‘Yotes
Aunt B. thinks she has mutant foxes over in Nashville way. Or coyotes. West and North Knoxville have been experiencing problems with coyotes recently. In fact, one night a friend’s two dogs (one very small and one medium sized) got out of the fence and went wandering. The little dog didn’t come back and the medium dog returned and for a few weeks kinda twitched funny. Another friend heard a few yipping on his property and both barrels of his 12 gauge scared them off.
They seem to be coming around more often and have lost their fear of people. That’s probably because people aren’t inclined to shoot them on sight any more. To keep them away, any large dog would work. ‘Yotes are opportunists and not suicidal. Any dog that weighs considerably more than them (such as an 80lb Labrador) will probably dissuade them from hanging out too much. And, of course, a good varmint gun would take care of them too.
March 9th, 2006 at 11:48 am
Be careful with the big dog recommendations.
They might not be suicidal, but they are pretty smart. There is a reason Wiley E. Coyote got his name. Since they do operate in packs on occaision its not unknown for a single coyyote to engage a dog in friendly play and as soon as they get the house dog away from the home, the others will jump on to attack.
We know two people in Georgia who lost dogs that way (one actually witnesses it and since the dog was playing with another dog, he didn’t come back in time).
The only solution to a coyote is a shot to the head.
March 9th, 2006 at 11:54 am
I did specify large dog. Coyotes are usually smallish in stature and even a group of them would be hard pressed to take on a large dog (like an 80+ pound lab). But yeah a bullet through the head (or shoulder) is probably the best bet.
March 9th, 2006 at 12:48 pm
Of course, y’all are neglecting the fact that for most of us, firing guns in the city limits is some violation of an asinine law.
Of course, if you have, say, a .22 rifle and an empty 2 liter coke bottle, you can have a very quiet .22 for about 5 or 6 shots. Difficult to aim well, though.
March 9th, 2006 at 12:53 pm
Depending on the city, there is usually an exception for hunting and varmints. Your coke bottle won’t work very well as a suppressor either.
March 9th, 2006 at 9:29 pm
The “One lures the dog out, then the other 5 jump him” trick has been reported in Colorado, too.
March 10th, 2006 at 1:01 pm
They’ll do that anywhere. Coyotes are probably the smartest of all wild animals. Any critter than can not only learn to co-exist with man but thrive too wins my award for most intelligent.
Of course, using that definition I would have to include rats and cockroaches.
March 10th, 2006 at 3:26 pm
For varmint intelligence, there’s no beating squirrels.