January 27, 2016

"How to Haze a Coyote."



"Remember, hazing coyotes only works if everyone does it...."

IN THE COMMENTS: Freeman Hunt said:
"We can co-exist peacefully with coyotes like this..."

Cut to woman screaming at coyote, throwing things at it, and spraying it with a hose.

I love this video.

97 comments:

garage mahal said...

Three dogs were recently killed by coyote hunters in Dane County. They are some of the lowest forms of human life we have.

CJinPA said...

In my day we'd haze coyotes by making them wear a dress and sing "Ode to Dogs" while we chugged PBRs. Times change....

William said...

Smack them on the butt with a large wooden paddle. This has proven to be the most effective form of hazing.

FullMoon said...

In San Francisco, stoned coyotes are attacking automobiles.
Next, they will be running naked through the streets
That is all.

Curious George said...

"Me, and everyone in my community, has to make the coyote feel uncomforatble. It only works if everyone in your community gets involved."

Then it's worthless.

Now, how do I get that annoying woman who keeps hazing coyotes to move?

Rob said...

That woman is everybody's first wife.

Original Mike said...

Obama could learn a thing or two about foreign policy by watching this video.

buwaya said...

Coyotes are killing cats and small pet dogs in San Francisco.
I'm not sure which is lower on the grand scale of things, but its obvious where each stands in the food chain.

As for hazing coyotes - frankly, this seems pointless. Coyotes don't seem to have the sort of insecure personalities that would be driven away (for long) by being made unwelcome. They are much more resilient than that, even without therapy or support groups, or even antidepressants.

Gahrie said...

1) That behavior would get you arrested in California, for abusing the coyote.

2) Can we haze illegal immigrants in an effort to get them to go away? or at least stop feeding them?

Irene said...

That "coins in the can" trick doesn't work. Even the dogs aren't afraid of the coin can.

Full Moon beat me to this story: whatever you do, don't feed mushrooms to the coyotes.

(Who in Madison has a garden hose connected to the water line during the winter?)

BarrySanders20 said...

The hazer-lady looks like Melissa Click, the now-famous harridan from U of Missouri and defender of the SJW faith.

ceowens said...

Let's get this going.

I'm in upstate New York and know a group of folks that hazed about 50 of them "with extreme prejudice" the year before last. I don't know how they did more recently.

JML said...

You know what else works? Throwing lead at them - .223 or .30 works pretty good. But you do need to be mindful where you can employ this tactic.

Mark said...

Reminds me of what you do with the wild dogs in the South Asian rural areas.

Just bending to pick up a rock on the ground will set them running.

Freeman Hunt said...

"We can co-exist peacefully with coyotes like this..."

Cut to woman screaming at coyote, throwing things at it, and spraying it with a hose.

I love this video.

Freeman Hunt said...

We would probably enjoy coyotes more if they took to traditional hazing like driving people places, cleaning houses, and running errands for us.

tim in vermont said...

I am more of a live and let kill cats and small dogs guy when it comes to predators on my land.

MrCharlie2 said...

Hey, does that for bears?

David Begley said...

Is this a big problem in Madison? If so, shoot with a gun.

JCC said...

Frankly, I'm surprised PETA hasn't thrown paint on this guy, maybe vandalized his house or terrorized his children at daycare yet.

Well, after this post, lily white movie actresses will be lining up to pose nude for the protest photos. Spike Lee will boycott and Michelle Obama will hold up a sign hashtag #Let Our Coyotes Go!

And yes, the woman with the hose is probably someone's first wife. Or a teacher's union rep.

Quaestor said...

If the coyote handles the hazing with aplomb does it get to wear a pledge pin?

whitney said...

Coyotes are a big problem in my urban neighborhood but there is no way everyone would agree. Half the people think the coyotes "have as much right to the land as we do!" We are so safe we have forgotten what it feels like to be in danger. I think everything will come to a head soon.

Fernandinande said...

Speaking of coyotes, Tax-Free Tampons Are a Matter of 'Social Justice,' Say California Lawmakers

Alex said...

So we're so PC we won't cull coyotes anymore?

Bruce Hayden said...

