preston39":1fila81o said:
preston39":1fila81o said:
Medic,
Help me with the grease soaked foam rubber....never heard of it.
How do you use it? What does it do?
Call 'em in and kill 'em. Poision is not good.....Snares work...but look out for the neighbors dog. Have not had much luck with traps...some others have.
Coyotes a big problem in western KY...every week hear of calves taken by 'em around here.
Suckers!
I have heard Alpacas are good...any info?...anyone?
Donkeys seem to be mixed for effect...jury has been out a long time on
them.
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Medic 24,
You may have missed a previous post. I am re-posting it.
Just curious. Thanks.
Medic,
I may have missed your esponse of my ? about the foam rubber?
Also, I found the following noteworthy;
"Interpreting Cattle Losses to Predators
By Dr. Dale Rollins, Extension Wildlife Specialist
You know what really gets my goat? Or my calf? If not, then perhaps you should strive to be more Quincey-like in your evaluation of livestock losses.
Quincey, the 1980s television coroner, used his experience, eye for observation and a strong stomach to unravel clues of untimely deaths. Reminiscing back to the TV series can prompt a better appreciation of deciphering livestock losses to predators on the back 40.
In 1996, I organized the first Predator Appreciation Day in Ozona, Texas. Now I can assure you that sheep and goat ranchers in Crockett County don't appreciate predators in the sense of "to value or admire highly."
But over the course of six hours, they developed a better appreciation (i.e., to judge with heightened awareness or to be cautiously or sensitively aware) of predators and their management.
Relative to sheep and goats, cattle losses are uncommon but they can be substantial. According to a 1992 survey by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, calf losses in Texas to predators during 1991 totaled 23,400 head.
While coyotes were to blame for about 75 percent of the losses, other offenders included free-ranging dogs, black vultures, mountain lions and even fire ants.
Calves, from newborn up to 8 weeks of age, are the most common targets of predators. Cows that experience calving problems are also subject to attack. Predation on cattle occurs statewide, but the greatest impacts are felt in the areas of highest coyote densities.
Winter calving, which usually occurs during annual declines of natural prey, increases vulnerability of calves to coyotes. Additionally, coyotes often "pack up" in late winter and groups of four or more coyotes are not uncommon.
Couple winter calving with an extended snow for several days, as one might have in the High or Rolling Plains of Texas, and you should be especially vigilant toward coyotes.
Most Texas cattle producers share a thin-skinned coexistence with the coyote. Coyote predation on calves tends to be a problem mostly during years when high coyote densities coincide with low availability of "buffer" prey (including fruits). While the coyote's diet varies across the state, rodents, rabbits and fruits will usually comprise the bulk of the diet.
Certainly the presence of coyotes themselves does not ensure that calf losses are occurring. The presence of afterbirth and fresh feces containing colostrum or milk on the calving grounds are delicacies to the scavenging coyote.
Likewise, a dead yearling (unless it's been too "doctored-up") provides a meal for coyotes for perhaps several days. A scavenging coyote doesn't necessarily graduate to be a calf-killer. But as the coyote matures, he may be more likely to cause problems for the cattle producer.
Rick Gilliland is a district supervisor for the Texas Wildlife Damage Management Service headquartered in Canyon, Texas. Arguably, because of the winter situations described above, Gilliland's district suffers higher calf losses to coyotes than most regions of the state. And, over the years, Gilliland has observed certain patterns about calf-killing coyotes.
"Observations across high coyote density areas of the High and Rolling Plains have revealed that middle- (3 to 5 years old) and older- (5 years or older) age classes of coyotes are primarily responsible for cattle depredations," says Gilliland.
Gilliland says that efficient killing by coyotes on calf-sized prey is a learned ability, honed over time.
"In contrast, incidence of bobbed tails on calves and mutilation associated with inept, rear end attacks is often indicative of younger, inexperienced coyotes or free-ranging dogs," he says.
Gilliland recommends trying to keep the age structure of the coyote population at a younger level. A maintenance program of general population suppression which results in younger, less threatening coyotes is often necessary to ensure long-term reductions of livestock losses.
Coyotes may generate the most ill feelings, but other species can be periodic predators on calves.
Domestic dogs can be a serious problem where they are permitted to run at large, particularly near urban areas. True feral dogs and coydogs (coyote-dog hybrids) are also a problem but are far less common.
Domestic dogs do not normally kill for food and their attacks usually lead to indiscriminate mutilation of prey. When they do feed, they tend to leave torn, ragged tissue and splintered bones much like coyotes do. Look for bobbed ears and tails.
Both domestic and feral dogs often range in packs and do extensive damage once they begin to attack livestock. Dog packs harass livestock and persist in chasing injured animals, often for several hours. Fences damaged by livestock attempting to escape, exhaustion, injuries, weight loss, loss of young and abortion are some common consequences of such attacks.
Mountain lions are perhaps the most proficient calf killers, and problems can occur in portions of West Texas where lions are more common. Evidence of a lion kill on a calf-sized victim will include a carcass that has been cached (partially buried) for subsequent feeding. Bites to the muzzle or the top of the neck, coupled with scratch marks on the shoulders suggest a lion attack.
Vultures, especially black vultures, ravens and crows, commonly scavenge carcasses. In some circumstances, they may attack live animals and kill those that are unable to escape or defend themselves.
Initial attacks by these birds are usually at the eyes and nose, navel and anal area. Typically, they blind the animals by pecking out the eyes even if they do not kill them.
I've never heard of anyone losing calves to feral hogs, but I would think it undoubtedly occurs. Feral hogs become proficient at killing goats and are ranked as the No. 2 predator of goats (behind coyotes) in some portions of the Edwards Plateau.
Getting back to Quincey, most species of predators have a characteristic modus operandi when they attack and feed upon their prey. One should examine the point of attack, tooth or claw punctures, tracks and other physical evidence when a dead calf is detected.
A manual, Procedures for Evaluating Predation on Livestock and Wildlife is available from the Texas Agricultural Extension Service and can be found on the Internet at
http://texnat.tamu.edu/ranchref/predator/pred.htm. Additionally, proceedings from a 1995 symposium on coyotes in Texas are available at
http://texnat.tamu.edu."
