We'e in a rural area in Schoharie County, and we hear coyotes at night quite often; it seemed like they followed the deer population, when the snow was very deep a few years ago and deer moved down to the valley we didn't hear them for quite a while. When our old Lab was still alive my husband was convinced one night they were stalking her while he walked down the road with her...they both made it back safely I'm happy to report! It's quite a sound hearing them howl together. We also heard a bobcat this summer; a friend identified it, or I never would have guessed that's what it was.

Interesting thread. I'm in a large suburban town, but there are a lot of woods and wetlands near my house, and we have deer, wild turkeys, raccoons, etc. We've also heard coyotes a couple of times, howling with the sirens. My father-in-law says they're probably "coy-dogs" -- close enough! I suppose with the resurgence of wild turkeys and the local deer population, there is probably plenty for the coyotes to eat.

People here seem to use coyote and coydog interchangably.

There was an article in one of the Niagara papers a year ago about increased coyote activity. We also saw what appeared to be a bob cat hanging around our area/yard for a while last year but haven't seen the bob cat since nor any coyotes. I have seen a red fox but not for quite a while now.

Penny
N. Tonawanda

We live in a rural area near Batavia (Buffalo/Rochester ). In the Spring I saw a coyote in the early AM. Have never heard them. We have lots of foxes. We have 2 outside cats who have never been bothered, and they haven't seemed to dent the deer population. (darn!) So they are here, but don't seem troublesome.

Here's What the DEC says about Coyotes (and Coydogs) in New York State. Hope you find the information useful

Here is a link that might be useful: Coyotes in New York

We've got plenty of coyotes up here in Chemung county. I live two miles outside of town and sometimes hear them yipping from two nearby hills--sometimes as close as a few houses away. My neighbor says he saw a big one in the driveway across the street recently. I have never seen any coyote tracks around my place, though.

I'm also in the Mid Hudson Valley and will occasionally see a coyote while I am out riding - they are quite shy. I once saw them hunting deer in the dawn trapping them in fallen trees in the woods behind our home but I had to intervene and scare them away. We hear them late at night. I believe there are also coy dogs in the area who are quite dangerous - a Conservation Officer told me they will run down and kill a horse if the opportunity ever arose. There was a very interesting article about the genetics of our coyotes in an issue of CONSERVATION magazine probably 7-8 years ago if you ever decide to research - I recall there were certain wolf strains in the genetics of our "coyotes".

there is definetly a resurgance in the coyote population. they are moving back into old territories in new england, south east us, south west such as california, and claiming territories in alaska. they have never been in alaska untill the last 5-10 years. those of you hearing about coydogs are most likely being misinformed. the people saying coydog are almost deffinetly talking about coyotes because wether they realize it or not there is a difference between coyotes and coydogs, just as there is a difference between wolves and wolf dogs. both wolfdogs and coydogs rarely if ever occur naturaly in the wild. male wolves and coyotes only produce sperm during a 2 month period, and mate for life. either would sooner eat a dog than breed with it. for a dog (male or female) to be bred by a coyote or wolf, it would first have to be to big to be considered prey. then it would have to be lucky enough to meet during the very short breeding season (femal wolves and coyotes can only be bred during 1 week every year). coydogs do occur in captivity. sundance ranch breeds coyote/siberian husky crosses. however the chances of a litter of pure coyotes surviving to adulthood is rare when they have both parents helping. if one parent is a dog the dog will go home. if the mother is the coyote she will have to raise them on their own and most likely she will fail. if the mother is a dog she will go home and have her puppies there, then they will be given to new homes. even if she is a stray dog, her chances of surviving are minimal without the burden of up to 8 or 10 puppies to care for.
also coyotes rarely take anything larger than their own head. if you hear a farmer reporting attacks on cattle, horses, pigs, etc. it is most likely either his neighbors dogs, his own dogs, or stray dogs. coyotes occasionally take a newborn sheep, or calf, but almost always this is only if the baby is dead already. even then the mother will most often defend it and drive of a coyote. one coyote will eat 10's of thousands of mice a year, and millions of grasshoppers a year. in fact during the time that grasshoppers are migrating in large numbers, coyotes almost only eat grasshoppers (or locusts). they are opportunistic eaters, meaning they will eat almost anything, garbage, mice, grasshoppers, bird eggs, chickens, dead deer, fish, crawfish/crawdads, frogs, snakes, lizards, rabbits, cats, cat/dog food, tomatoes, corn, watermellons, strawberries, blackberries, apples, and the list goes on and on. another coyote fact that may be usefull to you is that one coyote at night sounds like 10, 10 sound like 100, 100 ound like 1,000 and so on. their howling, also known as singing or yipping, is their way of communicating with neighbor coyotes, calling to their mates and young, and letting other coyotes know that they are still defending their territory.
coyotes are extremely intelligent. acouple examples of their intelligence: we tried for nearly 100 years to wipe them out while we got rid of wolves, bobcats, bears and mountain lions. coyote populations rose during this time in spite of our efforts. the us government released a statement years ago saying that over 25 million dollars were spent on eradicating coyotes, and less than 12 million were spent on getting rid of wolves. another example is that there is an estimated 2,500 coyotes in new york city, and yet nearly no one ever sees or even hears them.

