Coyotes

Bill Beeman said:

Actually, the Silicon Valley 'hot spot' for the current coyote controversy
is about a half-mile from my house, and the media reports have been less
than accurate. This area has been built up for over 65 years...not recent
housing development. The issue is that _any_ effective control measures
have been banned in recent years, and the coyote population has exploded. I
often see them when riding along paths in the Santa Teresa hills, and twice
recently have seen them in a pack of 8 to 10 merrily trotting down the
street in front of my house.

I wrongly infered from the news that the Villas of Almaden was a newer
development. They're also having problems with feral pigs, skunks,
foxes, and turkeys.

I got the bit about feeding feral cats from this article (snipped below)
and it quoted someone from Vector Control who, upon rereading, appears
to lack some credibility in this regard.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/9883777.htm (requires
registration I think)

[quote] The irony, of course, is that you can't simply turn down nature
if it gets too hot. Kriss Costa, community resource specialist for the
Santa Clara County Vector Control District, says that while Almaden
Valley residents "are not necessarily in the coyotes' habitat, the
coyote will adapt if there is food readily available and it's easier to
get than hunting."

As long as there are coyotes in the nearby hills, humans occasionally
will have to deal with them in their backyards.

"We need to modify the behavior of the humans," Costa says. "Someone is
feeding feral cats in there, so there's both cat food and cats for the
coyote to feed on. It's not just the deer they're after -- if you were
going to chase a cat or a deer for food, which one would you go after?"
[end quote]




--
My Bike Blog:
http://diabloscott.blogspot.com/

Bill Beeman said:

Actually, the Silicon Valley 'hot spot' for the current coyote controversy
is about a half-mile from my house, and the media reports have been less
than accurate. This area has been built up for over 65 years...not recent
housing development. The issue is that _any_ effective control measures
have been banned in recent years, and the coyote population has exploded. I
often see them when riding along paths in the Santa Teresa hills, and twice
recently have seen them in a pack of 8 to 10 merrily trotting down the
street in front of my house.

I wrongly infered from the news that the Villas of Almaden was a newer
development. They're also having problems with feral pigs, skunks,
foxes, and turkeys.

I got the bit about feeding feral cats from this article (snipped below)
and it quoted someone from Vector Control who, upon rereading, appears
to lack some credibility in this regard.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/9883777.htm (requires
registration I think)

[quote] The irony, of course, is that you can't simply turn down nature
if it gets too hot. Kriss Costa, community resource specialist for the
Santa Clara County Vector Control District, says that while Almaden
Valley residents "are not necessarily in the coyotes' habitat, the
coyote will adapt if there is food readily available and it's easier to
get than hunting."

As long as there are coyotes in the nearby hills, humans occasionally
will have to deal with them in their backyards.

"We need to modify the behavior of the humans," Costa says. "Someone is
feeding feral cats in there, so there's both cat food and cats for the
coyote to feed on. It's not just the deer they're after -- if you were
going to chase a cat or a deer for food, which one would you go after?"
[end quote]




--
My Bike Blog:
http://diabloscott.blogspot.com/

Bill Beeman said:

Actually, the Silicon Valley 'hot spot' for the current coyote controversy
is about a half-mile from my house, and the media reports have been less
than accurate. This area has been built up for over 65 years...not recent
housing development. The issue is that _any_ effective control measures
have been banned in recent years, and the coyote population has exploded. I
often see them when riding along paths in the Santa Teresa hills, and twice
recently have seen them in a pack of 8 to 10 merrily trotting down the
street in front of my house.

I wrongly infered from the news that the Villas of Almaden was a newer
development. They're also having problems with feral pigs, skunks,
foxes, and turkeys.

