I could spit nails. Yes, there was a coyote on the hill in my horse pasture. I walk out to chase it off, and there to my right, just down the road, my neighbor is sprawled out on my other neighbor’s lawn, with a rifle. He shoots towards my horses, into my pasture. The horses bolted, I saw red… The devil came out of me, I swear I don’t even remember what I said, except I know it had a lot of F words in it. He gets into his truck, comes up the driveway and asks if I saw the coyote. A lot more words, I swear I was speaking in tongues. Anyway, has anyone else had this happen? What is wrong with people?
Sometimes you just cannot fix stupid.
Is your land posted properly? If so, I’d report him to the Game & Fish. If not, I’d get some “No Hunting No Trespassing” posters put up, and nail him next time.
Yes and I called the sheriff. Next door neighbor is a tree farm, we had just moved into the barn with the horses, he lets client bring new shotgun and practice shooting around the tree farm. Client is shooting over top of my property with pellets raining down onto roof of my barn, I was livid. Young horse in hand about to kill me, young 4 yr old DS I had to keep an eye on and young dog at the time I also had to keep an eye on. Neighbor never let stupid client back to shoot in the tree farm again. Neighbor is pretty cool usually.
I would be LIVID too!! I don’t blame you one bit. What about call into the sheriff’s department?
I also once confronted a rabbit hunter IN my pasture running his beagles, drunk on top of it. I had my GSD mix with me and let him know in no uncertain terms that he was not allowed to hunt our property. He wanted to argue with me that he had permission to hunt there. NO he did not and I let him know that I would turn my GSD loose on his beagles if he did not keep them and himself off the property. No cops were called and stupidly I was home alone confronting a drunk hunter with loaded gun. He did leave though.
For some reason, men love to shoot coyotes - I am pretty convinced they are afraid of them!
Coyotes eat RODENTS. That is a good thing. Contrary to what you have read - they are not scouting for your cats - or dogs or horses ect. I have interviewed many biologists on this matter.
I would be VERY angry if this coward neighbor started shooting toward my property. He sounds like an idiot. I have many friends who hunt and believe me they don’t point toward a neighbors ( or anyones) property and shoot. ( and they aren’t afraid of coyotes either).
[QUOTE=dog&horsemom;8522741]
For some reason, men love to shoot coyotes - I am pretty convinced they are afraid of them!
Coyotes eat RODENTS. That is a good thing. Contrary to what you have read - they are not scouting for your cats - or dogs or horses ect. I have interviewed many biologists on this matter.
I would be VERY angry if this coward neighbor started shooting toward my property. He sounds like an idiot. I have many friends who hunt and believe me they don’t point toward a neighbors ( or anyones) property and shoot. ( and they aren’t afraid of coyotes either).[/QUOTE]
I personally like coyotes but pretending they don’t got after small dog and cats is just silly.
We get coyote attacks at the veterinary ER almost every night and the equine clinic’s barn cat was snatched in broad daylight with witnesses.
Thank ya’ll so much for letting me rant. I got defensive about it with my better half, and he was actually on my side too.
I get the whole coyote thing. This whole neighborhood is up in arms about these dang coyotes. I’ve not seen one take a pet, but I’ve heard stories.
After a glass of wine (or three) I get the fact that he thinks he was doing a favor to everyone in the vicinity by shooting the animal. And I am going to leave how I feel about coyotes out of it. BUT… he shot at something in my pasture. What if it was my dog, and he thought it was a coyote? My poor mutt actually looks like a coyote. Ugh…
Or what if my horse ran in front of the bullet at the last second. Or my bolting horse went through the fence and got hit by a car. Or the guy was just a bad aim, and shot my horse instead. Perfectly plausible, since there’s not a freaking dead coyote in my pasture right now…
I’m definitely posting signs. I just didn’t think I had to do it because of the neighbors. I’m still cussing.
OP, you are so right to be upset. Whether or not people are shooting coyotes or deer or whatever, they should not shoot onto your property. Because if they kill one of your horses or kill a member of your family, they will claim it is just an accident.