the only big cats that might possibly be near buffalo would be bobcats, and they a large bobcat is about 30 pounds. there are no mountain lions west of the mississipi except in florida. if you were to draw a line on a map continuing the mississipi river north through canada you still wouldnt find any mountain lions.
also, if you have bobcats in you're area they were absolutely not released to control the coyote population. coyotes are larger and bobcats do not kill them. The DEC has not released any species of cat within 500 miles of buffalo. Im sure you have coyotes but not mountain lions. and I doubt if you even have bobcats. they are extremely rare even west of the mississipi river, untill you get to montana, wyoming, idaho area.
and there has never been a documented case of a human being attacked by a coyote. they will occasionally take cats and small dogs. and will eat dog/cat food if it is left outside. and get into your garden for tasty tomatoes and berries.

We have coyotes. We've see them often around our place. They adapt very well to their surroundings. Like someone else said they only hunt small things. Cats do fall into that catagory and so do small dogs.
We have sheep and chickens and a barn cat and they have never bothered any of them. There are much easier things for them to get such as dead deer and other road kill. Coyotes are mostly scavangers which is good since the DOT in both PA and NY seem to have given up on cleaning up roadkill...might even be a coralation there.
I'd strongly disagree about the Bobcat and Mountain Lion population being almost nonexsistant....just as the bear population is on the rise in NY so is the large cat population.I have seen bobcats around here and I've heard an animal which sounds very much like a mountain lion. Just cause you don't see it doesn't mean it's not there.
Animals adapt for survival and they don't know state lines. They go where the food is even if it is out of their normal territory.
I was raised in NYS and I don't recall as a kid seeing turkey very often. Now you can't drive more than a few miles with out seeing large groups of them.
When one group of animals starts to reestablish itself it's not uncommom for others that live off those animals to do the same.

I casully read in the Weekend Section of the Syracuse Post-Standard and without a great deal of interest that some sort of lecture was going to take place at Montezuma Swamp this coming week regarding the resurgenane of the "Black Bear" to the Fingerlakes region.

If anyone is intersted I'll find out the dates and times for you if you live in that area, and for those that do did you say you ---- were ---- going to plant blueberries this year?

Jim

yes the coyote, turkey, black bear, deer populations are certainly returning to the north east, no argument. and bobcats very well may be there as well. as too bobcats I said they are not common east of the mississipi. the farther west and north you go the greater the population is. however I know they are in tennessee, indiana, maine, and so on. just not nearly as common as foxes, coyotes etc. and as far as mountain lions being anywhere near new york, I garauntee they are not there. contact your local fish and game department and ask. or for that matter pick up a "National Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals". There are numerous reports every year all over the country, no scientist or conservationist has been able to prove them. no hunter has shot one, no car has hit one, no photo has been taken, no hair has been found, no tracks have been found, no kills have been found, I could go on all night. you are right that just because you dont see something doesnt mean it isnt there. however the fact that no one, homeowner-camper-hiker-or scientist has found any signs of them...they are not there. and have you ever heard a mountain lion? they rarely vocalize outside of breeding season, which only lasts a few weeks. and unless you've ever heard one, you can mistake the vocalization of a bobcat, fox, or even some owls for a mountain lion. The last documented record of a mountain lion near new york state was in pennsylvania in 1871, virginia in 1882, and west virginia in 1887. back to the can't see it doesn't mean not there statement...if researchers (both of mountain lions and of anything else in the wilderness) can spot them, document them, catch them, tag them, radio collar them in west texas, arizona, colorado, california, montana, idaho, wyoming, oregon, canada, alaska, etc. then why not new york and more to the point any state west of the rockies with the exception of big bend park area of souther texas, and extreme southern florida???? no mountain lions in new york state!!!

