I live about 25 miles outside of Houston in the suburbs and a few miles from a 100 year flood plain...lots of woods and undisturbed land.

There were coyotes raising a litter of pups only two blocks away in a several acre field butted up against the interstate. They would run from you but they definitely were quite comfortable living in the suburbs. The female I saw with pups had 4 that I could count at about 3am.

Many times in downtown Houston you can see them running up and down the cement drainage bayous which are as wide as a freeway and run thru the entire city in every direction doing what they do best...eating rats, mice, rabbits, and other nuisance critters.

Coyotes are remarkably adaptable and have thrived when other predators, big and small, have suffered. It's sad to see them hungry or sick individually, but as a species they're in no danger at all.

If I could ascertain whether this one was sick or had gotten too bold for its' own good, I'm sorry, but I'd kill it. I don't know that they'd go after a young child but that's not too far a stretch if they'll go after a dog with its' owner.

ok, ducking for all the hate mail responses

Wuss. Why duck?


Ummm, Los Angeles anyone? Remember a while back there was an incident w/a baby? (I think there was one actual incident but many urban legends resulting) My aunt and uncle had a similar incident w/a 3yr old in their subdivison many years ago. I'd kill it too if it was persisting in harrassing me/my dogs. A few months ago one wandered into a Subway sandwich shop in Chicago.

A coyote gets close enough for me to spray him with some sort of repellant, he's going to be DRT. No question about it.

DFrost

Re: coyotes. I live in Lake Elsinore California and we have plenty of coyotes out here. They seem harmless enough don't they, however, I have friends whose dogs were attacked by coyotees and so are many cats. People move out here and forget they have taken over coyotte and mountain lion territory and within a short time their little dog or medium sized dog or sassy cat disappear, or they find the remains, they are just doing what wild animals do. I have been very close to coyotes at the nature preserve down here and the left us alone, however, I wouldn't trust them. Especially with pets or children. They are very smart and can lure away dogs to the pack and attack them. while walking near the stadium one day a lady came up and told me a coyotee came right up to her great dane, and she had to chase it away. Please be careful with your children and your pets around coyotees, they seem harmless but aren't.
I really like coyotees though you just have to remember they are wild animals.
sharon empson

The origional poster is not going to carry a gun. David, you are obviously a good shot, but shooting at wild animals for the average person is not a good idea. Injuring an animal could have bad consequences, so could missing.

That is the point of a deterrent such as bear spray. It is not foolproof, but dummies in panic situations can usually do a pretty good job of it. I am not talking about pepper spray you can buy to fit in your purse for personal protection, I am talking about bear spray.

I would have been %100 confident that the bear spray I carry would have stopped the coyote's advance in this situation. I would still have called the authorities as the animal was acting in an unusual way. I understand that YOU ARE the authorities, but I am thinking of the average person here. Killing it is not going to be an option for the original poster.

 Quote: Jenni Williams

Wuss. Why duck?

Depends on whether your name is Seamus or William.(see Braveheart)

I probably wouldn't if I thought you threw like a girl

I think there's video of a coyote going into a shopping mall or a store on youtube.

We just had an incident recently in Alaska where a small pack of wolves kept coming into one of the villages and killing their sled dogs. They finally ran them out and killed a few along the way.

Most people who carry guns up here for protection against animals are only using the guns as a noise to scare them off, which, more often than not, will. A handgun isn't going to do much to a grizzly with it's thick hide, unless you've got a perfect shot at a very long range, or just plain ol' lucky. Adding in a factor of having dogs with you could make your chances worse, and if you're not even very comfortable with the weapon, quite deadly.

We do have problems with bears in Anchorage. Some are still fearful of humans, and tend to stay on the outskirts. There are some that aren't afraid, and go through people's trash like clockwork, and even break into cars for some snacks. They can live right smack dab in the middle of town. They walk on our biking trails, they'll come into backyards. People get really hurt when they come across one and startle it, not knowing it was around. Bear mace can work. I wouldn't trust it myself if I were in the situation, but it should be more than enough for a coyote.

We don't have coyotes up here.. well, not yet. I haven't heard of many foxes or wolves hanging around town, but up north on the slope, they'll stick close to the camps because some of the workers will, illegally, feed them.

Which can end up with a bear walking into the hotels people are sleeping/working in. Which did happen, but that's another story, I suppose.

 Quote: jenni williams

Actually, I disagree that it must be sick. As far as "normal" coyote behavior, it all depends on where you live. I live in a suburb w/several forest preserves, and lots of new communities which are taking over their natural habitat. It is, unfortunately, "normal" for them to stalk people w/dogs, esp. small dogs, but many large dogs are falling prey to them lately as well. They simply have nowhere else to go, and are having to get very bold in order to survive.