Post no shooting, no trespassing signs along the fence on all sides of your property. Make the police report and get a copy for your records. Notify your shooting neighbor by certified letter, return receipt requested, that he is never to shoot anything on your property without your permission. This puts him on notice and puts his insurance company on notice.
It could be worse. One time a friend and I boarded our horses on a 800 acre horse property. We caught on right away that the drunk, meth making people were white trash. While we were out looking at horse barns one Saturday morning, one of the co-owners and his stepson pulled guns on each other. In a pasture. Right across from the pasture where our horses were grazing. We moved. Pronto.
I am not a fan of coyotes. They eat cats, birds, small dogs and anything they can kill around here. But you don’t shoot on someone else’s property without permission. Unless you are irresponsible. Watch out for that neighbor.
Having lost a horse in pasture to someone shooting randomly (who was never caught, btw), I would have taken his licence plate # and had the police waiting at his door. Completely unacceptable behaviour, no matter how great the coyote menace, particularly if he brings down someone’s livestock (or the livestock’s someone).
Yes, at a barn I boarded at, the dumba** neighbor did this while I was out getting my horses from the lowest, biggest field–10 acres that bordered his land. There were three horses and me in the field when a coyote goes trotting past us. He fired almost directly into the group!! Can you say I was PISSED?! Darn tootin’! After I got up off the ground I beelined it for his fenceline and let him know I was headed up to the barn to call the sheriff! He must have jumped in his truck and driven around to meet me there. He apologized but the barn owner was having none of it–not the first time he’d discharged firearms into a neighbor’s property endangering livestock (his other neighbor’s cows) and the boarded horses. Sheriff took it seriously and he was cited.
I feel you OP.
When my parents bought their farm years ago, there hadn’t been anyone using 95% of the 200 acres and the previous owners had given several people permission to hunt on it.
Those people didn’t seem to notice the brand new fences, the three horses in the back field, or the 4 steers in the front field. They shot over the fence, into the cows pasture, got a small buck, all while my Dad was 300ft away working in the shop. We’re a family of responsible hunters, and my Dad lost it on them. Didn’t let them cross the fence to keep the deer either. He was livid just telling us what happened.
You have every right to be pissed, and good for you for letting him have it. I’m glad that neither you nor your horses were hurt. Definitely make sure your property is posted, and if the idjit has the audacity to try it again definitely call the police.
Coyotes are opportunistic pests and they absolutely eat pets and livestock. In my area they kill and eat dogs of all sizes, cats, poultry, sheep, goats, calves, and foals. Three or four of them got into a turnout at my old barn and went after the 2 week old foal. Thankfully they didn’t do much damage before the barn hands got there.
It is also well-documented that a single coyote will attempt to lure a dog into following it back to where others are waiting, where they attack it.
[QUOTE=Minerva;8522851]
You have every right to be pissed, and good for you for letting him have it. I’m glad that neither you nor your horses were hurt. Definitely make sure your property is posted, and if the idjit has the audacity to try it again definitely call the police.
Coyotes are opportunistic pests and they absolutely eat pets and livestock. In my area they kill and eat dogs of all sizes, cats, poultry, sheep, goats, calves, and foals. Three or four of them got into a turnout at my old barn and went after the 2 week old foal. Thankfully they didn’t do much damage before the barn hands got there.
It is also well-documented that a single coyote will attempt to lure a dog into following it back to where others are waiting, where they attack it.[/QUOTE]
All of this… Coyotes can and DO eat pets. They have taken many a chicken from my place - the ones that think it’s fun to fly their fence - and they sit on my neighbors easement and try to bait dogs on a fairly regular basis. I’ve been outside and seen them do it - one will sit in the drive and yelp and while the others lay in wait in the trees on either side. Usually yelling and human noise runs them off, although SO has shot at them before (NOT across neighbor properties though!).
That said - I would have been absolutely livid and you had every right to tear your neighbor a new one. Had it been me the Sheriff would’ve been out too. That is the kind of irresponsible/idiotic person who should not have a gun, IMO.
[QUOTE=Rudy;8522761]
I personally like coyotes but pretending they don’t got after small dog and cats is just silly.[/QUOTE]
And young calves, sheep, goats etc…
Yes, coyotes do good but yes, they find many animals a tasty snack and are very adaptive to their changing environment.
