we have coyotes here, but there stay pretty much up in the mts. at the farm land we have our highlands on, our friend lives there and helps take care of our cows, last night. while there son was going out to feed hay he heard the coyotes slipping down the hollow near the cow field, he went back and got his gun fired off a shot and took after them on 4 wheeler. they hit the brush, the cows beded down close the house in the open that night, but im worried that they will jump the little bull calf he's the smallest; but momma has a good set of horns, will the cows protect each other, or will they run? gonna talk to dnr about what to do about these sneakie critters.. that pretty much freaks me out, :shock: i camp up there and they are running right behind my camper..{ doug works 4 on 4 off, his days off we're on the farm working} Rose
coyottes moving in
- Thread starter brownmule
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Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
"Generally" they aren't a problem with calves that are up & going. The biggest problem is at calving time. They can get the calf while the cow is down pushing and unable to get up.
thanks , been years since i had cows, back there there werent even bears around, just getting back into them,and the highlands are a new world to me, they have settled down great, they have become big bums. come to the fence beside drive way when you come in..i sure dont want any thing to happen to them,we are gonna build a lot close to the house for when babies are due. What was the DNR thinking when when they truned those coyots loose here! i had friend loose goats and sheep over the past 4 yrs from them Rose
brownmule":1p8mtu8c said:
I'ld be almost willing to bet that DNR had nothing to do with the influx of yotes. They're a very opportunistic and adaptable animal.
Years ago on a military base they fenced off about 50 acres because the buildings all had asbestos falling out of them. Within 6 months a pack of yotes had taken up residence and grew to over a dozen animals. If there is a piece of available habitat they'll find it and move in
dun
Victoria
Well-known member
If they are pure coyotes you probably don't have much to worry about. If they've bred with dogs that can be another story. Once a calf is up and walking nothing is going to take on a Highland mother. When calving though Highlands are very instinctual. They tend to go off from the herd to calve. They will lay down only when they are ready and generally calve quickly. They will get their calf up ASAP and move it to a different area (leaving behind the blood and fluids), still not with the other cows. Had one Highland whose calf wouldn't stand right away, it was a COLD night. She used her horns and started tossing him in the air. That got the blood going and the poor little guy staggered to his feet pretty quick!
Then they can have a tendency to hide their calf for three days. I've seen them tuck their calf under some branches and using their horns and noses scoop more dead fall around the calf to "bury" it. The calves don't typically run. When a predator comes by (me with the ear tag gun :lol: )they stay silent and tuck very low to the ground. Even when I tag them they don't move a muscle. They can be hard to find, but the cow is always watching and knows where they are.
I never worry that much about coyotes. I am not sure if my grandfather lost any to coyotes but I know in the last thirty years we've only had one calf killed by a coyote/dog and it wasn't a Highland. We did lose a cow (again not a Highland) to what looked like a pack of dogs. At least that was our guess from the dead body.
Then they can have a tendency to hide their calf for three days. I've seen them tuck their calf under some branches and using their horns and noses scoop more dead fall around the calf to "bury" it. The calves don't typically run. When a predator comes by (me with the ear tag gun :lol: )they stay silent and tuck very low to the ground. Even when I tag them they don't move a muscle. They can be hard to find, but the cow is always watching and knows where they are.
I never worry that much about coyotes. I am not sure if my grandfather lost any to coyotes but I know in the last thirty years we've only had one calf killed by a coyote/dog and it wasn't a Highland. We did lose a cow (again not a Highland) to what looked like a pack of dogs. At least that was our guess from the dead body.
oh thanks i feel so much better.. i was on the DNR site here in wva they say that they are crossed with red, and gray wolf...LOVLEY.... thinking of getting electric and putting up staduim lights around camper LOL :lol: still creeps me out thinking they might be in the darkness out there while i m setting by the camp fire! LOL rose
brownmule":2n9ghom7 said:
We have those wolf x coyotes here as well. They call them super coyotes! See if anyone around you hunts with hounds. We hunt them with Plotts and Plott crosses. Plotts are more of a boar/bear dog but love to hunt wolves and coyotes.
we have several bear hunters around here, some ppl are getting into coyote hunting from what i hear, most trap them. i hate to have any one use some kind of steal trap that might get some ones dog. gonna ck out the local good 'ol boys club. if they wont be a treat to me or my highlands and keep on moving, what are the odds one attacking a person? i hike up in the woods{pick blackberries} by my self a lot in the summer. while doug is brush hoging the fields i go pick berries, i dont go with out my "little buddy" 9mm, ive seen tracks last summer, and a big cat track, plus some really fresh bear poop! yikes Rose
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
brownmule":33q0zazx said:
You have been watching to many movies, coyotes are cowards. If I ever see one of them big cat tracks you can bet I will have a set of Walkers on him, there will be pictures and a cat rug.
backhoeboogie
Well-known member
We take a CD called "coyote serenade" and crank it up at night just to hear all the coyotes answer. They'll be calling back behind us, across the river, and south too. You can't get within 100 yards of them even if you put the cotton tail or fawn in distress recording on.
