Should I let my 6 year old play outside? There are Coyotes around

scotchleaf

scotchleaf

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Oct 23, 2006
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We live near Atlanta: should I let my 6 year old play outside? There are Coyotes around - often we will hear about 5-6 of them calling in the night. We live right by a mid - sized park. Our cats go out, but have always made it back alive. The Esse thread got me thinking about this. Thanks for your advice.
 
If there were coyotes that close to my place I'd only let my little one out to play if I were there to watch, and if there were a phone call or whatever, they'd be coming inside with me to answer it .. Crap happens too fast these days when we turn our backs or blink an eye friend !:)
 
There have been numerous incidents of Coyotes attacking small kids in urban and suburban settings.

If your hearing that many, I would keep a close eye on your little ones.
 
Its unlikey that they would attack your 6 year old. They're very timid and a 6 year old is probibly past the stage of easy prey. But they have on ocassion attacked grown people, and a 6 year old dosn't have much of a chance to fight back.

Fence it, or give him a whistle and stay nearby.

In a semi urban setting most coyotes should be rather well fed off scavanging and not willing to risk it. but it is always a possibility.
 
Munky88 said:
Its unlikey that they would attack your 6 year old. They're very timid and a 6 year old is probibly past the stage of easy prey. But they have on ocassion attacked grown people, and a 6 year old dosn't have much of a chance to fight back.

Fence it, or give him a whistle and stay nearby.

In a semi urban setting most coyotes should be rather well fed off scavanging and not willing to risk it. but it is always a possibility.
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Here, they walk down the middle of the street in broad daylight! I meet them hiking in the hills almost every day. They keep their distance, but "timid" doesn't accurately describe them.

The only plus is that they are skinny and smallish, and one swift kick would probably break ones back.
 
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reconranger said:
Here, they walk down the middle of the street in broad daylight! I meet them hiking in the hills almost every day. They keep their distance, but timid doesn't accurately describe them.

The only plus is that they are skinny and smallish, and one swift kick would probably break ones back.
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do they not break and run as soon as you make eye contact with them?
 
do'nt forget that canadian folk singer killed by coyotes in canada about july. our state biologists trapped a 85 lb. coyote in austin city limits. several people lost dogs & many cats disappeared. austin has a full time trapper authorized to shoot them in traps. one of my customers had 6 coyotes trapped 1/4 mi. from her house. a good pellet gun with a pellet placed between ribs will kill a coyote. before you laugh a 12 year old boy shot with a pellet between ribs died about 10 yrs. back 15 miles from austin. my pellet gun is an olympic model made by walther with a 300$ burris scope. of course in the country coyotes are killed on sight with anything up to deer rifles, tex is a huge cattle state & even mt. lions are shot on sight since in texas these are considered varmits. kinda feel sorry for the cougars since they're so pretty.
dennis
 
Tying a bone round my sons neck was the only way I could get our dog to play to him !

On a serious note if I had a six year old sure I'd let him out but I'd be keeping a damn close eye on him !
 
Munky88 said:
do they not break and run as soon as you make eye contact with them?
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No, they mostly stand there and check me out. Then I start to howl, and it confuses the hell out of them. If I run at them or something, they will take off.

For a while, I had one that would follow me in the hills about 20 yards behind and 20 yards off to the side of the trail. Clearly it was taking advantage of the game that I might scare up (rabbits and squirrels)! This went on for months, so it wasn't just an isolated incident. Have had birds of prey, do the same thing....
 
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I wouldn't leave your kid out alone to play if you're hearing several Coyotes. Keep a close eye on your child and when it's time for you to come inside then it's time for your child to come in too. I think I'd carry some sort of defensive tool with me as well. A single canine can be hard enough to deal with but when there are many, the human needs a weapon.
 
I would only do it under supervision or have him play close to the house and with a whistle (also knowing how to use it). When I was around 12 or 13 my brother and I were up in the hills (just north of the Columbia River in WA) hunting quail or dove...all we had was a single barrel shotgun between the two of us. It was probably a good 10 mile hike back to the house and the sun had gone down on us. Needless to say, we were shadowed by a pack of coyotes; they stayed about 30-40 yards away...but it was a harrowing hike back.

Fast forward to Bagdad Iraq back in 2006. I was attending a conference of our higher HQ's and my temporary housing screwed up my last night's stay. Needless to say, I was "homeless" my last day starting at about 0300. I decided to head back to the HQ's and hang out until morning and my flight back to my unit. Victory base is pretty large and after I picked up a nasty tasting Green Bean coffee, I walked to couple of miles back to our Brigade HQ's. That last mile I was shadowed by two very large animals. At first I thought it was a couple of hyenas (there use to be big wild animal preserve/park before the war broke out, and several were killed or escaped), however I found out after that they weren’t as big as the shadows led me to believe…it was a pair of (well fed) jackals...even 25 years later, I was reminded that even though the threat level is low, nature keeps you on your toes whether you’re a young teen exploring or even in a combat zone:D

Better safe than sorry...take precautions and stay vigilant.

ROCK6
 
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scotchleaf said:
We live near Atlanta: should I let my 6 year old play outside? There are Coyotes around - often we will hear about 5-6 of them calling in the night. We live right by a mid - sized park. Our cats go out, but have always made it back alive. The Esse thread got me thinking about this. Thanks for your advice.
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If your cats are making it back, there's probably little to fear, but I would keep a close eye on them anyway. You never know when a coyote will get rabies.
 
Mannlicher said:
I"d move into a bunker, and hire armed guards. :D
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He already has a bunker. There's no room inside, cause it is full of Busse's and Sebenzas.:eek:

Just sit on your porch with a shotgun full of Dead Coyote shells while the kid plays. Your kid's welfare important, or not?
 
I don't know what kind of area you live in (urban, suburban, rural), but your child would be in no more danger of coyote attack than he would be from an animal which was rabid (probably less).

If your play area is fenced and you keep an eye on him like you otherwise would, I don't imagine that you will have any problem at all.

Andy
 
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