also you are right, when animals re-establish themselves, their predators "MAY" do the same. I say may because not all of them can. mountain lions are not re-establishing themselves. where would they be coming from??? are they coming from the florida everglades where every month researchers go in the field and check up on every individual, due to the fact that they are all radio collared, which allows them to find new cubs and radio collor them??? are they coming from Big Bend National Park, over a thousand miles away? crossing highways, farms, subdivisions without a proveable sighting? or from the colorado montana area of the rockies?? again thousand + miles through heavily populated areas. further evidence (as if the fact that no researcher has seen one within 1,000 miles of you) a single mountain lion will have up from 50 to 250 square miles of territory wich they don't share with other mountain lions except when breeding. information such as the range of the mountain lion unfortunately is concealed in things called books!!! read one, don't always take the word of your friends and neighbours.

I live in the northern part of Saratoga Co., near the Great Sacandaga. About 6 years ago, I was chased by a coyote! He was after my goats, so I yelled figuring that would scare him off. Instead, he turned & started towards ME! Luckily, I wasn't far from my side door! I immediately called the local wildlife officer to report it...We had a lot of raccoons & foxes with rabies around then. Can coyotes get rabies too?

Not only do we have coyotes around here, but a year or so ago it was confirmed that there was a wolf in the town of Day.

When we moved here about 23 years ago, a wildlife biologist told me there were no wild turkeys in this particular area, and he said there weren't any moose anywhere in NY state. Now I see wild turkeys in my back yard all the time, and several people have seen a moose on numerous occasions near here. When I asked the wildlife biologist about the moose, he said it was probably one that came from Vermont. I guess that's rural living for you...if you weren't born in the area, you're never accepted as a native! :)

I am a wildlife biologist. unfortunately yes, any mammal, and only mammals, can get rabies. it is most common in skunks and bats, followed by raccoons and foxes. bats are probably the most common cariers of rabies. even though I say common, you dont have to run and hide evrytime you see a bat, skunk, or whatever. just be cautious and dont try to touch any wild animal. it can be hard to tell if an animal has rabies so here are some guidelines. if you see an animal that is not afraid of humans (with exception of deer and squirrels due to feeding/attracting), if you see an animal during the day that is nocturnal: raccoons, skunks, bats are all nocturnal. if you see an animal foaming at the mouth (not like a dog chewing on a bone, or a mastiff that always slobbers), or if you see an animal stumbling, or otherwise looking like it is drunk. none of these are set in stone, you can see these signs in animals for other reasons but it is better to be safe than sorry, get away from it and call local authorities (police, animal control). you should always keep a safe distance from any wild animal, even something as cute and fuzzy as a rabbit can cause extreme deep wounds if cornered, they have sharp claws.
there are deffinetly moose in new york, though the authority you spoke with was right. it was probably from vermont. moose move around a lot and will go into new areas, then leave again. this most often occurs during breeding season when searching for a mate, during winter when food is scarse, during summer when there are droughts, or during periods of overcrowding. moose are possibly the most dangerous animal you can encounter in new england. about half have a parasite in their brain that makes them go insane. they can live a long life and breed while they have it, but one second they will be grazing, then attack, then look at whatever they just attacked like "what is your problem". coyotes will occasionally go after goats and sheep, though not as often as most people think. and if it came after you it was one of 3 things: rabies; someone raised a coyote pup and then it escaped or was released and has no fear of people, in which case it may not have been attacking you; or it was a dog. huskies, malamutes, and german shepherds are often mistaken for coyotes. in new york coyotes get around 16-18" tall and weigh about 30-40 pounds. in areas like colorado and montana they may reach 22" tall and weigh up too 65 pounds, but this would be a big coyote.
watching animals is quite enjoyable, but we need to keep a safe distance and respect the fact that they are probably more afraid of us than we of them, and that if threatened they may defend themselves.

I am amazed that this thread is still alive.

Speaking of moose, a couple years ago, one was sighted in Columbia County NY(south of Albany NY, other side of Hudson River). Pictures in the newspapaers and everything.

And black bears -- in June 2000 a small black bear was seen near my home in Putnam County NY, right across the Hudson River from the US Military Academy at West Point. In fact, there were some strange stools in my garden and my neighbor (a land surveyor who is familiar with all the surrounding woods) was of the opinion that the little bear might have spent the night in my garden.

