In the Winter Sagebrush

On By Mike and Christy

coyote_3

Walking the snow covered sagebrush on the Blacktail Plateau looking for the next opportunity. Yellowstone National Park.

36 thoughts on “In the Winter Sagebrush”

      1. Perhaps Western coyotes are braver than the eastern ones. Or perhaps there are more people willing to kill them here, so they’ve learned to avoid us. A practice I despise is using a cow carcass as bait, then picking off the coyotes as they feed. Senseless and cruel, but legal all the same.

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          1. I think it started with the farmers, but these days it largely ‘sport’ if you could fairly call it that. A more sensible approach is getting a donkey, which will defend its territory (and adopted herd – alpaca, sheep, cows, etc) against the coyotes quite effectively.

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          3. They are very effective, from what I hear. A well-placed kick and Wile E. won’t be back. They generally don’t go after horses either, but I was once walking by a neighbor’s pasture one night and heard the howls very close, then heard the horses running, which was a bit unsettling for me walking alone in the dark with my little dog!

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          4. I am sure a kick from a donkey would indeed be a effective deterrent. I have been in similar situations in the past when out walking my dog. She once took off after a rabbit and came running back with a couple of coyotes on her tail chasing her. Once she got to me the coyotes left us along but I am glad she was a fast runner that day.

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          6. That lack of fear of humans is starting to happen out in the west especially at the rural-urban interface. Every year we have to listen to a news story about fearing coyotes as they invade our urban landscapes and parks.

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          7. It is happening here with black bears as well as they habituate to humans, particularly trash cans and bird feeders. When I see them I clang pans and holler to scare them off. I don’t want them feeling comfortable around humans, it will not go well for them. We have a saying, “A fed bear is a dead bear.” Every year there is at least one incident where law enforcement officers shoot one that has become a ‘nuisance.’ Animals don’t ever win against humans.

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          9. Unfortunately not. Whenever there is a perceived threat in a thickly settled area, the bear is dispatched. No one bothers to tranquilize and relocate – such a shame. At least at this point, it is not common. Most folks are heeding the warnings and removing food sources. But bears have a very long memory and will come back.

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