Coyote attacked my cat right in my yard in camden county NJ......

Originally posted by Mr Tranny

Originally posted by olliemc84
As a matter of fact, most coyotes den during the day and only hunt at night, usually for field mice, rabbits, voles, and if they are left outside to roam free, pets.

Utter BS. That is if there is nothing else for them to hunt. They will go after anything they think they can get a bite out of.
They go after deer.
They go after sheep.
They go after cows.
They go after large dogs.

If they don’t know what it is, and it doesn’t attack them first, then they will “take a look” to determine if they can eat it or not. Once they get a taste of the first one, then subsequent attacks will be more sustained and ruthless.

I have even had a pack of them launch an attack on our dogs when I was standing a couple feet behind the dogs. God I wish I had a gun with me then. I would of opened up holy hell on them!

edit on 7-11-2012 by Mr Tranny because: (no reason given)

Coyotes are mainly nocturnal animals, but can be active at anytime during the day or night. They are observed most often at dawn and dusk. Their home territory encompasses 5 to 30 acres depending on the location. The smaller territories are those in suburbia, which are often adjacent to open space where there is abundant food. Larger territories are found in non-fragmented forests.

source

Which part is BS? The fact that they are mainly nocturnal, or their normal diet?

We as humans have made it easier for them to pray on domesticated animals because we have introduced them to the coyotes. If people just kept their pets inside or kept them on a tight leash you wouldn't have an issue with coyotes. And if you are in an area that allows it, and you want to have your animals run free, carry a firearm.

reply to post by olliemc84

You're misunderstanding what that is saying:

Eastern Coyote
Range and Distribution
Although the historical evidence supporting occurrence of coyotes in New England is inconclusive, no coyotes were present in the late 1800s. Since the mid-1900s coyotes have moved from the Midwestern states, through Canada and into the Northeastern and mid-Atlantic states. The first verified account of a coyote in New Hampshire was in Grafton County in 1944. Between 1972 and 1980 coyotes spread across N.H. from Colebrook to Seabrook. Today, coyotes are common in every county throughout the state.

So in the last 100 years it has moved into the eastern states, bred with other local wildlife, and became a hybrid species.

reply to post by defcon5

Researchers now believe that the eastern coyote is a hybridization between the western coyote and red wolves many generations ago in the upper Great Lakes region of the United States. It is theorized that as populations of the western coyote increased, they were forced to move east and north in search of food. As they moved into Minnesota they crossbred with eastern/red wolves and produced a genetically hardy animal able to sustain itself through New England winters.

source

I understand what you are saying. But the argument is how long they have been in the area. I remember as a kid my dad coming home from fox hunting at night and once in a while would have a large coyote to skin stretch and hang, so the knowledge of coyotes was ingrained in my head early on. It is no surprise to hear that pets are being attacked by them.

I think it would be hard to fully understand just how long the coyote has been in the eastern/northeast part of the country because it is a vast area and I am sure a lot of it was unexplored during the early years of our countries settlement. Wolves were definitely in the area, so maybe wolves acting as a natural predator had forced them out until their mass kill off by humans, but it would be hard to argue that the coyote hasn't had a home in the high reaches of the Appalachian mountains for 100s of years.

They are cunning, therefore before the major population explosion they could have gone largely unnoticed. Now people realize they are around because we are seeing predation of easy prey i.e. small domesticated animals.

It would be interesting to see a log of some of the old frontiersmen and trappers that we out in the wild and trading with the Native Americans but I doubt those exist anymore.

reply to post by defcon5

The decline of North American wolf populations coincided with increasing human populations and the expansion of agriculture. By the turn of the twentieth century, the species had almost disappeared from the eastern USA, excepting some areas of the Appalachians and the northwestern Great Lakes Region. In Canada, the gray wolf was extirpated in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia between 1870 and 1921, and in Newfoundland around 1911. It vanished from the southern regions of Quebec and Ontario between 1850 and 1900. The gray wolf's decline in the prairies began with the extermination of the American bison and other ungulates in the 1860s–70s. From 1900–1930, the gray wolf was virtually eliminated from the western USA and adjoining parts of Canada, due to intensive predator control programs aimed at eradicating the species.

If the eastern coyote is a wolf/western coyote hybrid, the hybridization process HAD to have happened sometime before the turn of the 20th century since most if not all wolves were wiped out. Maybe a few were able to breed with wolves before the 30s but I would tend to believe that the process was going on for some time before then.

Again, just my opinion.

reply to post by olliemc84

The conservation officer I mentioned above is also a Native American, and a highly placed member of their nation. Like I said, he was the one that told me about them being an invasive species. The first time that I was even exposed to the fact that Coyotes were here locally when I was visiting their grounds, and some coyotes were spotted on the outskirts.There is no record of them being in this area before recent times. Maybe they were up north, but I am not seeing anything to show me any different as of yet.

reply to post by olliemc84

They bred with foxes and domestic canines as well.

