A wild story

[Brett]

A friend of mine who is a local Sheriff related this story to me.  Last week the sheriff's dept. gets a call from a man claiming to have been attacked at him home by a wolf or coyote.   Although there are coyotes around here no one has ever been reportedly attacked by one let alone being attacked at their home.  So my friend figures this guy has had a few too many cold ones but goes out to investigate.  The caller lived out rural area and when my friend arrives he is met at the door by a guy who is pretty shook up and pretty tore up.  He tells my friend that he and a few of his friends were sitting in his living room watching the football game when he hears his his dog making a ruckus outside so he goes to investigate.  When he steps out on the back porch he sees a pack of about 5 coyotes out in his yard.   He said he shouted at them and waved his arms in an attemp to scare them off.  The all start to leave but one stops and turned back toward the guy who was still up on his porch.  He shouted and waved his arms again to scare it off but instead of running away the animal bolts across the yard and lunges at him taking a chunk out of the guys shoulder.  He grabs it and starts wrestling with it getting bit several more times on his side and hand before he can break free and tries to get back inside the house with the coyote right behind him.  He gets inside the door and slams the door on the animal pinning it's mid section between the door and the door jamb and starts yelling for his buddies.  One of them grabbed a Mag Light flashlight and clubs the thing with it until it's unconscious.  My friend asked them what happened to the animal and they tell him it's still laying out on the back porch come look.  Sure enough, my friend said, there was a ratty, mangy looking coyote laying out on the porch unconscious but still breathing.  So he ran out to his car and got the capture pole (the Sheriff's office here is also in charge of animal control so they have capture poles with them.) to make sure it wasn't going to get up and go anywhere or renew the battle.   

[billy_56081]

WOW! Get that head sent in and start the rabies shots till the results are known.

[Sourdough]

Ditto, Hope that guy sees a Doctor right away.

[billy_56081]

 My buddy in a feat of shear stupid about a month ago got bit by a wounded coyote. I told him to get the head checked and he kinda balked at it. I told him that if he didn't I'd call his wife and she'd make him. He sent the head in and they gave him shots till it came back negative.

 We all have had a really good time with this though. been alot of jokes n laughs out of his ordeal.

 

[Brett]

Yep, the head is being tested.  My friend said that in addition to his dog the guy also had several cats wandering around the house and yard, none of which had been vaccinated for rabies.  There was blood and slobber from the coyote/man confrontation all over the place and they had no way of knowing which of the man's pets may have been in contact with any of it so the Sheriff's Dept. and this guy had to gather them all up and place them in quarantine until the test results come back on the yote's head.  The poor guy will have to pay $80 per animal to get them back if the test turns out negative.  I assume that the animals will have to be destroyed if the test prove positive.  Don't know if he will have to pay for that also, my friend did not say. 

[Glanceblamm]

The poor guy will have to pay $80 per animal to get them back if the test turns out negative.  I assume that the animals will have to be destroyed if the test prove positive.  Don't know if he will have to pay for that also, my friend did not say. 

That was the first thing that I thought of. I might have had to tell the Sheriff that I looked all over the place and could not find a one of them 
Well, maybe one or two depending.

[rockbilly]

You may have read an earlier post, but I spent New Years Eve in the emergency room at a local hospital as the result of of an animal bite (cat).  I talked with the doctor about the rabies shots, and also with the gentleman from animal control that came to the hospital at 2am to take the information on the bite.  Luckily I trapped the cat, and turned over to animal control so it could be quarantined for 10 days to see if it was alright.  According to the doctor, animal control, and what I learned by researching it on the web, a person had 14 days before they have to start taking the shots.  It can be determined if the animal has rabies in ten days, so I recommend the individual wait until the head is analyzed before worrying about the shots.  The shots are very painful, and I don't think anyone would want to subject themselves to the shots unnecessarily.

According to the information I learned from the net, the death rate from rabies is very low, the shots are almost 100% effective when started within 14 day of the bite, and generally the greatest fear is that the person will get infection from the bite.  After being bitten, one should seek medical attention, get a tetanus shot, and medication for infection.  The wound should be washed well and treated to prevent infection.

Of course if the animal can not be captured you should seek medical attention and start the shots immediately.  Remember, if you ever have to shoot an animal that has bitten you, DO NOT SHOOT IT IN THE HEAD!  They must have the brain to analyze to determine if it is rabid, if you blow it's brains out you are just asking for shots.

[beemanbeme]

Very strange indeed.  Usually rabid animals are solitary.  I hope you'll keep us updated on this. 

[gypsyman]

Well, now you have me thinking. In the last 5 months, I've seen a coyote around my woodpile, and just last week, on the weekend, my wife and boys seen one. Lived here since '60 and never thought about carrying a firearm for protection, always just for plinking and varmint control. Now I guess next spring, when I get ready to put my garden in, and my boys start playing in the woods,(I have a tree line that goes back 1/4 mile) I'd better start carrying one for protection. Better to be safe than sorry.  gypsyman

[Glanceblamm]

Well, now you have me thinking. In the last 5 months, I've seen a coyote around my woodpile, and just last week, on the weekend, my wife and boys seen one. Lived here since '60 and never thought about carrying a firearm for protection, always just for plinking and varmint control. Now I guess next spring, when I get ready to put my garden in, and my boys start playing in the woods,(I have a tree line that goes back 1/4 mile) I'd better start carrying one for protection. Better to be safe than sorry.  gypsyman

Even if you don't have a gun with you, It is always a good idea to yell at the yote or even throw something at it to run it off. If this does not happen the frequency of sightings will go up as they are ever watchful for an opportunity.
My daughters Mother-in-law was used to seeing one Coyote in particular when she would mow behind her Mothers house but it would usually be lazing around within 60 to 70yds. One day (Just last Summer) the Coyote approached to within 10yds of this
5'-2" 100lb woman and just sat there watching...her husband witnessed this from next door and quickly took care of the situation with his .222. I guess that the Coyote backed off at his approach but not much as he got a 40yd shot.

Other examples would be those California suburbs. The people liked the Coyotes and would feed them but stopped that practice when pets would come up missing and some Children were attacked. The advice that they were givin IMO was good. Do not let one feel comfortable around your property or in your neighborhood. Again, try to run it off if at all possible, got to teach them some respect and instill the fear of humans back into them.

The wild Coyote that you hunt for is somewhat different. I have had a time or two on evening hunts that I got them to respond then come in from a mile or better and my daylight ran out on me with the Coyotes still being out of sight but within 300yds.
On one memorable hunt I had six to eight of them even closer than this with myself lying among the corn stubble out in the wide open. My Greatest Fear Was That They Would Circle Down Wind And Scent Me. If this happened, they would disappear quickly and I would have educated them to my call and made it hard for me to get them to come back on another hunt.
They are still not to be trusted though. When it gets cold and they get hungry they will start hazing cattle and hog lots and even farm yards at night. Most of the people that I know will teach them some respect with a shotgun even though they may be out of sight and out of range. They (the coyotes) learn to avoid these areas quickly when that happens.

[toysoldier]

One of the greatest problems we have with education in the United States is not enough people teaching potentially dangerous critters to respect and fear humans. If God wanted us to treat animals like Disney cartoon characters, He wouldn''t have given us BB guns.