If you are up in the deer stand, you'll see them from time to time but if they get the slightest scent of you, they high tail it.
Coyotes feed on turkey and other birds but mostly on mice and such. Seems to me they are doing us a favor. I am sincerely hoping that they are taking a liking to feral hog piglets. So far it appears they aren't.
If you are up in the deer stand, you'll see them from time to time but if they get the slightest scent of you, they high tail it.
Coyotes feed on turkey and other birds but mostly on mice and such. Seems to me they are doing us a favor. I am sincerely hoping that they are taking a liking to feral hog piglets. So far it appears they aren't.
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aplusmnt
Well-known member
Brownmule......if you search we had for coyotes there was a discussion a few weeks also about it. I believe Caustic brought out he has his young babies in a field with the coyotes with no problems.
We have had a few newborns and mothers in a front field that has a bunch o Coyotes in the wooded area and have seen no problems so far. One of the calves was even a month early preemie that would have been easy pickins.
We have had a few newborns and mothers in a front field that has a bunch o Coyotes in the wooded area and have seen no problems so far. One of the calves was even a month early preemie that would have been easy pickins.
Bama
Well-known member
Where I live coyotes ain't a problem until the mice and other small critters are consumed. If the yote population is beyond carrying capacity of the land - then we have problems. Eastern coyotes sometimes hunt in packs and will kill young calves if the opportunity presents itself. After a year of overpopulated yotes things will settle back down and you won't have to worry about them for a few years. I've saw them in cattle herds and the cattle didn't even pay any attention. At other times I have saw a pack of them around a cow giving brith. She would be up and a couple of them would be attacking her head while some others would be going for the dangling calf. Cow will be doing a spinning motion in order to protect her calf until she is just to tired to defend herself or calf.
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
Coyotes reproduce according to their food supply. When food is plentiful - they will have 7-8 pups, if overpopulated or poor food supply - they may have none or 1-2 pups. They adapt to most anything. The more you kill, the more they will reproduce :shock:
AngusLimoX
Well-known member
I have to admit there was a big learning curve for me on yotes. I came to the farm found out about them being around, got a donkey, and made sure the .243 was sighted in.
Started reading about them and watched a recent T.V. special on them. Amazing animal. I know we all hate cockroaches etc.. but the coyote rates right up there with them for adapatability.
Where we are it is not uncommon to have 2 or 3 circling the tractor while cutting hay. They compete with the seagulls to get the moles that are suddenly left without cover.
One of the best recommendations in the film was if you have a group around you where the dominants don't prey on your livestock leave them alone because you could get a more aggressive pack in that will give you trouble.
In Vancouver they are established in a downtown park. Mostly eating garbage, but the odd schnauzer or siamese is going missing as well!! And they don't know what to do about them.
For the time being with my situation, I will leave them alone, enjoy their songs at night and live in harmony with them.
If they take one of my calves I will kill every mother loving one of them!!. :lol: :lol: :lol:
Started reading about them and watched a recent T.V. special on them. Amazing animal. I know we all hate cockroaches etc.. but the coyote rates right up there with them for adapatability.
Where we are it is not uncommon to have 2 or 3 circling the tractor while cutting hay. They compete with the seagulls to get the moles that are suddenly left without cover.
One of the best recommendations in the film was if you have a group around you where the dominants don't prey on your livestock leave them alone because you could get a more aggressive pack in that will give you trouble.
In Vancouver they are established in a downtown park. Mostly eating garbage, but the odd schnauzer or siamese is going missing as well!! And they don't know what to do about them.
For the time being with my situation, I will leave them alone, enjoy their songs at night and live in harmony with them.
If they take one of my calves I will kill every mother loving one of them!!. :lol: :lol: :lol:
My problem isn't coyotes, it is feral dogs. I have been drawing a bead on a pack that come around here almost every day. There are about 7 of them now, all sizes. One looks like a chow mix and he's the one I'm aiming for. If I kill one, I am going to hang his carcass on the back fence where the rest of them come it. A defferent pack (rest in peace), killed a lamb we had two falls ago. I have heard coyotes howling at night and I saw one cross the road in broad daylight just down the road. I have see bobcats, too. It is eerie laying awake of a cold night listening to them howl.
CattleAnnie
Well-known member
Personally I don't worry too much about the little coyotes.
In all the years we've been here we've only lost one calf to coyotes - small runty thing who's mother had foot rot and couldn't defend her calf.
On the other hand, I've lost 9 head of cows and calves over the last two summers to wolves - this isn't including Honey's losses.
On the plus side, another wolf was snared last week, so hopefully we'll thin them out some more before they whelp again.
Take care.
In all the years we've been here we've only lost one calf to coyotes - small runty thing who's mother had foot rot and couldn't defend her calf.
On the other hand, I've lost 9 head of cows and calves over the last two summers to wolves - this isn't including Honey's losses.
On the plus side, another wolf was snared last week, so hopefully we'll thin them out some more before they whelp again.
Take care.
