Surrounded by coyotes need help

You had more chance of being killed by a metiorite than being hurt by those coyotes…

I'd be far, far, FAR more concerned with a single mean spirited golden lab than the most ferocious sounding, loudest, closest, hungriest, wildest pack of coyotes I've ever had in my camp at night. Indeed, I have some coyote vocalizations I do with my voice that I use to try and aggravate the local alphas to encourage them to come visit and raise hell around my tent at night. I love hearing them get all worked up like that.

Count yourself lucky for the experience and don't concern yourself with them at all in the future.

– Dave

More of a chance getting attacked by a domestic dog than the Coyotes. I also love to hear them, although on one bp trip to the Sierra, one was carrying on a short distance from my tent that I shared with my dog. Yelling did not help scaring it off so I could sleep in, finally had to go outside and heave a couple rocks. Coyotes are known to jump high fences and make off with domestic dogs, so keep them close. Funny, you go out in nature and you are more than concerned about your safety. Welcome to the great out of doors, no guarantee of your safety.
Duane

I have to agree with those who say you were in no danger. I recognize the area where the photo was taken, and can tell you it is almost certain no coyote will attack you within a 500 mile radius of the place (I've never even heard of a coyote attacking a dog, but this is a very redneck town). Thank rednecks and hunters, who have virtually free reign to shoot any coyote at any time for no reason anywhere so long as it does not jeopardize human life or property. In fact most hunters and ranchers, who are far more numerous than BPL'ers, recommend shooting coyotes at every opportunity, and routinely go hunting specifically for them. I saw a coyote today at work, he was running away so fast at first I thought he was an antelope. Even if you aren't carrying a gun, a smart coyote assumes that you are.

So in summary, in the western US, excluding a few yuppie pockets, coyotes will avoid you by a good margin, and hide quickly if they see you. I don't believe there are any sufficiently yuppy pockets in your area.

I bet them coyotes will run away yelping if they saw you dancing Gangnam style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LgPNK0EPtE

Too bad you weren't streaming video…

Michael you should stay out of the woods until you get some friends to hike with or get a better understanding of your surroundings, including the natural neighbors. I regularly have "dogs" whenever I camp here just a few hours south of you as well as in my yard keeping the cat populous in check. They do make quite a bit of racket but it is really just them talking back and forth, it's when they get real quiet that you know dinner is just about to be served. I have come face to face with several of them while out and about and the last thing they want is to do is dink around with you. If you want some insight on these little beasts just PM me and I'll let you know all about them.

"I have come face to face with several of them while out and about and the last thing they want is to do is dink around with you."

+1 From a very up close and personal experience up in the Kern.

I'd be more afraid of northeastern coyotes. Apparently genetic testing shows they're starting to have a pretty good percentage of wolf DNA, which some scientists think accounts for their increasing aggression. Of course out west, as mentioned, coyotes get shot at so often they tend to run. Except for the ones wandering thru my neighborhood, looking for cat snacks.

> More of a chance getting attacked by a domestic dog than the Coyotes.
Absolutely!

Cheers

Just noticed this and wanted to clarify

"…Plus coyotes are small canine that weigh between 40 to 60 pounds…"

I've actually weighed several hundred coyotes. A 40 pound coyote in the west or southwest is a BIG coyote. The largest I have ever personally weighed, out of hundreds, was 44 pounds and have weighed only a handful of others over 40 pounds.

The average adult western coyote is closer to 22 – 24 pounds. After weighing hundreds and observing closely over a thousand coyotes, I consider anything over 25 pounds a big coyote. 30 pounds a very big one. 40 pounds a real bruiser. Around here, anyway. They run even smaller in Southern Utah and Arizona.

Those NE brutes do tip the scales north of 50 lbs pretty often though. Quite a different beast than their western cousins, really.

– Dave

I see them roaming my suburban neighborhood occasionally. I never really think of them as a serious threat to anyone other than my cat.

What kind of help would you like?
Thanks for the avatar inspiration.

"Of course out west, as mentioned, coyotes get shot at so often they tend to run."

We are pretty good with guns in the southeast too!!!

Brad

"We are pretty good with guns in the southeast too!!!"

He was worried about coyotes, not mailboxes and traffic signs……. ;-)

I was stating a Guesstimate of a average coyote weight never weighed one.

I did have neighbor who lived near our Avocado Grove who had Coy-Dog. He told me the story about how his female German Shepherd dog was gone a few days and came back beat up. Then it was pregnant and the puppies were born half German Shepherd and Coyote, He kept one of the puppies.