I got the bit about feeding feral cats from this article (snipped below)
and it quoted someone from Vector Control who, upon rereading, appears
to lack some credibility in this regard.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/9883777.htm (requires
registration I think)

[quote] The irony, of course, is that you can't simply turn down nature
if it gets too hot. Kriss Costa, community resource specialist for the
Santa Clara County Vector Control District, says that while Almaden
Valley residents "are not necessarily in the coyotes' habitat, the
coyote will adapt if there is food readily available and it's easier to
get than hunting."

As long as there are coyotes in the nearby hills, humans occasionally
will have to deal with them in their backyards.

"We need to modify the behavior of the humans," Costa says. "Someone is
feeding feral cats in there, so there's both cat food and cats for the
coyote to feed on. It's not just the deer they're after -- if you were
going to chase a cat or a deer for food, which one would you go after?"
[end quote]




--
My Bike Blog:
http://diabloscott.blogspot.com/

Blair P. Houghton said:

It's "Ko-yoats", btw.

"Ky-yo-tees" is a TV thing.

We were calling them ky-yo-tees 50 years ago in Texas and Kansas. You
can find the pronounciation in movies that predate TV by decades.

I think I can guess how you pronounce rodeo.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

the black rose <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Coyotes have invaded the entire eastern US. What I heard was that they
couldn't cross the Mississippi River in any real numbers, so they
drifted north and east through Canada and then south. We have plenty of
them in upstate NY -- when I had sheep, I shot a number of coyotes and I
had to keep a flock guardian dog (130 lb Great Pyrenees [censored] -- she was
impressive).

Hate the buggers. Them and deer. Lots of people think deer are just
cute little bambis, but farmers are more practical -- deer = rats with
hooves.

Having seen the environmental damage done by sheep in some parts of
the world, I'm rooting for the coyotes. We are using sheep in our
parks here in Tallahassee to control kudzu. They love the stuff and
will destroy a stand of kudzu in short order.

[censored] Durbin

In article <[email hidden]>,

Matt O'Toole said:

But my own biggest fear is a loose dog giving chase. People's greatest fear
about dogs is being bitten. In reality, a cyclist's greatest danger from dogs
is crashing.

I figure I've been exposed to more risk of single vehicle crashes
by unsigned and unbarricaded street work, than by wayward animals
of any sort. Especially when a narrow strip of pavement has been
removed across the entire street, from shoulder to shoulder.

I guess it would be doubly egregious to run into something like
that while trying to elude a chasing dog.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

the black rose said:

Rick Warner said:

Blair P. Houghton said:

I've also seen small packs (4-5 dogs) run across the street in
my headlights. Not as innocuous as you think.

No, they are just as innocuous as I *know*, not think. Go back to my
background. Spend years working with animals and you know a lot more
than the urban myths and suppositions that seem to abound. The packs
are probably family units, mother and children; for the most part
coyotes are solitary and do not spend much time together except when
mating or when the young are being taught the ropes by mom. They do
not form regular packs like some of their cousins, e.g., gray wolves
and African hunting dogs.

Would you say then that these packs are likely coy-dogs? That would be
my first guess.

Possible; but cannot discount a mom and pups near the age where they
will soon be on their own.

- rick

Curtis L. Russell wrote:
|| On Wed, 13 Oct 2004 17:37:22 -0400, "Roger Zoul"
|| <[email hidden]> wrote:
||
||||| Hate the buggers. Them and deer. Lots of people think deer are
||||| just cute little bambis, but farmers are more practical -- deer =
||||| rats
||||| with hooves.
|||
||| Well, I can't see eating a rat, but I'd be happy to have deer for
||| supper, I think.
||
|| Then there are squirrels - rodents with fluffy tails. The same people
|| that will walk right by a scavenging little bugger squirrel will go
|| running and screaming from a grey mouse the size of a, well, a mouse.

Yes....squirrels are public enemy number one around my house. Damm little
buggers....

