So you are sitting by the fire, and you hear

I'd enjoy the song and think back to the days of my youth when I heard wolves howling in the McGrath area.

Muddydogs wrote:
I run to the trailer and arm myself with an AR15, numerous 30 round mags and a high output flashlight. I would then spend the night patrolling the area around my trailer ready to shoot anything that moves. I don't plan on letting anything eat my family and you know them Coyotes are sneaky people killing machines that are drawn in by the scent of campfires as they know there are easy pickings.

Two SERIOUS errors here.

1. a .223 is entirely too small of calibre. In this case I would use nothing smaller than a 30-06. Your best bet is a .50 BMG in a Ma Duece. If you have access to a 40 MM Bofors, that would be even better (although I dont usually take mine with me as it gets too crowded in the TC).

2. They will see your flashlight and move around behind you. I suggest either going with IR and night vision goggles, or blind them by using 20-30 search lights - the type that was used in WWII for spotting planes at night.

However, based on personal experience, I would put my dogs in the camper (to keep them out of trouble), toss another log on the fire, and sing along with the coyotes.

they are in my backyard and I hear them :)

mayo30 wrote:
They are very smart and can mimic dogs sounds.They will also send one in close to draw the dog out and then attack in force.Smart dogs know not to follow and will only patrol the yard boundary.We call small dogs coyote bait.They are not fussy either, a local family of coyotes really plays havoc with the stray cat population as they compete for the same food.

Coyotes consider cats to be a tasty snack.

I would 'sing' back to them

I do a pretty good coyote yelp, a cow moo, a hound dog whoof, a falcon screech and a bull frog ribbit

At the Carrizo Plain I heard coyotes doing an extended yipping call, back and forth across the valley. I grew up around coyotes, but had never heard that.

Coyotes never ate our cats when I was a kid, but now, traveling with a sick kitty on a leash, I would put him inside. He is no barn cat.

I had never heard them around here (SW Virginia) until the other night. Sitting by the campfire about midnight and heard them. The kids and DH had already bedded down for the night. I couldn't figure out what it was, so I came in and DH was sitting straight up in the bed and asked if I had just heard coyotes. He wasn't sure if he was dreaming or had actually heard them. We both went back outside for another hour or so. It was great!

This has been the year for lots of "critters". It's been snake year...seen many of them; saw a couple of them mating and saw one eating a slightly smaller one. Got pics of both of those! While camp hosting, had a camper come to our camper saying he thought there was a small child lost in the woods and crying....it was a bobcat. We've had ferral cats in the campground this year that fight each and every night just next to our RV. We've had 3-4 dogs show up here and taken up residence until we could give them to visiting campers. We had a good size black bear in the campground back in May. Now we have had coyotes.

I don't want to even guess what kind of animal would be next, but glad we are heading home on Aug. 31!
:E

csamayfield55 wrote:

Alan_Hepburn wrote:
I would put out several wooden crates marked "ACME" on the perimeter of the camp, then start yelling "Meep Meep" and watch the fun...

Best answer yet!!

cHRIS

x2.

And dangit, Muddy, YOU are the reason the Canucks blow right through the US and camp in Mexico where it's safer!

Alan_Hepburn wrote:
I would put out several wooden crates marked "ACME" on the perimeter of the camp, then start yelling "Meep Meep" and watch the fun...

Best answer yet!!

cHRIS

Seriously, just restrain your domestic animals for their protection and enjoy camping.