Fenix,Thor, and the coyote

My two dogs were barking at something they saw/sensed in the four acre field behind my house tonight. It's common for them to bark at deer, but I went out to check anyway.
Turned on my Fenix P1D CE and saw two pairs of eyes shining.
One was twenty yards away; the other about thirty-five.

I kicked the light up to max and could tell the closest animal was my wife's cat. The other animal looked like it might be a coyote.

I knew the dogs would keep the 'yote at bay until I could go inside to get a stronger light and alert my wife.

Flipped on the Thor and, sure enough, the coyote was intent on getting the cat. The light never fazed it. Neither, incidently, did the strobe from the Fenix.
Problem was, the cat didn't know anything was after it and it wasn't about to come up toward two barking dogs.

'Bout that time my labrador runs down to chase the coyote off. My wife
grabs her cat and I head down to get the dog before he and the coyote tangle.
I'm carrying only the Fenix. My wife had set the Thor down and it was providing no useful light....
Long story short; I had only the Fenix to illuminate the goings on as I made my way down the hundred yards to my pond to get my dog.
That coyote was never more than fifteen yards away and followed us about half way back up to the house.

Tomorrow, I will dispatch the coyote. They are problem animals around here. They will kill dogs, cats, even fawns. This one seemed especially aggressive.

Babo said:

... coyote. .. will kill dogs, cats, even fawns. This one seemed especially aggressive.

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The coyotes here have killed neighborhood cats. I sometimes see their blue eyes shining back at me when I aim a flashlight in my back yard while putting our dog out at night.

Glad that none of your pets were harmed. I've even heard of raccoons going after cats. The city ones seem to be very aggressive.

''until I could go inside to get a stronger light ".


my friend i would have had something more than a stronger light......i will kill every yote i see around my place..

Babo said:

Tomorrow, I will dispatch the coyote. They are problem animals around here. They will kill dogs, cats, even fawns. This one seemed especially aggressive.

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Once you get the coyote, continue to keep an eye out. I haven't had to deal with coyotes since I lived in San Diego, but as I recall they like to hunt domestic critters in pairs or threes. So ya might have more than the one to deal with.

While my dog was walking me tonight we ran into our first coyotes of the summer. Always in pairs or threes and unconcerned with anything more than 20 feet from them. We live in a suburban no-fire zone. I'm getting a pellet gun Saturday. Citified critters are the worst, even the four legged ones.

stonehold said:

While my dog was walking me tonight we ran into our first coyotes of the summer. Always in pairs or threes and unconcerned with anything more than 20 feet from them. We live in a suburban no-fire zone. I'm getting a pellet gun Saturday. Citified critters are the worst, even the four legged ones.

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http://www.swivelmachine.com/html/rimfire.htm ?

<< I've even heard of raccoons going after cats. The city ones seem to be very aggressive >>

Be especially cautious around racoons if they seem overly aggressive or are acting "differently." I perform some volunteer work with animals / animal control, and racoons are a BIG potential carrier of rabies in many areas.

We also see coyotes even up here in northwest Pennsylvania. They are becoming more common even within city limits, especially over the last ten years.


Edited for spelling.

The Thor if working would have scared of the coyote

TORCH_BOY said:

The Thor if working would have scared of the coyote

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It seems like it did work. And from my own experience, bright lights seldom work for chasing away animals.

Had the first coyotes of the spring around last night here in CT as well.
They sounded really close, and I am on the edge of the suburbs. I didn't see them, but there were at least 5 or 6 distinct voices. I was outside with my small dog, and wasn't sticking around to see if these guys have figured out how easily they can clear a 5 foot fence. Apparently 7 foot is what they call coyote-proof.

Question,, why do ya suppose we got all these damn coyotes running around even in the cities all over america now? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm....

luminata said:

Question,, why do ya suppose we got all these damn coyotes running around even in the cities all over america now? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm....

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I think because we killed their competitors and animals that kept them in check like the Bear & Wolf, and they are very resiliant & adaptable alone or in packs. This Audobon site claims they survive on almost anything and are so adaptable despite 400,000 being killed every year. The more of them that are killed, the more pups survive into adulthood:

Coyotes can subsist on virtually any type of food. Their preference is rodents -- voles, gophers, mice. In some places, though, they have become insectivores, feeding on grasshoppers, beetles, and grubs. They also eat snakes and lizards and frogs. In cities they dine on rats and house cats. In rural areas a pack will work together to bring down an elk. There has been at least one documented coyote-killed bison. Coyotes enjoy porcupines and turtles and cactus fruit. They can make a buffet out of a city landfill. In 1940 biologist Adolph Murie conducted a detailed study of coyote scat and enumerated 100 different food items. In the Southeast, coyotes have become so enamored of watermelon that many fruit growers have taken to shooting them.

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I can tell you one reason I LOVE my 600-1000 Lumen MagLites....when I'm out walking evening/night, I often run into racoons, skunks, rat-like moles that all depend on their night vision. EVERY SINGLE TIME I shine my blinding lights at them, they scamper off after being startled.

It has happened so many times (at least 150 times over the last 2 years), I was not sure if it was my sound that scared them away. So I started staying still and watch them ignore me, or keep coming towards me....until I BLASTED them with my lights. The only animals it does not reliably work with are cats...about half just freeze.

LED's just don't cause enough pain to have an effect.

This is one of the reasons my night "walking/hiking" light is the BarnBurner. We have critters in the Philadelphia suburbs, and firing a gun within Township limits is illegal. A really bright light usually works to stop dogs, raccoons, skunks, all of which live and dine in my area. Twice I was attacked by dogs before I got the first HID, and but not since I started carrying it.

-HAK

frogs3 said:

This is one of the reasons my night "walking/hiking" light is the BarnBurner. We have critters in the Philadelphia suburbs, and firing a gun within Township limits is illegal. A really bright light usually works to stop dogs, raccoons, skunks, all of which live and dine in my area. Twice I was attacked by dogs before I got the first HID, and but not since I started carrying it.

-HAK

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WOW, sorry to hear that.....might even want to carry a small pepper spray or stun gun/stick which is formulated to stop a dog as backup who won't let go.