Shoot Me Some Coyote

Beware: Rant in Progress

I am completely distraught. We have been trying and trying to raise goats. We started with a small herd and have spent a lot of time, energy, and money putting up fence and making our field safe for the goats. We even have a llama because we'd researched natural ways to protect our goats and decided we'd try a llama (donkeys are also recommended).

We finally had some baby goats survive a few weeks ago. They're absolutely darling. We've been watching them grow and love to see them frolic in the field, chasing each other. Baby animals are so adorable.

This morning, my son ran down the stairs yelling that there was a coyote in the field with the goats. I thought he was hallucinating, but sure enough, as I ran out of the house I watched the coyote jump over the fence. We quickly counted the goats and found that one of the babies was missing. The coyote had killed it. I was very upset. And, for the record, the llama did nothing.

Thinking we'd scared the coyote off, we started doing chores. About an hour or so later, we saw a truck stopped on the highway near our field and heard it honking. Yep, that despicable coyote was back and was dragging another baby goat to its death. The coyote ran off and I sprinted across the field to see if the baby was still alive. When I got close, he popped up and ran away. He'd used his only defense, playing dead. Fortunately, his life was spared.

I spent the next few hours waiting for that coyote to reappear. I had my .22 rifle, bullets, and I was intent on killing me that coyote. He didn't show up again today, but I'm sure he'll be back tonight hoping to kill another baby.

I gave the Department of Wildlife an earful. The DOW is definitely on the scene shooting a dog harassing an elk, but a coyote killing baby goats doesn't garner even a visit for an officer. 

Yep, I'm steamed. I have no way to protect these little babies unless I can shoot that coyote, and trying to shoot a coyote is next to impossible. The wonderful city-dwellers in Boulder and Denver, those who've never witnessed a coyote killing a lamb or ripping a goat apart, decided in a vote a few years back that we in the rural areas can only shoot coyotes, we can't poison them and we can't trap them, unless it's a live trap. And, a coyote that's brazen enough to come into a herd in broad daylight also poses a threat to my kids.

So, I'm hoping to shoot me some coyote before the day is through.