[QUOTE=dog&horsemom;8522741]
Coyotes eat RODENTS. That is a good thing. Contrary to what you have read - they are not scouting for your cats - or dogs or horses ect. I have interviewed many biologists on this matter. [/QUOTE]
And what biologists were those? Sounds like they didn’t know what they were talking about.
When I lived in Arizona, you did NOT let your dog or cat go outside unattended. The coyotes would lure them and kill them.
I live in North Dakota, and the coyotes are getting more and more aggressive. They’ll take a freshly born calf if the cow is not around to protect it.
And we’ve absolutely had cats go missing on the farm. The coyotes eat them just like they do rabbits and other small animals.
Heck, what do HUNTERS use to lure in coyotes? A distressed rabbit call. It’s like a dinner bell.
They absolutely DO eat other animals. Your information is incorrect.
You have every right to call the cops. You are not allowed to discharge a weapon on to somebody else’s property.
I watched 4 coyotes from 20 feet away trying to get at my dogs. The dogs already had puncture wounds. Don’t tell me they won’t go after dogs. I didn’t need to read about it either.
[QUOTE=Calvincrowe;8522830]
Yes, at a barn I boarded at, the dumba** neighbor did this while I was out getting my horses from the lowest, biggest field–10 acres that bordered his land. There were three horses and me in the field when a coyote goes trotting past us. He fired almost directly into the group!! Can you say I was PISSED?! Darn tootin’! After I got up off the ground I beelined it for his fenceline and let him know I was headed up to the barn to call the sheriff! He must have jumped in his truck and driven around to meet me there. He apologized but the barn owner was having none of it–not the first time he’d discharged firearms into a neighbor’s property endangering livestock (his other neighbor’s cows) and the boarded horses. Sheriff took it seriously and he was cited.[/QUOTE]
Years ago a neighbor “gut shot” a yearling we had a deposit on for $20k!!! He admitted he was target practicing, but didn’t admit to killing the horse!! He was the ONLY neighbor on any side of our100 acre farm!! No local lawyers would take the case because “Daddy” was an important community figure!! OP…Call the police and report him!!
I don’t think the target (coyote) is worth arguing about here and surprised that some of you are. It really doesn’t matter what the guy was shooting at. Shooting in to another property without permission, and with horses present? That would have me livid as well. And on the phone to the sheriff.
No one is arguing about what he shot at. Everyone is in agreement that the guy was dead wrong and had no business whatsoever shooting onto her property, and that he should have the police called on him if he tries it again.
There is a sub-conversation in regard to post #4 in which it was claimed that coyotes only eat rodents. This is untrue and the discussion about coyotes refers to that part of the conversation, not to the actual incident in the OP.
I do not think the OP should wait to call the police until this neighbor does this again. A police report needs to be filed now, on this incident.
Hopefully it will never be needed because the idiot neighbor learned a lesson, but just in case it is best to have it written down.
[QUOTE=dog&horsemom;8522741]
For some reason, men love to shoot coyotes - I am pretty convinced they are afraid of them!
Coyotes eat RODENTS. That is a good thing. Contrary to what you have read - they are not scouting for your cats - or dogs or horses ect. I have interviewed many biologists on this matter.
I would be VERY angry if this coward neighbor started shooting toward my property. He sounds like an idiot. I have many friends who hunt and believe me they don’t point toward a neighbors ( or anyones) property and shoot. ( and they aren’t afraid of coyotes either).[/QUOTE]
Coyotes are predators and scavengers. Yes, they eat rodents. And cats; the see them as very tasty hors-d’oeuvres. They will also take small dogs, young or disabled or weak animals, and whatever might be available for the least effort. It’s what they do.
As to shooting across the land of another, this is a form of trespass. It would be actionable. If damages occur the shooter would liable for them, perhaps on a “strict liability” basis (meaning that some of the more common defenses to negligence would not apply). Even if no significant compensatory loss were to occur significant punitive damages might. This would depend on the law of the jurisdiction involved.
If it’s a “one off” event and OP has effectively communicated with the shooter then I’d let it go. If it’s a continuing problem then it needs to be addressed.
G.