Animals are amazing.

Black bear and Bobcat are pretty common in the Catskills, so is coyote. In Broome County a pack of coyotes killed a miniature pony on someone's farm. Perhaps more interesting in a cemetery in Johnson City NY (pop. about 15,000)there were a pair of nesting coyotes, one of which was shot by local police because of neighborhood pet owners complaints. The interesting thing is that the cemetery is in the center of town totally surrounded by city streets, though not too far from the Susquehanna River. A coyote was also seen crossing a bridge into Manhattan.

Mt Lions definitely occur in the Adirondacks. The main dispute is whether some of these are vestiges of a native population (the minority opinion), or whether they are all just exotic pets that people got rid of when they got too big to handle.

if they absolutely exist then how come everypicture taken of a supposed mountain lion in the north east turns out to be a bobcat, house cat, coyote, or dog??? I am a wildlife biologist, I have seen many of these pictures and been involved with numerous searches for any signs of them in the catskills, adirondacks, and surrounding areas, as well as maine, vermont, north carolina, kentucky, tennessee, louisiana, missouri, illinois, indiana, minnesota, and arkansas. so far no one has found any evidence to support the rumors and sightings. they actually arent that hard to find when they are actually there. they leave claw marks on trees when they mark their territory, you find remains of kills, and teeth marks on the kills, you find fur, droppings, and tracks. therefore, at the moment all the authorities say "no mountain lions in new york"

All I can do when I read this thread is laugh.

While Coyotes are in NY, they do have an impact on the enviornment as discussed.

However, THERE ARE NO MOUNTAIN LIONS IN NY, or east of the Mississippi, except in FL. Alot people claim that a cow was attacked, etc etc, or a picture that had to be taken in this part of the country. There is no documented proof, and there will never be...because there are no Mtn. Lions in NY.

I just spoke with Art Kirsch, and Gordon Batchellor, two of the highest ranking officials/biologists of the DEC. They confirm that there are no Mtn. Lions in NY in the wild.

Strider,
Just a FYI on Coyotes. Here I believe we have the Eastern Coyote, which is supposedly a genetic cross between the timberwolf, and another species (subspecies possibly) of coyote.

I have personally seen two coyotes over 50lbs here in the last two days. I can also tell you that I have seen 60+ pound coyotes in the past month. All have been dead, either trapped, or shot. I am a bit confused as to why you think our coyotes are smaller, when in fact that many other areas, out west especially, envy the size of our yotes. Our yotes fetch more money than the majority of western subspecies of coyote. The only one I can think of that rivals the quality and size of ours in NY is from part of Oregon, but it about the same dimensions, and fetches the same price as we get here for the pelts.

ok, you are actually right, dont know what happened but I misspoke. yes, coyotes in new york are larger than the southwest. however the largest ever recorded weighed 55 pounds. and the coyotes in new york are a mystery. some say wolf coyote cross, others say dog coyote cross, some say red wolf coyote cross. all have been disproven except 2 theories, by genetic tests. coyotoe is canis latrans, wolf is canis lupis, red wolf is canis rufus, dog is now known as canis lupis familiaris. genetics are identical in wolf and dog, means that in court cases involving wolf hybrids they cannot prove either way. the only 2 theories, mainstream theories, that still hold water are the red wolf coyote cross (possible since the red wolf came about due to wolves and coyotes crossbreeding thousands of years ago), or that it is just because the farther north you go the bigger mammals get. the latter is believed to be the most likely because when coyotes began moving back to the northeast, most physically resembled the ones from the great lakes areas rather than from the knetucky tennesee areas, and they had dna in common with the great lakes area coyotes. there have never been red wolves in the great lakes areas. recently there are red wolves in south carolina because of captive bred individuals being rereleased.

I grew up on a farm in the Pulaski (NY) area in Oswego County and we had coydogs everywhere, this was back in the early to mid-1970s. You would frequently see them after someone cut their hay fields, they would come out of the nearby woods to eat all the mice and other little treats that were killed by the hay cutting equipment, before the hay was baled. There was a bounty on them, I think $50 each, and it wasn't uncommon for people to try to kill them for the cash. I can remember seeing one that someone shot, they brought it to town in the back of their pickup and were showing anyone who wanted to see it--all I remember is how evil looking it's teeth were--definitely not something I would want to run into close up!

Probably now as the farms in that area are disappearing, and more homes are being built, the coydogs are still there and the homes are encroaching into their hunting area, that's why more are being seen.

As far as wild turkeys, the DEC released huge flocks of young turkeys onto farms during the late 1970s and early 1980s. I can remember watching them release a bunch of them into a hedgerow between our farm and the neighbor's cornfield. They were definitely successful in establishing themselves, as you see them everywhere now.

coy dogs is a misnomer, coy dogs are coyote-dog hybrids when the father is a coyote and mother is a dog. dogotes are same but when father is a dog and mother is a coyote. coydog is a regional term that is actually incorrect. like people in northern minnestoa call black wolves siberian wolves. or when people call a turkey vulture a buzzard. the only reason coydog is an incorrest term for a coyote is because the term was originally and is currently used in reference to the coyote dog cross. that was my argument when I said it was extremely unlikely that there were coydogs in new york. there are absolutely coyotes there, and possibly coydogs as well (in the true deffinition of coydogs). and there are deffinetly no mountain lions in new york, however not sure how the converstion turned to arguing wether black bears, deer, and turkeys are there. of course they are. and some moose. I dont mean to insuly anyone when I make the point that coyotes are coyotes and coy dogs are a hybrid that occurs extremely rarely in the wild, just informing.

No Mt Lions in the Adirondacks! Can't we have any mysteries left? The fact nobody has ever seen a Yeti hasn't stopped the government of Nepal from declaring it an endangered species. Reminds me of Edgar Allan Poe's Sonnet to Science.

Seriously though, I don't know whether there are any Mt Lions in the Adirondack's, but there was an interesting article about it. The upshot of it was there is no surviving native population because there simply wouldn't be enough breeding animals to maintain a population all these years, considering the paucity of sightings.

The article I have a link to really deals with sightings of probably released exotic pets, including some sightings by conservation officials if that makes it any more authoritative. Most people don't give them very good odds for long term survival in the wild either. In the original article I read there was one die-hard Adirondack historian who argued it was possible a small native population of Mt Lions had survived - he was dedicated to proving this but wasn't given much credence by the government types. I don't think anyone can say with metaphysical certitude. If I were in an Adirondack setting and thought a big cat might be stalking me, I wouldn't totally relax my guard though.

If you really want to consider something radical, a couple of Catskill residents told me they thought they spotted a wolverine in a field! Any comments?

Here is a link that might be useful: Adirondack Explorer

if you want to look at in in the same light as with the yeti, bigfoot, aliens, or god, in that you cant prove it then sure there could be mountain lions there. and I dont argue that some captive mountain lions, leopards, etc may have been released or escaped in the area. as to that statistics show that 98% of released or escaped captive raised big cats dont survive a month because either they are to used to people and dont know how to hunt, or because most have their claws removed and many have their canine teeth (fangs removed). according to game agencies and wildlife book texas doesnt have leopards (from asia, india and africa) however about half the researchers their believe texas has a viable breeding population of leopards that have escaped from canned hunts and nature preserves/exhibits. a canned hunt, if you dont know, is where they put an animal in a small cage, a hunter stands about 50-100 feet away, the cage opens and the animal tries to escape, but its in a fairly small fenced enclosure and cant escape or hide, the "hunter" shoots and has his trophy. but sometimes they have them at places where the fences are falling apart, not high enough, or dont have fences at all.
they may have seen a badger, a fox, a bobcat, or nothing at all. or they may have seen a wolverine. the nearest permanent populations are in very northern quebec, newfoundland, northwestern ontario, and north eastern minnesota. becoming more rare in those areas, and more common in western canada and us. however males occupy a range of up too 1,000 square miles and share it with 2 or 3 females. and their young (when they leave the mother and have to find a territory of their own) have been tracked more than 3,000 miles. it's possible that a male wondered into the catskills, either traversing his/her territory, or a female surprisingly traveled a very very long distance to see the beautiful catskills. most likely they saw something else and either thought it was a wolverine or wanted to make their story more impressive than it was. a married couple friends of our kept telling us that a mountain lion was coming into their yard every morning just before dawn. we didnt believe them but didnt want to hurt their feelings so suggested that maybe it was a bobcat and showed pictures online. they insisted and the next morning took a picture and called to say they were coming over with proof that they had a mountain lion photo. it was their neighbors 4 month old himalayan kitten, about the size of a large grapefruit, maybe a little bigger. they still say it is a mountain lion. so...some people can never be convinced, no matter how convincing the evidence is.
as for mysteries, what about the little men who play nine pins in the catskills??? thats not enough?

