Coyote den in my yard!!!!!!!

I noticed an new mound of dirt in my yard yesterday. I assumed it was another gopher tortoise mound. My property is riddled with tortoise holes and mounds. I went to check it out today. It's not tortoise hole IT'S A FRICKIN' COYOTE DEN entrance!!!!!! It's only about ten feet from my house!!!! It's a dang good thing I keep the cats inside.

I'm going to fill in the hole and cover it with a sheet of tin or something so the dang coyote can't dig another one.

Please don't take me to task for trying to get rid of the dang beast. In this area they are considered vermin. They are the same as giant rats. They kill people's pets. They also kill the calves of the folks around me who raise cattle. They can carry rabies.

This really creeps me out. I don't usually think twice about going outside after dark. I'm going to be less complacent about it now. I heard something wandering around the yard one night last week and assumed it was a neighbor's dog. Now I'm thinking it was the coyote.

Oh the joys of country living!

Coyotes are a real problem where I am as well. One of them ate one of my grandchildren's dogs a couple of weeks ago and it had to get over a 6ft fence to get it. Fill in the hole and cover it or do whatever it takes to keep yourself, your pets and your yard safe.

If you think you'll catch flak then my reply certainly might. I'd have left the den alone and set up an ambush. Most places I've lived consider coyotes a pest at best and people are encouraged to eliminate them. Some local and state governments offer a bounty on them.

Do you have even a .22? I remember you mentioning on occasion that you're in a rural situation. Might be handy in lieu of a pickup sized dog. Pretty bold coyotes! Be vigilant for sure LL.

That would scare me! Be careful!

Please don't shoot the coyote! Most likely, if coyotes are truly hated where you live, someone else will do it for you.
Coyotes are part of the food chain and without them we'd probably have a terrible rodent problem. Do you want the countryside to look like the NYC subways?
We can't keep randomly killing animals just because they bother us.. there has to be an eco method that will stabilize the natural food chain. In the meantime, there's no reason why you shouldn't cover up that den & keep them out of your yard.
Check out this website to find out more:
http://www.projectcoyote.org/

Coyotes can be brazen. My mom lives in a suburb next to some woods and a river a quarter mile away. I came home one time to find a coyote napping on the driveway. It got up and sauntered away. I couldn't believe it. No fear at all.

But it is true that coyotes will kill pets. My ex-husband has a farm. One of the cats is three-legged from a coyote attack. Some of former students told me of encountering coyotes that seemed aggressive toward them.
I've seen coyotes running thru subdivisions here locally. I do know I wouldn't want a den in my yard! But I'd even be scared of going out to fill in the den, as, for instance, could there be pups down inside, and cause aggression on the part of the mama.?

Do you live in the USA? If yes, you might want to call your local Dept of Natural Resources to discuss this with them.

When I first moved here on my farm twenty-five years ago we didn't have a coyote problem but in the last ten or so years we have had a huge increase in the coyote population and my neighbors and I used to have lots of barn cats but no longer do because the coyotes have killed them all. I know that coyotes are part of our ecosystem and all and have a right to live but twice I heard my cats' death screams when the coyotes came into the yard and it was very distressing to me.

As others have said they are a problem killing pets and baby livestock. People who breed horses/cattle/sheep/what-have-you often put mules in with their livestock because they will stomp coyotes and protect the herd. I know that isn't your situation but just sayin' they are a widespread problem. As George said some areas offer bounties for them. In my state there is a program that pays $50 for each coyote killed. As human population has increased and spread into what was once wild animals' habitat many animals have found it hard to live but coyotes are flourishing and actually are increasing in population and spreading into urban areas more and more.

I watched a program about coyotes on PBS and it was very interesting. There are differences between western and eastern coyotes in the USA. Western coyotes are smaller and hunt by themselves and eat smaller prey like rabbits, squirrel, similar. Eastern coyotes tend to be a bit larger and sometimes hunt larger animals in packs. They have been known to attack children and adults quite a few times but usually not fatal attacks. However a couple of years ago they attacked and killed a Canadian singer and they were able to determine from coyotes' stomach contents that at least two coyotes were involved in the attack.

I have a humane trap that I have used to catch feral cats and a few raccoon but coyote are too big for them. The DNR might have some that size but I couldn't find any for sale in my area big enough.

Good luck.

Let's see...

Coyotes are natural to the area. House cats are not natural to the area.....

Looks like humans screwed up again!

Well if you have the space for it one of the best surefire ways to keeps coyotes away is to get you a couple of jackasses and run donkey patrol 24/7. The only other way i know of that will keep them away and off you property is to kill on and hang its dead carcass on the side of the property they are getting in on.

In the book An Unquiet Mind author Kay Redfield Jamison wrote that some sheep breeders would use lithium to deter the coyote from killing the sheep. I don't know if they put the lithium in the sheeps' feed or if they sacrificed a sheep and then put lithium in the sheep's meat but apparently the coyote find the taste of lithium very unpleasant and they learned to associate the taste with sheep and it helped reduce sheep loss by coyote. It seems a bit odd but that's what she wrote.

I understand how you feel. If it was a native species I might agree with you. I feel much the same about wolves and panthers and other natural predators. Coyotes however are not a native species. If one of them threatened one of my pets or a child I would not hesitate to shoot it. You may think it cruel but some of us are very protective of our pets. To us, adopting a pet means a serious responsibility. We feed and protect them.

