The past few years we have been hearing some Eastern Coyotes as evening approaches. Our cabin sits to the rear of our property and about 200 to 250 feet to the north is the property line with out neighbor. About 350 feet further north lies the neighbor’s property line adjacent to a large field. The field is not used for livestock or mowed for rolls of hay. It is cut will a brush hog once or twice a year and just sits unused.
The Coyote(s) going out in the evening come to the edge of the field and a howl is made and every dog in the neighborhood starts barking. This I presume is to let the Coyote know where not to roam. As more and more sighting were made other neighbors were shooting them as they are considered a pest to family pets and small livestock. Slowly the population declined and few sightings were made. Also some neighbors moved and there was less shootings. The number of sightings were not going up but there were still visits to the edge of the woods and a howl or two given with the same results received.
I became curious about these Coyotes and where they were going. I looked for tracks and other signs but it did not appear that they were traveling through our yard. I ventured on a neighbors property behind me to the west as far as the creek bed and checked it out and after a while did notice an occasional track. I set up a stand and watched just before the time of evening when they were vocal. No luck. I even tried calling them using the calls that were included in my Audubon e-book on animals and still no luck.
I continue to walk down back just to walk in the woods and I always look to see what us moving around. There are always deer tracks and dog tracks to see. Over the years we have seen red foxes, rabbits, squirrels, wild dogs when the old land fill was in operation on Parham Road.
One evening I briefly noticed something moving through the woods. Just a glimpse. It looked like a small dog but it was determined to follow a trail. This trail was to the north and on my neighbors property. I walked over and noticed a trail and it looked like it was used a lot. I tried setting up my stand at the edge of my property so I could watch from a distance.
After several days of no activity I did get a break and late one afternoon I heard a howl and that was followed by barking of the dogs that were on our street and also the street behind us about 1000′. This convinced me that they were following the creek to travel back and forth.
Now I was walking parallel but above their trail but on the edge of my property. I noticed dog prints in a couple of places and wondered why. As it turns out a neighbor has two Great Pyrenees, a male and female.
they must be keeping the Coyotes away from his chickens. They must be aware of their movements and by using the area along the creek to make their presence known.. This would make it interesting as I would have to watch for them also. I put the stand away and just moved along the ridge watching below me. Now I started to watch beginning in the early afternoon for signs of movement.
This payed off in a couple of ways. I found the dogs using the area in the middle afternoon and also found
more deer sign. I do not hunt behind the house as there is not enough room for that though I do have to remind my neighbors grandkids that my house is near where they hunt. This has discouraged them so far.
The second thing I noticed was I began to see a Coyote. There was no howl at the edge of the woods. It just appeared. I also noticed something that I had forgotten. The trail they used was familiar. It was used many years ago by a group of wild dogs that roamed the area back when there was a landfill on Parham Rd.
I noticed them while driving on Parham Road before the bridge washed out and became impassable. It was never repaired.
I stopped one evening when a farmer was feeding his livestock and told him what I saw and we had a long talk and when we finished I knew more about them.
About a week later while sitting on the back porch with my dog Maggie they came into our back yard. When Maggie saw them she did not bark and when they saw us they backed out of the yard. There was no sign of a confrontation from them or Maggie. A few days later They were in the back meadow and I fired a couple of rounds from my Dan Wesson 357 Mag. I didn’t try to hit one, just to discourage them. I never saw them again.
but back to our Coyotes……
I was surprised to see the Coyote as a few distant neighbors were busy thinning the pack of Coyotes. They seemed to have done a good job. The coyotes just adapted to the pressure of their surroundings. They do not come around as much because of this change in their lives but they make their presence known…
As the week wore on I noticed they were quietly walking behind the cabin. I just happened to see this and watched the next day about the same time and just before dinner noticed what must have been a female coyote followed by several smaller coyotes. Thought this might have been a family moving about. I got up early and set up my ladder stand and let it be. It was about 60 feet from the trail that goes along the ridge with some privet to hide behind. I let it alone for a couple of days and just watched from the cabin to see if they were still about. The first day I did not see them and thought I might have been too eager to set up the stand to watch them. On the third day I noticed a coyote moving south along the ridge and felt better. Going out to check the area around the stand showed no tracks. I hoped this meant I did not disturb them or anything else. Behind the stand is an area where water runs though the yard when there is a heavy rain. Usually it takes about 4 inches to have water move though this area and so far we have only had smaller amounts of rain. Nothing looked out-of-place so I relaxed some more and thought I would wait to sit in the stand until Friday about 4 p.m. and stay there a few hours to see what happened. Until then I watched in the evening to see what activity I would see. The weather changed some with light drizzle and wind and so not activity was noticed. Oh well!!!!
