After Massachusetts dog walker surrounded by pack of coyotes, police offer tips

When was the last time you did that in the northeast? “Coywolves” have gradually been coming down from Canada. The result of mating between coyotes and wolves. They tend to be a little bigger than your average coyote and have a propensity to form packs. Not always, but it happens.
Coyotes were basically non-existent in New England for a while, then the eastern hybrids started filtering down from Canada in the 1940s.
So apparently E.C. are honorary citizens of Mauritius now?
 
When was the last time you did that in the northeast? “Coywolves” have gradually been coming down from Canada. The result of mating between coyotes and wolves. They tend to be a little bigger than your average coyote and have a propensity to form packs. Not always, but it happens.
Every hunting season, I live on 80acres of woods and swamps. Mountainbike all summer, heat with wood that I cut from our woods, and hike in there almost every day. I see and hear coyotes a lot. I am not a stranger to the forest or woodsmanship, Have hunted, trapped and fished since I was about 6ish so I spend a lot of time in the woods. When we hunted coyotes in the midwest we did it at night usually, still no packs. I personally have never seen a pack of coyotes, don't mean to discount anyone's real-life sightings of coyotes packs. I just don't believe they are common. I have not encountered a coywolf yet that I know of.
I guess they pack up more in urban environments?
 
@Coyote33 is this you and your dog on the news? lol I seem to remember several questions about this same scenario lately.

This guy in the interview, how embarrassing. “So I was surrounded by a pack of 9 coyotes, and I got my iPhone out and turned on the flashlight.”
Ya. That’ll teach em.

We are absolutely doomed as a species unless we start acting like men again.
No, I only had 3-5 hunting me and my dog, and it was not a good feeling.

Forget where I mentioned it.
Here?


See also:







I personally have never seen a pack of coyotes, don't mean to discount anyone's real-life sightings of coyotes packs. I just don't believe they are common. I have not encountered a coywolf yet that I know of.
 
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Every hunting season, I live on 80acres of woods and swamps. Mountainbike all summer, heat with wood that I cut from our woods, and hike in there almost every day. I see and hear coyotes a lot. I am not a stranger to the forest or woodsmanship, Have hunted, trapped and fished since I was about 6ish so I spend a lot of time in the woods. When we hunted coyotes in the midwest we did it at night usually, still no packs. I personally have never seen a pack of coyotes, don't mean to discount anyone's real-life sightings of coyotes packs. I just don't believe they are common. I have not encountered a coywolf yet that I know of.
I guess they pack up more in urban environments?
See the linked article above -- coyotes you encounter in New England are genetically different from the midwest, arrived here after cross-breeding with Canadian wolves.

Wikipedia said:
2017 genetic study proposes that coyotes were originally not found in the area of the eastern United States. From the 1890s, dense forests were transformed into agricultural land and wolf control implemented on a large scale, leaving a niche for coyotes to disperse into. There were two major dispersals from two populations of genetically distinct coyotes. The first major dispersal to the northeast came in the early 20th century from those coyotes living in the northern Great Plains. These came to New England via the northern Great Lakes region and southern Canada, and to Pennsylvania via the southern Great Lakes region, meeting together in the 1940s in New York and Pennsylvania. These coyotes have hybridized with the remnant gray wolf and eastern wolf populations, which has added to coyote genetic diversity and may have assisted adaptation to the new niche.
 
When I walk my dog I carry my EDC, some Mace and a knife. My first option, if possible, will always be the Mace just to avoid the hassles of a firearm discharge but absolutely no doubt if it is my dog or Wile E Coyote old Wile E is getting plugged. Also if it is after dark I stay on main roads with sidewalks and I have a hat with the LED lights on the brim. Last thing I need is to be fumbling with a flashlight when the sh!t hits the fan plus I will take my Shield after dark which has a TLR-6 on it.
 
At this point, any time of day that I walk my dog I'm carrying. I stay on main roads after dark, too. Try to get our long walks in during daylight, and in well traveled areas. I agree, if it's between my dog or Wiley, there's no choice there.

