Callin' all varmint hunters!!

[Christian Fox]

Since it can't hurt, (unless your neighbors can see you) take a nightly piss at various locations around the perimeter of the backyard near the house.

This I can do. My neighbors won't mind, they're awesome. They routinely walk around their yard naked anyway (two dudes in their fifties, not that exciting for me at least). Hey, maybe that's how they keep coyotes out of their yard.

[Badonkadonk]

This I can do. My neighbors won't mind, they're awesome. They routinely walk around their yard naked anyway (two dudes in their fifties, not that exciting for me at least). Hey, maybe that's how they keep coyotes out of their yard.

Or at least I'm sure the cougars stay away

[maunahaole]

All the cougars will go the Greenwich.

[Jason Musgrave]

The tried and true of game poachers everywhere; .22 long rifle fired out of a weapon with a baby bottle nipple fitted over the muzzle. Makes a little spitting sound, and if you use a locked breach non-auto rifle...or a revolver..you don't get any slide-slap.

Ha ha, I've got a CZ455 Varmint in .22lr incoming. Like you say with a bolt gun any noise is coming out the front end, throw some CCI Quiets (or any other subsonic) in there and you've got an almost silent killer.

[WadePatton]

coyotes attack and kill dogs and sheep and goats and cats in this area (more rural). they eat a lot of deer fawns too. facts is facts and i've seen enough deer hair in their droppings for confirmation.

17HMR absolute minimum i'd go for shooting a song dog and that's for sub-100 yards and for experienced marksmen.

problem remains that if you shoot two, then so long as conditions are favorable, more will take their place. Pets (food), wooded areas devoid of hunters will allow them to thrive.

and if you've never trapped a wild animal...don't even think about it. caged critters are wickedly angry and dangerous.

Best bet is to contact your state wildlife agency and let them advise you. They may come and trap some out or institute other "control" measures given enough complaints. Ask your neighbors if they have had pets go "missing". Have them report that to wildlife folks.

hope kitty gets all better.

[rowdyhillrambler]

three options: 1. get a donkey, they make great pets. Coyote problem solved.
2. get a big, live trap. Put on a cat costume. Lure the coyote into the trap, have a stern conversation with the coyote. Kind of lik ALF, he loved to eat cats
until they explained how in humane it was.
3. I will pick Wade up, we will come to CT and help out with some real redneck problem solving.


Seriously, we used to have a terrible coyote problem. Killed lots of baby calves and goats. We also raised work mules, hence the donkeys. Never had another problem, although this is no solution for you..

I realize the discussion of outdoor cats being inhumane, but with as many barns as i have, if we didnt keep barn cats we would have more mice than i care to feed.

[rowdyhillrambler]

Also, have any of ya'll actually trapped a live coyote? I have seen it once, Holy Shit!! That thing was madder than a boiled owl.

I rarely say hire a professional. But, man that seems like a good time to spend the cash.

[WadePatton]

... trapped a live coyote? I have seen it once, Holy Shit!! That thing was madder than a boiled owl...

or a trapped coon, possum, feral cat... they all pitch a bitch when you hem 'em up. also they can inflict damage to those who get near the cage. ask rowdy if he knows.

and coyotes are notoriously difficult to trap, being extremely scent wary and skeptical of free goodies.

anything that we didn't exterminate in the 1800's is wary (also known as Wile E), or simply had no market value.

[Philster]

When I ride Chester/Killingworth (probably not far from the OP), I often see signs posted looking for missing pets. I assumed that aliens were taking them for experiments, but maybe it's the coyotes. Either way, I think I'd call the government for help.

[caleb]

Also, have any of ya'll actually trapped a live coyote? I have seen it once, Holy Shit!! That thing was madder than a boiled owl.

Can't be worse than a skunk in a leghold.

I think you have no sense of adventure. :-)

[rowdyhillrambler]

No time to respond, got my catstume on sitting in the trap. Will report...

Can't be worse than a skunk in a leghold.

I think you have no sense of adventure. :-)

[Chad]

Call game and parks, or whatever they're called in your state, they can give you some assistance. If they're coming after your "livestock" I believe you may legally shoot them. Not to sound crass, but that is the most effective option, and even that will be difficult, they're elusive little turds.

Get on cabelas.com and buy an electronic caller, sit on the porch with a firearm similar to what Wade described and wait.

[ned]

Thank gawd Rowdy and Wade are here to lend expert advice. First off, how y'all expect to hunt any varmint when your ice tea ain't sweet, you're donuts have been boiled instead of fried, and you have no intention of eating said varmint?