Friday came and I was in the stand about 4:30 pm. There was a lot of activity. there were bees and other insects. The birds were singing and flitting around getting whatever was a snack for them. It was hard to sit still but I managed to have a small buck deer pass by without staring at me. It came out of nowhere and my heart was pounding as it does when I see a well formed rack. A 6 point. It was 5:15 PM and it was the first time I noticed a deer in the area. It took it’s time to leave the area. I saw it stop several times and acted nervous. I slowly looked around to see if I could spot anything but there was no movement and no dogs were barking. There were birds chirping so they had not noticed anything. I thought this was a bust. Then I noticed it was very still. No birds chirping but behind me there was a sound of something walking in dried leaved. I turned and saw a big white male Great Pyrenees moving towards me followed by its female. I guess this was what the Buck was hearing. The dogs moved passed me and followed the trail the buck was on. This seemed like a good time to fix dinner, so I climbed down and the male came over to have it’s ears scratched……. Just a friend looking out for me.
Next week I watched each evening and very little activity was noticed. I did note the time when I next saw the Buck. It was 5 PM. I also noted that when it was nervous there was activity soon after. Mostly dogs in the neighborhood.Several times I noted the two white dogs were near the stand in the middle of the afternoon. Just roaming I guess and they knew I might be there. with sunset being later I stayed beyond dinner several evenings and it was beneficial. One Saturday evening I heard a single howl and then every dog in the neighborhood was barking. I was already in my stand and waiting to watch whatever was going down the trail. Nothing. I looked around and could not see anything that would give me a clue as to their where abouts. Then I heard a familiar sound and I looked slowly behind me and saw a coyote walking behind me. I tried to not make any noise but he heard me and just stared. As he walked on I thought they must have known all along that the stand was there. Have to find a better place to watch from, Outfoxed by a coyote!!!!!
More later ………………………………………
I’ll end with what our Dept of Natural Resources say about this animal:
BIOLOGY
Among the non-native wildlife found throughout the southeast, coyotes are unique in their ability to rapidly acclimate to a variety of habitats. With the extirpation of the red wolf in the last century across Georgia, the coyote (Canis latrans) has been able to fill a once occupied void and now can be found statewide.
Resembling a small dog in appearance, distinguishing characteristics of a coyote include pointy ears and snout, mottled color fur pattern ranging from black to reddish-blonde and a bushy tail. As with most canines, coyotes are equipped with keen eyesight and an acute sense of smell to seek out their diet of small mammals, carrion and succulent vegetation. High pitched cries, shrieks or yips can be heard late in the evening as these animals communicate. Growling, barking and whining also are commonly used methods of communication. Breeding usually occurs in late winter to early spring with five to seven pups born in excavated dens or brush piles. Pups are weaned at about five to eight weeks of age. Socially, these creatures may mate for life and commonly can be found living within a small community (or pack) of related individuals. If mated with dogs, a female coyote can produce a coyote/dog hybrid called a “coydog.” However, this is uncommon due to the unsynchronized breeding cycles of the two species.
RANGE & HABITAT
The coyote’s geographic range spans the entire North American continent from Alaska down to Central America. Ranging from the open grasslands and deserts of the west to the forests and agricultural fields of the east, the coyote can adapt and thrive wherever food, water and shelter can be found. Preferences include wooded forests bordered by fields and brushy areas to den and hunt for small mammals, which is similar to its native habitat range of the southwestern U.S. However, due to their ability to adapt, coyotes do not have many problems when exposed to habitat alterations. Coyotes have even recently been found frequenting urban areas in search of garbage, rodents and other easily found meals. For these reasons, coyotes are thriving in Georgia and their success is not the result of a Department of Natural Resources stocking program.
NUISANCE
Increased numbers of coyote sightings create increased concerns of landowners for their property and safety. However, there is little need for fear. By nature, coyotes are timid and shy animals that tend to steer clear of any potential danger and thus pose little threat to humans. Contrary to popular belief, these animals do not hunt in packs but rather are primarily solitary hunters. Despite these characteristics, problems sometimes do occur as these predators become increasingly tolerant of human interactions.
Prevention is the best defense against nuisance coyotes. Small house pets (especially cats), young or small livestock and poultry are vulnerable and susceptible to predation by a coyote. If a coyote is suspected in an area where domestic animals are roaming free, several precautions can be made to ensure their safety:
Take pets indoors during the night, as this is the coyote’s primary hunting time.
If the pet must be kept outside, put up fencing to discourage coyotes.
Small livestock or poultry should be kept in an enclosed or sheltered area. Coyotes rarely bother larger livestock although they often are blamed for such nuisance instances. It should be noted that dogs, rather than coyotes, are notorious for harassing and attacking livestock.
Log Cabin on Anglin 