I confess I’m still a little put out about the whole “killing Zoe” thing. She was a hell-kitten, but she was my hell-kitten and if I wanted her dead I’d kill her myself. So the local predators, shall we say, broke one of my little rules.
There wasn’t anything I could do about it, of course. Up till today, I assumed an owl took her. There were no fingerprints on it at all, she just disappeared. So vengeance could not be mine.
But now here’s an unusual sequence of events. We’ve lived in the Lair for over a year, and I’ve never detected coyote sign less than 20 or thirty yards from the cabin. But Zoe must have been taken right next to the cabin because she never strayed far, and just a couple of weeks later I’ve got a coyote practically in the yard, on the same corner as the chickens, because it thinks nobody’s home. Coincidence?
Could it be I put a bullet up the ass of the very critter that got Zoe?
ETA: By the way, this was the murder vengeance weapon.
I agree with your assessment. The chickens are the draw, Zoe just happened to get in the way. Best double check the chicken fences as they’ll start pushing on edges and such. Coyotes are tricky and will test things.
Sorry about Zoe, Joel. My kitty was gone for two days (with a broken leg, it turned out) and I was a mess, so you have my empathy.
“Coyotes are tricky and will test things.” This morning I arrived at the home of a disabled person for the morning get-up routine. The back door was open and I could see that someone unaware of the peculiarity of the door lever had opened it. It should have been locked. (Further details omitted- HIPPA, y’know). First time I ever cleared leather. Everyone was OK. Off-topic, but I needed to share. Thanks for listening.
Whatever took Zoe took her for food – circle of life stuff. I’m sorry she is gone (she really had some personality and I enjoyed reading her exploits) but nothing and no one lives forever. Killing the animal which took Zoe would be pointless – that animal needed food. Killing it would be like doing for the air it breathes.
Hey, I don’t get to go all Conan very often. Play along.
I would consider this a gene pool issue. Any coyote dumb enough, or foolish enough to get caught in a yard in full daylight deserves to be removed from the gene pool. It was either to stupid to be a benefit to coyotedom, or was somehow sick from rabies or distemper and of poor judgement. Good shooting.
Sorry, anonymous, but people come first. Coyotes are in no danger – and their populations grow like crazy even in (or even especially in) serious urban areas. Here in Wyoming, they are vermin and are usually shot on sight. Our livestock and livelihoods depend on it. You REALLY would not like the price of beef if we couldn’t protect our stock from such predators.
Anonymous:,/b> “Killing the animal which took Zoe would be pointless – that animal needed food. Killing it would be like doing for the air it breathes.”
And Joel needs food (chickens/eggs) and companionship (cats/dogs). Help me out here, anon. If it’s cool for the coyote to kill for what it needs, isn’t it cool for Joel to kill for what he needs? Yes/No, please.
If yes, is there some nebulous line of demarcation in which the killing of a predatory coyote is or isn’t allowable? Let’s take it a step at time:
To protect himself (coyotes are on record attacking humans)?
To protect another human? Like… a child?
To protect companion pets? (You do know Joel still has another cat and two dogs? Or should those be considered expendable backups not entitled to protection until he’s down to one?)
To protect food supplies?
What if another predator were involved? Say… just hypothesizing here … a violent human felon? Could he (or me… or _you_) kill that predator to protect himself? Or should he just sacrifice the chickens/Click/Ghost/Little Bear to the “circle of life” (someone is watching ‘way too many Disney cartoons)? Or even bare his own throat to the criminal and say, “Well, dude, I guess you just need to survive. All-righty then.”?
Ever notice how that “circle of life” bit was a great deal for the ruling class lions, and not so much for the subjects?
(freaking closing tags)
(Joel, whatever is going on with the server is getting stranger. I had to disable FF’s AdBlock to post at all that time.)
Idle Musing: How come that “circle of life” never seems to include humans. Except as prey. Why aren’t — supposedly naturally evolved or God-created like everything else; pick your favorite — humans and what they do “natural”?
Some years back, when we had livestock, I shot a coyote. It saddened me to shoot an animal just for being an animal doing what it was meant to do, but the damn thing had gotten brazen. I had tried yelling at it, throwing rocks at it, shooting over it, shooting under it and it just kept coming back. The birds were in danger, the little goats were in danger and the toy poodles were in danger, and I was responsible for all those defenseless animals.
Killing it wasn’t pointless. It had developed too much taste for the game and too little fear, and would never just be an ordinary “circle of life” element again. What goes on in the wild is one thing. What goes on in my yard is my business and responsibility.
Coloradohermit: “What goes on in my yard is my business and responsibility.”
HEEEEELL yes. Totally agreed.
I have the nickname of “momma-tiger” for the very reason that I’m cuddly, and I do purr if I’m happy but woe betide those who threaten me and mine. I am extremely overprotective.
Of course, this is highly amusing when you realise I’m only 4’5”… but I have a plain philosophy – you can start a fight with me, but I sure as hell will finish it. No holds barred.
It is a good thing that I’m getting to the range more and more again, it reinforces my self-control lol.
Am I the only person who considers killing coyotes good old fashioned fun?
They are so hard to hunt the buggers sometimes, that I consider it a badge of honor to tag em 😀
To Bear, Mamaliberty and others above – I wasn’t saying killing the coyote was unwarranted, I was just saying it did the killing for its food. Just like any other predator killing prey to eat. It wasn’t anything personal.
Joel,
I know that extended hikes in search of wounded predators is not your everyday fun-thing-to-do however there Might be a bounty for the hide if you can get it before its own “tribe” does.
At one point, quite a few years in the past actually, in Idaho there was a $20 bounty for every complete hide. Head and tail not required.
A phone call to the local County Agent would answer that question for you.
Just thinkin’ out loud over here.