Coyotes in the yard.

[SCUMFROG]

Had 5 in the yard last night at about 9:30 trying to get the dogs. I never seen them but they were howling and yipping. One was about 30 feet from me and the dog just inside the tall grass, one on the other side of us 2 behind and 1 in the front yard. How big can packs get and should I be worried about them coming after me when I'm out with the dogs?

[HunterLee]

Shoot one and they won't be back. I would love to have them in my yard. lol

[jentz]

We get them in the yard also, weekly.We have a Rat terrior and a Tomcat,the cat does his own thing and is always OK, the dog, when we let her out nights we open the door step on the deck and give notice we're outside and they pretty much leave.Dogs 10 and the cat is 13 so it seems to work their still here.I did shoot a couple over the years but they were the bold yotes.

[Musky Buck]

Ditto it's insane how many are around, I think last Winter was a bust for the local hound dog boys who usually thin them out, they're definitely braver this year in my area than last, but mother nature may have some mange in store for them. Unproven but do you think it's so mega dry that they are having trouble scenting critters to find and eat ?

[RumRiverRat]

Shoot them, or let me come shoot them.

[jparrucci]

My dog was attacked a couple if times last winter. My dog is about 40 pounds and they have no fear. They were actually stalking him. Snares worked on a couple, but I counted as many as 9 of them some nights. If it continues again this winter I am going to resort to drastic measures. I can't shoot a firearm in town so I have to get creative. During one of the attacks, I managed to a ahold of my dog and I was kicking at the yote as it kept trying to get him. Metro area police will not help, don't bother. All you will do is get told you can't do anything but yell at them. Throwing rocks at them will get you arrested

[delcecchi]

They still make those things with the poison gas that squirt when the coyote eats the bait?

Big Conibear box/bucket set? 22 with hushaboom (subsonic with heavy slug)load, or even 22LR?

Crossbow with broadhead?

Live trap made out of dog kennel or chain link?

How far to nearest neighbor?

If all else fails,

"Animal control services are provided to the City of Forest Lake on a contractual basis through Animal Control Services.

If you are missing an animal, contact Hillcrest Animal Hospital directly to see if it has been impounded at (651) 484-7211.

If you want to report an animal problem contact Washington Councy Dispatch at (651) 439-9381."

[SCUMFROG]

I live far enough out that I can shoot them. If they keep coming in that close I'll do that.

[delcecchi]

I live far enough out that I can shoot them. If they keep coming in that close I'll do that.

I think that sounds like a good idea. Although the Conibears aren't bad either.

[Polarisx54r]

I had one jump my golden retriever a couple of years ago hunting pheasants. Fortunately my dog grew up with an ill-tempered springer dam and knew how to fight. He tangled up with fur flying snarling to beat heck. I ran in and just missed the coyote with my buttstock before he decided to run and caught 3 rounds of #5 lead in the hinder. Trailed him down with the dog and finished him off. Went back the next day with the call and rifle and nailed 3 more. They were very thin and had some mange going. Probably interfered with their ability to hunt. I shoot coyotes on sight. I walk my dog out in the yard with a pistol. They are present in numbers far above their natural population in this area. My uncles farm mutts are pretty good at killing them and raccoons.

When they get in the pasture my horse tries to run them down. For that reason they mostly leave my yard alone, hanging out in the swamp out back instead. Still don't trust the things. They're an opportunistic predator and will gladly go after a small child, dog, cat or livestock if they think they can win the fight.

[SCUMFROG]

Whats a Conibears. Never heard of that before.

They where close again last night about 1/2 mile or so away.

[The Grebe]

My nephew had one come into the yard and start eating his dogs food out of the dish. His German Shepard didn't like that and tore into him. The little terrier also got into the fight and when my nephew came running outside in his drawers with just a pair of cowboy boots on, the little dog had ahold of the coyotes foot and the Shepard had ahold of it's neck. My nephew got the little dog off of the coyote and then kicked the coyote square in the head. His Shepard let loose and the coyote stumbled off. Three nights later the coyote came back with 2 more of his buddies for back up, but the dogs were in the house.

[EBass]

WOW - I didn't know they were that brave. I've only seen one in person on the shore of Zumbra in Carver Co. I thought it was a someone's small dog, then I'm like it's gray and not many dogs are gray, what the... I got a bit closer (50 yards from it) and yup, yote and it took off.

I wouldn't want to mess with a German Sheppard's food dish. Cool the Terrier got in on the action. They are tough for their size.

Um, do yotes carry rabies?

[delcecchi]

Conibear is a body hold trap.

Don't use if there are dogs around. It will do to them what it does to a coyote.