We need to get trapping back, it might be getting bad enough that the libs will let it pass. I'm not real knowledgable on political processes, but we should start trying.
 
A "PACK" of coyotes, yeah ok. I have hunted most of my life. Everywhere from hunting up here in the northeast to back home in the midwest, multiple other states and even out of the country. I have literally seen thousands of coyotes from the stand and never seen more than two together( Likely a mating pair.). Even when hunting over bait. We used to take all the carcass's from hunting season and bait coyotes with them. Usually got 20 or 30 a season. Even during calving season when the coyotes would come in the pens to eat the afterbirth there were not "packs" of them around. Coyotes are not wolves and do not hunt in packs. Has anyone on here actually seen a pack of coyotes, more than 4 hunting together?
I have, twice. 4 of them each time, that I saw. Could have been more out of sight? Not out west but here in the east. I do usually see them alone or in pairs however like your saying, other than those two times.
 
See the linked article above -- coyotes you encounter in New England are genetically different from the midwest, arrived here after cross-breeding with Canadian wolves.
Yup. I’ve been up close to them here and out west many times. Ours are much bigger.
 
A couple years ago PBS had a documentary on the eastern coyote or “coy dog” pretty good if you can find it. Very methodical critters. You could set your watch to their nightly rounds.
 
Every hunting season, I live on 80acres of woods and swamps. Mountainbike all summer, heat with wood that I cut from our woods, and hike in there almost every day. I see and hear coyotes a lot. I am not a stranger to the forest or woodsmanship, Have hunted, trapped and fished since I was about 6ish so I spend a lot of time in the woods. When we hunted coyotes in the midwest we did it at night usually, still no packs. I personally have never seen a pack of coyotes, don't mean to discount anyone's real-life sightings of coyotes packs. I just don't believe they are common. I have not encountered a coywolf yet that I know of.
I guess they pack up more in urban environments?
They are real… I went out hunting coyote at night one time here in western mass I entered a little clearing. Maybe 50 x 50’. I thought my coyote call went off my electric one. I check it. It’s not going off I’m surrounded. They wouldn’t come out of the tree line though even though I tried to coax them to… It looks like they realize they were hunting an Apex predator .. Wish I had my thermal instead of night vision. Very thick cover. But it was freaky to look around and see all these eyes looking at me
 
At this point, any time of day that I walk my dog I'm carrying. I stay on main roads after dark, too. Try to get our long walks in during daylight, and in well traveled areas. I agree, if it's between my dog or Wiley, there's no choice there.

We need to get trapping back, it might be getting bad enough that the libs will let it pass. I'm not real knowledgable on political processes, but we should start trying.
Get in touch with your state rep and write a very simple bill for that person to submit, that you want, A repeal of the Ballot Question of 1996 (there was only one that year) in its entirety.
 
Call the ATF


My second cousin had her dog attacked a couple months back. Same story. Multiple calls to the local LEO prior, as they made several attempts over time. Nothing they would do. But, you better not shoot them. Her dog almost died. She fought them enough to get away. Which is suprising as she is a disabled Vet.
In SoNH at the Bedford/Goffstown border, we have lots of coyotes trotting the woodlands that enter our backyards. I think one of our cats was taken by a coyote years ago. They started their Fall evening serenade of yips, howls and baying a few weeks ago, coming from several directions.

The neighborhood of 19 homes nestled in the woods has stabilized, but we have had a lot of folks from MA moved in/out over the years. The ones that left were always calling the PD when they heard shooting in the distance or calling NH Fish & Game when they saw a coyote, bobcat or bear. One complained at an HOA meeting that they were told that it’s always open season on coyotes, so I asked that we take a vote on whether we’d all approve varmint shooting within 300ft of our dwellings, as required by law. She was aghast but I called for nays (only), heard none, and recorded the vote in the minutes. As HOA Secretary, I put it on the agenda yearly and ask if anyone wants to revisit any past items. Never a peep, so it’s recorded in the minutes yearly.

