Question for you coyote hunters here.

[SP5315]

Have any of you noticed a change in the behavior of your local yotes? Here in the North Valleys outside of Reno I haven't had to go any further than my driveway lately. Haven't had to call em in at all. I went out through my garage this afternoon and as I stepped outside a full grown big male was coming out of the brush, he didn't pay any attention to me at all. I had time to head back into the house and grab the 20ga, go back out, walk toward him to about 10 yards. I took my sweet time lining him up and let him have one of #3 buck out of the 870. He jumped and took off. He made it about 10 yards and dropped.

Here's the deal this is the sixth time in a month that this has played out almost exactly the same way, in broad daylight, close range, 40 yards maximum . Three have been taken with an old Marlin 336 with a Lee 309 150. I have a few neighbors around and BLM land behind the house, but since these coyotes have shown no fear and are coming in so close I've switched to the 20ga to cut down on the over penetration issue and ricochets.

These animals don't appear to be sick or under feed. In the past it was rare to see any out and about in the day time, let alone stand there looking at you as you sighted them in.

So have you noticed any strange behavior from your local coyotes?

[mwells72774]

I've yet to see any this year. Skiddish in these parts

[Digital Dan]

They have been unafraid of people in the general region of west central Florida for some years. Properly addressed there is no reason for them to learn from that behavior pattern. Because I'm in a rural area that has thin to medium density of houses, all on one side of the road due to state lands on the south, it is a fairly simple problem to address. There was one here that liked to stroll down the center line of our street at dawn, always west to east in his travels. Didn't work out for him in the long run.

[richhodg66]

Have any of you noticed a change in the behavior of your local yotes? Here in the North Valleys outside of Reno I haven't had to go any further than my driveway lately. Haven't had to call em in at all. I went out through my garage this afternoon and as I stepped outside a full grown big male was coming out of the brush, he didn't pay any attention to me at all. I had time to head back into the house and grab the 20ga, go back out, walk toward him to about 10 yards. I took my sweet time lining him up and let him have one of #3 buck out of the 870. He jumped and took off. He made it about 10 yards and dropped.

Here's the deal this is the sixth time in a month that this has played out almost exactly the same way, in broad daylight, close range, 40 yards maximum . Three have been taken with an old Marlin 336 with a Lee 309 150. I have a few neighbors around and BLM land behind the house, but since these coyotes have shown no fear and are coming in so close I've switched to the 20ga to cut down on the over penetration issue and ricochets.

These animals don't appear to be sick or under feed. In the past it was rare to see any out and about in the day time, let alone stand there looking at you as you sighted them in.

So have you noticed any strange behavior from your local coyotes?

Has anything changed about the situation that would change their behavior? I lived most of the past 20 years in a little 400 person town in Kansas and it was very rare to see one come inside the town, though we have a lot of them and hear them sing all the time. In rural Kansas, they get shot at when they encounter humans enough of the time that they've kept a healthy respect for people.

During my time in the Army, periodically I'd have to go to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California for the month long field problem most units do once a year or so. The coyotes there saw people all the time who didn't shoot at them. At the point where units downloaded trash at the end, I saw coyotes that were darn near German Shepherd size and not afraid of anything. I'm told if you live there, you simply cannot have a dog or cat outside.

The wife and I just bought a place with some acreage that really is out in the country. Haven't seen any coyotes yet, but I know they're around and I need to start conditioning myself to have a rifle in reach all the time. I'd never want to see them eradicated, but they need to keep a solid understanding that people are dangerous and to be avoided.

[Yodogsandman]

I've heard that in some communities that have outlawed hunting and trapping, toddlers have to be watched closely or chance being attacked and dragged out of their backyards. Packs of coyotes freely roam through backyards and down town streets. Predators should not be allowed this much lack of control.

[SP5315]

Has anything changed about the situation that would change their behavior?

Nothing has changed around here. Other than not hearing their chatter near as much at night anymore. A couple of my neighbors and myself have actively hunted and trapped on both private property and the BLM land throughout the valley. I've seen no change in the amount of cottontails, squirrels, quail, or dove in the area. The small antelope heard of about 200 is unchanged. No noticeable changes in the mule deer in the area. The water situation hasn't changed in the area, plenty of horse troughs in the area, but none within a quarter mile of my place.

