i have something, i assume a coyote, in my yard, every night, same time. it doesnt quite howl, not quite a bark, more of a yipping whine. although the start of the howl, even a short howl, can be sometimes heard.
after about a week, tonight he brought a friend.
i have not seen it, closest i got was shining a flashlight into the back yard and seeing reflective eyes running away.
the other night, it was in my neighbors yard, our yards run together, no fence or woods, neighbor turned on his back flood light and it left for the rest of the night. it seems to have a problem with light. also fears people, i walked out their one night thinking it was a stuck pet, it kept yelping/howling, but kept moving away from me, i never got close enough to see it.
my cats are not afraid of much, neighbor's dogs barks at them while they are in the yard, they ignore him. first time this thing yowled, they ran and hid.
my question is, what is it doing? why this yelping at the same time in the same place every night at 2 am? i want to discourage it ( i would love to shoot it, but neighbors would complain. probably not about the killing, but about some nut opening up in his back yard at 2 am) so if it has a den, or food or something, i would like to destroy the den, or whatever is attracting it.
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That is how they communicate with eachother, Coyotes hunt mostly from late evening to early morning. They will kill and eat ANY small pets including small dogs and cats. They will make sounds to attract dogs so they can kill them. I have seen them make sounds like a injured pup to lure a pet dog into the woods. I have also seen where several would wait in the woods and one would act injured to lure a pet dog to its waiting coyote buddies.
Its very hard to catch a coyote in a live trap. You could find a pest removal service to deal with them or just shoot them. They are a menace that’s very overpopulated and have attacked children.
You're dealing with a ***** coyote. Once they drop a litter of pups, they're reluctant to leave an area or stray far from the litter to obtain food, unless forced to do so. If she can get a cheap meal, she will do so and will continue to visit the area where she got her first hand-out. You may find that some of your neighbors are stupid enough to leave scraps out for her or may be outright feeding her. There is no way to get rid of her other than killing her and you have to accept the fact that her litter is going to starve to death when you do. If you don't do it, you'll never be able to have an outside cat or small dog and before you know it you'll have a pack of suburban coyotes.
This past fall, I had a ***** coyote following my tractor, as I shredded a field, no more than ten yards behind the shredder. I felt bad because she had teats hanging damned near to the ground and I knew that she had a litter and was just picking up the rat/rabbit/whatever parts that were coming out of the shredder, so I left her alone. My kids' rat terriers were both eaten within two weeks and I found their skeletal remains less than 50 yards from the house! Less than a week later, something dug under my chicken-coop and took off with four chickens. I set out a leg trap and caught the very same ***** that had been following my tractor and dispatched her with a .22.
He is out hunting for food. The noises they make are communication with other coyotes. That is how he called his buddy over. I think cats and small dogs make good coyote food. They should not be denning at this time of year but it may be different where you live. You should check state law. At least some states protect animal dens and it may be illegal to damage or destroy it. Could you set a live trap? Coyotes typically don't get caught in live traps but you might be able to entice him with some food. Sardines might be a good choice for bait. It has a strong smell that might entice the coyotes. Sounds like a leg hold trap would not be a good idea in your area. As far and making them leave and stay away, lights and noise might do it. Noise is probably not a good solution for the area that you describe. Could you put up one or several motion detector lights? That might discourage them from coming around.
here is what you do, buy yourself a live trap, put some scraps in it at the back cover the back of it with an old blanket or something just so the coyote wont pick at the bait from the back. do not approach the den! that can be a very painful mistake trust me pal that is not fun.and unless it has a pup there is a good chance it dont have a den. coyotes usually only den when there going to give birth. in the winter time food becomes scarce and they will move closer to towns or houses looking for small animals or scraps. if they get hungry enough they will attack small children as well anything that can be easily overcome by them they will attack. another idea is go to a hunting store and buy some urine of a bigger animal such as a mountain lion, bear, something like that, but if you have wither of these in the area it might draw them to you. my best suggestion is to either ask your neighbors if they min if you take a shot at it or call the local police and tell them to get rid of it
Depending on prey availability in your area the coyotes may be scouring the neighborhood in search of food, whether that be trash and dog/cat food left outside or your local dogs and cats. If it's persistent about hanging around call the local fish and game department because the animal is becoming to comfortable and could become a threat. I'm not adverse to hunting but it sounds like you have close neighbors and for safeties sake don't shot the dang thing.
They are looking for an easy meal. this time of the year they will eat cats and small dogs. Usually when it is warmer they feed on chipmunks and mice. They pack up when winter comes and snow is on the ground. They are calling each other to pack up. In a pack and with deep snow they can take a full grown deer down. And even a mid size dog. I have seen the in the worst of winters even eating apples buried under the snow. They will eat almost anything, even a skunk. most small game now stay in there den. What I have done before is catch them without a trap that can harm a cat . This is what I do . Buy a large fish hook or treble hook that you would use for shark fishing. hang it with a cable or robe strong enough to hold a couple hundred pounds. Put fresh meat on the hook and get it high enough the the coy has to jump and grab( about five to five and half feet) you will find him hanging by the roof of his mouth in the morning. If he is still alive deal with it with a gun or base ball bat.
A good .22 loaded with subsonic ammo is quiet as is .22caps. The .22subsonics have more power and your neighbors should not hear it. Live traps usually don't work well against a smart coyote. You can also do some scouting with your gun and look for their dens and sleeping areas and destroy them. Keep all trash containers in the garage or shed with food and garbage in bags sealed up tightly. Keep you animals in at night.
Coyote behavior: Hunt, eat, adapt, survive.
And yes, they will eat your cats.
They like to scavenge for food in garbage will also feed on cats, and small dogs, here in the north(u.s.) winter is when they pack, because food gets scarce so they will hunt bigger animals, might be why they are getting brazen coming into rural areas.looking for that easy meal in your back yard.
They are trying to trick some poor animal into showing its self. They are hungry. I would just let my neighbors know that I intend to shoot it. It may be after your cats. Pop it with a bb gun they will get smart and stay away.