Frankly, I'm surprised PETA hasn't thrown paint on this guy, maybe vandalized his house or terrorized his children at daycare yet.

I was trying to remember who PETA was for a minute, and something about Eating Tasty Animals kept going through my head. And, I was thinking that coyotes would probably be a bit stringy. Then, I remembered who PETA was - the animal lovers who rain on everyone's parades.

Quaestor said...

@ Fernandinande

Interesting link, particularly the last sentence.

Of course, exempting menstrual products from sales tax is only a stepping stone as far as Garcia is concerned. Her end goal is to "make these essential products free or covered by insurance for women," she said.

That's the Democratic Party philosophy in a nutshell, is it not? Lefties tend to fall into two categories: those who are stupid enough to believe any thing is free (e.g. Ms. Garcia and our own garage mahal) and the cynics who use the word to deceive and sway the ignorant. The existence of first group explains why any workers paradise you care to name has problems with wreckers and spies who somehow manage to deprive those Elysian fields of toilet paper. The second group include the authors of Obamacare.

Quaestor said...

Coyotes should be hazed with buckshot. End of problem.

furious_a said...

What if the Coyote is strapping itself into an Acme(tm) Rocket Sled or preparing to fire an Acme(tm) Catapult?

Mary Beth said...

That woman walks like her thighs are chafed. What was the point of the dog walking part anyway? To show us that she doesn't hate all canines, just the ones that don't belong in the neighborhood?

furious_a said...

Coyotes and household pets "coexist" with the household pet digesting in the Coyote's stomach. A woman in our neighborhood let her teacup-something out on a Flexi leash from her front door. When the teacup-something roamed out-of-sight (the woman never left the front door) a coyote waiting nearby snatched it up and all the woman got back was a collar with blood and fur bits on it. True story.

Unknown said...

OFF TOPIC COMMENT

I specifically looked in today to get Professor Althouse's take on the Planned Parenthood "ham sandwich" indictments. A blog that covers coyote hazing would seem to be broad enough to cover these indictments and, of course, the legal aspects would seem to make them an especially fit topic.
Perhaps the topic is banal. There are so many instances of failures to indict, overcharging, etc. that it is hard to find a new and interesting spin. If the story has "legs" I would definitely appreciate learning more here.

furious_a said...

Back in my day we hazed coyotes by making them eat dog food and then run laps around Old Main Plaza in their underwear before delivering flowers to the Alpha Phi house.

tim in vermont said...

Around here a coyote wolf cross (coy dog) has appeared, which originated in Ontario, I understand. They eat small pets, but also deer. So the hunters who justify deer hunting to control the deer herd also kill the coy dogs because they kill deer.

The deer are a bigger problem than the coy dogs, but people trap and shoot them anyway.

tim in vermont said...

To anybody who insists on letting small pets out in a semi wild environment, do you suggest killing all of the great horned owls and barn owls and coopers hawks, fisher cats, etc, etc...

Beach Brutus said...

Benign Big Brother -- video takes an infantile tone that is directed at adults. Telling us we should be accepting of coyotes when they are in fact a nuisance to humans and a bane to wildlife. But BB knows best.

Quaestor said...

What if the Coyote is strapping itself into an Acme(tm) Rocket Sled or preparing to fire an Acme(tm) Catapult?

Then one may consider that Coyote entirely self-hazed.

Curious George said...

tim in vermont said...
Around here a coyote wolf cross (coy dog) has appeared, which originated in Ontario, I understand. They eat small pets, but also deer. So the hunters who justify deer hunting to control the deer herd also kill the coy dogs because they kill deer.

Coydogs are a cross between a coyote and a dog. You mean coywolf.

Rusty said...

Shoot em. Works every time.

Mark said...

Tim is talking about an animal that is mostly coyote but probably as much dog parentage as wolf.

Coydog is appropriate. And tim, deer are a much larger problem here than coyotes or coydogs. But the deer hunter lobby keeps up the pressure to kill coyote and wolves (instead of CWD deer)

Bruce Hayden said...

Coyotes should be hazed with buckshot. End of problem

I think more realistically, for actual hazing, bird shot would be more in keeping with the mission. Maybe even salt. Buckshot is like using .223 ammo - likely fatal, when the putative goal is to make the coyotes shy around people.

tim in vermont said...

