If you have small animals or small children, you’ll want to learn how to get rid of coyotes on your for good.
Out here in the country, the howls of a coyote are both breathtaking and nerve wracking. At first thought, you wonder if your outdoor animals are ok. You want them to be but you need to know how to get rid of coyotes.
The truth is: Coyotes are cowards. They really are. They are cousins to wolves, but more like the family members wolves rejected because…quite frankly…they are cowards.
This makes them quite easy to control. And you want to control them. If you don’t, they will reproduce very quickly and can take over your property. Eat your chickens. And maybe your children, too.
I know you’ve been looking for answers and you’re going to find them here today.
In this post, I will share:
– How to Get Rid of Coyotes On Your Property for Good.
– 17+ methods and tactics to use that’s more than just killing coyotes.
– Some interesting facts about coyotes that will help you catch them.
I know you’re itching for the content about how to get rid of coyotes, so let’s jump right in.
Listen to the podcast Episode:
This post contains Affiliate Links. This means if you click and buy, I might make a commission at no cost to you.
See my policy for more information
How to Get Rid of Coyotes: Guard Animals
There are many animals coyotes are scared of. They are such pesky bullies. Their bark is much worse than their bite. So, if you just put one of the following coyote guards on your property, you can rest assured knowing that they will be in control of coyotes:
Livestock Guardian Dogs: We have one Great Pyrenese/Anatolian/Maremma cross dog. While most people will tell you to get two dogs, our one dog has kept our farm safe as long as he has been here. You can definitely have more than one dog but it’s not generally necessary.
There’s all types and kinds of livestock guardian dogs. The important thing you need to know about these dogs is that while they do have a natural instinct to protect, they still need to be trained. Choosing a dog that has been raised with livestock can help immensely.
We love our dog. I have no idea what we would do without him. He did go through a stage (I call it the teenager stage) where I wondered if he would make it as a guard dog. If you have a dog not responding to any training, don’t give up.
Or, choose a different animal for guardians.
Llamas & Alpacas: I have no experience with llamas or alpacas but I know many who have.
Cows & Pigs: I’ve seen with my own eyes a cow take down a live coyote and trample it to death. And as for pigs…I think the smell just keep coyotes from going anywhere near.
Horses: The size of a horse intimidates a coyote.
Donkeys: My grandma used to have a donkey who protected her ducks. One evening around Christmas time, someone wanted to use the donkey for a nativity scene. That night, all of her ducks were murdered by coyotes!
If that donkey would have been there braying like he had been, her ducks would have been fine. Donkey brays really do keep coyotes away.
Hunting/Trapping
Controlling any nuisance animal is important. Game wardens and rangers can help control coyotes by hunting or trapping. You can also do this yourself. You just need a good game call to call them in.
Shoot a coyote and then hang the carcass as a warning to other coyotes. Drape it over a fence on the far side of the property
Trapping can be done also by finding the den or any holes dug around your property. Just be sure the trap is set in a safe location where your kids or livestock won’t venture into.
Finally, there’s ALWAYS guys wanting to call and hunt coyotes. You want someone who will be professional and not cause problems on your land. Find someone by asking around – That’s always the best way.
Fencing
You can try fences around your property to keep coyotes out. We have a woven wire fence to keep our goats and sheep in and coyotes out. For security, we tied one or two strands of barbed wire on top of the woven wire.
Electric fences really won’t keep coyotes out. The fence needs to be sturdy and tall enough that they can’t jump out. However, electric woven wire MIGHT be effective in keeping coyotes out.
The only thing I will say other thing I will say about this is that coyotes are diggers. They will dig down underneath the fence to get in successfully.
Soaking & Smells
Many people I have talked to will use certain smells or soak sponges in ammonia or bacon grease that will deter or kill coyotes. Soak them and hang them on sticks around your property.
Also, urine is a great deter-ant if it is wolf urine or human pee.
Finally, you can clean out your vacuum cleaner. The contents (Hair, human smells, other smells on dust and dirt) will scare the coyotes into thinking there is a human around.
Noises & Lighting
In the past, I’ve kept a light on or played a radio down in my kidding and lambing barn through the winter months. It has seemed to keep coyotes away from there and kept my babies safe.
Coyotes have a remarkable sense of hearing so they can year the sounds of a noise sensor or radio for miles.
With that said, I definitely recommend lights and sounds as coyote deterrents.
You may not have to worry at all about how to get rid of coyotes
While many people believe that coyotes are dangerous and detrimental, I continue to believe they are only nuisances. They are cowards: Scared of their own shadow and tip toe around until you catch them.
I believe they like to eat things that are already dead better than having to catch and kill their own. They will kill if they are hungry, though, which makes them predators. Cowardly ones, though.
That being said: They still need to be controlled. Fall is the time to do it because Winter is when they run out of food sources. It’s when you’ll hear them crying…testing the waters to see if they can tip toe onto your property.
With these methods in place, you won’t have to worry about coyotes. Choose the one that will work best for you based upon your land and your values. I love giving you options to try. All of these have proven to be effective so you can test them for yourself and see if they will work for you.
