problem coyote just got our smallest dog. revenge time

[Swing360]

I used to joke about donkeys being super hero's. .. I knew they had some kind of talent

 

[BBsGal]

Thanks for the link. However, I couldn't do anything about the coyotes even I wanted to. I live in the city, my horse is on someone else's property in the country.

That said, it's rare for a coyote to attack a horse. Coyotes are opportunistic hunters that like to look for weak/injured/old prey, a healthy, adult horse would be difficult to catch and bring down. Sure a pack of coyotes could do it, but it would be dangerous for them, a coyote could be killed instantly will a well-placed kick, or be seriously wounded. Much like lions try to avoid attacking wildebeest because of the injury potential, I don't think a horse would be a coyote's first choice. Also if the horse was kept with other horses, as mine is, the chance of attack is even less. A herd of horses are well-equipped to defend themselves. Like zebras, they will gather in small groups of horses with similar colors/patterning to confuse predators, and they will keep mares with their foals in the center of the herd to protect them.

For anyone dealing with coyotes around horses or cattle, I will tell you what the best defense against them is: a donkey. Not kidding. While a horse's instinct tells it to run when threatened, a donkey will stay and fight. I remember at a farm nearby the owner told me his mini donkey, Eyore, pinned an aggressive stray dog to the ground and was biting and striking at it, the dog's yelps woke them up to witness this.

Here is an interesting video about guard animals (donkeys and llamas) protecting a flock of sheep from coyotes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8oO-GypOLA
And a video about a donkey that protects calves:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z5bAfbTHWg

I've seen coyotes go after anything that they could get in their mouths... and some stuff that they couldn't, including elk and horses and grown cattle. The biggest trouble with them is that they do run in packs and they're pretty much fearless...

Some of the farmers in our area have donkeys in with their other livestock for just that reason, they do make great guards. They'll kick and stomp the holy heck out of anything that spooks them given the chance.

Llamas are also or so I have heard, but my personal best coyote loss prevention tool was a 125 lb Pyrenees named Max who ran with my 150 lb Rottie named Bug. Those giant breed dogs are awesome, and were bred to kill bears and big cats back in the day. Unfortunately, they also live shortened life spans and they've both been gone a long time. I still miss 'em, no coyote would even dare to show up within a half-mile of their turf when they were here.

Speaking of donkeys, we had a herd of the wild variety that liked to hang out here at the lake up until some busybody decided they were in danger running loose. The city rounded most of them up and auctioned them off... but there are a few who evaded capture. There's one Jack, one Jenny, and her yearling baby still out here making regular visits...

 

[hawgdawg]

Get you some wire with some big treble hooks , bait with some chicken , and hang it it about 5 feet off the ground . They'll be hanging there in the morning . Dispose with as you see fit .

 

[amc rulz]

You won't eliminate all the coyotes that will come around. Just like we can't eliminate all the house cats that roam and kill thousands of songbirds and baby bunnies (though we try).

I really don't care for the wild canine myself, I have hens. Your best bet is to keep small dogs inside unless closely supervised.

 

[CTCurt]

Alright team, I've gotten some great PM's and some great tips here. Now again team, this rifle will easily kill a coyote, 250lb wild hog, human whatever... these rifles are designed specifically to take down this kind of game and that's what we will use them for. Again. These ARE NOT little .177cal pellet rifles That will just hurt the animal.
http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Sam_Yang_Big_Bore_909S/516

That's almost the exact rifles we will be using.

I live in a HOA community where the houses are plenty dispersed, although not enough to want to shoot a FMJ down range at night. These guys are brazen enough to come up to our garage at night since the labs sleep in kennels in the garage they know their is "food" in their. We plan on baiting them to the garage and using the garage as the backdrop for our shots. We have a carriage house that sits on the property facing the garage where we will be taking our shots from (46yds). We are going to try several methods over the next few weeks and hopefully get them in and comfortable.

Good luck with the hunt. Let us know how it goes.....

 

[stewart73]

I don't like killing animals. But I'd blow a Coyotes head off.

This just cracked me up for some reason...

 

[Pennyfinder]

Truly sorry to hear about your little dog! My niece just lost her daschund yesterday (got run over) -- her fault though! She let it out the front door and then went about her business getting ready for work and went back to call her dog in and she was told by a neighbor that it had been run over!

I have three little dogs myself -- a full blood chihuahua (black and tan female) and two "Chiweenies" (stupid name -- I hate that name) -- both male. I have a fenced in backyard to take them out in. But even that is not 100% safe as I have a neighbor who has two hunting dogs that think my babies are squirrels, rabbits or possums and have literally CLIMBED the fence and have gotten into my yard! So thankfully, I have a deck that is partially "closed in" -- halfway up and have a screen door to keep the dogs from just running into the yard. If I see his dogs in my yard back in the house they go! I have a sawed off branch from the freeze this winter and I keep it handy and threaten his dogs with it! I wave it in the air and tell them you climbed over the fence you can just climb back over or you're gonna see what this stick feels like! I've never seen dogs climb a fence as fast as they do! So far they haven't tried to come back in the yard! They have wandered up and down the fence when my dogs are out and I just raise the stick and they quickly scamper to the other side of their yard! And if need be I CAN PICK THEM UP AND BODILY "GENTLY" TOSS THEM ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE! (That's not usually necessary -- when they see me coming they are already half way over the fence!)

Here's my babies. (L-R: Pepper - 8yrs old; Elvis - 14 yrs old; Charlie - 2 yrs 8 mos)

 

[Offshore2]

Sorry about you loss, that must be horrible, i live behind the pasture of a dairy farm so we have lots, they eat the calves, at night it sounds like a horror movie out here and what people use around here are electronic game calls but mostly while deer hunting if one is seen it is put down, anyways good luck and you should see if theres some kind of hunting club or hunting message board around were you live some people are addicted to hunting those things.

 

[Andyjoetom]

I've been coyote hunting a few times and we've always used distressed rabbit calls. It is an unpeasant noise but it works. If you have close neighbors though, I would consider something else. They are happy to scavenge so maybe just a dead rabbit or chicken would work nice. The air gun your using shouldn't have any problem severely wounding or killing those things though. Best of luck, go get em!