Two dead, one missing

[johnnie l.]

Aww, shucks! You mean doing this stuff for a living all those years and a degree in wildlife biology, means squat! Can't agree with Amy's Chupacabra but what the hay.....Maybe a weasel toothed jackalope. LOL. Whatever!!

Dale

Dales right Coyote

[jezcruzen]

You know, its the damnedest thing. I have heard them 'yip', 'yip' late at night and even suspect they jumped my old rottie once, but I have never laid eyes on one! People around here tell me all the time that they see them.

[dalewick]

You know, its the damnedest thing. I have heard them 'yip', 'yip' late at night and even suspect they jumped my old rottie once, but I have never laid eyes on one! People around here tell me all the time that they see them.

If you have a siren, take it out and blow it after 10PM and listen for responding howls. Do this every 1/2 mile and you can get a rough idea of how many coyotes are in your area.

For an idea on your property, in areas where coyotes hunt and move (edge of fields, logging roads, etc.) dig up 4 ft diameter circles and sift the dirt so it is very soft ( tracks show well) and place a SFE (synthetic fermented egg) tab (or a food coyote lure) in the center of the circle. Check every 24 hrs and sift out any new tracks. Sets of tracks in a 1 week period give you a minimum of 50% population check.

Dale

[Buggyout]

I used to hunt them as a kid. I got $75 a pelt! Used a 30.06 Accelerator round. check these out:



Yes, that's Muzzle Velocity: 4080 fps
Muzzle Energy: 2033 ft. lbs!

55 grain Sabo round behind

They still make the things.

-Buggy

[myakka]

Okay Dale, let me ask you something........ No seriously...... I was told this, and want to know if it is true...

we had a problem with different critters coming in the yard at night. Skunks, racoons, and armamillos at different times.

I was told to save our hair when we cut it, and sprinkle it around the yard as the smell of humans was enough to keep most critters away.

Is there any truth to this? It would seem that the animal would have to be something already familiar with and afraid of humans, otherwise isn't it just another smell? Or do we smell like a predator in some way?

Thanks!

[dalewick]

Okay Dale, let me ask you something........ No seriously...... I was told this, and want to know if it is true...

we had a problem with different critters coming in the yard at night. Skunks, racoons, and armamillos at different times.

I was told to save our hair when we cut it, and sprinkle it around the yard as the smell of humans was enough to keep most critters away.

Is there any truth to this? It would seem that the animal would have to be something already familiar with and afraid of humans, otherwise isn't it just another smell? Or do we smell like a predator in some way?

Thanks!

Most animals have a inate fear of humans. Even animals that have never seen or smelled a human, will have a fear of us. If they get used to humans and associate us with food, all bets are off. Human hair will work for about a week in dry weather as long as its fresh (lots of human odor), but any precipitation (rain, snow, dew, etc.) and that can drop to a day or hours. Animals fear us when they see us (even for the first time) because of our eyes. They face forward, just like every other predators.
The critters you mentioned are coming and digging in your yard for grubs. Get rid of the grubs in the turf and they will leave, otherwise, dinners on. Skunks and coons will also dig for mice and voles when available (larger holes).
Never let anybody BS you, we ARE predators! Everything about a human is predatory, from our forward facing eyes, canine teeth, olfactory senses to the protein digesting bacterias in our guts.

Also, just like with dogs, most wild animals can detect hostile intent in human odor. I learned a long time ago when setting traps that if I worked smoothly and confidently when setting my traps, I could skip wearing gloves as the coyotes didn't seem to pay as much attention to my scent then as when I was younger and less sure about what I was doing and wearing rubber gloves. A very old and trusted trapper explained this to me in this way once for trapping predators. Everywhere we go, we leave odor (that why dogs can track us by our scent (sometimes even days latter), and that odor does not go undetected by predators. It's how much odor we leave behind and it's content, that will alert an animal or let him focus on the other scents (lures & baits), that you leave at the trap set.
Hope that makes sense.

Dale

[Chefsimms]

My wife grooms dogs and some times we put the hair by the garden when we are having problems with rabbits and what not and it seems to keep everything away at least until it rains hard.

[Morgan101]

I can add absolutely nothing useful to this thread. However, I thoroughly enjoy reading all the posts and learning from your experience. It really is like reading a good mystery, and you guys always seem to come up with the right answer. All great suggestions as well. Keep up the great work.

[jezcruzen]

I almost lost the remainder of my flock two days ago. I has sown nine pounds of grass seed. The chickens had been kept up for about two days afterwards as I waited for rain. I felt sorry for them and turned them out. You know where the first place was that they went! :mad: The thought of putting all of them in the freezer definitely crossed my mind!

[ZAGran]

Could it be a fox? Had one carry off 6 hens in one nite (bantams). Found out was a fox when trapper near by was showing feathers from my milli flours (french for little flower) asking around if any one knew what kind of bird they came from. He had found them in a fox den! Spouse brought him to house to see the little hens to prove they were'nt some sort of wild bird!

[rhode]

i'd cut a hole in the fence, make a woven wire box trap, and set it at the hole, tying the front of it to the fence. This is using the hens as bait. i'd leave the trap set at all times, shooting the would-be 'eaters' each time that I caught them.

[jeager]

Have had chickens and ended up loosing ALL of them a bird at a time.
Had a coup & fenced.
Birds had heads nawed off.
I found where something not very large had gotten in.
Hmmmmmmmmm.
I set up with a .22 rifle in my kitchen about 30 yards from the fenced in place
outside the coup with the window open so I could take a shot without making
noise.
Low and behold here comes a large FAT feral cat.
Beaned the sucker in the noggin. Might have been a neighbors cat but I kinda
doubt it but too bad if it was.
Ever see a cat catch a mouse or bird? The chew off the head first.
Dunno why.
I have 15 acres, mostly woods and I can't recall how many CATS I've shot
either in the yard pissing and pooping in the flower beds or eating song birds
they ambush at the bird feeder.
People dump the cats in my woods. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[Diesel]

Keeping chickens alive is a constant battle, just about everything out there is a predator for them