Hi,
I had 3 sets of, what I believe to be, coyote tracks in my yard last Wednesday morning. There was a light snow on the ground and the tracks were coming from the abandoned home/garage next door to me. There were also the usual feral cat tracks near my house, but I have not seen a cat since and I used to see them most every day.

Problem is, I live in a borough where discharging firearms is illegal. There is a thick, wooded area starting just a few hundred yards from the house...posted land, I think and that's where the coyotes are coming from. Nighttime, of course.
These tracks were unlike those of many dog tracks I've seen in that they did not wander. These tracks were be-lining it back to the woods and they were coming directly from that old garage. Dogs usually wander and sniff about more when they are on the move, don't they?
The animals which made these tracks were moving with a purpose.
Got to be coyotes, huh?

I'm not sure how I should feel...should I feel ok about the cat population going down and the male Toms not spraying on my bushes, or should I feel angry knowing that coyotes are around at night and there isn't much I can do about it?

Some of the cats were kind of pretty. I never fed them, but I did watch them some.

Phil....I'd say where you are at in Erie...you got a few 'yotes prowlin 'round...I worked down there a while back for a boiler builder...had 'yotes cross the interstate late at night on the way home both I90 and I86...

Was just down there a couple weeks ago paying Gander Mountain a visit...

Personally most good cats are dead cats...but if the 'yotes are bothering you in your no shooting zone...give a nuisance trapper a call...

BTW there's a really small gun shop down town, near a train overpass IIRC...kind of an odd name...can't remember it though. Bought a .22 in there a while back, nice old guy running the place. Know of it?

Coyotes will eat all cats given a chance. Smallish dogs as well. Saw a coyote and a raccoon going at it late one night. Coyote 1, raccoon 0.

'Yotes will take out a very large percentage of the resident feral cat population.

IMHO, and given the damage that feral cats to do resident rabbit, songbird, and game bird populations, that is a very good thing.

Given the choice between shooting a feral cat and shooting a 'yote, the 'yote will most likely live a bit longer... at least as long as it takes me to reload, anyway... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

The coon musta been pretty hard up!!!

I remember a couple years ago the coyotes moved into my mom's neigborhood. I think there were like 14 cats reported missing including hers. Then a few weeks later a coyote grabbed a poodle and took off with it. The owner chased it and the coyote dropped it. I was cheering for the coyote.

721 that was funny!

I hate cats, wish we had a yote around here, but we don't cause of the dogs...

I believe God has a purpose for all creatures on earth. Purpose of cats is to to test power steering.... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I thought it was test 6-ply truck tires? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

VA, is right.... the coyotes will "clean up" the other critters that are hard on quail and such... cats, possums, etc... 721

Coyote 1, raccoon 0.

Doubt that. No way,

Young 'coon? If so, easy. Old, grizzled coon? Probably not.

Young 'yote? Nope. Old, scarred Alpha dog? Yep.

Two youngsters? Luck of the draw. Two old hands? I want a ticket and a front row seat (and a couple of #4s in the sxs 12 gauge for the winner).

Hey Roy, I was born and raised in Erie. I believe the name you're looking for is Gornflo. They are located near the railroad over pass. The owner is a great guy, I send guns to him for my brother that still lives in Harborcreek.

Ya, Roy..That gun shop is Gornflo. Boise has it right!
I live in Waterford, but list "Erie" because of the population size.
The one set of tracks was "scary" in size. That one had to be a mature male. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />
I would love to see one of these critters in broad daylight to give me a shot for my 12 ga 3 1/2" magnum. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
I have some old goose load ("T" or "F") from the 80's where there are only 59 pellets in a 3 1/2" mag. LOL.

Actually, I DO NOT care about cutting loose with a shotgun in the borough. I live on the edge of the town limits, have good neighbors, have a 1-acre lot with many trees and we have no local cops. State boys are here in 15 minutes, but I just don't care...I'm on the Municipal Authority. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
My 77-yr old father opens up on skunks almost once a year with his 12 ga and his house is in close proximity to neighbors. He just hates the skunks that much.
We're 'Billys out here in Waterford compared to you Harborcreek and Erie boyz. LOL

They probably don't like them as much as the Chinese but they like them!!!

