Coyote attacks and kills woman

[Barry Digman]

I don't recall every hearing of a coyote attack like this, let alone a death. I've been around them virtually all my life and this is a first. I think.


http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/10/29/canada.singer.killed/index.html

[Hambone]

Wow. Never heard of anything like this either. I come across Yotes all the time and they are gone in a flash.

[walking bird]

I'm not sure I believe this story. If coyotes were indeed attacking her, I'm guessing it was after she was already greviously injured, bleeding and helpless.

If I were the local authorities, I'd investigate this as a homicide, and the first place I'd look is the guy blaming it on coyotes.

I've been around 'em all my life, mostly in suburban or semi-rural settings where they're around plenty of people, and they're always extremely wary. I've certainly heard of them going after toddlers, but that makes sense. But a grown woman? Never heard of it. I have serious doubts.

[cow pollinater]

I would like more details but I don't doubt it. Every few years here in CA there are attacks but usually from a single coyote which isn't big enough to do much life threatening damage to a healthy adult.
I used to work for a large ranch that had ten thousand acres in Ducor(think Bakersfield). The coyotes were thick and very bold. They would come out in daylight and follow me while I rode the pastures. The game was to send in a female and then try to lure my dogs out and away from me for the kill. I nearly lost one dog and had to literally beat four coyotes off of him with a pair of fencing pliers.
I also saw a few dead steers that I have a strong hunch were nowhere near sick enough to die a natural death. That same year we shot four coyotes that were running together as a pack and that left three from the same group that we knew of.

[Beeslave]

In Colorado last winter 2 boys were snowboarding and they were attacked by a coyote. Google "coyote attack boy". They defended themselves by beating it with their boards. There have been several reports of coyote attacks. I have had them come after me but that was after I already put a bullet in them or my hounds were stretching them out. A hungry or protective wild animal will do things they normally wouldn't do. Just like the wolves that the US DNR say won't attack humans but if you talk to people from Alaska or Canada they will say otherwise.

[justin]

my hunting partner had a wolf come within 25 yards of him yesterday, and we had 5 wolves within 200 yards. pretty crazy having 5 wolves howling around you right at sunrise. i never knew coyotes posed any danger, but i also never thought yellowjackets could kill a hive. and while i am off topic did i mention the 15 elk? headed back in in the morning. justin

[Beeslave]

my hunting partner had a wolf come within 25 yards of him yesterday

Once they get within site they should become ventilated.:D

[hapinen]

I saw this on the news Wednesday, the scary thing was I did this trail in June with my friend who lives out there and her 3 year old boy. For the record - it is an awesome trail to do if you are in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Krista

[power napper]

Pennsylvania now has a healthy population of coyotes. Have never heard of an aggressive to humans one previous to this.
While archery hunting last week from my deer stand I was watching two fawns with their mother eating approximately a hundred yards from me, all at once the ears came up to attention and all three were nervously looking northward. The deer exited quickly with tails upright and within seconds a coyote appeared. Are all deer that scared of coyotes?

[walking bird]

Deer are scared of everything.

And coyotes will definitely take down fawns.

[BEES4U]

Here's a report on a 2 year old

http://i.abcnews.com/US/Story?id=4811654&page=1
Ernie

[BEES4U]

Some statistics for southern California

http://www.desertusa.com/june96/coyotes_and_people.html

Ernie

[antonio4231]

In my experience, at one time coyotes along with other small furbearers were hunted and trapped for fur. As a more "politically correct" way of thinking emerged, the wearing of fur and trapping in general has declined. This has allowed an explosion of growth in the population of coyotes and also reduced the wariness of these creatures. I know that the population of states like california and colorado are exploding and moving into areas that are the habitat of these creatures, but the new human population is made up of people that activelly discourage the hunting and taking of furbearers. These creatures no longer see humans as a threat and see them as easy source of food.

[AllTek]

I was walking home once late at night in upstate NY through a preserve called Hector Grazing. About half way to my destination coyotes started to gather around on all sides. They never attacked and I kept walking, but it was unnerving to say the least. That was about ten years ago, and from what I hear in that neck of the woods the coyote population has been EXPLODING. Too many coyotes and not enough hunters I suppose.

[Adam Foster Collins]

This woman was killed here in Nova Scotia. I was shocked when I heard. Coyotes!? She was alone, though, so we can't know the exact details of how it began.

Adam

[DRUR]

This is not unprecedented. 25-30 years ago (about 1977 methinks) I ran some off a dead fawn only to have a couple return rather aggressively. I shot and killed one and wounded the other one as it was running off. I suspected that they were rabid but my Uncle disagreed. My Uncle (whose property I was on at the time of the incident) said that he killed one stalking an infant, when he was a teenager, my guess is that would have been before WWII time frame.

[tecumseh]

justin writes:
my hunting partner had a wolf come within 25 yards of him yesterday

tecumseh:
my most excellent wife has on at least one occasion found her self within arm's reach of full gown and very much wild wolves up around the artic circle (canada).

I also have a picture here setting on my desk of my good wife holding an arm load of wolf pups (reared in large enclosures for research purposes in Minnesota).

mizz tecumseh who is a known and published academic expert on wolves tells me that a great deal of these kinds of problems with wild creatures quite typically suggest that the offending beast has been raised in close enough proximity to humans that they are not so fearful of humans.

in addition I have noticed here on a rare occasion a coyote that appears by size (they were quite large) to have been hybridized (I assume with some form of large dog). these hybridized coyotes also (by personal observation) appear to not be very fearful of humans.

[Hambone]

Here is a neat Coyote story.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1223087/Pictured-The-coyote-hit-car-75mph-embedded-fender-dragged-600-miles--SURVIVED.html

[walking bird]

wow, astounding story, Hambone.

[Beeslave]

All that work to save a 'yote. I go through that much trouble just to kill one. I can't wait for snow. The hounds are getting restless.