A suppressed 22 Ruger Mark IV 22/45 with subsonics is enough to "haze" them from my side of the neighborhood.
 
if your coyote will be in size of a chihuahua - may be. :)
I was wondering if a subsonic round generated enough recoil to cycle a semi-automatic pistol like a Mark IV, not if it would drop the coyote. I would prefer the coyote ran off rather than leave its carcass behind as incriminating evidence.
 
Will a subsonic round cycle a Mark IV 22/45? Asking for a friend. Only a coincidence I just bought one. ;)
Mine works fine with all but those Aguila Colibri, which are for bolt/revolver shooting. But none are earpro-free w/o a suppressor. I use a Q Erector - so quiet the bullet hitting the paper target is louder.

I just shoot the flank - not lethal…at least not DRT lethal.
 
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subsonic round generated enough recoil to cycle a semi-automatic pistol like a Mark IV, not if it would drop the coyote
subsonic 22lr cycles mine perfectly. but i noticed, surprisingly for me, for supersonic aguila se to group better at 25yds than the norma tac22 subsonic does, and in the rifle it is the exact opposite. so just test what will work best for you.
 
Every hunting season, I live on 80acres of woods and swamps. Mountainbike all summer, heat with wood that I cut from our woods, and hike in there almost every day. I see and hear coyotes a lot. I am not a stranger to the forest or woodsmanship, Have hunted, trapped and fished since I was about 6ish so I spend a lot of time in the woods. When we hunted coyotes in the midwest we did it at night usually, still no packs. I personally have never seen a pack of coyotes, don't mean to discount anyone's real-life sightings of coyotes packs. I just don't believe they are common. I have not encountered a coywolf yet that I know of.
I guess they pack up more in urban environments?
if you've seen a coyote in New England you've most likely seen a "coy wolf" theyre essentially all at least a little bit wolf if you look at the skulls of dead ones you can actually see the difference between ones with lots of wolf and less wolf in them by the spacing of they're teeth amongst other things I don't think I've ever seen more than three together which I doubt counts as a pack probably just a mom and some older pups but I've heard what sounds like a hundred while camping in nh pretty cool
 
I see them on a Trail Cam I had out behind my house on the edge of the wooded/wetlands. Every night. So many they would fill up the flash card. Always saw them in singles but definitely different ones. I don't have the trail cam out there anymore because I got tired of a flash card full of coyote pics.

I've also picked them up on the camera above my garage. They would come from behind the house and go up along the edge of the driveway towards the street. Most interesting was picking up one chasing what looked like a domestic cat at around 1:45am.

I also see them in my back yard on a fairly regular basis. Especially at or around sunrise.

I've lived in my house for around 25 years and lived in this town pretty much since I was 11 years old. Prior to about 15 years ago you would rarely see them. Prior to 20 years they were unheard of in town. At this point in time they have become a menace and hunting/trapping needs to be expanded to keep the population at a reasonable level.
 
I see them on a Trail Cam I had out behind my house on the edge of the wooded/wetlands. Every night. So many they would fill up the flash card. Always saw them in singles but definitely different ones. I don't have the trail cam out there anymore because I got tired of a flash card full of coyote pics.

I've also picked them up on the camera above my garage. They would come from behind the house and go up along the edge of the driveway towards the street. Most interesting was picking up one chasing what looked like a domestic cat at around 1:45am.

I also see them in my back yard on a fairly regular basis. Especially at or around sunrise.

I've lived in my house for around 25 years and lived in this town pretty much since I was 11 years old. Prior to about 15 years ago you would rarely see them. Prior to 20 years they were unheard of in town. At this point in time they have become a menace and hunting/trapping needs to be expanded to keep the population at a reasonable level.
Well start bitching at your reps and senators. Time to call out all those Communists that are at Beacon Hill to do something about this. Also start calling Mass Audubon, MSPCA, And Humane Society United States. They are ones that financed and pushed this problem. Where are they now? There are some of you here that still support MSPCA's activities. I don't care what your reason or excuse is.
 