3 yrs ago a widow that lived in the country, loved cats and had 15+ that she fed in her front yard. In moved a mangy coyote and lived in the haybale stacks. He captured 2 in broad daylight right in front of her picture window while she was admireing the herd. Had that woman scared [bleep]. She wouldn't even walk outside fearing if she fell she'd end up under the bale stack too. My cousin finally put him out of his misery but by than she was down to 4 cats. Mangey,cold and feeling [bleep] than get your ass kicked by a damn cat just to have something warm in your belly. Thats gotta be like trying to bite a lawn mower blade until you get ahold just right.

Yeah that's it Gornflo's...can't hardly fit 6 people in that little store...He's got some stuff in there though don't he..? I was in there about 3 times total and had a good chat each time with that good 'ol boy...

I probably paid too much for the .22 I got from him but looking around in there I bet I was the first one in a while to buy a gun from him, maybe not, just my impression of the place...he's a cool dude so I didn't mind...

Phil,
Coyotes in Waterford...I'd be bustin caps....

Hey-am a Erie, PA native myself-McDowell High-Class of '65!! About 6-7 years ago was back in Erie visiting family, and had brought along my Ruger 77 in .22-250 to bust some chucks. I went to my old hunting grounds-Game Lands #109-and had set up on a woodline looking down to a pond. It had been a hard winter, and there was still snow in patches in the woods, even though it was early May. I had gone Spring Turkey hunting in the morning, then lunch in Waterford, and back to GL#109 for some afternoon chuck shooting. I had my heavy barrel Ruger set up with a long Harris bipod, and a Redfield RM6400 16X scope(no longer made), and was using my 10X binocs to try and spot some hungry chucks. There were about 6 pairs of Canada geese down by the pond lying in the sun. It was about 2 PM or so, when I perceived some movement out of my right eye, about 25 yards to my right. A big male coyote with a shedding winter coat had emerged from the woods and was eyeing those geese about 150 yards down the hill to our front. He had some reddish coloration to his coat, unlike the coyotes I have shot before. I grabbed my chuck rig and swung it to the right-he started to turn back to the woods when I saw some fur in the scope and fired. Blew a fist-sized hole out of his backbone that dropped him in his tracks. Won't be jumping any geese anymore!!!! A coyote will eat any mammal smaller than he is-they love newborn fawns if they can locate them. Called in a coyote on a fawn distress call about 5 years ago. Was in my climbing treestand during deer season, and had a new grunt tube I had just bought. Coyote responded to it from over 200 yards-came straight towards my tree-busted him at 100 yards with a neck shot with my Win Mod 70, customized in 8m/m-06 Ackley Improved and 180 gn Noslers. Big male with normal coloration-about 40 lbs or so. He wanted that "fawn" bad, and knew he could handle it. Couldn't handle that Nosler 180 though....

Thanks for sharing the stories, guys.
Gunguy56:
You might not recognize Millcreek TWP anymore if you come back. It's all built up just like any nice suburb has been the past decade.
I've spent many days hunting good ole "109" gamelands.
Better bring the hip boots, though. Swamp-EE!!

p.s. I'm kind of missing those silly cats a bit. When the snow was deep they would hug right up against my house as they travelled to that old garage. Last summer there were a few young ones and they were clowns. Wary little buggers, though. I'd close the door to head outside and if they heard it...gone!

Sorry bud, but I watched just the other night my neighbors healer go after 2 coons at the same time. Granted, a yote isn't a healer but it balanced out pretty well with 2 coons and one dog. One coon was killed quicker than snot runs down your lip in Minn. in the winter and when the second coon was caught he was trapped and sprouted wings flying out of here . A coon will kill a dog in the water with no problem so I'm told. Guess the coons around here don't have the moxie you're used to. Coyotes take 100 #+/- deer here when they break one away from the deer herd. Maybe your yotes should come and get to see how it's done here. Seen it happen in chukar country.

-Update-
It's been a couple of weeks and there is some more snow on the ground today.
There were no sightings of cats since the night I saw the coyote tracks and there are NO cat tracks in the snow.
I was seeing the cats and their tracks almost daily and now there is nothing.

Yes, Coyotes do get cats. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Yep, 'yotes will kill cats, feral or not. Feral cats are bad news to the local bird population, as well as the friendly sissy housecats turned out for the night. The 'yotes are doing you a favor. I prefer, however, to be the feral cat exterminator-------closest I'll ever get to a safari! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> They're sneaky, and fun to hunt!!!!

I wish a coyote would move into my neighbourhood for a couple of weeks and clean up the cats running loose around here! Cats are ok if they are kept in the house. When they are outside they are considered feral.