There's too many instances of coyotes losing their fear in Niagara, and our farm has, unfortunately, lost for that. I have mentioned before that last fall/early winter a coyote (or more likely, a pack)
rampaged and killed about 3 dozen of our 4 dozen birds, causing us to have to confine our remaining ducks geese for most of the winter. Now that spring has sprung, our coyote has returned, and taken another goose and a few turkeys. We've spotted the exact same coyote several times, it has a very distinctive limp, just too bad we've never had a rifle around when we've seen him/her.
Worst part is, we've found out a neighbour who lives only a kilometer to two away has not only had a coyote lay pups in his back shed, he's been feeding them by hand! No wonder there are problems with coyotes hurting people! They've started following tractors around in the field as well! We're going to try and build stronger fences, because the current ones were all ripped down. So, as much as I try to be nice and enjoy wildlife, throw a bloody rock at coyotes that don't get it! Because it usually ends in tragedy for us and them!
The key word in your post is "WILDLIFE". Those who take wild animals and try to make pets of them because they are "cute" are the major problem. We all.. animals and humans.. have our places on this planet and unfortunately there are times we come into conflict. It is those times that teach us our boundaries. When those boundaries are removed and abnormal interactions are taught then we all suffer as you said. You may be able to have the local MNR talk to your neighbor about his behavior. It is illegal to make pets of most wildlife.
JAB
My neighbor feeds a fox. Now it is a beautiful fox and it is always around our place but I don't want to see it every day. So far it has been unable to penetrate the fences and has not bothered the ducks or the chickens. Last years it followed one of the teenage girls of another neighbor home. She was terrified (unjustly) and thought it was rabid. I explained to here that it was most likely only curious. It has tried to follow me too on many occasions.
The same neighbor was feeding the ravens. Now on garbage day the roads are strewn with garbage. Wildlife is just that it should be left as such and not ruined by uneducated self-indulgent people feeding them.
Nice thing about coyote in Niagara, is all it takes is a small game hunting license and patience. They are open all year long with no limit on number. And you can party hunt them. They are varmint.
You'll likely get some yahoo telingl you how offended they are your hunting - it is Niagara after all and it's full of them. I usually just give them a friendly "Tough sh*t". On your property, as we all know, it's your business. If your lucky like I've been in the past, you'll get said yahoo beating brush for you on the edges of the property trying to 'scare' the game away from your hunting activity. I had the opportunity to to thank my yahoo's for that, after they beat the bushes and 'scared' a deer right to my deer stand. That really made me friends that day 🙂
Runs With Scissors
What's a good rifle for the coyotes? We can't get anything too high powered, but generally the direction they're coming from has at least 1km of back drop just in case. Something fairly quiet would be nice too, no need for a .50 cal ka-pow.
Depending on distance and your accuracy with your chosen weapon you could go with .222, .223, .243, .270. Light bullets at high velocity will be good for longer distance and put down power. Also more assurance of bullet breakup as opposed to ricochet if you miss. Some use buckshot with a 12 gauge, again depending on distance you are from them.
JAB
Depending on distance and your accuracy with your chosen weapon you could go with .222, .223, .243, .270. Light bullets at high velocity will be good for longer distance and put down power. Also more assurance of bullet breakup as opposed to ricochet if you miss. Some use buckshot with a 12 gauge, again depending on distance you are from them.
JAB
A friend and I are going coyote hunting this weekend on a friends farm. I'll be using my .223 and he'll have a shotgun with buckshot. We'll see what works if we are able to call some in.
It's better to prep for something that may never happen than not prep for something that does.
www.rednecksurvivalist.com
In Niagara (I'm from there too), I go with the 12 gauge. Why?
Because frankly there's no use for a rifle for most the hunting seasons. Has to be shotgun or bow around here for deer. Has to be shotgun or bow for turkey. Has to be shotgun for waterfowl. So it's my 'main' gun. I do some other small game with a .22 (rabbit, squirrel, the odd raccoon or opossum). I have a bolt action .303 but I rarely use it in this area.
What reason do I only own three gun calibers? Easy. Shotgun is versatile for one. With a rifled barrel (which my reliable Remington 870 has as well as a smoothbore) I can reach out up to 100-ish yards. AS I tend to take anything I'm shooting at much much closer (40-60 usually) I don't need to really reach out - and I can ensure my target is the target I want to shoot at as well as be sure of whether my shot is going to go much farther through the target.
If I really wanted to reach way out, I have my .303. My gun has taken moose. My .22's are for taking small things and not drawing too much attention to myself. I'm not a sneak hunter or anything but I'd rather not be approached by yahoo's when I'm out, and the .22 doesn't really travel when shot in the woodlots.
I've taken a couple of coyotes just fine with the shotgun. I've just went up a tree, paid attention to where the winds are blowing and waited them out. Coyotes are sneaky, but the ones I'm used to are almost predictable. The only thing that's ever tripped me up on them is the wind shifting, but that can be said of almost any game.
Runs With Scissors
Just something to keep in mind. According to MNR Regulations..... "A person hunting small game may not carry or use a rifle of
greater calibre than a .275-calibre rifle, except a muzzle-loading
gun, in the geograhic areas of Brant, Chatham-Kent, Durham,
Elgin, Essex, Haldimand, Halton, Hamilton, Huron, Lambton,
Middlesex, Niagara, Norfolk, Northumberland, Oxford, Peel,
Perth, Toronto, Waterloo, Wellington or York."
JAB
Technically, if he's after our livestock we're not hunting, so I'm not sure if that applies. In defense of livestock, I don't think you even need a tag or license, just the PAL. But, since we want to start hunting anyways, we have the game license, awaiting PAL.
Yeah you still need to have a valid and up to date hunting license, or trapping license if your trapping. Even if it's your livestock. But, if you have livestock being ravaged by wildlife and it's happening given any reasonable precautions you are taking - you can seek compensation from the government for your loss. It takes a while though. Surprisingly it's fair compensation. I was given market value for sheep I'd lost to coyote or dog.
In Niagara, in my experience, you really need to be careful in how and what you hunt. It shouldn't be an issue on your own land but there's always yahoo's out there that don't like hunting at all no matter how justified. And they will try and mess with you. It can result in a visit by the police or the MNR. You could be doing nothing wrong, but as they've told me, they have to respond to calls especially if firearms are reported. Better to have all your papers and things in hand so the visits are friendly and brief.
Runs With Scissors