# Coyote



## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

Does anyone know the family social structure for coyote's.

I watched 4 of them for a long time yesterday afternoon. It appeared that two of them were a little smaller and very playful.

Was this a mom and 3 pups, a mom and dad and 2 pups, or just a bunch of coyotes hanging out?

After watching them I'm guessing this was a mom and at least 2 pups, not sure about the 4th one.

It was fun to watch, I got 20 minutes of entertainment. I had never seen more than one coyote at a time ever, in the last 15 years. 15 years ago, when I saw my first coyote in Athens, it was a real rarity to see a coyote. This year I see one just about every trip. 

Side note: All of the stray wild cats seem to be gone this year  

Kim


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## lv2fish (Jun 23, 2005)

Coyotes will kill a cat in a minute, if you have that many yotes in the area, I would recommend you start killin' as many as you can. If not, you will start seeing a lot less of everything including yearling deer in the following seasons. Don't mean to sound harsh on the matter but there is a reason they don't have a closed season on yotes.


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## bassn'gal (Aug 26, 2005)

I live in Geauga County and the other day my husband got up and was getting a cup of coffee and looked out the kitchen window and could not believe what he saw, a coyote as big as a German Shephard. It had to be 100lbs if not more, we double checked and checked again thru the binoculars. He was sitting in the drive by our barn out in the open, then layed down. It was daylight and this didn't seem right. I called the sherrif dept and they told me open season on coyotes all year, they have become a nuisance. You are right, they eat everything, pretty much scavangers. We were also told by the division of wildlife that 75% of coyotes in ohio are rabid. Not a good thing. I am the first to save an animal and I could not kill one even if I needed it for food, but in this instance my husband had to shoot it, I felt bad, but they have become so brazen that they will attack, one person in 
Chagrin park was bit while riding his bike. I do know they mate for life, and they are pack animals like the wolves. So just a little info from my part of the state. Kelly


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## Paul Anderson (May 20, 2005)

Hey Lundy, my guess would be that the fourth animal was the Sister of one and the Aunt of the other two. They are pack animals and there are most likely more of them in that area.


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## Darwin (Apr 12, 2004)

> We were also told by the division of wildlife that 75% of coyotes in ohio are rabid.


I have never heard that before and would seriously question it. A high % with mange and maybe distemper but 75% with rabies I would highly doubt.

Here is a link from the DNR's website with life history notes.
http://www.dnr.ohio.gov/wildlife/Resources/wildnotes/pub376.htm


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I think the 75% sounds way too high as well. I think if that were the case we would be seeing more crazed & frothing rabid 'yotes showing up in people's back yards begging to die than what we hear about now. I have that every now and then with ***** on my place every now and then but have never seen it with a coyote.

I would have liked to seen a picture of that coyote. I don't believe I have ever heard of one that big (100 lbs or more)before ever.


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

A coyote that big has got to be a cross breed with a domestic dog. I observed one that big some 12 years ago and you could clearly see signs of "dog" in the make up of the animal. We have them right here in the city of Medina and I have observed them and fox in the Parmatown Mall area.


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## lv2fish (Jun 23, 2005)

Biggest yote I ever shot was 2 years ago and it wieghed 55 lbs. They can look quite large in the late winter with a full thick coat but in these parts I doubt to see one that large. I am sure it was a big one though, no doubt about it. More people need to shoot them, get over the "dog" appearance and whack um'. They make a great tanned hide if your into that.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

If, if, if, if I shoot one of the dog looking creatures do you want the hide?

I can't help it, I'm getting soft in my old age. I've killed 2 coyotes in my life and the last one, 4 + years ago, made me tell myself that I would ever do that again. I have never been much of a kill just to kill kind of guy and it gets tougher every year to pull the trigger.

The ODNR website did not mention predation on deer, yet I'm sure coyotes can and will if the opportunity is right, young, old, sick, weak, deer. I have watched full grown healthy deer not be overly worried by the presence of a coyote in close (20-30 yds) proximity. That alone tells me that they don't have an impact on adult healthy deer.

So why is it again that I should shoot these cat eaters?


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

How about bird populations in the area? I have been told that the pheasant populations are damaged by their presence. And I am sure they take plenty of bunnies as well.

I understand your sentiment toward them particularly if you see no adverse effect of them being there. I also admire the kill only for a good reason approach. A lot of people do not think that way.