My beagle went missing two days ago . We have coy dogs around here. Will coy dogs kill a dog?

mygardener,
i live near the area you used to and I used to think the coy-dog thing was a fable until the first night I heard them whooping and hollering. It sent a chill up my spine.

Clar,
as to whether they would kill a dog, i know they run in packs. i can always tell when the coy-dogs are active because my dog, a border collie mix, will not stay indoors, but will walk around the perimeter of the house and bark all night. i'm told that they will go after small game, and i wouldn't think your beagle would qualify, unless he were injured already. i do think that is what happened to one of our cats, though-- but she was as small as a kitten, even though she was full grown.

>My beagle went missing two days ago . We have coy dogs around here. Will coy dogs kill a dog?

The DEC plays down the idea of coydogs except during the main expansion of the population in NY in the 1950s. They claim that the the population now is almost all a true species.

According to the DEC coyote-dog confrontations are most frequent in March & April and usually involve territorial disputes. Smaller dogs often get the worst of the situation when they refuse to be submissive to the coyote. Medium sized dogs generally work things out with the coyote and large dogs are seldom messed with. Very small dogs are simply prey and at risk all year.

Here is a link that might be useful: DEC: Coyotes and Pets.

I checked with a specialist on this issue in central ny for we saw some at the beginning of the summer. He informed me they would go after small animals and have done so in the Dewitt area. I was informed to never leave my small dogs out (have fenced in yard) by themselves or cats. He had also mentioned bird feeders should be removed. I have 2 Matese and never leave them a lone. I haven't seen these doydogs come back yet but sure wasn't thrilled at what I heard. These animals can also climb over quite a large fense. The best to get is the wire ones around 6 ft. high.

I live ten miles north of Camden NY in Onieda county and for the last 3 weeks have notice that the coyotes have moved back into the area. The Mad River runs through our back yard and on the other side is all State land, the north and south side are heavily wooded or farm pasture. It seems that in the summer the coyotes stay further in the woods and we don't hear much of them but in the fall these move in closer and tend lately to be staying just out of the reach of our flood lights at night. I have a small to medium size dog who also spend most of her time lately "defending" her territory by running around barking but most of the time staying in the light. I have been told of coyotes trying to coax domestic dogs out and away from their dwellings and have seen hunting dogs (a Brittney and several coon hounds) that have tangled with them. I tend to worry that sooner or later my dog will end up in that situation too. I think the hardest part of readjusting to them this year is they have been so close on a regular basis and they are even making their presents known through singing in the day light on occation. Makes me a little worried to send my son out to feed his bunnies some mornings! And no the bunnies aren't new this fall so I don't feel this is the reason they are staying close either, as my dog killed a wild rabbit in the same woods last week and came home with it. Maybe it is the left over pumpkins and sunflowers they like!? Does anyone have an answer for these questions? Even one night 2 weeks ago we were having a fire in the back yard and they were singing for us just out of the flood lights in the meadow! Another question too, is it normal for one to have a very DEEP voice (more wolf like) than the higher pitched howl you normally hear for a coyote? I must say some of ours are quite large and weigh well over 80 Lbs and are built more like a LARGE German Shepperd. Timber Wolf interbreading?

Coyotes frequently have a sing-along right behind my house during the night.There are also scats all over the rocks in the woods.But I have yet to see one in the neighborhood.They are pretty shy as a rule. I did come across one while I was cross-country skiing in the woods about half a mile from here,and it just melted into the brush. However,my Australian Shepherd does not run loose,and if I am in the house when she is outside alone on her run,I watch her. I wouldn't want her to pay the consequences of meeting a coyote or two.

Coyotes heard nightly and captured "on film" (night reconnaisance digital camera) in northern Sullivan Cnty.

Just wondering if BruMeta is sharing his coyotes on film anywhere, so I could take a peak? I get to see them here on occation but usually at a distance.

