This morning about one hour car drive south of here:



One of the 2 wolves spotted from a window 20 meters from a house. Tracks showed they had come just around the corner of the house and visited several other yards. Turns out it's a male and a female who is in heat (blood) and tracks indicate they have been mating.
They assume they're there to establish a new territory.

Breeding pair, spring, lots of pups.

Will they go back in the deep woods in spring, or do they think they will stay around?

If they're having pups here they'll most likely stay. All sorts of game animals have kids here soon as well so it's gonna be a smorgasbord for them...

The poor bunnies.

I live in an area with coyotes. I see them regularly when I'm walking the dogs. They come through the neighborhood at night and eat stray pets. I'm glad we don't have grey wolves, but they're now starting to move into Northern California.

We haven't had any wolf issues like this for over a century so it's a bit unnerving. There's no middle ground in this debate

(04-06-2018, 07:47 PM)Octo Wrote:  We haven't had any wolf issues like this for over a century so it's a bit unnerving. There's no middle ground in this debate

I have two big dogs and five cats, and do my best to protect them. I harass the coyotes, and believe they know me and stay away from my property. When I walk the dogs, we will sometimes spot the coyotes unaware. The coyotes hate when they catch us quietly watching them. When they notice, then I will scream at them.

There are rumors swirling as well they are hybrids which means we take 'em out.
Real shady autopsies went down and DNA results have not been made available.

(04-06-2018, 08:02 PM)JayRodney Wrote:  There are rumors swirling as well they are hybrids which means we take 'em out.
Real shady autopsies went down and DNA results have not been made available.

Only once was it necessary for me to hunt the coyotes. I went at dawn to a certain spot and quietly waited. I never saw them, but I think they saw me and a rifle, and that gesture was enough to keep them fearful and away.

Been around coyotes in the upper Midwest, when they are adults, they are normally a bit larger than most dogs, so I know first hand they can be intimidating as hell, especially if they are shadowing you.
We have a Jack Russell that needs a lot of exercise, but we've had to curtail the country walks in favor of town walks with poop bags. *sigh*
As you can imagine, I'm ready for spring, these so called "wolf winters" in Finland make you a bit uptight, always looking over your shoulder.

(04-06-2018, 08:34 PM)JayRodney Wrote:  Been around coyotes in the upper Midwest, when they are adults, they are normally a bit larger than most dogs, so I know first hand they can be intimidating as hell, especially if they are shadowing you.
We have a Jack Russell that needs a lot of exercise, but we've had to curtail the country walks in favor of town walks with poop bags. *sigh*
As you can imagine, I'm ready for spring, these so called "wolf winters" in Finland make you a bit uptight, always looking over your shoulder.

An adult human is probably not at risk from wolves, but livestock and pets definitely are. Our coyotes are not large, and luckily my male dog is a large Australian shepherd with an instinctual antipathy towards coyotes.

Australian shepherds are gorgeous, the eyes are so striking.

(04-06-2018, 08:46 PM)RiskyRob Wrote:  

(04-06-2018, 08:34 PM)JayRodney Wrote:  Been around coyotes in the upper Midwest, when they are adults, they are normally a bit larger than most dogs, so I know first hand they can be intimidating as hell, especially if they are shadowing you.
We have a Jack Russell that needs a lot of exercise, but we've had to curtail the country walks in favor of town walks with poop bags. *sigh*
As you can imagine, I'm ready for spring, these so called "wolf winters" in Finland make you a bit uptight, always looking over your shoulder.

An adult human is probably not at risk from wolves, but livestock and pets definitely are. Our coyotes are not large, and luckily my male dog is a large Australian shepherd with an instinctual antipathy towards coyotes.

So I've read, but the hybrid possibility makes one think twice.
While walking our dog I encountered tracks that were unmistakable, and there appeared to be several of them.
This was just a couple days prior to the fox incident.
It was a straight shot to the fox farm where they ate through the bottom of the cage.

(04-06-2018, 08:49 PM)Elegant Fail Wrote:  Australian shepherds are gorgeous, the eyes are so striking.

My dog is a blue merle, with a spotted grey and black coat, and standard brown eyes. Some of the really pretty Aussies have been bred for looks, but don't have the deep instincts of the working lines. My dog is sort of an old-fashioned Aussie, but really perfect for coyote country.