[censored] Durbin wrote:
|| the black rose <[email hidden]> wrote in message
|| news:<[email hidden]>...
||| Coyotes have invaded the entire eastern US. What I heard was that
||| they
||| couldn't cross the Mississippi River in any real numbers, so they
||| drifted north and east through Canada and then south. We have
||| plenty of
||| them in upstate NY -- when I had sheep, I shot a number of coyotes
||| and I
||| had to keep a flock guardian dog (130 lb Great Pyrenees [censored] --
||| she was
||| impressive).
|||
||| Hate the buggers. Them and deer. Lots of people think deer are
||| just
||| cute little bambis, but farmers are more practical -- deer = rats
||| with
||| hooves.
||
|| Having seen the environmental damage done by sheep in some parts of
|| the world, I'm rooting for the coyotes. We are using sheep in our
|| parks here in Tallahassee to control kudzu. They love the stuff and
|| will destroy a stand of kudzu in short order.

Hmm....so is it better to have too many sheep or too much kudzu? Oh, use the
sheep to control the kudzu and the coytotes to control the sheep....and what
do we do to control the coytotes when they mate with dogs and become
agressive as we ride by? j/k

Roger Zoul said:

Hmm....so is it better to have too many sheep or too much kudzu? Oh, use the
sheep to control the kudzu and the coytotes to control the sheep....and what
do we do to control the coytotes when they mate with dogs and become
agressive as we ride by? j/k

ohhh, wait! i can answer that idaho-style!

http://www.dayofdefeat.com/manual_images/image016.jpg
--
david reuteler
[email hidden]

This problem is only increasing with the widespread use of oral rabies vaccinations on wild animals, eradication of zoonotic diseases and parasites which limit the populations of larger wild animals and the overall increase of habitat and food thanks to development.

Coyote size is determined by climate, food and genetics. In northern climates, 50 pouns is common where in lower lattitudes, 30 is the limit. I would not want to tangle with either size.

The typical behavior patterns are also changing with urbanization of the country. Coyotes are losing their natural fear of humans, primarily because we are not killing enough of them.

Nature is a bloodbath. And its far more scientific to hunt the animals than to try and reclaim equilibria by introducing higher predators or disease/parasites. Its high time for prescribed harvesting of coyotes. And if that bothers you, go ahead and try giving all the [censored] "doggie Depo Provera".

David Reuteler wrote:
|| Roger Zoul <[email hidden]> wrote:
||| Hmm....so is it better to have too many sheep or too much kudzu?
||| Oh, use the sheep to control the kudzu and the coytotes to control
||| the sheep....and what do we do to control the coytotes when they
||| mate with dogs and become agressive as we ride by? j/k
||
|| ohhh, wait! i can answer that idaho-style!
||
|| http://www.dayofdefeat.com/manual_images/image016.jpg

That might work, less they run in large packs 🙂

I used to encounter many coyotes while commuting during the we hours of
the El lay mountain nights (usually raiding trash cans). They acted
exactly as you described, probably due to close contact with humans
their entire life.

I haven't had a "close encounter" as you hypothesized (knock on wood).
Coyotes as a species are usually rather shy and reclusive, so I would
would supposed they would act just as any other stray dog. Don't assume
this as gospel, though, treat then as any other strange dog.

Better yet, just don't run over any and you won't have to worry about
it!

- -

"May you have the wind at your back.
And a really low gear for the hills!"

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

Chris'Z Corner
http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

Roger Zoul said:

David Reuteler wrote:
|| Roger Zoul <[email hidden]> wrote:
||| Hmm....so is it better to have too many sheep or too much kudzu?
||| Oh, use the sheep to control the kudzu and the coytotes to control
||| the sheep....and what do we do to control the coytotes when they
||| mate with dogs and become agressive as we ride by? j/k
||
|| ohhh, wait! i can answer that idaho-style!
||
|| http://www.dayofdefeat.com/manual_images/image016.jpg

That might work, less they run in large packs 🙂

http://www.moviebadgirls.com/gulfcoastarmoryimage/shawn-ak47.jpg
--
david reuteler
[email hidden]

