Anybody hunt coyotes here in MA? I never have, but I may give it a shot this season.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/09/coyote_raids_on.html
By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/09/coyote_raids_on.html
By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff
Frank Gwozdz says coyotes have made a meal out of his livestock so often in the past several months that the farmer is thinking of leaving agriculture behind.
"They are wiping me out,'' Gwozdz said in a telephone interview today from his 110-acre farm in Dartmouth in southeastern Massachusetts. He said he may have to "cash in'' and sell off all of his livestock.
In the past several months, Gwozdz said, coyotes have claimed two cows, four calves, 14 goats, two lambs and two sheep -- as well as numerous geese, ducks and chicken.
"They are getting bolder and bolder,'' Gwozdz said of the coyotes, which he believes may be based in the neighboring Freetown State Forest.
Gwozdz said he and his family have tried to counter the animals, sometimes by standing guard until the early morning hours, or by erecting a 6-foot-high fence around the animal pens.
But the animals tunneled under the fence or waited until the humans weren't around.
Gwozdz has also tried to employ the emus he raises as watchdogs, given the large ostrich-like birds' ferocious kicks and razor-sharp nails. But the emus did nothing to protect the goats he had put into their pens. The coyotes attacked and killed the smaller animals as if the emus were not there.
Gwozdz said he has asked the town's animal control office for help, but has been told that it is a wildlife issue, not a matter that can be dealt with by an agency that deals primarily with domestic animals. An official at the office could not be reached for comment todday.
Laura Hajduk, a Mass Wildlife biologist, said Gwozdz seemed to be describing coyote attacks, although she said she has not gotten any formal reports from the farmer directly.
She said that coyotes are territorial – a mated pair keeps jealous control over a six- to 10-square-mile area – and are quick learners who never forget where they succeed in getting food. That’s why Gwozdz's farm has been targeted more than once, she said.
Hajduk said farmers -- and non-farmers -- need to be constantly vigilant and aggressive in defending themselves, their pets, and their property from coyotes. She said the animals are in every community in the state, except for the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.
She said people need to reinforce the natural fear of humans that coyotes have, a fear that can be eroded through more frequent contact with humans.
“Harass them,’’ she said. “When you do this, it maintains the natural fear of people. Also, do everything in your power to make you are in feeding them.’’
She said homeowners who have seen coyotes in their neighborhood or their yard should take down birdfeeders because they feeder attract squirrels, which in turn attract coyotes hungry for squirrels.
Garbage cans should be closed tight – and compost should be sealed in some way because coyotes eat fruits and vegetables, even when they are decaying.
Dog owners should keep their pets on a leash. If there is an encounter, a coyote will link the pet to the human and likely avoid contact. Unleashed pets can be seen as competitors or prey, she said. Cats should be kept inside, she said.
Hajduk said the state allows for trapping -- rarely successful - and hunting of coyotes. Last season, which begins after Columbus Day, hunters claimed 489 coyotes, but only one was fooled by a trap, she said.
Humans, she said, need to respect coyotes, but not fear them. She suggested keeping a can with coins in it nearby so it can be used to make noises that intimidate coyotes and can also be thrown at them to reinforce the message that they need to leave.
"Coyote attacks on people are very, very rare,'' she said. "You shouldn't let coyotes intimidate you. ''
![[grin]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/041.gif "Grin [grin]")
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