I would have to agree with this, from my own experience. We just moved from a relatively populous "city" in Vermont - it had a downtown for sure, but 2 miles and you were back in the woods. In the off season, I would often take Oscar trail running through a forested x-country ski area that was just far enough from town to feel secluded, quiet, and wild. For the first time in my life living in rural VT we encountered a single coyote while running this summer. I thought it was another runner's dog at first, but once I got a better look, it was obvious. Oscar always runs off leash with me and I collected him right away (he knew the coyote was there before I did because ALL his hair had been standing on end! I should have known something was up... and this critter was obviously following us for at least a 1/4 mile before making itself known, based on Oscar's hackles). Being quite curious, I stopped to watch it with Oscar leashed beside me. It was obvious that it wanted NOTHING to do with ME, but I think Oscar was keeping it interested enough to sit behind a tree just 30 or 40 feet from the trail... And when we finally carried on, it followed us again for a bit, then veered off...

We ran this trail again a few days later and what do you know - same exact place, there's the coyote. I was SURE the previous encounter was a once in a blue moon thing, so Oscar was off lead again... and this time he took off after it. There was quite a chase, then they rounded over a hill, there was a snarly yap, and when they came BACK over the hill, the coyote was on OSCAR'S heels. Again, my yelling and charging it sent it straight away, as Oscar ran to me, but it wouldn't dissappear... just stopped when it felt safe and watched us.

I'm certain this coyote was healthy. It was obviously a newbie to the area and had staked out a claim in this one particular spot (I heard later that numerous walkers and runners - ALL WITH DOGS - had seen it - in the SAME EXACT spot), but it was sticking around. They are intensely curious, intelligent, and cunning animals. Yes, this one trailed a human (ME) but I think it was only because I had a dog with me. Who knows what it's intentions were, but I didn't actually fear for MY life - I DID get quite worried about Oscar when he took off, and he DID end up with a tiny nick in his bum to show for it... and after that second encounter we changed our route to avoid that section of woods. If I were still running there I would definitely go for the bear spray (even though my boyfriend would just LOVE it if I would carry a gun...).

To the OP, maybe take a few days off from running in that area before you do it again - this will give the animal time to move on, if he was just passing through, or, I'm sorry to say, if he really is sick (which it not certain) he may get himself into trouble with someone else who DOES carry a gun... When you run again, carry bear spray, or something similar, and just keep all your senses alert (your dogs will be an extension of this and will surely let you know if the coyote returns). I doubt that a single adult would take on THREE barking, snarling dogs AND an angry person, but better safe than sorry. At some point I ended up throwing something at the one I met - yelling and screaming only got me so far... I have one girly throw too, but it did the trick...

~Natalya

I finally spoke to the DNR guy today and he's really going to make an effort to find and kill this coyote. He's getting in touch with the local business there that has 24 security and they are always driving around in their security car. If anyone would know if this coyote is a regular, they would know. He's also sending a report to the local police. He wants me to call him if I run into it again during the day or call the state patrol if it's after hours, and he gave me the state patrol phone number.

He also told me to get mace with oc and cs, not that I have any idea what that means, but ok, and make sure I don't get the kind with foam. I don't know if this is the bear mace everyone has been talking about, but he said this would work and it should reach 10-20 ft, so I don't have to worry about it getting quite so close.

I was a big chicken last night and stayed home even though the weather was perfect. I'll see if I can get up the nerve to go tonight.

 Quote:

He also told me to get mace with oc and cs, not that I have any idea what that means, but ok, and make sure I don't get the kind with foam. I don't know if this is the bear mace everyone has been talking about, but he said this would work and it should reach 10-20 ft, so I don't have to worry about it getting quite so close.

Elaine,

Maybe this link will help:
http://www.centerforwildlifeinformation.org/BeBearAware/BearPepperSpray/bearpepperspray.html

From the above link:

"When purchasing bear pepper spray it is important to remember that personal defense sprays are not the same as bear pepper spray. Although both types of sprays are made from oleoresin capsicum, it is the capsaicin and related capsaicinoids that are the active ingredients in bear pepper spray. Therefore, if you see claims on a large can that state 10%, 20% or 30% oleoresin capsicum, it is a personal defense spray, not bear pepper spray.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates bear pepper sprays pursuant to an Act of Congress. Look for the EPA registration and establishment numbers, usually found at the bottom of the front label; only bear sprays will have this information. Also, bear pepper spray labels will clearly refer to bears, and state it is a bear deterrent, bear repellent, or for stopping attacking bears.

Currently the EPA requires that the concentration of capsaicin and related capsaicinoids range between 1 and 2.0%. The variance in potency within this range is negligible, and all will affect the eyes, nose, throat and lungs of a bear. The minimum size can the EPA will register is 7.9 ounces, or 225 grams. Cans smaller than this may not have sufficient spray duration or distance to be used safely in deterring a charging bear."



Unless it illegal, I would reccommend that you get BEAR SPRAY, not a personal defense spray. As I have stated numerous times in this thread, they are not the same thing.