Coydogs are a cross between a coyote and a dog. You mean coywolf

They did a genetic study of 400 of what are called "coy dogs" around here. 399 of them were wolf crosses, one was a dog cross. Though the local lore was that they were domestic dog crosses, hence the name, the science says "coy wolf" but the name has stuck. Wolves are a kind of dog, and they are neither wolf nor coyote, so they need their own name.

Sometimes I hear what sounds like wolf howling among them when they set to yipping and barking in a pack.

tim in vermont said...

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/smart-news/coywolves-are-taking-over-eastern-north-america-180957141/

They are coy dogs in the local vernacular.

madAsHell said...

When I lived in Tyler, Texas, seeing a coyote was a reason to stop the truck, and grab the rifle.

garage mahal said...

Killing a wild dog with a rifle gives me a boner!

JRoberts said...

"What was the point of the dog walking part anyway? To show us that she doesn't hate all canines, just the ones that don't belong in the neighborhood?"

You're missing the real subliminal message here. Not only does she not "hate all canines", she particularly does not "hate BLACK canines". #BLM

MacMacConnell said...

Very few things are exciting in the field as chasing coyotes across the western Kansas prairie in a old pick-up truck with copper pipes wired to the grill clanking, shell casings bouncing on the floor.

Curious George said...

I would see coyotes frequently on Odana Hills Golf Course in Madison. Mostly on the par five 15th, which is bordered on the left by a wildlife area/lake/park. You would frequently see geese carcasses which were obviously a major food source.

buwaya said...

"Killing a wild dog with a rifle gives me a boner!"

Wuss. Where I come from they would kill them with a stick. And eat them.

tim in vermont said...

I suspect that the emergence of the coyote wolf hybrid is similar to what happened when modern humans interacted with other hominids, like the Neanderthals, for example, in Europe.

Big Mike said...

Hey, lady, that's not a coyote. That's a skunk!

Stop upsetting ... it. Lady, that tail lifted up in the air was intended to convey a message.

Ewwww.

Don't come near me, lady. Burning your clothes and scrubbing yourself with tomato juice is supposed to help.

You know, lady, that wildlife was here before your house was. Just sayin'

Drago said...

garage mahal: "Three dogs were recently killed by coyote hunters in Dane County. They are some of the lowest forms of human life we have."

Forms of human life garage is on-record supporting:
1) Islamist mass-murderers
2) Sellers of human baby parts

Priorities.

garage mahal said...

"Where I come from they would kill them with a stick. And eat them"

That's much more impressive than slant - headed mutants that get their rocks off by killing a coyote with a rifle for no reason.

dbp said...

I would think all the yelling and rattling of things would irritate the neighbors. Just throw a rock or stick at the beast. You will probably miss but even if you hit it, you are unlikely to do it much harm. And it will remember the pain for a long time.

Quaestor said...

Around here a coyote wolf cross (coy dog) has appeared

The correct term is for that hybrid is coywolf. Though the chromosome count is the same in both Canis latrans (coyotes) and Canis lupus (wolves and domestic dogs) allowing fertile hybrids, the behavioral differences are considerable, thus making such crosses unlikely in the wild. C. lupus is highly social, typically living in packs or in close association with humans, whereas coyotes are mostly solitary and group for mating and cub-rearing only. Fertility cycles also mitigate against hybridization. Dogs and wolves are potentially fertile year round, while coyotes bitches are fertile only on one or two occasions in the spring. This is basic evolutionary biology -- closely related species must protect their genomes either by either geographic or behavioral barriers.

Coydogs have a long history in North America. Before the importation of the horse American Indians relied on dogs for tasks done by oxen, burros, etc in the Old World -- i.e. pulling loads. By crossing dogs with coyotes the Indians got a canid able to work harder than their typical dogs, though unreliable and occasionally vicious. (For some reason the genome of the dogs that accompanied the paleo-Indians who colonized the Western Hemisphere from Eastern Asia did not include the genes that produce giant breeds. Consequently they never bred a New World mastiff or greyhound, but they did breed a number of miniature types -- Chihuahuas, Xolos, etc. Later arrivals, the Inuit, brought load-pulling dogs of large stature in the New World, but these had little influence on the Indian dogs.) The fact that the Indians never had a load-pulling domestic animal larger than a coyote may be why they never used the wheel before their neolithic culture was overwhelmed by civilization. White settlers also tried the dog/coyote mix from time to time, but working bloodlines of European origin prove superior in every respect so coydogs were never popular or numerous.