Here it's a little before 7 in the morning, and I've have another one within ten feet of my front door. They never would come anywhere near the houses. The only thing that saved the one this morning was it was in line with one of my neighbors house 200 yards away. The sound of gunfire doesn't seem to bother em at all.

This is the damnest thing I've seen in their behavior.

The behavior of the coyotes in this area has totally change in the last month. It use to be when they saw a man they were off like a shot.

[RonT]

Maybe time of year, as they have reduced the low end of the food chain IE: the young, easy prey animals. They have to hunt bigger and range farther and become more bold in the process. Just a thought but seems the same around here.
R
BTW, post edit to say that I don't hunt them specifically, only that I get shots due to their being in the wrong place at the wrong (right?) time.

[jcren]

Sounds like there may be someone feeding the pretty wildlife. All it takes is one tree hugger that thinks it is neat to have coyotes and such clean up the table scraps to teach them that houses are a food source.

[runfiverun]

they could be breeding with dogs in your area.

[9.3X62AL]

What Jcren said, I'll bet.

Until a year ago I lived in an area of the high desert where the song dogs got hunted HARD by the locals, and year-round. I was among the folks dedicated to hastening their demise, and we didn't get many close shots due to hunting pressure keeping the 'yotes at respectful distances. They can and do screw up, though--a buddy and I had one that snuck in on our stand while being called that "flushed" about 25 yards from our hide-hole, which prompted some gunfire fo' sho'. Both of us connected on our third shots, mine a box-stock Mini-14 (69 grain Matchkings at about 2750 FPS) and his an M4gery with enough glassware for a wine-tasting (some sort of 55 grain soft-point). The target rolled at about 65 yards. Another buddy of mine some years back was calling from one of my favorite spots close to where the Santa Ana River meets Bear Creek east of Manzanita Flats in the local mountains, and had a coyote leap right into the center of a clearing that he and a partner shared about 12 yards apart. Their recollection of the event one well-irrigated evening soon afterward was almost as much fun to hear as they had experiencing it first hand.......a coyote frozen in place for 5-6 seconds, one dropped rifle, a fumbled revolver, and some long-delayed suppressive fire at a fleeing song dog that ultimately emerged unscathed. "A Chinese fire drill, closely followed by the Tet Offensive" as one of the involved parties termed it.

[ammohead]

Maybe one of your neighbors put up a sign making your neighborhood a gun free zone and the coyotes read it and think they have nothing to fear. It works for criminals I hear.

[ammohead]

Maybe they are looking for where to sign up for one of those "coyote contests" that they have here in NV all the time.

[ammohead]

On a serious note. I have seen way more rabbits in my yard this year. Maybe due to the drought and the fact that I water. That could bring in more coyotes, but wouldn't mandate a behavior change.

[Mytmousemalibu]

In my part of Kansas, the Yotes are pretty thick, sometimes it sounds like hundreds of them howling at night. They have become pretty brazen here too, getting right up close to our properties but at night. Seeing more of them during the day also. I'm surprised my friend hasn't had more of them considering his chicken coop. In any way, they will be blasted if the chance permits. We are planning of setting up a hunt here soon to thin them out. We do have an absurd amount of Cottontails right now which I will also help thin out, right into my kitchen!

[quilbilly]

I think the drought is having a desperate effect on all the wildlife in your area. It makes many strange things happen. Our "drought" in our area this summer made the deer behave strangely all summer but with our extremely early fall weather in the last 10 days, all is normal now. Ammohead - I noticed before NCBS that rabbit and hare numbers were way up around Winnemucca but that is the normal part of the cycle of about 7-10 years. When I first started working our mining claim north of Winnemucca, I was seeing 50 rabbits an evening then the population crashed and didn't see a one for a couple years. I expect to shoot a lot of coyotes at my wonderful new camping spot before next NCBS since coyote populations are usually one year behind the rabbits. I will bet next year there will be a rabbit/hare population explosion around Jackpot, Nv too (can't wait).

[Wolfer]

I'm hearing lots of coyotes now but haven't been seeing any. I generally don't hunt them until cooler weather.
It is uncommon to not have 6 to 8 rabbits in the yard mornings and evenings. With all the food out there I'm expecting some tough coyote calling this year.
A couple years back the fields where I hunted were full of mice. It was quite difficult to call up a dog then.
I also expect a lot more coyotes next year.

