Ok, folks, I have some answers regarding this one, and yes many of you will remember the debate it caused here a year or so ago, but please trust me on this one, as I have truly done my homework on this one, and of course, I would invite anyone to look up "eastern coyote" etc on the net to verify what i say.
No 1- Eatern coyotes, those animals most prevelent EAST of the Mississippi River are very different then the western coyotes. for one thing they can be much larger, they have different hunting and packing instincts, as researchers have isolated DNA from various wolf strains in the eastern. The suspicion is that they were interbred with either or both the red or timber wolf some time ago. Thus they have grown larger, and they can will hunt not only alone, but in packs after smaller prey becomes scarce later in the winter months, and early spring, especially when pups need to be fed!
They are not as shy as the western in their habits as well, and have been known to enter cattle, goat, and sheep herds during daylight hours to prey upon them....and they have in fact in the past preyed upon the guardian dog in the pasture as well.
Now, that being said........calling is wonderfull, ONCE, maybe even twice you can get an animal to come to it, but they get wise very quickly.
Leg hold traps seem to be the way to go, snares even better, as you can in fact much better target coyotes with both based upon the manner in which you set them, including the scents you use for attraction, and bait, not to mention the the height of the snare and the manner in which you also set that.........never ever set upon a well used game trail but off to the side with a proper attractant.
Donkeys, and Llamas are great as well........but only ONE per pasture..as they will otherwise simply be themselves, a group of donkey's or Llamas that have little or no interest in the herd they are there to protect....by isolating them, you force them to become part of the herd, and develop a bond with them, and that my friend, is what it will take for them to protect the herd from predators. Trust me , in this case, more is not better, it defeats the purpose. Been there done that.
Now, an inexpensive and not so proven method is to collect human urine and spread that around the fence line.........I tried that before, but how does one know if it works? I will again try it in order to perhaps leave a smaller area for the coyotes to feel more comfortable to enter the pasture, they are going to anyway, so narrow the area down if you can, thus being a place you can poosible set those snares or traps.
I prefer snares, as you cna get them rather cheaply, and order ones that do not lock and kill the animal, in case you get soem ones pet. Nice thing about dogs is the fact, that instinct usually tells them that once they know they are caught in such a device, they will stop sturggling and not cause themselve so much harm nor choke themselves to death, a locking snare does not give them that chance, as every movement tightens it.
Now as far as leg hold traps, use No#2 or larger, but again, if possiblity of pets getting caught , use either a laminated or rubber jawed trap...they cost more but are worth it expecially if you catch pets on occasion by accident.
Now as far as poisons...yes, regretably, done that too out of desperation.but who knows what eats it? and if it is some ones pet...there is no coming back, no second chances. No way to release them humanely as you would a snare or leg hold trap. It's over. it made no difference in the population of the coyotes here.
Now, they do make some things called 'Niteze'. I see them advertized in alot of mag. such as mother earth news etc. they are little LED lights that are run by bateries, and supposed to keep many animals out of the pastures when they see those red eyes staring at them. Don't really know if they work or not.
Now certainly not least, several more important points.............
In heavily populated areas, trapping and snaring needs to be done with great care, but on the other hand, in these same areas coyotes are much more accustomed to the human scent, and one need not be so careful about leaving scent behind them as they work to set up traps etc.
The treble hook thing, I have done, but the first time you walk up to an animal hanging from one of those, you vow to never do that again. This is cruel to the extreme..and again, think of your good neighbor's dog hanging there.............
Think about how ever you chose to rid yourself of these 'canines of the devil', keep in mind that your work will just as likely be visited by a curious and very innocent pet or other animal in the woods.........there are in fact many ways to somewhat prevent that, or at least be able to undo an unintended catch.
Trust me also on this, I hate them, I hate them with passion. and given the chance will kill each and everyone i can find, but I would still chose to do it humanely, and without collateral damage so to speak. we need not have any one making compliants that would allow the nasayers any more ammunition against us then there is. Lastly, the three S rule is most important, as most folks don't care that you may be loosing calves etc, they just hear that you are killing wildlife and they get all teary eyed and want to call Peta on you.
Good luck, as I believe that ever coyote you kill may be less one hundred that I have to contend with later on. :cboy:
