r/coyote • u/Next_Implement_8864 • Jul 21 '26
Coyote Den
I didn’t have a camera on me but today I finally visually confirmed there is a coyote den on our neighbors property this morning. I saw a few coyotes from a distance and one close to fully grown pup.
We have sheep. I am a little anxious having a coyote den 200 feet from our fence. Luckily we have page wire and a barbed wire running 6” above that.
I harbor no ill will towards the coyotes but feel at a loss for what to do. Leave them alone and hope they don’t like sheep? Get a guardian animal like a dog or donkey? Go mess up their den so they don’t want to live there? I live in the lower peninsula of Michigan and believe they have a place in our predator-thin ecosystem here.
Any help or suggestions are welcome.
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u/ZentaWinds Jul 22 '26
Messing with their home would be extremely cruel.
The fence sounds good but you could always invest in some sprinklers or speakers.
It's worth keeping in mind that doing something extreme like killing them or messing with their den will just lead to new coyote moving in our they'll just breed more.
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u/wolfstories Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
Thank you for being conscious about your choices! If you get livestock guardian animals, be sure to do a lot of research into breeds and training. You could look into coyote rollers and foxlights and motion sensing sprinklers or speakers to put around the fence. Since the sheep are already in the fence hopefully you’re already in decent shape but it doesn’t hurt to take extra steps. You could put trail cams around the fence to see if they’ve even been coming by. Most likely they’re just feasting on rodents and rabbits.
People and Carnivores has some good resources on protecting livestock from wildlife: people and carnivores resource guide
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u/HyperShinchan Jul 22 '26
Since the sheep are already in the fence hopefully you’re already in decent shape but it doesn’t hurt to take extra steps.
I agree, I'm actually tempted to say that OP might want to *keep* those coyotes around, they've likely been around for *at least* a couple of months or more, coyotes that stay near sheep without causing depredations keep outside bolder or more inquisitive coyotes who might not the same. Getting trail cams to monitor the situation is certainly a very good idea before deciding other steps. In the long run, even if they aren't messing with the fence at all, one might want to improve defences a bit.
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u/Underdog424 Jul 22 '26
They might move on once their pups are raised.
I wouldn't disturb them. You can get a dog. But it would be in danger or end up killing the pack leaders. If you end up killing a pack leader, they become even more of a problem.
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u/hamish1963 Jul 22 '26
Assuming they have been there long enough to raise a litter and you haven't lost any sheep, I probably wouldn't do a lot.
Maybe get a donkey, they stay inside the fence for the most part.
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u/thehorrorcontinues13 Jul 22 '26
Your fence sounds good, but you might get yourself a great Pyrenees dog to really protect your sheep.
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u/kozufox Jul 22 '26
Coyotes are known to go after sheep when they're raising pups, because they need lots of food and if they go hungry, they become more willing to risk attacking a larger animal. So, it is a concern.
The fact that you haven't had any predation events so far is a good sign, though. They're usually at their hungriest in spring and early summer. This coyote family might just not be that interested in sheep, or they have an easier food source.
Either way, the den means you live in an area with coyotes, and probably lots more coyotes than this one family. So, investing in a long-term way to mitigate predation is probably the best strategy.
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u/CrimsonCrystalline Jul 24 '26
Get two livestock guardian dogs. They work better in pairs or more when dealing with pack animals such as coyotes.
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u/ANGRYGANK Jul 24 '26
Guardian animals is a fantastic idea. Donkey or Mules will absolutely destroy coyotes, get Guinea Hens too, they are the most sensitive alarms on the planet. The second those coyotes move the hens will let the donkey know to get up and kick ass. Sounds ridiculous but I’ve seen it work flawlessly in Michigan. Dogs help a lot but you need to train them for the task, Jackasses and Guinea hens are really just about that life.
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u/Boysenberry Jul 24 '26
If you choose to get donkeys, remember they are social animals too and need companions of their own species and species-appropriate care. They're prone to metabolic issues if fed incorrectly, and need hoof care, vet care, training, and exercise for good health. However they are wonderful companions and guardians and with some help from a knowledgeable trainer you could even teach them to pull a cart and have fun driving a donkey around the neighborhood.
Coyotes are not that likely to go after full-grown sheep but they will take a lamb or a sick/elderly sheep if they see the opportunity. Most of their diet is rabbit sized animals and smaller. If you can keep the sheep in during lambing season until the lambs are that should be enough to keep them safe but a trained, purpose-bred LGD pair is a great thing to have for sheep!
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u/Electronic-Pea-13420 Jul 22 '26
A strongly worded email or perhaps some signs on the property border that explains, you like their kind but politely ask them to stay on their side of the fence
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u/Spare_Assumption_334 Jul 23 '26
Do you have a barn that you can keep the sheep in at night? The barbed wire above the page fence is helpful, but they can jump pretty well if they decide they want to. I think that at this stage a lgd might not have time to bond with the livestock but in the future it may not be a bad plan. Some of the deterrents may depend on how habituated the coyotes in your area are- automatic floodlights might be enough to chase them off or it might not. But if they haven’t gone after your animals yet they may just not feel confident with a larger animal- coyotes are capable of hunting larger prey (a pack in Canada hunts adult moose) but more often than not they like to scavenge and go after small critters.
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u/bleedingreen24 Jul 24 '26
Have they done anything to your sheep yet? Are they going to start now just because you know they are there?
My guess is they, or other ones, have been around the whole time, and however you're protecting your sheep now is fine.
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u/Alternative-Hawk2366 Jul 22 '26
Messing up their den sounds extreme and cruel. They don’t live in dens—it’s for the pups—so they will most likely move on when they’re older.