[lobowolf761]

I shot 2 young ones yesterday at 5-10 yards with my .22 rifle. I was out scouting for the upcoming deer and turkey seasons and they came walking down a dry creek bed right towards me like they didn't have a care in the world. I was standing right out in the open. It was weird.

[starnbar]

I have killed more this year than I have in the last 5 years with the rain we have had this year and I believe we have some tree huggers feeding them its getting to where I am hearing and seeing them on a regular basis. Game and Fish has helped me with some traps but after you catch one you have to relocate the trap or forget about it.

[dubber123]

I kept seeing a big one come stand in the field at a place I was working in NY. I mentioned it to the homeowners, (non hunter types), and the woman said "oh yeah, he comes about 20 yards from me while I am gardening". I'm not sure I would find that as cool as she does. I also saw that same one bait her old black lab and one of her other dogs. He stood perfectly still and let them run about 150 yards from the house towards him, at which point about 10 more coyotes emerged from the woods on a run. That old, fat lab can cover some ground when he has to, they never caught him on the way back to the house. :)

[Teddy (punchie)]

Haven't seen yote all summer. Which is strange. Normal is 6 or so baling hay. Hear them at night.

Rabbits are down.

Ringnecks are up :>) .

Deer seem to be okay.

Geese Okay.

Turkeys look like a good hatch.

Doves up in number.

Haven't been in the woods too much. Not sure about squirrels.

Grouse are all but extinct.

Winter ?? Black birds; Starlings, Red Wings, are gone way too early. Barn Swallows are gone two weeks early. Sound like bad news.

[CLAYPOOL]

Buy cans of cheap Tuna mix 50 - 50 with Golden Marlin fly dope. Each can makes 2 baits. Nothing will walk very far. Watching a Coyote eat someone's Cat or Yappy yard or house dog is cruel too..... but you can't all ways shoot in town.. Coons, Skunks, Armando's, and other wild life carry VERY bad diseases such as RABIES, PLAUGE (SP)= BLACK DEATH, etc. Do you want some small kid or mom hurt..?

[SP5315]

I shot 2 young ones yesterday at 5-10 yards with my .22 rifle. I was out scouting for the upcoming deer and turkey seasons and they came walking down a dry creek bed right towards me like they didn't have a care in the world. I was standing right out in the open. It was weird.

That's what I'm talking about, except these have been full grown.

I've wondered if someone has been feeding them myself, but I really doubt it. I've talked to the neighbors and they have also seen this strange behavior lately. My neighbor on the hill tells me he took a shot at close range at one and missed. Instead of running the coyote just stood there staring back at him.

We've been hammering on the coyotes here for the better part of three years when one of my neighbors blue healers was killed by the local yotes.

I guess I'll just enjoy the easy shots for as long as it lasts.

[lobowolf761]

So will I. They just don't seem to be too scared of much now days.

[Freightman]

ZOO! coming to pass :Fire:

[white eagle]

Might be that coyotes have been accustomed to getting food somewhere around you,also could be accustomed to seeing people and not being shot at.At any rate if you can get rid of them you may want to take every legal avenue to that end.Seeing others there only brings more.

[9.3X62AL]

What White Eagle said. Coyotes "acclimatize" to human presence readily, and need to get shot at regularly to re-hone their fear of people. They are INCREDIBLY adaptable, and extremely efficient predators once they put their minds to doing so. A decent population of Merriam's turkeys painstakingly established by CA-DFW through the 1980s and into the 90s in the San Bernardino NF was eliminated by these ravenous monsters from about 2003-2008. So, I light 'em up at every safe opportunity to do so.

[M-Tecs]

In the metro areas they are get more numerous and bolder. My home state doesn't have a case law and rounds in the mag. are legal. They hit high gear anytime a pickup slows down.

[telebasher]

When this old world ends there will only be coyotes and cockroaches surviving to carry on... LOL!

[butch2570]

In the last 4 weeks here , I have been seeing more yotes than deer in peoples yards under the dusk to dawn lights at 3 in the morning going to work. This is the first year I have seen yotes standing in peoples yards less than 30 -40 feet from their houses. Seen 3 in one morning last week , all in different areas.