Originally posted by olliemc84
reply to post by defcon5

 

If the eastern coyote is a wolf/western coyote hybrid, the hybridization process HAD to have happened sometime before the turn of the 20th century since most if not all wolves were wiped out. Maybe a few were able to breed with wolves before the 30s but I would tend to believe that the process was going on for some time before then.

Again, just my opinion.

I can't speak to any of that theory... but the yotes by me are about the size of a female belgian malinois. They seem larger than the ones I saw out west.

reply to post by olliemc84


Your post strongly implied that they will mainly go after smaller animals like rodents and stuff.

They have no “normal diet” Their diet is anything they can get their teeth into. What they eat depends on what is available to eat in that area.

They will go after bigger animals just as quickly, and viciously as small ones. It all depends on what, and how their parents taught them to hunt. If they can sneak up on a deer that is resting on the ground, they will latch on and try rip into it to get a chunk of meat. The deer will usually escape, but the injuries will usually be fatal. A slow painful death. When it dies, or gets close to dying, the coyotes will finish it off. Once in a while you will see a deer walking around with the bottom of it’s stomach ripped open., or a piece missing out of it’s rear end, sides, or legs. When they are hunting in a group, and get the jump on the deer, the deer will usually be done rite there.

You know when you have a pack in the area that has learned to hunt deer because you start to see a lot of walking wounded/half dead deer walking around.

They also go after turkey, and geese when the opportunity arises. I have even seen the aftermath of where they got a hold of a beaver. They trapped the beaver in his loge and ripped into it until they finally got to him. There was blood everywhere on the snow.

As I said, they will go after anything that they think they can get a bite out of.

The smaller coyotes in some parts of the country may go after rodents and stuff, but not around here.

And in regard to being in the den during the day. They go outside during the day or night. It depends on what they eat for a food source. If their food source is mostly available at night, then they will be out then. But if their food source is available during the day, then they will be out there in broad daylight stalking it. In cities, a good portion of the coyotes are active in the day. Walking around in broad daylight. If they are hungry, they will be awake all throughout the day and night looking for something to eat.

Here is a pack of two going after a deer in broad daylight.


Here is a pack attacking a large deer on a trailcam.


I could go on posting endless examples. But the point is the coyotes in this area have turned to larger prey for their normal food source.

Coyotes are opportunistic and will eat what they can scrounge or take down. Road kill to deer, and everything in between.
Yes, they eat mice and voles, but in urban/suburban areas, trash and pets make up a larger part of their diet.

The anti-fur campaigns of PETA and those sorts of groups made their spread into populated areas a lot faster than would have happened otherwise.

This may be difficult for you to believe,but your cat is the critter that doesn't belong there.

If you want to keep pets,and you don't want to watch them die,keep them inside the house.

Coyotes and stuff do things like this because the environment,which is their livelihood,like where they hunt to get their food,has been made inaccessible to them,so they adapt by taking easier prey,like domestic animals.

Really,those pesky "Yotes",were here first.

Fathom that?.

Originally posted by defcon5
reply to post by cavalryscout

 

I see them pretty frequently down here with the cattle ranchers. I never knew what it was for until I got talking to a customer one evening. He owned a ranch where he raised and sold donkeys for this purpose. Donkeys are mean animals, and will put up one hell of a fight if a predator comes around.

Are we talking sacrificial donkeys?

Or a mind numbing exhibition of ' kick'n ya like a mule ' type of.. coyote kick ass?



Ed: Op, I have lost a couple of particularly cool cats fairly recently; first was a super affectionate albino with " Bowie eyes " ( one blue one green ) ... and a cross bred american wildcat/devonshire rex ,best cat ever.. one lost to a pair of bored blue heelers. The other to an inattentive 4x4 driver who didn't stop.

You get that.

Enjoy your pets while you have them, they will give you good times and good memories. end hijack.

reply to post by j.r.c.b.


I am in North Texas and have had this happen to me. My dogs had been let outside before the sun was up... We lived in the country so there was no fence. Anyway.... When I let them a group of them tried to attack one of the dogs I had. Luckily, one of the bigger dogs I had actually chased and fought them off ( Coyotes don't like much of a fight)

My dog that got attacked had two puncture wounds near his back legs. Took him to the vet and he was fine. Not much was done here either. They cleaned him up and sent us on our way.


If I may suggest, always only let your pets out during the day, if possible. If not, stand with them. Also, keep out door lights on as it helps to keep them away. Just for what that is worth...

Originally posted by Timely
Are we talking sacrificial donkeys?

Or a mind numbing exhibition of ' kick'n ya like a mule ' type of.. coyote kick ass?

Did you watch the video that Trustfund linked?

Originally posted by Trustfund
reply to [url=http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread897593/pg3#pid15296081]post by