There seems to be a subculture of testosterone-addled nimrods who think they can improve on 50,000 years of co-evolution by crossing domestic dogs on wolves and other canids. Dog/wolf, dog/jackal, and dog/coyote hybrids turn up here and there, usually in fenced lots with junk cars for some reason. Usually these experiments end sadly -- the hybrid bites the owner's child, gets abandoned during divorce proceedings, escapes and gets killed in traffic, etc. -- but the type of person inclined to acquire such hybrids are also typically the kind of person unable or unwilling to learn from the experience of others. (Won't happen to me, cuz I'm a badass... ya'betcha.)

rhhardin said...

Nobody squirted the guy at the end.

Humperdink said...

There's a phrase that is used in northern Pa. "No closed season"

mikee said...

I inadvertently fed our local coyote band, here in the northern suburbs of Austin, Texas, two family cats by leaving them outside at night. Our replacement felines were amazingly attached to the front porch of the house, avoiding the meadow beyond the back yard fence, insisted on sleeping indoors, and lived to ripe old ages.

JOB said...

This may already have been mentioned, but Coyote pelts are fetching about $35 a unit.

Big market in central Canada, apparently

Just saying'.

JOB

MaxedOutMama said...

Isn't this advice that stands literally no chance of working once the population size increases enough? It's territorial pressures that force these animals into the suburbs and urban areas.

If this is a problem in Dane County, people had better not be putting their kids or toddlers out to sun in the yard unless they've got a helluva big mean dog watching over them.

Unless eventually you shoot some, the coyote is just going to learn that there's a lot of tasty prey near those houses, and useful garbage too. They will take care of the feral cat population, but it comes at a safety cost.

Quaestor said...

Just throw a rock or stick at the beast. You will probably miss but even if you hit it, you are unlikely to do it much harm. And it will remember the pain for a long time.

The problem with this coyote hazing video is the basic stupidity behind its creation. The writer(s) seem to believe that coyotes can be conditioned to avoid urban environments by negative reinforcement. This undoubtedly will work in the short term, but they have either have forgotten or have ignored the fact that these urban coyotes have already learned to cope with a host of unnatural stimuli (industrial and traffic sounds and smells) and hazards (fences, guard dogs, freeways, animal control officers, etc.) in order to colonize those neighborhoods in the first place. As long as food is available -- garbage, pets, garden veggies, unattended toddlers -- the incentive exists to acclimatize to the hazing just as effectively as they've acclimatized to big-rig trucks.

This reminds me of the Churchill, Manitoba polar bears. Decades ago polar bears discovered that foraging through the Churchill dump was an easier life than haunting seal breathing holes out on the pack ice. The provincial authorities tried a host of hazing techniques including clockwork fireworks launchers called bear bangers. The hazing had the reverse effect, making the bears even bolder, which led to them leave the dump to investigate the more tempting aromas wafting (back bacon and KFC) from the town itself.

Rusty said...

garage mahal said...
Killing a wild dog with a rifle gives me a boner!

That sounds like a personl problem.
When they hunt pets and raid the pig pen or chicken coop(coyotes), they're vermin and they're traeted as such.

Tyrone Slothrop said...

Coyote pelts are coveted for lining the edge of parka hoods. The fur doesn't collect frost from breath moisture for some reason.

Bob Ellison said...

Obama ate coydog.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Sure, but when I employ the same tactics against clipboard-weilding Hillary campaigners suddenly I'm the bad guy.

Fritz said...

A dear departed uncle spent his youth in the John Day country of Oregon, hunting coyotes for the government. Like most government programs, the war on coyotes appears to have been a failure.

Bruce Brown said...