Coyotes are not native to Florida. I do agree that humans screw up quite a lot when it comes to wildlife and native inhabitants. Florida has a growing problem with pythons and other non-native predators that have been introduced into the ecosystem. By humans. Seems that if we aren't driving animals to extinction then we're spreading them where they shouldn't be to the detriment of native animals.

Do what you need to keep you and everyone safe. I would contact the Bureau of Wildife and Fisheries/Land Management, or whichever the department is called in your state to find out the best way to manage it. Remember too coyotes are typically nocturnal so if there is a den, they may be nesting in there during the day if you try to do something to to the den; otherwise it could be a nasty surprise. Do some more research before approaching; want you to stay safe.

Thanks folks.

I'm not going to shoot the coyote. I don't own a gun. I doubt I could bring myself to shoot anything other than paper targets and plicking cans.

Seeker, I had the same kind of thoughts about filing in the hole if momma was in there with babies. I was probably comical to watch. For the first few shovels of dirt I'd throw the dirt down the hole and jump back. I didn't want to be standing in front of the hole if the coyote came tearing out. When I finished filing in the hole I packed the dirt down and piled stuff on top.

Folks coyotes are not native to my state. The coyotes are having a negative impact on the native critters. Our state has a horrible problem with invasive non-native species, not just coyotes. We are encouraged to eliminate the invasive species when we find them. But like I said, I don't have the guts or whatever to shoot the dang thing. I guarantee if any of my neighbors with cattle spot it, they will kill it. Before anyone else takes me to task, I am all in favor of protecting the native critters and plants. I manage my farm with that in mind. I encourage others to do the same.

I know about having a donkey to keep the coyotes under control. My next door neighbor has two in with his cattle. Since his property raps around mine I thought I was okay. I'm not sure if I will get one or not. The coyote problem in the area has gotten so bad that all the cattle folks have bought them up to protect their herds. The cost has gone through the roof as a result.

Coyotes are dangerous. Yes, we want to keep nature and and such, you need to get rid of them. They can go chase road runners somewhere else. If you see one or more sleezing around, call animal control.

By the way, I don't know if you're aware of this. Typically where there's one, there's several. If you happen to stumble into one, he should run for the hills ... unless you're between him and his buddies. If you stumble into him and he doesn't run, either he's gotten awfully tame for some reason, he's sick or his buddies are behind you. So please be careful if you see him.

The Fish and Game commission is another option too. They could probably catch him and release him somewhere he belongs ... like here in Kansas or something.

Anyway, as I said. You need to be rid of him and the Fish and Game or animal control should be able to catch and remove that bugger.

Coyotes in our area run in packs also.......When I let my dogs out & have them on a long tie to the front trees....but I am always listening for the howl of the coyotes & they I run & bring them in....a lot easier with only 3 dogs than when I had 7.......it's such an eerie howl they have & it's easy to hear....will never forget the time during the ice storm when they were right outside my house howling....just in from my woods.....

Coyotes are dangerous & not to be fooled with.

I checked the hole I filled in yesterday and today. No sign of new digging. I also checked the place where it was coming under the fence. No new paw prints there. Maybe it decided to go elsewhere.

I've gotten paranoid about going outside after dark now though. I never used to give a second thought to going out to the barn after dark. Now I try to have everything taken care of before dark. I had to go to the barn in the dark last night and drove right up to the door.

I love and respect all kinds of life. For instance I think spiders are fascinating and clever but I don't want them in my house. The same can be said for many species and I wou want them in my backyard.
Aren't coyotes the tricksters in many american native stories? Be careful that he hasn't tricked you into thinking he's not around. Maybe give the dept of natural resorces a jingle anyway and see if they have any tricks for keeping the nonnative trickster out of the state.

Sidestepper, you said it when you suggested a trickster. The dang thing dug another den a bit further away from the house. I did the throw dirt in the hole and jump back bit again to fill in the hole. I piled stuff on top of where it was.

I said before, I've gotten spooked about going outside after dark. I've lived out here in the boonies for 24 years now. Never worried about going outside after dark. Matter of fact I'd go out at night to enjoy the beautiful night skies we have. Would also go out to the barn to hang out with the horses. Now I worry about where the dang coyote might be. I resent not feeling safe enough to go out after dark. I know lots of folks who live in the city can't go out after dark for safety reasons, but not having to deal with that sort of crap is why I live out here. It's gotten challenging since the time change means it's dark when I get home from work. I've resorted to driving right up to the aisle of the barn and parking the truck so the headlights shine on it. I take care of the horses and drive the 100 feet to the house. Pretty absurd if you ask me.

Well, I solved the mystery of the "coyote den" being so close to the house. I was right initially when I thought it was a gopher hole.

(side bar - Florida had all sorts of strange names for animals. A gopher is actually a tortoise. A salamander is actually a mole. That sort of thing).

Anyway, back to the "coyote den"/ gopher hole. I kept finding new "coyote" holes around the farm and filled them in. The last one I found I knew the opening was too small for a coyote. The next day I caught a couple of BIG dogs digging at the entrance to the hole. That solves the monster piles of dirt and huge paw prints I kept finding. The dang dogs came around last night in the wee hours and dug up a couple of more holes. Ivan was going nuts in the barn barking his "I'm going to eat your liver" bark. The strays were barking back at him. I opened a window and yelled at all of them to shut the F up.

So the mystery is solved. I'm no longer afraid to go out after dark for fear of running into the coyote. The stray dogs came around during the day last week. Since they ran when I yelled at them I don't think I have to worry about them.

Ah the joys of country living.

:rotfl: thanks for the update, the names Florida uses are funny.

Glad to hear you can enjoy your space, without fear