In response to those who say that coyotes will not attack livestock or run in packs. Well, I am unaware of the behavior of coyotes in Oklahoma and Texas, but while growing up on a ranch in rural Northern CA, I observed that coyotes will run in temporary packs whenever it suits them. I have seen them take calves, large bucks, does, PLENTY of sheep, goats, and I once found a dead, and picked clean to the bones elk with a helluva lot of coyote tracks around it. Some might say that the elk died of natural causes or disease, but I tracked it for more than two miles, and from what I could observe from the pattern of the tracks (fresh snow makes this VERY easy), it had been running, and seven or eight coyotes had been chasing it. It is my belief that they took it by running it to death, which is a tactic they use on deer in that general area. Of course, some of the coyotes in this small area are much larger than most ‘experts’ suggest they can grow. In response to a sheepherder neighbor’s request, my friend and I staged a hunt to get rid of a couple of ‘monster’ coyotes that he was complaining about. He said he had lost six sheep in two weeks, so we agreed to help, assuming that what we were probably going to find was a cougar, which are quite plentiful in Nor Cal.

We were skeptical, but after some hard work, I took a coyote that weighed-in at 46 lbs, and my friend took another that was over 50. That is a BIG coyote. Since I no longer live on the ranch, and since my survival no longer hinges on the survival of livestock, I no longer hunt coyotes.

This is not to say that I don’t think there are black cats.

I do not doubt that there are black cats running around in Oaklahoma. I do not doubt that there may be a subspecies of cougar that may frequently come in black. If I was still hunting, I would very much like to take some my friends, some rifles and cameras, and some of the tactics we have learned down into Oaklahoma. If this kitty-cat down there IS a leapord, then leapord-hunting tactics must be put into operation; whether the eventual goal is to photo it or drop its carcass onto a wildlife expert’s desk. If it’s a Jaguar, then Jaguar-hunting tactics must be used. If it is a Cougar, well, you get the idea. The tactics used for successful hunts on each of these big cats are VERY different, and I fail to see why they would not use them; even if the primary weaponry they plan to use is photography. If standard “Cougar” tactics aren’t working, it may be a fair bet that they are dealing with something else. If I had the time, I’d be down there decked out in camo, snug in a blind, watching a bait-tree with sweaty palms and cold chills, listening to the crunch of dead leaves, feeling the wind on my face…

Just a thought.

And in response to what chooch has said, my neighbor suspected our dog of killing four or five of his goats in one night. Apparently, these goats were ripped apart, their skin peeled off. It always seemed more likely to me that a pack of dogs would have done that, but ours was the only one in the area at the time, and coyotes DO NOT venture up into peoples’ yards to attack ANY livestock. It’s just too close. I’ve always wondered if it could have been the work of the local panther (that doesn’t exist, mind you).

A few days after he claimed our dog killed his goats, he came down on our property and shot our dog. I suppose it’s all moot point now, but more now than ever I want publicity on the panther that lives here so I can redeem my innocent dog.

Oklahoma wildlife officers admit to the existence of a panther population here in the Cherokee Nation of northeast Oklahoma.

In May 2006 my wife and I heard a panther scream in the gully behind our house – and the Arkansas state border is less than a mile away. I doubt the big cats are put off by state borders or by the higher tax base in Arkansas.

To quote the Arkansas wildlife expert:

“If it’s livestock that’s been killed, it’s usually killed by coyotes,” Sasse said.

There is nothing cryptic about coyotes.

But that quote says volumes about Sasse’s inherent lack of wildlife knowledge.

Coyotes, unlike wolves and feral dogs, do not hunt in large packs – usually alone or in pairs at most – and are therefore logistically incapable of taking down “livestock” as prey.

I’ve been a coyote watcher some 40 years here in Oklahoma – with countless observations of coyotes moving placidly through cattle herds (day and night) to dine on milk droppings left by nursing calves.

Never once have I seen coyotes attack a calf or a cow, nor witnessed a cattle herd being spooked by coyotes. They seem to co-exist quite well.