One rather difficult aspect of trying to farm or keep animals is dealing with the critters that reside nearby. Whether its mice tracking feces all over everything, birds eating fruit, chipmunks stashing seeds in inopportune places; there always seems to be some issue to deal with. Most of these are minor. Generally a fix is patching up a hole, cleaning up a mess, moving some things around, or putting out some dissuasion in the form of noise makers. Our latest and most difficult predator to date has been one depredating the fowl during the day.
In late November, or early December (the precise chronology has been lost) one hen turkey was eaten. This was a little more than a month after our first dog Jada had been killed (a different story but perhaps a contributing factor in developments). Not too long after the first turkey was taken the tom turkey was killed and mostly eaten. Our first error in this process is that we left the carcass out, the next day is was moved and almost all consumed. Without any clear evidence of what could be taking the turkeys we really didn’t know what to do. Fortunately after the tom turkey was killed the hens had learned to fly to the trees for safety. The chickens were another story.
Our chickens are free range during daylight hours. At night they are safely tucked away in the coop. We thought this arrangement would work with most common chicken predators who are nocturnal; generally raccoons and skunks. The chicken house is pretty stout, and has a door that opens on a timer in the morning. They then get to range around the property and still enter the coop for egg laying. While they have total access to the entire property the chickens tend to stay north of the creek and between the orchard on the west and the eastern fence. They often hang around the house, to the north.
Several weeks after the tom turkey had been killed we lost the first chicken, big red. She was found just south of the coop under the fig tree-totally consumed except for some feathers and a bit of egg shell that was one of the first after a winter hiatus. The next day I caught the first glimpse a coyote. He was just south of the coop heading west. He paused, looked at me then trotted off to the west. It was the late morning, solid daylight, and this coyote wasn’t concerned, with me...trouble.
We decided that we need to shoot this coyote. Given his apparent lack of concern of humans, diurnal habits, and possible habituation to the chickens, I didn’t figure he would leave on his own. I double checked and tuned up the rifle- a Ruger model 10/22 with a scope. A clean kill was necessary here. I verified with ODFW that this was legal-it is, as a land owner losing livestock, you just can’t possess any parts afterwards.
Trying to find a coyote part time is difficult. After the next chicken was taken I staked out the place for 2 cold days in February- to no avail. I saw the coyote about 4 more times, generally he saw me first. I tracked him in a rare snowfall, which provided a glimpse in to possible ways on and off the property. On February 24 our new pup Layla picked up his scent, she got worried and stuck close- I then saw the coyote about 50 yards away watching us. Most of these situations I either wasn’t armed or the situation wasn’t safe for shooting.
In early March we were clearing brush near the coop, heard a commotion and Ariel got there first to see the coyote, she yelled at it and it ran off...again no gun near by. About a week later we were at the house, again heard the chickens making a commotion and Ariel got there first to find the coyote grabbing Mary the Maran, I ran to the west/southwest to try to intercept his path...but to no avail, he slipped by again. After this we did some further brush clearing to limit his cover onto and off the property.
On April 18 the coyote killed our white rooster and ate every thing but his spurs-I was out of town on what was to be my last work related trip and Ariel was at work. The frustrations were pretty high. It is very hard to work around the place, keep the gun at hand, and one ear on the chickens for any commotion. Innumerable times I went running down to the chickens making a fuss with the gun to find nothing.
May 4 we were walking around birding, Ariel, Layla and myself, and had a pretty crazy day. The dog was out front near the garden and seemed to pick up on something, Ariel looked up and saw the coyote running off. I ran back to the house for the gun, came back and Layla and I set about trying to track the coyote. She was strong on the scent of something and scared up 2 deer. Now I was confused, deer and coyote in a dense little spot? I asked Ariel if she was sure it was a coyote- she was 100% sure. The pup and I crossed back to the south to keep looking. Layla picked up another scent and went off- I followed her uphill to the south where I saw another deer- a little buck. Just then the coyote came out of the trees and streaked off to the northwest. I managed to click off the safety and get 2 shots on the coyote missing both- he was moving fast and dropped below the hill very quickly. We looked for the coyote for another half hour or so but never turned him up.
This past Sunday May 15 came the nest encounter. I was in the green house picking Kale for a late breakfast. Ariel came out just as I did we heard a commotion. I grabbed the gun and trotted off toward the coop. The chickens were headed for the house pretty quickly but were still spread out. The rooster was calling an alarm. As I rounded the wood shed about 35 feet from the house I caught of glimpse of grey fur in the bushes about 3 feet to my left. The coyote vanished to the east. I dropped in along the north side or our metal shed heading east then around the corner of the shed. There about 50 feet away the coyote paused. I could see his head and shoulders framed by vegetation. I clicked off the safety, aimed and shot. The coyote ran. I thought I missed, I heard a sound I thought to be the bullet hitting the vegetation. I ran to the south and east hoping to intercept him but could find him. After getting caught in some blackberries I decided to go get dressed and the dog and I would try again to track him.
I went to the spot at which he was standing when I took the shot, with the pup, she got the scent and got to business she was moving strongly to the south. On the north edge of the oak patch I saw the coyote first (Layla is pretty short and couldn’t see the coyote). He had died about 100 meters from the shot site...I hadn’t missed. The coyote that looked so large, standing on the horizon or in the sights was quite small. He weighed less than my dog. I checked the coyote for the bullet wound. There was an entry wound just above the right fore limb, into the chest cavity. It wasn’t an instantly mortal wound but was as clean a kill as possible. He died fast.
I don't relish this killing. There is a strange empty void left. There is sense of a slight, barely perceptible change in the universe. Perhaps it comes from chasing this critter and learning about him...then it is harder to accept removing it from the earth. We decided it was something that needed to be done. We do it either for the “safety” of ourselves, our resources, and our home space. It isn't easy and I don't really want it to be. The least I can do is be thoughtful about the process and take care to do it well. I hope that I have done that.
At 11:38 last night I was awaken by a sound. It was single coyote somewhat nearby, barking couplets, for a few minutes. This was a bit over 12 hours since taking the shot. Perhaps the mate was coming by to find its partner, checking his last known location, picking up his lingering scent. How long ‘till she know he is gone. Our chickens might still have a problem.
