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Coyotes off my property

How to Keep Coyotes off Your Property?

Gone are the days when coyotes were secluded to mountains or freely roamed the wide, open plains. As human activities have led to the loss of their habitat, they have colonized many suburban and urban areas. What’s more, the decline in the wolf population has contributed to their exploding population. This has invariably led to an increase in their conflicts with humans. So, don’t be surprised if you see a coyote scavenging for food in your backyard at night. However, coyotes acclimated to human-dense environments become a threat to livestock and pets. Therefore, you don’t want them wandering around your property.

Here are five effective tips to keep coyotes off your property for good.

Eliminate Attractants
Coyotes will eat just about anything. While they primarily feed on rodents and small prey, they can also eat snakes, fruits, and even grass. Around human settlements, they are known to kill livestock and pets and will eat pet food and garbage. Therefore, make sure that there is no food or water lying around on your property by:

  • Keeping your garbage in a tightly sealed animal-proof container.
  • Bringing your pet food or water bowl in at the end of each day.
  • Ensuring that your livestock or pets are protected.
  • Mowing down tall grasses that can serve as hiding spots for coyotes.

Coyote Hazing
What should you do when you spot a coyote on your property? Haze at it. Hazing involves actions that instill the fear of humans in coyotes. Every encounter you have with a coyote should be a frightening one for it. Some common methods of hazing include:

  • Screaming and waving while approaching the coyote.
  • Throwing small objects like stones or stick in the coyote’s direction.
  • Using whistles, bells, or air horns to create discomforting sounds.
  • Spraying water guns, sprinklers, or even pepper spray towards the coyote.

Once a coyote continually encounters these negative experiences, it learns to stay at bay from your property.

Fencing

Fencing is a good strategy because it makes it difficult for coyotes to get into your property. Therefore, if you have a serious coyote problem, fencing is recommended. However, just any fence won’t do the trick. Coyotes are excellent jumpers. Coyotes have been recorded clearing six-foot fences. Even better, they are excellent diggers. If scaling through a fence is insurmountable, they might opt to go through underneath.

Therefore, an effective fence should be over six feet. Moreover, it must be buried deep enough to prevent them from digging under. A depth of 12 to 8 inches is usually sufficient. As an added precaution, you can install PVC pipe or barbed wire on the top of the fence or you can opt for an electric fence. Although, it should be noted that fencing is an expensive option.

Guard Animals
Guard animals are particularly useful if you have livestock that you’re trying to protect. Certain breeds of livestock guarding dogs – like Pyrenees, Akbash and Anatolian Shepherds – can help protect your property from coyotes. Even better, donkeys and llamas are sworn- enemies of coyotes. They will relentlessly run over any coyote that comes near your property. For the most optimal outcome, use of these animals will do the trick. More importantly, if you have poultry, fish ponds, or livestock on your property, make sure that they are secured, especially at night.


Repellents
There are a variety of effective coyote repellents. For instance, sprinkling wolf or mountain lion urine sends a strong message to coyotes not to mess around the territory. However, this is only effective on coyotes that have previously associated these smells with danger.

Deterrents
As we’ve mentioned, coyotes retreat when they hear a loud discomforting noise. Therefore, installing automated air horns can help. However, noise can also be inconvenient for you and your neighbors. Therefore, light can also be a good deterrent. Installing motion-sensor
lights in your yard will discourage coyotes from prowling there. 

Conclusion
Coyotes can be a threat to your homestead, but there are ways to foster a peaceful co-existence with wildlife. By following these tips, you will keep coyotes at a healthy distance from your property.