David Reuteler wrote:
|| Roger Zoul <[email hidden]> wrote:
||| David Reuteler wrote:
||||| Roger Zoul <[email hidden]> wrote:
|||||| Hmm....so is it better to have too many sheep or too much kudzu?
|||||| Oh, use the sheep to control the kudzu and the coytotes to
|||||| control the sheep....and what do we do to control the coytotes
|||||| when they mate with dogs and become agressive as we ride by? j/k
|||||
||||| ohhh, wait! i can answer that idaho-style!
|||||
||||| http://www.dayofdefeat.com/manual_images/image016.jpg
|||
||| That might work, less they run in large packs 🙂
||
|| http://www.moviebadgirls.com/gulfcoastarmoryimage/shawn-ak47.jpg
|| --

That would scare me away!

Roger Zoul said:

David Reuteler wrote:
|| Roger Zoul <[email hidden]> wrote:
||| David Reuteler wrote:
||||| Roger Zoul <[email hidden]> wrote:
|||||| Hmm....so is it better to have too many sheep or too much kudzu?
|||||| Oh, use the sheep to control the kudzu and the coytotes to
|||||| control the sheep....and what do we do to control the coytotes
|||||| when they mate with dogs and become agressive as we ride by? j/k
|||||
||||| ohhh, wait! i can answer that idaho-style!
|||||
||||| http://www.dayofdefeat.com/manual_images/image016.jpg
|||
||| That might work, less they run in large packs 🙂
||
|| http://www.moviebadgirls.com/gulfcoastarmoryimage/shawn-ak47.jpg
|| --

That would scare me away!

indeed, it can take courage to live here.
--
david reuteler
[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

the black rose [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

A thought: it could have been a coy-dog. I'd lean toward that theory
just from the description of its size. Even wild coy-dogs have less
fear of humans and their machines than full-blooded coyotes.

I was a sheep farmer for 10 years -- believe me, I would rather face a
coyote than a coy-dog, any day. Coyotes are afraid of me. Coy-dogs aren't.

You're absolutely correct, coydogs do tend to be bigger and less fearful of
humans. In your 10 years as a sheep farmer though, did you ever see a coyote or
coydog act in the overly aggressive way the story claimed? You know, running
around and weaving through motor vehicle traffic to attack cyclists?

Regards,
Bob Hunt

Quoted message said:

"Roger Zoul" [email hidden]

asked:

Quoted message said:

what
do we do to control the coytotes when they mate with dogs and become
agressive as we ride by? j/k

Breed uglier dogs? <g>

Regards,
Bob Hunt

Roger Zoul said:

[censored] Durbin wrote:
|| Having seen the environmental damage done by sheep in some parts of
|| the world, I'm rooting for the coyotes. We are using sheep in our
|| parks here in Tallahassee to control kudzu. They love the stuff and
|| will destroy a stand of kudzu in short order.

Hmm....so is it better to have too many sheep or too much kudzu? Oh, use the
sheep to control the kudzu and the coytotes to control the sheep....and what
do we do to control the coytotes when they mate with dogs and become
agressive as we ride by? j/k

I favor using my lean and hungry sons to control the sheep. Well, the
lambs anyway. Lamb is reeeeeaaaallllly tasty.

-km

--
Only cowards fight kids -- unidentified Moscow protester

http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts
proud to be owned by a yorkie

the black rose said:

I have a farmer's reaction to all those bleeding hearts
who think it's criminal to kill a bambi. Yeah, they're real cute while
they eat everything in your garden, including the flowers. They'll come
for miles to eat a strawberry patch. They'll decimate your children's
vegetable patch.

Rats with hooves.

Live in the city where _people_ belong, do your cultivation at a
community garden, and you'll never be troubled by deer eating your
vittles.

Believing that wild critters don't have a right to exist out in the
hinterlands is second-guessing their Creator, don't you think?

Chalo Colina