General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Coyote Pack Chases Puppy into Home, Smashes Door [View all]Coyotes are no different from rats, mice, raccoons, possums, or whatever--when humans move in they dont just move out, they adapt. Coyotes are predators--theyre not evil, cruel, or mean. Theyre just hungry and doing what nature programmed them to do. Once you understand their motivations, behavior, and techniques theyre not that difficult to deal with if youre willing to do whats necessary.
These days I actually like to listen to the coyotes at night, and not having pets anymore I dont have any reason to bother with them. But, back when I had barn cats that the coyotes thought might be easy meals I found that a 12ga. loaded with #4 buckshot works like magic. Within about 45 yards, if you center up the pattern on them, they drop like theyve been stuck by lightning. You see the fur fly off the far side as the pattern passes through and they collapse like you turned off a light switch. No crying, no suffering, normally not even a twitch of the tail.
Coyotes arent stupid and they have good memories, so the survivors are unlikely to bother you again. Generally, you wont need to repeat the process for 2 or 3 years until a younger generation decides that the rules dont apply to them.