I live in an area in which coyotes thrive. Every winter, there are several packs of coyotes that hunt the suburban neighborhoods I live and walk my dog in. It's not at all unusual to see a 'yote or three go running from yard to yard at night. Around here, the 'yotes mostly eat rabbits, as there are bazillions of rabbits around.
During the last five years, I've had a few experiences with local 'yotes.
Four years ago, my family had a Chihuahua that loved to roam. Every chance he got, he was out the door or under the fence then down the street. Despite a half-acre yard and six-foot fence, the dog insisted on making his rounds. Well, one day, he simply didn't come back. We searched, asked neighbors, and so forth. The Chihuahua was simply gone. Odds are, a coyote got him.
There are occassional posters hung around neighborhoods about missing dogs; the missing dog is always a tiny one- Chihuahuas, Pekingnese, Poodles and so forth. It's fairly safe to assume that the coyotes which roam these neighborhoods prey on small dogs. However, I've never seen them attack any leashed animal walking with its owner.
Conversely, my sister had two dogs, one a female German Shepherd of about 60 pounds, the other a 20-pound mutt. About two years ago, an indetermined number of coyotes attacked the small dog while the two were in the backyard late at night. My sister and her husband heard a fierce sound of dog fighting. By the time they got to the back yard, there was no sign of the attackers.
The German Shepherd was torn up, but alive. The wounds were only flesh wounds requiring stitching and lots of antibiotics. The small mutt had a few cuts that required stitching, but nothing major. Their yard had a standard, 4-foot-tall wood picket fence, which the coyotes jumped easily. The GSD, although small, proved a capable protection dog against those predators.
Two years ago, I was walking my dogs, a 150-pound Newfoundland and a 35-pound Cocker Spaniel, out in the desert. After about 30 minutes, two 'yotes crept within 10 yards of my two male dogs and started howling. Of course, my dogs ran after them. The 'yotes ran off about 30 yards, then turned and did the same thing - howled and waited for my dogs to catch up.
I immediately chased my dogs, called them, and blew the whistle around my neck. I also shined my headlamp in the 'yotes eyes. I had my Greco Explorer on my belt and was ready to go hand-to-tooth with a pack of coyotes, if I had to
I caught up to my Newf, but the stupid Cocker kept on chasing. My Newf came with me willingly, but the Cocker wanted to follow the 'yotes. I stopped, called him, then turned back towards my car. Seeing I and the Newf were leaving, the dumb Cocker finally decided to follow me. The muscle behind his bark were leaving and the Cocker finally thought beter of his action. When we turned to leave, back came those two coyotes!
They howled and, once again, the idiot Cocker chased 'em!
What the coyotes were doing was using their hunting behavior of male dogs:
When a coyote pack chooses to prey on large male dogs, it sends one or two female 'yotes to howl and coax the dogs to chase. The female coyotes stay close enough to persuade the dogs further and further out, but never let the dogs actually make contact. The females are luring the dogs back to a waiting pack, which is usually 8-12 full-sized coyotes. No dog or two, no matter how large, can fight off that many predators. That's also how lions take down elephants- many against one.
After I retrieved my dogs, the Newf coming willingly and the Cocker coming unwillingly, the 'yotes followed us for the next 20 minutes. They'd get within 10 yards of us, but never openly attacked us. As I neared my car, they finally broke off and soundlessly melted into the darkness.
Here's what I've learned from my experiences and five years of observation-
- coyotes do eat small, unprotected dogs and other animals.
- in some areas, coyotes are quite unafraid of humans.
- coyotes help keep rabbit populations in check. However, coyote populations can grow too large. In that case, the 'yotes need to be kept in check.
- coyotes can become sufficiently enboldened to attack large dogs or even children. When they do so, it's most likely there's a large coyote pack just around the corner.
- 4-foot fences are grossly insufficient to keep coyotes out of yards. My brother has seen a coyote
effortlessly leap over a 6-foot fence.
- coyotes generally look for easy opportunities. However, they do what they feel they need to in order to survive.
When I walk my Newf at night I carry an old, fiberglass axe handle and wear my Cold Steel SRK. He and I usually walk in suburnban neighborhoods. I live in an open-carry state where anything legal to own is legal to carry openly. I feel that, with a stout stick and a decent knife, I could successfully defend my dog from coyote predation, should we encounter something willing to attack a full-sized man and 150-pound dog.
My opinion on defending one's dog and potentially oneself from coyotes is this - do what you need to in a prudent and conscientious manner. Trying to shoot a moving coyote in a suburban neighborhood without hitting a house or one's own dog may not be the best course of action. In the wilderness, though, there's a different set of rules.
I've been in the wilderness completely surrounded by coyote packs - and had no worries of being attacked. In-town, coyotes are less afraid of people and make different choices than their uncivilized brethren.
One final though: the gray wolf, around here known as the Lobo, is the natural predator of coyotes. The New Mexican government released a some into the wild a few years back. I've not heard how the Lobos are faring.