[The Grebe]

First thing I asked my nephew, "Have your dogs had their shots?" He said yes. You don't hear of to many cases of rabies up here? Usually it would be a bat, a skunk, or a coon? Still I wouldn't want to take a chance on any wild critter. I've seen coyotes all over the place, even on the U of M campus over S.E. Mpls. They use railroad tracks as travel corridors.

[The Grebe]

Del, have you ever got a coyote to stick their head in one of those things? In the past when I used to trap, I caught alot of beaver and coon in #220's, but never a fox, or a coyote?

[westb]

Conibear is a body hold trap.

Don't use if there are dogs around. It will do to them what it does to a coyote.

Are you trying to get the anti trapping crowd all fired up?

[Random guy]

Conis will work on yotes but not the most effective option. Other options will nab them if they are brave enough/dumb enough to come into a yard. LARGE live traps will catch them and safe for the dogs. You have to cover and camouflage the trap to make it look like a burrow or somewhere a coon has been going through the brush and bait with meat. Housing region yotes will push into a opening if they think the reward is good enough. You may get a dog but no harm other then it spent the night in a small kennel...and had a nice chunk of meat.

Best bet is a box of bullets.

[delcecchi]

No, I am not trying to get the anti trapping crowd fired up. It seemed to be a good idea to warn someone who has dogs in their yard that a conibear that will trap a coyote might not be good for their dogs. I know that seems like common sense but I did it anyway, in the spirit of warning against using a hair dryer in the shower.

[delcecchi]

Del, have you ever got a coyote to stick their head in one of those things? In the past when I used to trap, I caught alot of beaver and coon in #220's, but never a fox, or a coyote?

No, just an occasional raccoon that thinks my back yard bird feeder is a buffet in the winter. But I figure a yote that is coming in the yard and eating out of the dog's dish might not be too wary.

I see there is a 330 conibear. I presume that is bigger than the 220?

the coons I caught either with a bucket type set or by putting bait on the trigger wires and putting the trap on a couple nails on the side of a tree, so it sticks out perpendicular to the tree. I made that one up.

So far I haven't had yotes in the yard that I know of.

Lately I have been using a live trap, although a coon will make a mess while sitting there with nothing much to do.

[The Grebe]

I've used em on woodchucks, skunk, coon an an occassional beaver. I've got a number of coyotes in fox sets, but they seem to be pretty wary. It doesn't seem like they would stick their head in a #220? They'll even shy away from snares once in awhile and they are alot less bulky then the #220. I was always carefull where I set those things, because if a dog, which is alot less wary then a coyote, sticks it's head in one, well ....

[delcecchi]

They have a reputation for being wary, but if they are in the yard eating dog food maybe not so much. Yeah, dogs are a concern. Mentioning it got me chastised as a tool for PETA or something. Whatever.

[RBuker]

This summer I let my three wiener dogs out in the morning to pee. About 30 seconds later I heard my little female come screaming up to the door. I raced out and she came in. But, I heard one of the males barking up a storm and when I ran around the corner of the house, my dog was nose to nose with a coyote. I yelled three times and headed toward to them before the coyote finally trotted off. Bold critter!

A week later I came in from fishing at 1pm and let the dogs out. I was filling a bucket up with water to clean the fish when I glanced up and saw a coyote standing on the corner of the yard. I ran in and grabbed my .17 rem (that I keep loaded for coyotes) and came back out. He was still there at 60 yards. I killed him.

After that, I went out with the dogs and a week later at sunup, I was out and glanced up and saw another one in the yard. Yup, ran in and got the rifle and killed that one too. Damned things.

About 10 years ago I lost a wiener dog to a coyote. It's been war ever since.

[JBar]

Had a nice one in the pasture yesterday at dusk will wait a few more weeks for fur to prime up and I'll be after them again with steel and lead. good luck

[Eric Wettschreck]

They're back around my place also.

If you've ever seen my dog you will have no problem understanding the next sentence. There's no doubt in my mind that my dog vs one yote would be a good battle and in the end there would be a dead yote. Dog would be somewhat ripped up but he'd win. However, my dog vs more than one yote is a whole different story, and I have more than one yote hanging around.

7.62 Mauser is in the garage and at the ready. My motto.....See yote, kill yote. I'm not waiting for them to come into the yard. If I get a 300 yard or closer shot, I'm taking it.

[Musky Buck]

Yes, last night in the yard and 15 feet from my front door, grabbed a goose I had cleaned and ran off with it, wish it wasn't so foggy, was armed and medium ready, shortly after a few skunks went to skunkland, this fog/mist/etc. have the varmints really moving.