The one creature that I take the kill at all times approach to is groundhogs because I have put up with so much damage by them to my buildings and fields that I am very vigilant in my quest to eliminate them from my property. However on a coyote, I guess I MAY choose to shoot one on my property but I certainly would not lose any sleep if I missed because I hardly ever see them around my area for some reason.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Oh and on the cat situation, coyotes eat carrion so perhaps you can use the opportunity for target practice and feed the cats to the coyotes so they don't have to work for them.


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## lv2fish (Jun 23, 2005)

Lundy - No i don't want the hide, I have enough. I understand your thought on this matter. It's a matter of choice. I can tell you that ever since they started to appear several years ago in my area, I have seen many negative things from yotes, I would rather not have including a hunting dog killed while out hunting rabbits. I will admit they are entertaining to see in the woods, along with just about every other creature, but I would rather have less of them around. If they don't bother you then let them be, if you have any goat or sheep farmers in the area you may not want to spread that around, I can assure you they don't appreciate them very much at all.


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## lv2fish (Jun 23, 2005)

And BKR, I am with you on the cat subject.


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## Fish-N-Fool (Apr 12, 2004)

I know of an area that every year they find at least one & sometimes 2 mature bucks killed by coyotes. The farmer always finds them & has found several over the last few years in the same fencerow. He found a big 9 pointer last year - a big area of corn ripped up at the scene. 

It was my thought that the deer were just dying or even getting wounded and wandering onto his property. But he said no way, he owns a lot of ground & rarely leaves it. He doesn't allow any hunting (other than his immediate family living on the farms). It is his theory that the yotes find these bucks during the end of the rut, when they are extremely worn down.
He thinks they run them for long distance and when they are spent, the pack moves in. 

There was definately evidence of this last year - I went out a few days after he found it and looked for myself. This 9 pointer had put up a fight, that much was clear. And he didn't appear (from head and rack) to be an old "over-the-hill" buck; probably 3.5-4.5 yrs. old. 

I now believe this may happen more than we care to know in some areas.


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## TheKing (Apr 15, 2004)

They learn to eat the newborns and dumb yearlings and prey on the deer, among other species. Once they taste the species, they hunt it. So, keep them to low numbers or the deer numbers will suffer. Adult deer can protect themselves, but they will pursue them and mess up the hunt. About like having a tresspasser chase them around for you while you are being sneaky.
And I have heard that they carry the deadly human trasferrable virsuses, like rabies. I think you can shoot them with any weapon, including high powered rifles.


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## ostbucks98 (Apr 14, 2004)

I would guess The deer died from fighting to death during the rut and then was eaten by the coyote.The odds are very very slim that a coyote can run down a deer.I shoot them whenever I have the chance but thats to save Turkey,Rabits,Pheasant,grouse and stop the spread of mange and distemper.

I just about stepped on one last year during gun season.Luckily, He ran down in a ravine and had no way out without offering Me a good shot.You know they have no natural predator in Ohio.In the last 5 years their population has almost quadrupled.In My neck of the woods they do coyote drives that pay $15 a coyote.If We dont kill em nothing will but your car.


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## Reel Lady (Jul 4, 2004)

My experiences with coyotes...
When I lived in Newbury, there was a Alpaca farm on Route 87 that suffered a major loss of their herd. It was later found out that coyotes were responsible. 
My first Father-in-law used to raise homing pigeons out in Broadview Heights and had a nice sized pigeon coop. It was not uncommon for the coyotes to work their way into the coop for a nice meal. It was so sad when this would happen because Wayne would spend so much time working with these pigeons to increase their endurance, only to have them gone in the blink of an eye  What really upset him is that these coyotes wouldnt even eat the entire pigeon, but would cause enough damage that it would just die. 
Also, when I lived in Newbury, I had 2 pet geese named Ricky and Lucy. One morning when I went out to feed them, I discovered both of them strewn across my front yard...This was not a good day because I had to explain to my 4 year old son what had happened, and he was heart broken :'-(
Now I live in Chagrin Falls/Bainbridge, and occasionally we do see in the news that the coyotes are up to no good. Being that my entire house is surrounded by woods, I sometimes fear for my 2 cats and 2 dogs who go romping around back there. 
My opinion is that racoons cause alot more trouble around here at this point than coyotes.


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