Coyotes are closing in

[Hazcat]

We have a bad coyote problem. Several times a year, they'll get brave enough to come right up to the house, and they've even woken me up in the middle of the night yipping in the bushes under my bedroom window.

Fortunately, we're on the farm, so our anti-coyote choices are 12 ga, whichever pistol is closest, or my favorite - the AR with a light mount.

Interestingly, I've found that if I leave the AR by the door with my amplified earmuffs and slip on shoes nearby, I won't hear a peep out of the coyotes. But when I decide they've moved on and move the gun to the back room, put the muffs back in the range bag, and leave my shoes somewhere else - THAT's when they get brave!

Have ya checked ta see if they got yer room bugged?  Them yotes iz tricky!

[Solus]

Don't have much experience with opossum, but that one's behavior sound a bit odd.

Any chance of rabies?

[Timothy]

Don't have much experience with opossum, but that one's behavior sound a bit odd.

Any chance of rabies?

I would think that any animal that does not have an aggressive instinct that acts in that manner would be suspect.  I wouldn't care to find out either way.  Kill it and get a shovel, dig a hole and shove the critter into the hole without touching it with your hands and sanitize the shovel...

My neighbor executed a coon some years back and was afraid the local PD would be upset by it.  When they showed up to gather the critter, they thanked him for shooting it for them as he eliminated a boatload of paperwork for them.

I generally carry a handgun when I empty the trash at night, even up here in the Northeast.  Because of the ridiculous hunting regs here, we have a pretty high population of critters that might get nasty in the wee hours.

[Solus]

If you suspect rabies, you need to notify the local Health Authorities and have the animal examined.

That knowledge might prevent other rabid animals in the area from passing the infection on to other animals or humans/

[Timothy]

They can come and dig it up...

I live out in the boonies if there is such a place in CT.  My Town probably doesn't have a Health Dept. so they'd defer to the State which keeps pretty close tabs on rabies.  We get reports about rabies pretty regularly through the CT and MA DEP...

[Sponsor]

[MikeBjerum]

What is the neighborhood dog and cat population like?  My first thought for in town or heavily populated is trapping.  A live trap would spare the "friendlies" while a snare would take care of whatever.  However, the idea of letting everyone's Garfield or FeeFee out of a Hav-A-Hart three times a day isn't fun either.

Plan B would be that if I remember correctly you have a lot of space to the rear, a .22lr from an elevated position on your own property would either dispatch or cause death over time, minimal noise, and if it is done without advertising it would be done before anyone outside your backyard knew what was happening.  Sniper tactics - keep the muzzle in the house, and don't let anyone see inside your hide.  You'd be amazed at how a pocket gopher can see a movement at a bedroom window eight feet above them, but if I stay about six feet back I can pick them off all day long.

[alfsauve]

Rabies  and the 'possum.

I've dispatched several animals over the past few years that could have had rabies.   There's not much you can do.   Not much the authorities can do other than alert other homeowners to be careful with their pets.   Which they should anyway.   I just shoveled this one back over the fence.  Nature will take it's course.

Yes, we've "lost" quite a few pets in the last two years, possibly due to the coyotes.   The number of "missing posters" has dropped considerably lately because I think pet owners have finally figured out that if you let the pet roam free (against county ordinance), it will probably get eaten.   Or at the very least it will contract some diseases you don't want brought back in your house.   Or maybe we're running out of "free range" pets.