Coyotes

Of all the varmints we have to deal with on our homestead, coyotes are the most worrisome. We’ve lost poultry to stray dogs, skunks, ‘possums, rats, snakes, hawks, and owls, but except for a large hawk when the goat kids are still very small, none of these are a serious threat to our goats. Coyotes, on the other hand, are a concern. 

We’ve heard and seen coyotes on occasion over the years; always in pairs and always moving on. I don’t know what their range is, but there is a vast stretch of vacant fields and wooded land that offer cover all the way from our small town up to the mountains. It’s not a surprise that we see them from time to time.

Late last month, I heard what sounded like several coyotes off in the distance – first alert. Last week, I heard them again, just before sunrise, and was surprised by how many I heard; five or six maybe, possibly a family group(?) I was especially alarmed at how close they were; just across our bottom fence in the woods where I walk the girls. They were hidden by the ridge and brush. Our neighbors told us they saw them from their backyard, traveling along the edge of the woods. Too close for comfort.

Our neighborhood could provide a plush hunting ground for coyotes. Many of our neighbors have poultry, plus we have the goats. Then there are abundant populations of rabbits, ground hogs, mice, rats, squirrels, chipmunks, and pets. Deer too, and the larger the coyote pack, the larger the game they attack.

Last Friday afternoon, Dan saw a coyote running across the neighbor’s field. The folks who live over there have chickens, ducks, and turkeys. Crows were chasing it and it disappeared into the woods. It was just the one, maybe a scout? Those neighbors have pens for their birds, but not the fencing we do. Even so, our fences are only four feet tall, and coyotes can easily jump those. 

According to our state Department of Natural Resources, coyotes were introduced in the state 1978 for hound running (an illegal activity). They can now be found in every county and natural expansion continues as the coyote population grows. According to National Geographic, coyote populations are expanding all over North America. 

The concern, of course, is that those coyotes will stay, and figured it was a good time to review the research I did when I wrote the Prepper’s Livestock Handbook. I’ll share the coyote segment of the predator chart in the book, and the relevant coyote passages.