Hello Janet,
Fall is coming along well. Lots of doings with the dogs patrolling properties as usual. We recently wrapped up a 3 week “investigation” into 4 coyote packs who were accused of livestock predation on sheep.
We worked with cooperating landowners, and some biologist students, as well as Ranchers.
This is progress, as historically the answer to sheep being killed is to hunt every coyote within 100 miles. This only leads to the surviving coyote booming in population, and never solves issues or give solutions.
I am proud of my dogs in helping clear accused coyote…though they don’t see it that way.
The sheep ranch sustaining losses is surrounded by a 5,000 acre Quail Hunting Preserve. Coyote have fairly large packs there. 4 distinct packs or family groups. They don’t affect Quail numbers. In fact, they removed feral cats that were affecting Quail introductions.
Proving coyote innocence takes time, skill, and impartiality. We WANT to be accurate and find the raider, who risks all local canids being suspect, ranch dogs, coyote, or wolves.
The Pack and I travel miles and miles and miles along tracks and trails. The dogs mark and leave scent as we travel, advertising our route. Of course, this greatly irritates coyote, but they come along after we move on. The marking insults between dogs and coyote are kept track of and studied.
Scat doesn’t lie. It is irrefutable proof of diet. All 4 packs of coyote, for 3 weeks, countered my pack with markings, scat, and vocalizations. Not a single wool encased scat.
Deer hair (deer hunter scraps or road kills) are in some, but overwhelmingly…all 4 packs show vole and gopher diet. And a few late berries and spawned salmon.
When we finally did locate wool encased scat, biologist students brought trail cams and liberally set up in that area.
Long story short, not a single coyote scat with wool for over 5,000 acres was ever found.
But it seems 3 pet dogs let loose in evenings are our proven suspects. Trail cam and scat proof literally from pastures to their country home.
It’s very easy to suspect coyote in pet or livestock raiding. And it does happen. But most people would be shocked…far more often…its unsupervised dogs killing livestock.
Have a good night.
4 packs of Coyote exonerated.
Nov 28, 2024 @ 00:06:10
Love it!!!❤️
Nov 28, 2024 @ 01:37:07
This is the stuff our wildlife agencies should be reporting…sharing with the public, not always the “wants” of coyote killers. I was greatly encouraged reading this story. I just wish there was a way to bring it to people when bill hearings come up concerning our coyotes here in Maine. Your webpage and work are top-notch and then some.
Nov 28, 2024 @ 04:34:32
I hope they finally believe it’s not the coyotes! Thank you for your continued education efforts and love for coyotes:)
Jan 24, 2025 @ 21:37:39
Me and my dog were walking out in the woods when we came upon a deceased goat.
A flood of recall:
Years of issues with the neighbors who abut our property line; issues as their dogs loose and running through the woods after wildlife; their goats and chickens and ducks and guinea fowl all loose in the woods eating our newly planted evergreen trees; the people throw their trash out in to the (our) woods.
Suffice to say, yes, the County sheriff station has been called several times; yes, WDFW has been called numerous times; I’ve confronted a shooter in the woods from their property, shooting at coyotes – there is no shooting allowed in this area with housing and all! Also, we, including our dog are walking in the woods all the time. The neighbors looking for a turkey or cat or chicken have come on to the property – near our deck! – without contacting us and we were more than surprised to see them snooping around our yard!
Five years later. Now a deceased goat. No fur anywhere. It was in full composition other than being deceased. Only holes made throughout the woods where it was eating.
I contemplated should I, perhaps I shouldn’t call WDFW; they’ll blame the wildlife first and foremost. They’ll use their hounds to kill and shoot wildlife – and the goat, it should never have been on my property eating my young trees; it should have been housed correctly and kept from going in to a neighbor’s yard.
I called WDFW. The young biologist did a necropsy with me watching. No blood coagulation around the neck. No bruising around its neck. No bite wounds throughout its body and it was fully composed of its skin and fur.
He said the old goat was in terrible shape and its hooves were so cracked there was missing hooves which he said would have been painful for this goat to even walk. He checked the teeth once I had asked how old: they were missing, ground down to nothing.
He took the collar off and took it with him as proof of identity.
More than relieved wildlife did not get blamed. This time. And what if wildlife had taken it down in another story –
No fencing for their animals. No proper housing to keep the rain and elements off them. No proper care.
Jan 24, 2025 @ 22:52:22
Thank you so much for sharing your story: and I can only imagine how things would have turned out if you had not been there to oversee the necropsy.