90 pounds. If I remember correctly the game commission ranked in order the deer predators in the state as black bear, coyote and then hunters.

 

[Weldor]

Doing alittle predator control today. Calves coming soon.