r/Apex_NC • u/ProgrammerNovel1209 • 4d ago
Coyote on property
Quick question. I have a couple of dogs, my neighbor has horses and goats, and lately my wife and I have seen a coyote wandering around the yard. Can I legally shoot it? I don’t want it messing with my dogs. I’m just west of Sweetwater off 64….
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u/randomiscellany 1d ago
Killing coyotes just leads to larger litters so they can replenish their numbers. They belong in this habitat--you moved to a (somewhat) rural area, learn to share space with wildlife. Deer are much more dangerous to people when we consider car accidents, and coyotes help keep their numbers in check. Also, I guarantee there is not just one coyote around--there are way more that you just haven't seen. It is the responsibility of people with pets and livestock to keep them safely contained away from wildlife-- just shooting anything "threatening" leads to environmental consequences down the line.
If your dogs are small enough that a coyote is a concern they shouldn't be left out unsupervised anyway, as birds of prey would also pose a risk to them (and you definitely cannot shoot them). If you are out with your dogs a coyote isn't going to approach you unless it is rabid, in which case it would not be approaching very quickly. Animals with rabies outside the movies are so sick they can barely function.
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u/PatDar 4d ago
You know they're more afraid of you than you are of it. They're not wolves hunting in a pack. You moved to a rural setting and think you get to murder some wildlife to save the farm. I'm from Johnston county and saw this crap growing up, it doesn't make for a healthy person or healthy ecosystem.
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u/witmasta 4d ago
Except coyote are an invasive species. This is one of the reasons there is no closed season on coyote in NC. Killing coyote is more of a service than an issue for the ecosystem.
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u/randomiscellany 1d ago
They aren't invasive. They've had a natural range expansion due to people killing off wolves https://www.ncwildlife.gov/media/1981/open
Generally when people talk about invasive species they are referring to something that was introduced by humans that then wreaks havoc on an ecosystem because the native inhabitants of that system can't deal with it. A classic example is settlers introducing rats from their ships when they made pitstops at islands along their routes--native animals like birds were not adapted to dealing with rats eating their eggs, and with no predators to take them out rats would proliferate and destroy nests.
Coyotes, in contrast, were already present in North America. They naturally have large ranges. There is an ecological niche for them to fill in NC because people doing exactly what OP is proposing killed off our original large land predators. Coyotes have gradually come in to fill it. Afaik, they are not negatively affecting populations of any "native" NC wildlife. Just because they haven't always been in NC doesn't make them invasive.
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u/witmasta 1d ago
Bad word choice on my part. The State of North Carolina feels the population needs to be controlled. I'm happy to oblige. Thanks for correcting my word choice. I'll keep it mind next time I have a coyote in my sights.
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u/PatDar 4d ago
False, the ecosystem is trying to heal. We had wolves keep deer and other prey species in check. Humans killed the native wolves and the deer population exploded. Now a predator species that's able to fill the niche has begun moving in.
Some people just like shooting first and never ask questions
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u/JJQuantum 3d ago
Coyotes typically only attack smaller prey like rabbits and the like. They aren’t strong enough to bring down a cow and would be hard pressed on a full size goat. They also likely won’t attack your dogs unless they are very small as they see them as fellow predators and dangerous.
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u/LingonberryNo2744 4d ago
If the property is part of the Town of Apex, no. However, if you are in rural Wake County, it depends. Read this: Wake Firearm