Discouraging coyotes hanging around the house?

[JesseL]

I've got a bit of a coyote problem I'm wondering how to deal with.

Coyotes have been hanging around my (wooded suburban) yard for the past few months and getting very bold. We're seeing them regularly, in broad daylight, within 20 feet of the house. They don't seem particularly concerned about humans and if yelled at or approached, just casually trot away.

The other day one took a $*@& on my doorstep . People I know in the area have had their leashed dogs attacked by coyotes while walking, and a few weeks ago I saw two of them stalking one of my neighbors with his small dogs . My wife is concerned about playing outside with our 18 month old son.

If I was outside the city limits (one side of my property is the city line) and a little further from my neighbors, I'd know exactly what to do .

So how would you encourage these 'yotes to be a little less comfortable and more wary?

 

[ArcherandShooter]

Would an air-powered pellet gun be allowed where you live? There's some on the market these days that'll put a real hurt on something the size of a coyote.

 

[JesseL]

I've got a Crosman 1077 around here somewhere. Is a pellet gun likely to cause a festering wound though? If I'm not going to flat-out kill 'em, I'd prefer not to injure them.

 

[ARGarrison]

Depends on local laws inside city limits and what you can do. Number of things you might try. Paintball gun, firecrakers, thrown baseaball, airhorn, airgun to the rear. You need to train them to be afraid of you.

 

[308win]

At the close ranges you stated, subsonic .22's would do the trick with accurate shot placement and I wouldn't expect over penetration to be an issue.

 

[GunTech]

Want to discourage them? Have you tried putting on the financial news?

Coyotes are usually so skittish it doesn't take much to run them off. Sometimes it is a simple as 'Boundary' for dogs from your local pet store. Or try mountain lion urine.

CB caps or a powerful airgun will send a message as well.

 

[Art Eatman]

If you see a coyote in your yard, ease the door open as quietly as possible and launch out into the yard, yelling and screaming at the top of your lungs.

If that doesn't work, move. You have more problems than you could ever legally deal with.



Art

 

[Nicky Santoro]

OP,
I've tagged several non-native predators (cats) with very light flat faced .177 pellets. I still see them in the area, so they were "trained" but not injured. They give me and my yard a wide berth.
FWIW
YMMV

 

[TexasBen317]

just an off the wall idea,, Paint Ball gun?

 

[JesseL]

Unfortunately things like 22 shorts and CB caps aren't an option. They still qualify as a firearm and if a busybody neighbor made a fuss, I'd be looking at a felony.

If you see a coyote in your yard, ease the door open as quietly as possible and launch out into the yard, yelling and screaming at the top of your lungs.

If that doesn't work, move. You have more problems than you could ever legally deal with.

I'll give that one a try . Seriously though, considering that it seems to take quite a bit a yelling and kicking to get a coyote off of a dog, it might not be that easy.

OP,
I've tagged several non-native predators (cats) with very light flat faced .177 pellets. I still see them in the area, so they were "trained" but not injured. They give me and my yard a wide berth.
FWIW
YMMV

Good to know, thanks.

It looks like I'll be keeping the pellet gun handy.

 

[skinewmexico]

Paintball gun. The coyotes in my yard left as soon as they finished the last of the feral cats my idiot neighbor kept. I am trying to convince my wife I need a supressor, and a 300 Whisper barrel to put on my Savage.

 

[rooter]

Mix a can of chicken with some antifreeze, it takes care of trespassing cats/dogs/coyotes permanently.

 

[El Tejon]

Trap one, cut off its head and spike it in the tree line. The coyotes will leave you alone then.

Works for raccoons too.

 

[Harvster]

How's animal control in your area? Some places will trap or shoot problem critters. Also, if it were on your property you may be able to shoot it (if you feel its safe). Most times I think the discharge within city limits would be waived for a defensive situation like the animal stalking a kid or dog.

 

[John4me05]

Could always get a bow...

 

[eliphalet]

Buy a powerful and quiet as you can find pellet gun, shoot em in the guts, they will go off and die someplace else. If you get caught it is not a firearm just a BB gun. Soon they will for the most part learn to avoid your place as coyotes are a smart critter.

 

[Car Knocker]

If you get caught it is not a firearm just a BB gun.

In some localities, a pellet/BB gun is classified as a firearm.

 

[plexreticle]

Mix a can of chicken with some antifreeze, it takes care of trespassing cats/dogs/coyotes permanently.

Oh there's a great plan. Indiscriminately kill animals.

Better yet get some arsenic put it in some bird seed and let the food chain take care of the rest.

 

[jeepmor]

A good wrist rocket should get the point across. That would sting at 20-30 feet something fierce.

 

[AirplaneDoc]

you have to use the antifreeze with ethelyne glycol. (the old green kind) I hear the new stuff does not work. Ibuprofen works for dogs, but not cats. I would think a coyote would be similar.

Live traps work to. you can always shoot them later.

Animal Control tells me that coyotes go for small wild animals then cats then dogs. If they are going after dogs, they will continue to esclalate, on up the food chain

 

[OMGWTFBBQ]

A paint ball gun, wrist rocket(can cause injuries), or airsoft gun that will fire .3g bbs at >350fps(Like this) will give them a hint not to come around if they don't want to get stung in the butt, but will not cause any injury worse than a welt at >10yards(the wrist rocket WILL, but if you pull back less it won't). The wrist rocket is, of course, by far the cheapest of the three.

If you're out for blood, I'd suggest a bow or cross bow, a powerful break barrel would also do the job with a well placed shot. If you go for the latter, I would say a .22 caliber with a muzzle velocity of >1000fps would be about the lowest power to consider. This in either cal would seem to be a pretty suitable air gun.

Edited it add: NEVER use poison. Someone's pet may eat it, and besides that, it's inhumane. No animal deserves to suffer like that, one of my worst childhood memories was when I was over at my cousin's house and his dog got into some poisoned bait his neighbor left out to get rid of the squirrels. They ended up putting her down after about 10 minutes of some of the most pitiful suffering I've ever witnessed.

 

[springmom]

For the love of Pete. Do NOT bait with poison. You do NOT have any control over what will eat that poison. Maybe your next door neighbor's dog gets out and eats it. Maybe YOUR dog gets out and eats it. This is about as Low Road a suggestion as I've ever seen. Get a pellet gun, get a paint ball gun, get a trap. But do NOT use ethylene glycol. Ever.

Springmom

 

[rooter]

Lets not get into an ethical debate about poisoning a pest whether it be feral or domesticated. If someone is worried about their pet being poisoned, simply keep it off my property, problem solved. Nothing high or low road about it, just an effective way of dealing with it.

 

[Sunray]

Remove the food source and cover. ARGarrison makes a good point too. Rocks, sticks, baseballs, etc will teach Wiley that your place is to be avoided.
Using poison of any kind is illegal in most places. Never mind the neighbour's pets, kids tend to put anything and everything into themselves.

 

[plexreticle]

Lets not get into an ethical debate about poisoning a pest whether it be feral or domesticated. If someone is worried about their pet being poisoned, simply keep it off my property, problem solved. Nothing high or low road about it, just an effective way of dealing with it.

It's irresponsible and illegal in many places.

I think there should be an ethical debate in this thread about indiscriminately poisoning animals. If you don't want a debate then don't defend it.