Hiker Attacked By Coyote

[Kevin]

From another AT hiking site...

Hiker Attacked By Coyote

Hiker Attacked By Coyote
Residents Say Animals Prey On Livestock

Please see the article on the Boston Channel... It was posted yesterday evening... Does anyone have anyword on this at all? I did not see it posted yet here.

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Pretty scary!
I know in the Hudson Valley we have our far share of coyotes... You could hear them all the time at my parent's old house on the end of a farm. Once and a while you would see them, but rarely... Luckily the old the farmer next door was a good shot and would take care of any 'problems'.


Catch you later...
Kevin

 

[C.Tracy]

Like the previously posted Bear Attack, I personally think of these as isolated incidents related to people feeding these animals. I have spent countless hours in the woods every Fall for the past 27 years hunting Deer, Grouse, etc. and have had a very small number of "interactions" with Coyotes. I have had on two separate occasions, a Coyote run straight toward me until I moved, at which time it immediately stopped and ran the opposite direction even faster. They are normally very elusive in my area (probably because most hunters shoot them. or at least shoot at them). I leave them alone since they have not bothered anyone in my area. I watched a mother and pup one evening from my tree stand while bowhunting deer, it was a real neat experience. Yea, I know they can be a nuicance sometimes, but I would not worry too much about them.

 

[Chip]

I don't view coyote the same as bear. Coyote are non-native predators that can hunt in packs and can carry rabies and mange. Someone in the bear thread called bear opportunistic predators and I disagreed. This description does fit coyote well, however. I kind of doubt that farmer lost a horse and cow to coyote, but I guess it's possible. If you see a bear or 2, that's probably the entire local population. If you see a coyote, there are probably 5 more within a stone's throw, and another pack in the next neighborhood.
Re. hunting coyote in CT, the State only closes the coyote season during spring and fall turkey season, which's quite unusual. There are also no limits on coyote taken legally. That pretty much sums up our state's opinion of coyote.
Attacks on people and pets by coyote are becoming common. Black Bear attacks are still so rare as to not be a reasonable concern, IMHO.

 

[giggy]

Is it at all possible that they recent animal attacks/enounters are due to more wilderness protection? I always felt you take to the good with the bad. More wilderness and more protection of the environment = more animals.

I just have this feeling of these people in affluent neighborhoods cutting their checks to their favorite outdoor clubs - but the first sign of an "unwanted" animal in the area and they are calling the authorities to "get rid of it". and are "outraged" when an attack happens. I admit - this is steroetypical and has no base - but its a fun example!

kind of like the - "we need more prisons - but not in my town" attitude.

not looking for an argument - its a serious question and just using the above as a cliche example.

 

[bill bowden]

animal control

In my insufficiently affluent neighborhood, the animal control officer was called to deal with a flock of turkeys, so you aren't as absurd as you might have thought.
We now have fewer hunters than in the past and predators are becoming again more common. It would be very interesting to know whether the (presumably) increasing numbers of hikers and backpackers is offsetting the reduced number of hunters.

 

[C.Tracy]

I find this post quite interesting, mainly for the different views based on geographical location. My view point is based on my location in extreme Northern NY state (30 miles from Canadian border) which is much less populated, but heavily hunted. I suspect these considerations would directly effect these animals behavioral patterns. Translation: if you were getting shot at all the time by humans, you would take cover too

 

[Lawn Sale]

Huh, and I got a bunch of crap when I posted a year ago about being run out of a sand pit by a pack of coyotes.

I don't think this is an isolated incident related to people feeding the coyotes. I think they're just getting more used to humans.

I hear them around here all the time, but haven't seen or heard of them attacking with any regularity, just the usual missing chickens, cats (mine stay inside), and sheep.

 

[NewHampshire]

Mark, your right. Coyotes are very smart and adaptable, thats why they have become one of thoe most quickly spreading animals. Once their natural enemy (the wolf) was eliminated by man they used their adaptability to allow them to spread to the winds. Before now they could easily avoid man, but with space disappearing (be it from loss to development or too many other coyotes in the area causing new ones to spread) they are quickly setting up shop in urban areas. Thankfuly incidents of negative human contact are rare, but with the growing and spreading that change quickly.

Brian

P.S. Bears may be one thing, but I dont know of many people who "purposefully" feed coyotes, if any.....unless you let your cats run around outside at night .

 

[Shewolf]

I know when I'm up in the Chazy/Atoona, NY area (less than 30 miles from the Canadian Border), I can hear the coyotes at night barking. I also never see feral/pet cats wandering around in that area which I don't think is a coincidence...New Hampshire (Brian), you may be onto something....

 

[Artex]

Interesting incident. Wild animals are, well, wild sometimes. I think a lot of people tend to forget that, so isolated incidents could happen with any species. Deer have also killed people before, but I don't view them as a hostile threat. Heck, Yam and I have even been charged by a shrew once.

 

[una_dogger]

but I dont know of many people who "purposefully" feed coyotes, if any

Unfortunately, they do. Hunters in my old nieghborhood would pile deer carcasses after deer season and create coyote bait piles...sad..but true. And I had some really huge arguments with them regarding doing this about five hundred feet from my house -- I already had a peaceful coexistence with the coyotes and didn't need my dog forced into unfair competition...not to mention the fact that it was cruel.

