coyote ate 2 cats and a dog

I lost 2 cats recently and my neighbor called and said he lost his dog to a coyote a week or so ago and wanted to know if I had seen coyote said his wife saw it and shot shotgun at it but it was too far away. well the plant growth around me is such that you cant see much of anything day or night.
any suggestions on what to do with a coyote problem

That's a tough one. Coyotes are smart, adaptable, and opportunistic.

They do have a place in the landscape, controlling rodents from voles to porcupines.

But when their numbers explode and/or they lose their natural wariness of humans, they become a significant problem.

Nobody has found a permanent solution because there isn't one. The farmers in my area periodically bring in a trapper with a pile of animal carcasses in winter to thin out the population. Not pretty, but it resets the cycle I guess.

I have to agree with the lack of a real solution, on this one. It seems killing one only makes room for another to take its place - and bring friends. The problem is nationwide, and growing, even in bigger cities. They're smart, creative, hunt alone or cooperatively, in packs, they're bold, and (imho) ominously resilient. They're a HUGE problem, here, too. Last year, we had 30 chickens, culled maybe 3, and we're down to 14 (including the 2 that hatched this summer, and have survived the snakes). We had probably 9 ducks disappear, too. We have seen other predators on our trail cams; wildcats, cougars, feral dogs, raccoons, etc - and one of the wildcats was just last week, we've also seen bald eagle & hawk nests on our property(though not exactly near one another), and have also seen & heard owls. But, there is also a pack of somewhere between 2 & 3 DOZEN coyotes roaming our immediate area, and many of us with pets and livestock smaller than cattle are being forced to lock them all up, from sunset to sunrise - and still losing them. Most of our chickens disappeared in broad daylight, which narrows most of our losses to hawks, eagles, and coyotes, who are the primary daylight hunters that leave no trace. (Feral dogs are typically messy, leaving plenty of evidence).

Echoing what other's have said, there isn't an easy solution.

Do you have acreage or do you live on a small plot? Do you know you lost your cats on your plot or did you lose them roaming?

If you have the local resources and the land to spare, try to reach out to a trapping/hunting organization and offer your land. This will be a 'short' term solution as eventually coyotes will return but it can discourage them while the land is being actively trapped/hunted.

Coyotes are nearby because there is prey to feed on. Consider looking at the local habitat to try and identify what they are interested in. Unfortunately in your case, the cats have been lost but in the future I'd recommend keeping them indoor only.

I do not know the efficacy of them, but there are products sold that are marketed as coyote deterrents.

The right dog will keep them away.


Has to be a smart dog tho, otherwise they will lure it out and kill it. Growing up we had an Australian shepherd/ Golden retriever cross that did the trick. He would bark and growl at them all night some times but he wouldn't go farther than maybe 10 yards from the house.

They're not too hard to shoot if youre able and patient. Never gonna shoot them all but as smart as they are they will learn to be leary of your property at least.

bruce Fine wrote:I well the plant growth around me is such that you cant see much of anything day or night.  any suggestions on what to do with a problem

I would suggest getting rid of the plant growth which gives the coyote a place to hide.

I agree with Tyler.  A big dog and an accurate rifle.

I've never had a dog that didn't kill coyotes.  They are tiny solitary wild dogs that only form a bond when mating and raising pups. They are always singing over their territories to warn other coyotes to their boundaries. They live alone in tiny little dens in the ground. Wolves kill them all.  The only reason you hear coyotes is because we've exterminated the wolves in almost all of America.. Dogs are  domesticated wolves and dominate the coyotes. Every dog I've ever had has heard them singing at night, found the den and eradicated the little loners. I think if you have a dog that cannot run off a coyote that dog belongs on your lap in the house not guarding a farm. I have free range chickens and those need a good dog for sure. I'm 59 and I've heard these coyote stories before but a coyote doesn't form a pack except with puppies and only weighs less than 30 pounds. Coyotes eat little rodents and grasshoppers at night. Usually those tiny house dogs are expensive so maybe they are just getting stolen?

Interesting! The situation here is different -- our coyotes are rather larger and have been known to work in pairs to tag-team a smaller dog. I've lived in the country most of my life so a yard dog (pair is better) definitely acts as a deterrent. It's certainly not the norm for a dog to be able to corner and kill a coyote -- they're fast and cagey.

bruce Fine wrote:any suggestions on what to do with a coyote problem

This is a cutesy feel-good video, so in some ways it doesn't apply, but it does show that they can be trapped and relocated:

Christopher Weeks wrote:

bruce Fine wrote:any suggestions on what to do with a coyote problem

This is a cutesy feel-good video, so in some ways it doesn't apply, but it does show that they can be trapped and relocated:

That was a wonderful video. Thank You for that positive addition.   There are lots of people who've made excellent pets of coyotes. Some great videos on youtube. They are not the monsters they are rumored to be.

We got a large livestock guard dog 3 years ago and I've noticed a huge surge in the number of rabbits and squirrels around our farm. I figured out that it's because he's keeping the coyotes (and aerial predators) at bay. He's fenced in but he'll bark and bark and bark, and marks all along the fenceline. We still hear coyotes at night, especially in May and Sept.

Two other ideas to consider- 1. male urine along property (I've always heard it needs to be male's). Can't hurt, might help. Establish a boundary and pee on it. 2. donkeys. they are dog aggressive and effective protectors. One story I heard concerning a guard donkey for a goat (or sheep?) herd said their donkey turned them into coyote paste.

In some areas, esp in Cali, coyotes have become extremely bold.  There are dozens of videos of them grabbing and killing cats and small dogs from people's yards, often with the owner standing there.  A number of children have been attacked by them as well.  A good dog, or better yet, several, is the best solution in my case.  We have 4 dogs now, and haven't lost a chicken or a cat to a coyote in a couple years.