After the federal government started introducing wolves to Yellowstone Park, and naturally the surrounding states, Wyoming passed a state law that you could shoot a wolf if he was attacking your cattle, but only your cattle. The first rancher arrested shot a wolf attacking his neighbors cattle. Can't be going all stand your ground with animals.

Anthony said...

Gawd. . . . .

Sharc said...

As I kid, I remember throwing anvils at coyotes, or "coyotes" as we used to call them, shouting in a loud, firm voice, "beep ... beep!"

Howard said...

Coyotes are hazed by Mountain Lions in my neighborhood. You can tell when a flatlander moves in when you see a new "missing cat" sign posted. The cat is scat.

chuck said...

Time to hand out M-80's.

John henry said...

that woman looked and sounded like a progressive Hilary feminist having sighted a trump canvasser.

Seriously, why is having coyotes in a suburban area a good thing? Are your fish and game people nuts up there?

Are there any problems with rabid coyotes in Madison? Other than the politicians and their progressive supporters, I mean.

John Henry

John henry said...



Blogger garage mahal said...

Three dogs were recently killed by coyote hunters in Dane County. They are some of the lowest forms of human life we have.
+++++++++++++++

Jeez Louise! GM and I agree on something. I don't like dogs either. If they are running around loose, they deserve to be shot.

I did eat dog in Greece in the 60's and it was pretty tasty.

John Henry


Michael K said...

I don't like seeing coyotes with a cat in their mouth. We see that every few weeks.

garage mahal said...


Jeez Louise! GM and I agree on something. I don't like dogs either


I was referring to coyote hunters as the low life form.

Paddy O said...

As a wise man once said, "It's not uncommon for coyotes to hunt for food at night -- especially if they have pups!"

I used to chase coyotes away from my home in the mountains. Sometimes barefoot.
They'd run away, I'd run after them, they'd look very confused but keep going. I felt one with nature.

Crafty creatures. Up in the mountains, they definitely mastered human behavior and made the most of it. They'd seduce dogs walking with their owners, then get in between the dog and the owners. Twice they almost got away with very young children!

They knew how to open (unlocked) car doors and get at anything inside.
Occasionally you'd see a few joyriding in a sports car they stole. Okay, I made that last part up.

When I lived in eastern LA county we lived near a county park that had a creek channel near our house. Very undeveloped. Was sitting in an open field one morning and saw a few coyotes walking up the sidewalk. Two trotted into the brush. One trotted towards me. Not at all afraid, clearly curious. I was sitting in a lawn chair and he made a wide circle around me. I chatted with him for a bit, then he rejoined the others. I know he was curious because there was another time at that same house when I was standing outside with a friend in the early evening. A coyote came by saw us, stood his ground. We yelled at him, he took steps towards us. He was sizing me up, I could see it in his eyes. Very scary look.

As a bird lover, I don't mind coyotes because we get more ground birds when there are no cats. I just didn't want them in our yard, but they were easily scared away and tended to find easier pickings elsewhere.

Paddy O said...

In the mountains, the raccoons were a bigger threat to any cats that got out. I knew neighbors who saw their cats getting taken by raccoons.

Fabi said...

You really can't blame coyotes for stealing a sports car to pick up chicks!

Drago said...

garage: "I was referring to coyote hunters as the low life form"

LOL

He knows garage. He knows.

Sheesh.

Drago said...

Michael K: "I don't like seeing coyotes with a cat in their mouth."

This is why each and every coyote should be outfitted with a "cat bag". Plus, the bags can be personalized to allow for non-ear-tag tracking.

And yes, the gay coyotes already have them.

David said...

In Madison this also works on Republicans, overly demonstrative Christians, men, Second Amendment enthusiasts, Wal-Marts, Wall-Mart shoppers and Pit Bull owners.

David said...

"Michael K said...
I don't like seeing coyotes with a cat in their mouth. We see that every few weeks."

Worst of all it's always the same cat.

Skeptical Voter said...

Ah there's a pyramid ranking in predators. I live in a suburb of Los Angeles--but up in the brushline in one of the local mountain ranges. It's about 7 miles as the crow flies to Los Angeles City Hall.

We used to have a problem with coyotes in the brushline. (I live at 1200 feet altitude). Maybe 25 years ago a pack of coyotes killed a little three year old girl out riding her tricyle--just two miles from where I live. Combat life expectancy of a cat in our neighborhood was about four months. Coyotes absolutely love to eat cats.