There were LOTS of coyotes on the farm I used to live on -- some quite large. I was lucky enough to see coyotes nearly every day.
Once, my Australian Shep, Terra, gave chase to a small sable coyote, and was gone for a few minutes. I could hear them both yipping in the distance. Another time, a coyote stood in the treeline about twenty feet from my door yipping, howling and barking for about fifteen minutes. Yet in another example, Terra gave chase to a grey blurr in the forest, and almost immediately came running back with a large greyish coyote on her tail. It ran when I began yelling "coyote" and clapping my hands.
Terra has a 'thing' for coyotes!

I'm happy we have them in Dutchess Co, NY; because they do take down deer and we've got too many of those.

 

[Chip]

Yet in another example, Terra gave chase to a grey blurr in the forest, and almost immediately came running back with a large greyish coyote on her tail. It ran when I began yelling "coyote" and clapping my hands.
Terra has a 'thing' for coyotes!

Coyote have a thing for pets, too. It's called a meal.
I know a lot of guys that hunt birds with dogs. It's not unheard of for one coyote to bait a dog into a chase into the woods to be trapped by the rest of the pack.
Nature's fantastic until it kills something or somebody, then people panic and expect the Police or Game Warden to eradicate the "problem".

 

[una_dogger]

. It's not unheard of for one coyote to bait a dog into a chase into the woods to be trapped by the rest of the pack. :".

Oh yeah, that was definately what was going on when the little coyote was yipping and yapping like a dog outside my door!
The time she chased the sable coyote, I was bushwacking and pretty confident that we were near a den; and the female had tried to use herself to create a diversion.

My kitty was eaten by a coyote at the ripe old age of 18--sad, but he partook in many many meals from the food chain himself. It was totally my mistake, he liked to hunt in a meadow, and then it was cut for hay; exposing him.

Wild things do as wild things will...that's part of the beauty of nature.

 

[jade]

Arrgghhhh!

 

[funkyfreddy]

Nature abhors a vacuum, and the eradication of the wolf and mountain lion from northeastern forests created one....... the coyote moved in to fill it and is needed as part of natures balance.

If you think there's too many coyotes now then perhaps you might want to consider wolf and mountain lion reintroduction in the NE forests...... that would help keep their numbers down, wouldn't it?

 

[una_dogger]

If you think there's too many coyotes now then perhaps you might want to consider wolf and mountain lion reintroduction in the NE forests...... that would help keep their numbers down, wouldn't it?

Even better if there was space enough for everyone!

 

[NewHampshire]

I also never see feral/pet cats wandering around in that area which I don't think is a coincidence...New Hampshire (Brian), you may be onto something....

Not too get too graphic here, but....

My friend and I were Pheasant hunting a small field in Epping. The field is not more than a 10 minute drive from the busier part of town. There we sadly found the collar, a bit of hide, and half the lower jawbone of someones poor cat. If there was a nametag we would have returned the collar, but there was none. The coyotes had left almost nothing to the thing.

You would be surprised how many folks dont even realize they have coyotes in the area. They try to avoid human contact as much as possible, because like I said, they are very smart. but its cases like the one that started this post that show you cant take ANYTHING for granted!

Brian

 

[NewHampshire]

If you think there's too many coyotes now then perhaps you might want to consider wolf and mountain lion reintroduction in the NE forests...... that would help keep their numbers down, wouldn't it?

Hmmm, Ill take the coyote ANY day. At least the odds of being hauled off and eaten by one are far less than that of a Mountain Lion . Ive read all kinds of horror stories from out in California where they are becoming a serious problem.

Brian

 

[Gris]

If you think there's too many coyotes now then perhaps you might want to consider wolf and mountain lion reintroduction in the NE forests

Would LOVE to see wolves reintroduced (in the wilds). They would coexist in a much more harmonius manner than coyotes. I am not afraid of wolves, but coyotes and pumas scare me and do not mix well with man. There are supposedly many redwolf/coyote hyrbids in the NE right now. I wonder if they behave more like coyotes or wolves...

 

[Sir Hikesalot]

I don't view coyote the same as bear. Coyote are non-native predators that can hunt in packs and can carry rabies and mange. Someone in the bear thread called bear opportunistic predators and I disagreed. This description does fit coyote well, however. I kind of doubt that farmer lost a horse and cow to coyote, but I guess it's possible. If you see a bear or 2, that's probably the entire local population. If you see a coyote, there are probably 5 more within a stone's throw, and another pack in the next neighborhood.
Re. hunting coyote in CT, the State only closes the coyote season during spring and fall turkey season, which's quite unusual. There are also no limits on coyote taken legally. That pretty much sums up our state's opinion of coyote.
Attacks on people and pets by coyote are becoming common. Black Bear attacks are still so rare as to not be a reasonable concern, IMHO.

Perhaps you should do a ittle research before you post!

Though it isn't common, bears get rabies to.
All predators are opportunistic.

Attacks on people and pets by coyote are becoming common. Black Bear attacks are still so rare as to not be a reasonable concern, IMHO.

Are you saying more people are killed by coyotes than bears. I don't think so.