Coyote Hunting Our Fence Line

I just saw this coyote hunting our fence line from my dining table.   This coyote is quite big and looks to be in good shape.  This is a reminder of why we count the chickens at night when we put them up.  A while back we found evidence that we had missed a chicken in the barn and that he had found it.

After a painful loss to coyotes we did some research on them and found some interesting things about coyotes and their lifestyles.  Coyotes are the only predator that man has not been able to control.  Man can take down the population of coyotes, but then the coyotes have larger litters or allow new coyotes into their territory, until the population stabilizes

Coyotes do a beneficial service.by reducing the number of rodents.  In the panhandle of Oklahoma someone introduced mange into the coyote population.  Yes the coyote population went down, but the rodent population went screaming up.  I have a friend in the Panhandle that told me of the difficulty they and the area farmers were having with rats and field mice.  And I can attest to the fact that it didn't have a long term effect because on my last visit to her farm we stood outside at dusk and heard coyotes from all four directions.  On the visit before we watched a coyote sit under the yard light maybe 50 feet from the back door.  My friend went running and screaming down the sidewalk toward the coyote.  He wasn't impressed but I certainly was!

Coyotes chose a mate when they are about 2 years of age and stay with their mate their entire life.  Which makes them one a very few animals to do that. After learning the previous information we have adopted a live and let live attitude toward the coyotes in whose territory we live.  We do our best to protect the  animals for which we are responsible.  We will occasionally shoot into the ground or under a coyote to discourage them from coming around the house and barns.

Other interesting facts that I learned about coyotes from an internet search is that they that they have a chasing speed of up to 43 mph, their litter size can be from 1 to 19 with an average of 6. The gestation period is 60 to 63 days. And they can live to be 15 years of age.

Living here I have developed a respect and even admiration for coyotes.  The internet article said that they are some vocal at dusk and dawn, but I can verify that they also call during the night.  Just a couple of weeks ago their calls woke me from sleep in the middle of the night and often when I am feeding between 3:30 and 4 am I hear them howling.  I am grateful to live somewhere that I share with wild animals.