Last breakfast.

[waburn]

This morning I woke up to the cows mooing and acting strange. Did not take long to spot the culprit. The sad part is that the neighbors have commercial chicken houses and daily have a stray chicken or two running around the outside of the barns. The coyotes usually go over and kill the stray chickens each night, free and easy meal. Problem is they usually travel over one of my cow pastures in the process. Seventh year in a row, of killing at least one coyote in one of the pastures. This one will not be a problem anymore, but I was to late for the little fella who came last night.

 

[Fremmer]

That's a shame about the calf. Darn yotes!

 

[hamp sandwich]

Next time I have someone asking why people would want to shoot a precious predator, I'm showing them this pic.

 

[Flintknapper]

Not to argue.....(Coyotes are a shoot on sight animal here), but it is quite possible that calf died of some other cause and the Yote was simply taking advantage of it.

We have a LOT of Coyotes where I live...and they are undeniably a predator of opportunity, but I can't personally confirm any of our calves in the last 30 years were actually killed by a Coyote.

Yes, I've seen them hanging around the herd to see if any calves are still born or to clean up the Placenta, but honestly.... can't say I've ever witnessed an attack or found empirical evidence of a kill.

Chickens, yes....by the dozens, goats...you betcha, but not a healthy calf...especially if the healthy cow was around.

I may be way off base...in your circumstance...but I think Yotes get blamed for a lot of kills they did not commit.

 

[13Bravo]

I caught a glimpse of a story yesterday I vaguely recall was somewhere in the NE. "Coyote fallen through the ice, Fire Department assists in rescue". Darn thing got out on it's own and took off. There's footage on the internet somewhere. I thought "Damn, to be a fireman and risk an ice rescue for a coyote?"

 

[Flintknapper]

I caught a glimpse of a story yesterday I vaguely recall was somewhere in the NE. "Coyote fallen through the ice, Fire Department assists in rescue". Darn thing got out on it's own and took off. There's footage on the internet somewhere. I thought "Damn, to be a fireman and risk an ice rescue for a coyote?"

I'd go out there in a heartbeat. (If I thought I could hold its head under)

 

[waburn]

Flintknapper, I agree with you, not all calves being ate by coyotes were killed by them. I am pretty sure this calf was alive.
I have actually saw a coyote chasing, catching, and killing a calf. I have also passed cows, on two different occasions, with perfectly healthy calves while putting out hay. The mother followed, leaving the calf, and less than an hour later when I came back by the calf was being ate by a coyote.
I have also had problems with neighbor's, man with the chickens, hounds and german shepherds. One dog is usually not a problem but they get in packs of three, four, or five, and chase the cows and calves. The fall of last year I recorded the neighbors' two german shepherds chasing half the herd across the field for five minutes. The neighbor did not believe me, basically telling me I was a liar. Showed him the video on my laptop, and told him what my intentions were the next time I saw them in the pasture. He fixed the fence around his yard, problem solved.

 

[waburn]

March of 2014

Saw him following the herd for three days before I got a clear shot when he crossed the fence into some recently cut pines. 265 yards, 22-250 Remington 788.

January 28 of 2013

Calf had been ate, whether killed by him or not, don't know. Another coyote was seen but got away. 406 yards, same rifle.

January 30 of 2013

Believe it was the other one I had seen two days before. Following the cows and eating afterbirth. 390 yards, same rifle.

One side of my property is bordered by the chicken houses, and the other sides are a couple thousand acres of planted pines.

 

[SouthernDawg]

Down here the ranchers have a donkey or two in the pastures with their cattle. They will run the coyotes off.


Dawg

 

[Walkalong]

Around here every one with goats keep a donkey or two for the coyotes.

 

[waburn]

We have a donkey, probably need more than one to cover the acreage. Have had him two years, and have seen him chasing a few, and seemingly ignoring a few.

 

[Flintknapper]

Flintknapper, I agree with you, not all calves being ate by coyotes were killed by them. I am pretty sure this calf was alive.
I have actually saw a coyote chasing, catching, and killing a calf. I have also passed cows, on two different occasions, with perfectly healthy calves while putting out hay. The mother followed, leaving the calf, and less than an hour later when I came back by the calf was being ate by a coyote.

No doubt.... it happens. In fact, not 30 minutes after I made my first post, my wife came to the bathroom door (I was drying off after my shower) to inform me that two coyotes just crossed our pasture (behind the house) and were now on the neighbors property. I quickly went to the window to see where they were.
Both were just entering some pines about 450 yds. distant and appeared to be gone.

My wife remarked that several of the neighbors cows had just been standing in the same spot for a long time. I looked at them through the Bino's and suddenly could see the legs of one of the Coyotes through the pines, pacing back and forth.

I then looked back at the cows (facing the direction of the Yote) and noticed one of the cows had a new born calf on the ground. Comically, I caught myself thinking...'I am going to have to go back on the forum and eat crow, after semi-defending coyotes' if that thing gets any closer. It eventually left...but I am sure it was looking for a free meal of some type.

I have also had problems with neighbor's, man with the chickens, hounds and german shepherds. One dog is usually not a problem but they get in packs of three, four, or five, and chase the cows and calves. The fall of last year I recorded the neighbors' two german shepherds chasing half the herd across the field for five minutes. The neighbor did not believe me, basically telling me I was a liar. Showed him the video on my laptop, and told him what my intentions were the next time I saw them in the pasture. He fixed the fence around his yard, problem solved.

