A while ago I posted about the strange sound I heard leaving the gym one night – coyotes howling. They are here, and they are multiplying.
I was shocked, shocked last night while watching the news when I saw this story. Click the video and watch the sad, sad people. Poor Puff became coyote dinner. Buddy came out in better shape.
Honestly I feel bad for those people in that neighborhood (a neighborhood I used to live near). Do you like the DNR guy’s solutions? Air horns. Wish I was kidding. This is the solution I am after…too bad you can’t discharge a firearm in the city limits. I don’t think you can anyways.
As I said to my wife last night watching this news report after we were done laughing at the air horn guy…THAT is why they make different calibers of ammunition.
Cross posted at LITGM.
The problem with air horns and other scaring methods is that they don’t solve the coyote problem they just temporally relocate it. The coyote population increases to take advantage food sources provided by cities. Even if you had a magic horn that could drive every coyote out of populated areas you would only drive them into the country to starve. That is not very humane.
Intimidation tactics don’t work long against coyotes because they soon learn what is truly dangerous and what is not. Just a few decades ago, coyotes wouldn’t approach urban areas in most regions of the country because they feared the noise of cars, now they just stand there and watch the cars go by before crossing the road.
We’re not doing ourselves or the coyotes any good long term by not shooting them when they encroach.
True Shannon. My wife and I both spontaneously burst out laughing when the guy said the airhorn was a good way to rid yourself of your coyote problem. I suppose we will have to wait until a child gets mauled (sadly) before a hunt or trap is allowed in the affected areas.
Oshkosh took steps to thin the deer inside city limits. A ruckus ensued. Because not enough deer have been hit by cars, not enough people have complained .. so this is not a problem, nu?
People. You eliminate deer in the city limits so they don’t attract predators. You can do it slowly and badly by trapping or quickly and humanly by hunting. Or you can ignore the problem and live with coyotes eating pets.
Brian – deer are a horrible problem in Wisco as you noted. But typically coyotes will eat small mammals, and usually will dine on the occasional dead deer carcass (or any other carcass for that matter). Not saying that they won’t ever hunt a deer, just isn’t their usual daily grind.
Deer are a HORRIBLE problem when you have populations of cougars close by, as many people are finding out.
Hooray! I just looked it up on the Wisconsin DNR site, and Coyote season goes year ’round, with an unlimited daily bag. Time for me to get a small game permit and get busy – outside the city limits, of course.
What this really says is that the state DNR officially deems the coyote a pest and wants them gone. Can’t say I blame them.
Dan, tell us later if it tastes like a chicken
Tatyana – hmmm, wonder if you can eat ’em – doubt it since they eat so much dead stuff. But my wife will probably like a nice coat or shawl from their hides.
The good news is that coyotes eat goose eggs.
Actually that is good news Robert Schwartz, as there is a booming goose population here in Madison, and they hang out on my favorite bike paths by the lakes, leaving behind their crap. A friend of mine actually hit a goose while riding his bike once, not pretty.
Greeeeeed! (channeling Phil Donahue from the earlier post).
If only those coyotes stick to goose eggs and leave everyone else alone…