Elgin County coyote / wolf experience

by C.Leigh
(Elgin County ON)

We've lived in a small village in Elgin for 25 years, have many bonfires at night and have often heard the Coyote yips and howls, sometimes close, sometimes far away, and occasionally a Wolf howl.


We're situated between two ravines surrounded by farmland and treed areas. Hearing the Coyotes at night has always been a special and cherished experience.

Until last week, when I was taking our small whippet/mini poodle mix dog out at about 2 am.

I heard the familiar yips and howls start. They were not too far away, but not close, so I wasn't too worried, just told the dog to hurry up!

Then, there was the distinct long, drawn out howl of a Wolf from the ravine about a 1/4 mile away from us (the Coyotes were between us and this ravine)

The Coyote yips continued, but they also started moving, running towards our yard, away from the howl.

When they sounded as if they were in our neighbour's backyard, I made a record setting dash to our door, the dog right beside me.

I do not feel the same sense of comfort and safety I used to have about being out in our large heavily treed backyard at night now. This really ticks me off.

It may be time to re-establish bounties, or maybe they still exist but no one hunts anymore?

We have relatives near Shedden, and they hear the Coyotes all the time!

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starstarstarstarstar 		Coyote vs racoon
by: Anonymous

Last night heard a huge racket in back of our home. I though it was raccoons fighting over the bird feeder which happens once in a while. However the noise was louder and different so I went out to check on it. A coyote was in the process of killing a racoon. This is a normal cycle of nature and we have experienced one other time when a coyote brought a deer down. Only twice in the 4 years since we have lived in our new home. A cautionary tale for anyone with a home backing onto the Dalewood Conservation area in St. Thomas.
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starstarstarstarstar 		Coyotes
by: Anonymous

Please don't put bounties on them....How cruel is that? We have screwed around with nature too long and too many times. What a disaster our nature world is in..... because humans feel they should control the rhythm of life. If one lives in an area with Coyotes sharing their land.....they should take extra care with their small animals.
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starstarstarstarstar 		Population control facts
by: Anonymous

Hunting in general of any species for population control is a good thing. Simply put, over population not only makes the entire population's resources more scarce. What this means is they will move more toward human population. Also overpopulation leads to quick spread diseases. Look at the raccoon population! Its rare to see a coon that doesn't suffer from distemper. This phenomenon is not limited to wild animals. We as humans have found quick spread diseases many a time. Fortunately for us, we can go see a doctor. Farmers lose thousands of dollars each year to livestock killed by coyotes. Insurance companies pay out thousands due to animal hits. If you find harm in hunting for population control I'm assuming you're not informed on all the issues. I hope these clear up a few. It is our responsibility to control populations not only for the good of the animals today but future generations.

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starstarstarstarstar 		Coyotes
by: Joanna

Why should there be hunting allowed of these animals because of one incident you had in 25 years. Maybe the Coyotes were running from the Wolves and the only way to go was your way. If you live where it is heavily forested you should expect this kind of situation more than once in 25 years. Most of these animals are more scared of you than you are of them. I hear them singing quite often too and would love to see one in its natural habitat. I think bounties on wildlife because their population is growing or because of mans building they come into the city is just wrong. We don't have bounties on humans because of over population.
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starstarstarstarstar 		Brampton Coyotes
by: Maureen

I live in Brampton and had two Coyotes running back and forth along my 4 foot chain link fence at the back of my yard in February of this year. They were trying to figure out how they could jump the fence to get my two toy poodles. There is a ditch adjacent to my backyard. Last week, I was walking the dogs in a Brampton park (Chris Gibson) where there is a creek. All of a sudden, a Coyote appeared running along the brush adjacent to the creek. My smallest poodle (7 lbs) took off after the Coyote and almost gave me a heart attack! Finally the dog gave up the chase and I was able to catch him. Coyotes are all around us now and we must be ever vigilant and careful!

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