The coy-dog was about 3 to 4 inches shorter than the mother but very smart and could run fast. It was cool looking medium sizes dog with short ears and coyote color and markings. I want it for my own.
Terry

I'm not going to lie: I was pretty sure the original post was a bit of a sham. I'm not calling anyone out, but even at the ripe old age of 33 I'm a long way away from my past days of being so plugged into the internet that my XYZ community friends got asked questions whose answers my life may depend upon. And I was an overweight gamer once! I'm just saying, it seems a little bit like tweeting "OMG Susie just said she's so sad she's going to kill herself and she hasn't moved off her bed on her webcam in 30 minutes! Someone call the authorities….in whatever town she lives in!"

Hehe. Ok ok I'll stop bustin' balls.

Seriously though, was this real? Maybe the coyotes just wanted to get your views on center burn versus jet alcohol stoves and were really excited to shave grams?

He was worried about coyotes, not mailboxes and traffic signs……. ;-)

laughing uncontrollably. That was great

brad

Just a little followup of my thought process; basically you had to be there to know what I was talking about, one of those things ya know.

They were really close though, and there were more around me further away but still fairly close. Also the coyote I saw right before I pitched camp didnt seem afraid at all of me.

When they started howling and barking it was like holy $%^&, seriously, very loud and close. I've heard them before, but never this many of them so close. I was just in a bivy under a tarp too, It felt like at any moment one could come up and lick my face.

I could of called a friend or two, but I would only get one answer each. I figured asking the audience is more efficient. Thanks for all the advice though fellow BPL'ers. Sometimes its just nice to be able to talk/ communicate to people in scary times like that.

I gotta admit that I initially thought you were trolling us, but I know I get anxious about noises during the night too. Even though I have little reason to fear coyotes, I wouldn't want them near my campsite.

This thread made me further realize how little I actually know about coyotes, so I decided to try to fix that and ordered this.
http://www.amazon.com/Track-Coyote-Northword-Wildlife-Series/dp/1559714719

Being from the ND,MN area I would almost worry if I went a night without hearing they Coyotes. Spent some time the the TRNP earlier this year and I got followed for about a mile by one, later I saw why he was following when I stumbled across a Buffalo carcus in the grass. I could hear several of them most of the night and saw one on the ridge not long after sunrise at camp. Also heard them roaming around the lakes in the Chippawa National Forest last week when I was out and about. Fire will keep them at bay and being human will do in general usualy. I have a farmstead you can hear them every night but they will not come up to the house because of the street light that was installed in the yard to keep them out. without it they do get close but I never had problems with them otherwise.

I live in rural SE Arizona and have numerous coyotes on and near my property. Mostly, they mind their own business, as I mind mine: although they seldom seem disturbed when they see me. I have never had any of them act aggressive towards me; sure, they will watch me and not seem particularly worried about me being there. I am often out, walking my property at night. I worry more about rattlesnakes. I often hear coyotes commenting, both near and far away. I have never had one do anything I found the least bit frightening. One thing I have learned is that when you hear them howling, yipping and otherwise conversing; a few of them sound like a lot of them. Three or four coyotes discussing some issue from three different directions can sound as though there are 25-30 of them really close; they really have a song repertoire. Frankly, I worry more about javelinas in this part of the world: they are not as smart, their eyesight is poor and they are never really sure where you are.

I was about to mention hogs actually. I've been told, as a new resident and outdoors type person who hikes with his dog, to make sure I keep him leashed for his own protection should we encounter javelina in the woods. My boxer, playful yet prey-driven as he is, would DEFINITELY try to first play with, then try to bite, one of them and get a nasty surprise by the sound of things.

More on topic… backpacking with a somewhat sizable dog (75lbs): good or bad for keeping forest mammalia away? I would imagine pretty good at bears, pretty terrible with wolves, decent with coyotes, and dinner for a big cat?

The book to read is "The Coyote" by Francois Leydet, published 1977. He interviewed scientists, ranchers, professional coyote hunters, everyone with a connection to coyotes, whether for or against them. His book was definitive for a couple of decades before there was any new information. As such, that is its limitation; it is so very thorough that it doesn't move quickly when you are already familiar with one of the subtopics. Barry Lopez has a similar style.

Michael,

"basically you had to be there to know what I was talking about, one of those things ya know."

I hear you and felt the same a few weeks ago. I too am a dog fearing man.

Daryl

Is it possible that the coyotes really needed your help for some reason, and that they weren't actually any sort of threat to you at all?