But we don't have a coyote problem in my street anymore. The coyotes have all moved downhill. (I live on a fairly steep hillside). The homeowners at 900 or 1,000 feet altitude have to watch their cats closely (in some cases they've had to watch their cats being eaten by coyotes). I've got a different problem--mountain lions. We've got three mountain lions living in a small mountain range that's about three and a half miles wide and 13 miles long. The lions have killed three German Shepherd sized dogs within 2 miles of my home in the last two years.

The coyotes aren't dumb. They've left the hills and the brush to the lions and moved downhill into the neighborhood.

Paddy O said...

SV, do you have bears? I'm curious how bears and mountain lions rank.

I know neighborhoods in LA county that have bears but I don't hear them talking about lions, but I suspect bears and lions co-exist with different food sources. Mountain lions are definitely more scary than bears are to me.

TheThinMan said...

"Don't haze if she's raising pups." Whoa! We've got some mixed messaging here! He's saying make them welfare queens who learn that babies = no more hassle from "the man." So what will they do? Make more babies! Duh!!!!!

Gahrie said...

I've lost some cats to coyotes, and I've seen them run down the middle of the street in front of my house. I've got a live and let live attitude about it...but I don't have young kids. Most of my neighbors have dogs, and frankly they are more of a nuisance to me.

Freeman Hunt said...

You Californians are willing to put up with some serious animals.

Chris N said...

In the Seattle area, black bears sometimes get caught-up in neighborhoods, but I've never seen one.

At a small urbanish mountain with hiking trails nearby, I talked to the on-site maintenance guy, and there was a likely cougar
stash up in a tree a few years ago, but it's rare unless you're further in the Cascades.

I've looked for cougar tracks there but haven't ever found any. Two ladies on horseback there mentioned in their foothill town seeing a cougar on the edge of town.

We saw a coyote about a month ago trotting across a restaurant parking lot at dusk. They're everywhere.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Rather than throwing the sticks, which you then no longer have to protect yourself, you should hit the sticks together. That works for mountain lions as well as coyotes.

Ann Althouse said...

"I specifically looked in today to get Professor Althouse's take on the Planned Parenthood "ham sandwich" indictments. A blog that covers coyote hazing would seem to be broad enough to cover these indictments and, of course, the legal aspects would seem to make them an especially fit topic. Perhaps the topic is banal. There are so many instances of failures to indict, overcharging, etc. that it is hard to find a new and interesting spin. If the story has "legs" I would definitely appreciate learning more here."

I've been following the story but waiting for something more substantive that had details. I didn't feel like posting just to note that something's in the news. You already know that. I have nothing to add until I see better substance.

Rusty said...

The coyotes aren't dumb. They've left the hills and the brush to the lions and moved downhill into the neighborhood.

They went where its easier to find prey.

Rusty said...

The coyotes aren't dumb. They've left the hills and the brush to the lions and moved downhill into the neighborhood.

They went where its easier to find prey.

tim in vermont said...

In my experience with the coy dog/coy wolf argument is that people who live with them call them coy dogs, and people who have read about them in books call them coy wolves. I guess that "coy wolf" will eventually come to dominate, but if you talk about them with other people who live with them, at least in the local Vermont patois, they are "coy dogs" even among people who are perfectly aware, as I am, that they are wolf crosses. It's a cooler name.

MadisonMan said...

My tax dollars at work.

(sigh)

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

That woman is lucky the coyotes know English.

ceowens said...

Thanks to Obama I got my first rifle. Thanks to Cuomo I got my first pistol. Now, thanks to garage mahal, I might take up coyote hunting.

Hazy Dave said...

Why should I listen to some guy that doesn't pronounce "coyote" correctly in the first place?

Rusty said...

ceowens said...
Thanks to Obama I got my first rifle. Thanks to Cuomo I got my first pistol. Now, thanks to garage mahal, I might take up coyote hunting.

Here in the progressive state of Illinois the coyote season is year round except for the regular shotgun deer season when it's closed. The times are a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset. There is no limit or special license.