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I was wondering if a subsonic round generated enough recoil to cycle a semi-automatic pistol like a Mark IV, not if it would drop the coyote. I would prefer the coyote ran off rather than leave its carcass behind as incriminating evidence.
That’s an awful risky game to play, wounded animals can be very nasty. If you’re not shooting to kill it then don’t shoot it.

I don’t leave the house without my EDC setup which includes P365 w spare mag, pepper spray and knife. If confronted by coyote or aggressive dog, pepper spray would be my first choice. Yup, everyone knows a story about when pepper spray, a gun, a stun gun or a knife didn’t stop a determined attacker. I still believe pepper spray against a coyote or animal is more effective and will lead to less potential issues as well. Shooting with .22 w/ approx 1000 FPS muzzle velocity with the intent to injure it so it can run off is foolish, IMO.
 
Saw another coyote in my backyard. Just chillin when he saw me. No fear. I'm interested in coyote hunting next season. I doubt 22lr will do the job. I'll probably need to get into archery. I'll like to be part of sending a clear message to them.
 
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Saw another coyote in my backyard. Just chillin when he saw me. No fear. I'm interesting in coyote hunting next season. I doubt 22lr will do the job. I'll probably need to get into archery. I'll like to be part of sending a clear message to them.
A blowgun or slingshot could do the job, like every situation, it's shot placement. There are a couple stories floating around about elephants being killed with .22's. One told by Kieth about an ND at a circus and another in a book called "Death in the Long Grass". How true, I have no idea. Lot's of large animals have been deaded by .22's. Ethical, ummm. I guess you use what you have on hand. The smallest caliber I carry is a 38 special but that's me. The largest is in .44 magnum. I wonder if using that would be unethical in a self defense situation with a liberal court. Blew the fingerprints clean off the "victim". Sorry, just musing.
 
A blowgun or slingshot could do the job, like every situation, it's shot placement. There are a couple stories floating around about elephants being killed with .22's.
Given the use of "pack" hunting tactics by predators (4-legged or otherwise), I prefer a reliable centerfire repeater loaded with 9mm "blows the lung out of the body" hollow-points. I'd prefer not to rely on the hope that the pack will turn and run at the first shot.

The smallest caliber I carry is a 38 special but that's me. The largest is in .44 magnum
Biggest meat eater on my property are the bears. In springtime (when they're waking up hangry) I switch to Buffalo Bore +P hard cast FN. Last couple of years I've had young bears come right into the yard to check out what I'm BBQ'ing, then turn tail when as soon as they see people.

Coyotes, especially when hungry and focused on a potential meal, can be much less human-shy than bears.
 
They are real… I went out hunting coyote at night one time here in western mass I entered a little clearing. Maybe 50 x 50’. I thought my coyote call went off my electric one. I check it. It’s not going off I’m surrounded. They wouldn’t come out of the tree line though even though I tried to coax them to… It looks like they realize they were hunting an Apex predator .. Wish I had my thermal instead of night vision. Very thick cover. But it was freaky to look around and see all these eyes looking at me
A gal I know that manages a horse barn took a walk down the dirt road to the little store at the end after dark.
On the walk back she had ten circling her all the way back to the farm .
She's a Maine gal and no sissy.
She brought her rifle back the next day , dropped one and hung it in the tree in the pasture as a warning to the rest.
When she told me the story , I dropped to one knee and proposed .
My kinda gal.
 
Coyote are known to pull a trick on dogs where one will bait the dog into chasing it.
Right back to the whole pack.
Doesn't end well for the dog.
My son had a stand off with one right on our back walk.
After staring at each other for a bit , me son made a fake lunge at it and it only ran off about ten feet and stood there looking over it's shoulder at him .
He did it again and same thing .
Then he looked up the top of the hill and there where four more standing up there.
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