There has been video taken of a mountain lion 50 miles north of lake ontario near peterbourogh( not far from N.Y). Im in southern ontario near london ontario, just above the center of lake erie. Just west of here ten kilometers or 6 miles on a native reserve, there has been three reported by sightings a mother,father and baby with prints also, its important to note these sightings have been verified by police and schools in the immediate area are not letting kids out at recess. I believe the site that has the video is called ontario puma .org. they are biologists that keep track of sightings and any reports here in ontario of puma or mountain lion. I have a historical book on the mammals of the county just south of here even in the 1830's before alot of Canadian settlement puma (mountain lion) was rare. Is this because they are so stealth and hunt at night....I dont know maybe there numbers have never been high at least here in ontario and maybe NY too. The reason I posted here Is Im not really far from NY at all. I have heard the western population has been spreading east but only as far as manitoba so who knows

Was wondering about the sightings of wolves in New York State. Just recently two of my friends have spotted what they say was a wolf.
(We live in a very rural area.....forested and with a huge
deer population in Chemung County which sits on top of the
PA border.)
FRIEND # 1...last year.... She lives on an 125 acre farm surrounded by forests on a dirt road ...not many houses on her road and not many cars go by all day long. That type of thing....REMOTE.
She insists she saw a large, gray wolf cross her treeline
while looking out her big kitchen window one morning last year. Almost noontime...clear day. She has seen all kinds of wildlife having lived on her land for almost 45 years.
She has seen several coyotes and bobcats ....but insists this was a WOLF and not a dog. She did not get a photo.

FRIEND # 2....lives about 25 miles north of Friend # 1....
on a high hill...her home has about 20 acres and is surrounded by state forest land.
She just emailed me last month about this large gray wolf that was visible on their property . She said it was definetly a wolf....not a coyote..and stayed on her land for almost an hour. Her husband took video of it.
I am in Florida now...so have not seen the video...but she
was quite excited about the whole thing !!

HAS anyone else heard of wolves in New York ?

The coyotes around here, NE of Buffalo, actually look like a wolf/coyote cross. I've had 2 different neighbors this winter comment about the wild pack of "german shepards" they've seen on our road.

I only saw one, and that was quite a few years ago, and I it looked more wolf-like than coyote -like to me.

Pam

Hi,
Just found this forum when trying to find out some info on bobcats. I saw one this morning just 15 ft from my house. I also saw a coyote right outside my kitchen window about a month ago. I live in Clove Valley on 17 acres surrounded by woods and behind me is the 5,000 acre gun club. My question is: I have two smal dogs (Italian Greyhounds) that I let out during the day to run. Should I be concerned for their safety? I have noticed that lately the flock of turkey that used to be around has reduced significantly.
Thanks, Janet

i live in richland ny 30 miles north of syracuse 30 miles south of watertown. we have a large pack of coyotes that live in the woods behind or property. we have lost several of our cats to them needless to say we have no rabbits, skunks, opposum, or any other small kritters around thanks to the coyotes. ( so our garden tends to fair quite well) they do not seem to ever pose too much of a threat, however alst year we had one walk in between our house and our garage( less then 50 feet apart) and it paid no attention to our dog barking on the front porch. we called the DEC they came out and said it must have had distemper or early onset or rabies to come that close. but other then a few cats coming up missing they do not bother us much, nut boy they can give you chills with the howling at night.

There are no coy dogs in NY. Coyote kill dogs.From a report I read a few years ago DEC did DNA testing on NY coyote. There were none with dog DNA. What they did find in them was RED WOLF.I can remember when I first started hunting the mid 70's. Coyote tracks were were about like beagle tracks.The coyote has grown.Tracks today are large like shepherd.The coy\dog theory came about when coyote first started showing up in NY.People wouldn't believe there were coyote in NY but if there was it had to be a few.These few must be breeding with wild dogs.Coyote live in packs. If there is one there a pack as a rule.Keep in mind that one female can have a litter of pups.Several can spread coyotes across the state in a few years .

The trace dna was not that of a red wolf, the mexican/red wolf hasnt ever moved farther north than tennessee or west virginia. they are a short haired, warm teperature breed. Very small for a wolf, maxing out at maybe 60 to 70 pounds. Gray wolves, however, share extremely similar DNA, but DID once historically live in the northern u.s. and new york. The grey wolf is much larger, 170 pound wolves have been known to roam the woods.

I happened upon this site and find this thread very interesting. A couple of years ago while mowing tall weeds with a wide chopper, I accidently ran over and killed what I believe to be a coydog. I am very familiar with coyotes as they have been on my central ny farm for years now. This specimen looked different. Its snout was short and head was broad. The coat was all coyote.