[Cookietruck]

or a trapped coon, possum, feral cat... they all pitch a bitch when you hem 'em up. also they can inflict damage to those who get near the cage. ask rowdy if he knows.

and coyotes are notoriously difficult to trap, being extremely scent wary and skeptical of free goodies.

anything that we didn't exterminate in the 1800's is wary (also known as Wile E), or simply had no market value.

yeah, there are lots of coyotes out at my grandma's farm
always hear them when there aren't alot of people out there
i have never actually seen one out there...

also, they have a jillass out there with the cows now

usually when we have the dogs out there we'll be chillin and the dogs will catch a scent and give a good growl. i'm always thinkin "yo doggies, pretty sure you don't want to meet them coyotes...even if you are some mean ol' pitbulls"

[vertical_doug]

I feel bad for your cat and hope it recovers.

The simple solution is keep the cat indoors (you should do this anyway). Domestic cats are notorious bird hunters and little killing machines. Your neighborhood birds will thank you and you will help keep the coyotes away. The free ranging domestic cats released by people have become popular prey for the coyotes. Coyotes being smart and adaptive omnivores, have developed a nice appetite for cats. Nothing is going to change that.

You can also add a bell and cat collar for when kitty goes outside. The bell makes it impossible for the cat to sneak up on birds, and hopefully, the bell being a human noise, may keep coyote away. (but it sounds like the coyotes hunting during daylight in a human area means they are already quite bold.) They are probably a mated pair and may have to feed pups which accounts for the aggressive daylight hunt.

The only other actionable advice is to call town pest control like another poster suggested. You pay real estate taxes and think of it as a nice way to claw some of that back to your own benefit.

[rowdyhillrambler]

waiting to see "Coyote," in the Toque-ista thread. I do not have any recipes for that, but am interested..

[vertical_doug]

waiting to see "Coyote," in the Toque-ista thread. I do not have any recipes for that, but am interested..

Take your Crock Pot Raccoon recipe and substitute coyote. I'm sure it'll work.

[Christian Fox]

Thanks for the tips guys. I think I like the M 80 idea along with peeing around my property line. Neither will do anything, I'm sure, and I'm ok with it. I like wildlife and we seem to have a pretty healthy ecosystem around here. I like seeing foxes, turkey, bobcats etc. Not thrilled that coyotes feel brave enough to approach out house, but we'll just have to chase them off if they show up again. It is surprising given the smorgasbord of turkey and young deer around here that they would bother hunting down a cat. We understand having pets that go outdoors carries risk. Both cats and dogs go missing all the time around here. I'll be surprised if my cat ever wants to go outside again. Anyway, here's our cat convalescing in a sea of blankets provided by the kids. She is a tough little cookie. She was a stray kitten from the (mean) streets of Bridgeport. She can now add coyote fighter to her resume. The vet was astounded she survived. She's got stitches in her mouth and all over her body, but she should be ok.

[christian]

17HMR absolute minimum i'd go for shooting a song dog and that's for sub-100 yards and for experienced marksmen.

problem remains that if you shoot two, then so long as conditions are favorable, more will take their place. Pets (food), wooded areas devoid of hunters will allow them to thrive.

It's illegal to hunt with firearms within 500 ft of an occupied building in CT, so I think preferred calibres for coyote are probably far from Shoney's mind, but I don't think I'd hunt coyote with 17HMR. I'd use .223 (minimum), .243, or 6.5x55. That said, as you say, eliminate two and another pair/family group will take their place. Waging a local war on coyotes is unlikely to be successful.

Call game and parks, or whatever they're called in your state, they can give you some assistance. If they're coming after your "livestock" I believe you may legally shoot them.

I think that CT DEEP is likely to say, "Yup, coyotes, learn to live with them and keep Garfield inside." Connecticut uses contracted Nuisance Wildlife Control Officers, who can be contracted to solve nuisance pests. However, coyotes are not on the list of usual nuisance pests that can be trapped or shot, so the Control Officer has to request a special permit for coyotes. All in, this sounds expensive and time-consuming...

DEEP: Nuisance Wildlife Control and Rabies
http://www.ct.gov/deep/lib/deep/regu...26/26-47-1.pdf

The free ranging domestic cats released by people have become popular prey for the coyotes. Coyotes being smart and adaptive omnivores, have developed a nice appetite for cats. Nothing is going to change that.

This is probably the heart of the matter.

[Mabouya]

Anyway, here's our cat convalescing in a sea of blankets provided by the kids. She is a tough little cookie. She was a stray kitten from the (mean) streets of Bridgeport. She can now add coyote fighter to her resume. The vet was astounded she survived. She's got stitches in her mouth and all over her body, but she should be ok.

In my experience cats are super tough (way tougher than humans) and they heal incredibly quickly. Looks like kitty is well on her way to recovery. :)