Very common problem everywhere. You are exactly right about dogs 'packing up' and behaving entirely different than the owner might think they do.

Glad you did not have to shoot it. No one wants to dispatch someone else's pet.

Best of luck with your predator problem. Looks as if you are doing all you can.

Flint.

 

[toiville2feathers]

Flint knapper you are one lucky individual to have cows dropping calves and coyotes and not any problems with the coyotes. How many cows do you have and what kind of fence do you have? Do you calve in barns or in the pasture or range?
We have 525 head that calve in our pastures. They are purebreads so as soon As we find them they get ear tags. I find carcasses with tags way to often.
Last year I had a cow that had trouble with a breeched birth. This happened at night and I found her when I was feeding the cows in the morning. She was laying on the ground totally exhausted. The ground was tore up in 50 ft circle where she tried to fight them off. The front half of the calf was still in her a d they had already ate the hind quarter of that were out. There were 3 on them when I drove up with the tractor and feed wagon. I killed 1 and a second one got hit hazard in the guts, he crawled away drag his entrails. I didn't finish him off, figured it was a just way for him to die. Third one got away.
I do have stillborn calves and on occasion sickness takes a few. But for the most part coyotes are the biggest problem. Last year 14 were killed by coyotes. That's a $ 7000 loss for me, therefore we trap, snare and shoot every damn one we can. This winter I've hired a guy with greyhounds. He has got 16 since Dec 1. That is something to watch when 3 greyhounds get them.

 

[Cypress]

I guess coyotes act differently in different areas. I'm with Flint. I have never confirmed a coyote kill on our ranch. Neither has my dad. I have witnessed many times coyotes eating calf droppings around the herd literally feet from cows and calves. The cows don't even stand up most the time. On the other hand I've seen the entire herd run off stray dogs. Maybe we feed the yotes enough hog meat that they stay full.

 

[blindhari]

Thanks for the picture,
My brother in law and I have teamed up for years to take out feral dogs released on forest land leased to cattle in Az mountains. We have had the time and a number of years ranchers have trusted us to take out ferals and coyotes. It is not a fun thing to take out a purebred dog that has been abandoned by some city idiot. We have taken down Rottweilers feeding on cattle over 40 miles from the highway 10 miles off the closest county dirt road. Not the dogs fault. I have told my brother in law to train some one new as I am getting too old. I will say that a 357 mag Buffalo Bore from a 16" 94 Winchester does an acceptable job at 100 yds and under.

Just getting too old,

blindhari

 

[MtnCreek]

This winter I've hired a guy with greyhounds. He has got 16 since Dec 1. That is something to watch when 3 greyhounds get them.

Get that on video and post it!

 

[joem1945]

I used to lease some land with a cabin and there were feral dog packs. Tough to hunt, they are crafty and smart.

 

[Flintknapper]

Cypress wrote:

I guess coyotes act differently in different areas.

I think a Coyote is a 'Coyote'...no matter where they live (predator, opportunist, scavenger, adaptable). But I understand your comment to mean....they are possibly forced 'by circumstance' to be more troublesome to livestock in certain places.

For instance, where I live (Deep East Texas), there are many small farms and a lot of commercial poultry production. The area is rich with food sources (both wild and domestic)....so a Coyote is NOT going to starve here.

We have mild winters, so there is really no time of year that is particularly taxing on them. Because of all that....there is little reason for Coyotes to target anything larger than rabbits, mice, chickens, etc...

Naturally, they will take advantage of any 'carrion/carcasses' they happen upon (hogs, deer, discarded poultry from production) or dead calves. But most of their diet (here) is in the form of rodents and poultry.

But.....I can easily see them being a significant problem in a different environment. A 'hungry' Coyote will most certainly take bigger chances...in order to secure a meal. If that means taking down a calf (particularly if there is a pack of Yotes)....then I have no doubt they would try.

I am not saying Coyotes don't kill calves, fawns, goats, sheep, etc. I am just saying not every Coyote seen eating a carcass....is guilty of killing it, they are also scavengers.

I'm no expert on Coyotes...and sometimes they surprise me, but when it comes to filling their bellies...it has been my observation that they prefer to do so... the easiest and safest way that circumstance permits.

 

[AKElroy]

We've seen more yotes' this year than the prior 7 years combined on my current lease. We have always heard them at night, but only this year are we seeing them nearly daily.

Our place is so thick, we are always late with getting a rifle to shoulder before they evaporate into the brush.

When cleaning animals, we cart off the innerds and unwanted pigs to the "boneyard". The guts rarely survive the night; we've dumped them and come back an hour later to find every scrap gone; only the contents of the lower intestine remaining. How they eat that fast and avoid the waist is beyond me. Of corse, it may be pigs feasting as well. Never seen evidence of them touching the dead pigs; they apparently have some measure of good taste.

It is interesting that they obviously live on the property, and yet we rarely walk any up. We can flush pigs almost every afternoon. I know very little about their habits; I assume they may hunker down in a good hiding spot and not flush like other game, but that is just a guess to explain why we rarely walk them up.