Just came in to check this thread. I posted a couple of years ago about having a coyote run through my yard in the wee early hours one spring morning.

Well this morning at 7:17 I was refilling my coffee cup and looking out the kitchen window and one went loping past the kitchen window. I followed it from the windows as it ran down along the bushes that border my driveway and across the street between a neighbor's house and a convenience store. If anyone is familiar with N. Tonawanda along Niagara Falls Blvd. you will know that this isn't the most rural area and to see one after daybreak was even more unusual. As it crossed the road, I whistled to see how it would react. It broke into a quicker lope and head off into obscurity.

Penny

I forgot to mention that I was only about 15ft. away from it at the most so I was able to get a really good look at it. I think this is their breeding season so it may have been a male looking for a mate.

Penny

It was about 5 years ago at Dusk when I saw my German Sheperd "Chief" standing with his intimidating stance on the front field of my families 60 acre property, as two large k-9 animals were approaching him. the first was what i beleived to be a female trying to coax him out past the tree line and then from behind came what i beleived to be the male. I dont know if they were pure coyote, their coloring was a bit off and they looked way to big in size. I assumed they were the dreaded coydogs i always heard about. Well thankfully Chief held his ground and wasnt eaten, but then again the .357 magnum i fired at the animals kind of helped his odds a bit i beleive. They werent making dinner out of my favorite dog!

Has anyone heard of this cougar sound deterrent for coyotes? We are moving to property on a coyote hunting route (the neighbor's cats were eaten alive in his yard in daylight). If this deterrent works, it would sure save us alot of trouble trying to protect our cats, goats, and chickens.

Our only other idea is electric fencing, though it would have to be extensive. We have heard that coyotes can climb almost any height fence, and jump over electric if they have clearance on each side.

Unlike wolves (and maybe coy-dogs?), coyotes usually hunt solo (except for moms with pups), and can be very crafty. They are normally shy around people, but have been known to perform a "run-by snatching" of pets right next to humans. My sister lost her Chihuahua to a coyote during daylight right outside her back door while waiting for him to pee!

Here is a link that might be useful: Phantom Pest Wildlife Deterrent

Just happened upon this site and I am just amazed! We live in Gasport NY, about an hour outside of Buffalo and we have seen 2 coydogs in the last year. We have many fox and hear the coyote and night but its the coydogs that everyone seems to know and worry about. I know this is a really old thread but if anyone else has any experience with these animals I would love to hear about it. I keep my chickens, goats and sheep in at night but I still worry about them, I've heard the coydog is a ruthless animal who will kill for the fun of it!

There was the result of a study in the news recently where DNA of coyotes were analyzed. The finding was that the coyotes did not show any dog DNA, so 'Coydogs' is the wrong name. But 20% of the DNA was that of wolves, so 'Coywolves' would be more appropriate. Actually there are two types of coyotes in the Northeast. The smaller coyote migrated from the West via the South and looks like the coyote of the West. The larger migrated via Canada and via mating with wolves acquired their DNA.

Click on the link to find results of a 2009 study :

Here is a link that might be useful: Wolve DNA in Coyotes

We have had a good size pack (from the sound) of Coyotes living in our gully here in the Finger Lakes for several years now. They have lots of cover and plenty of rodents/ rabbits to feast on, their primary diet. I have sheep and a horse and electric net fencing, so no trouble so far. The neighbor who has a good size flock of sheep had a sheep guard dog in with the flock. No reports of coyote attacks on any of the local flocks. We do have barn cats disappear, but they do wander into the woods, so possibly cross tracks with the pack. But then we also have raccoon and fox, so maybe they are responsible.

The strange thing is that the Coyotes seem to have disappeared this winter. We know there IS rabies in the area - my husband got bitten by a confirmed rabid skunk in Feb., so I am wondering if the pack was taken sick and died out.

With the number of rodents and rabbits they eat, they are welcome to live in my gully, and since it is good habitat, I assume they will be back.

On another note, I have had Owls living in my woods in the gully since I have lived here - 32 years - but I did not hear a single Owl this winter. I leave old and dying trees in the gully to encourage their nesting, so I know they have shelter, and am wondering what could have happened to them also.

-Rosalinda

Rosalinda,
I usually see at least one or two coyotes in my yard in early spring. This year I haven't seen any yet. I also haven't seen nor heard any owls this year at all and no skunks yet either but the darn voles have been very active!
Where are those owls, hawks and coyotes when you need them.
Penny