Coyotes on Sleepers Island

islander10 · 05-07-2012, 08:17 PM

We found a dead deer under our neighbor's deck early this spring. The smell was terrible! It was mostly bones. My husband dragged it up into the woods. Each time he has checked it, it has been moved. He thinks it has been moved at least 250 ft.up hill. He had taken off the antlers so there isn't much to grab on to. Not much is left, now. Our other neighbor's have found a recent kill of a turkey and a pile of droppings with berries. The droppings are the size of a dog. A little nervous when I take my 40lb dog up in the woods to do his business. What do you think?????

jkjoshuatree · 05-07-2012, 08:31 PM

I'd bring a bat and be very, very loud when you're walking.

Jonas Pilot · 05-07-2012, 08:53 PM

A lot of strange things have happened on Winnie's islands. I don't think you should worry about what happened. But, I once heard an Indian legend about deer that were shot and killed by Abanakee warriors but never found. Usually, if they shot the deer late in the day and couldn't find it they would wait until the next day to start their search again. The night before they made sure they knew exactly where to start their search. They remembered where they last stood and where the deer should line up with. If the natives came back to that site and found the deer in a spot that was far from where they last saw it a great mumbling could be heard. "It has been moved!" 'What did this?' They would soon leave to find a place of less peoples and far from the bumpy territory of the high place.

Belmont Resident · 05-08-2012, 03:57 AM

I'd be thinking a fisher cat before a coyote.
I doubt a single coyote could drag down a deer unless the deer was sick or injured.
Also I'm not sure Sleepers Island is big enough to support a pack of coyotes.
Have you heard them howling at night?

riverat · 05-08-2012, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkjoshuatree

I'd bring a bat and be very, very loud when you're walking.

Ya!, a bat shaped like a shotgun.

Happy Gourmand · 05-08-2012, 07:09 AM

"and a pile of droppings with berries. The droppings are the size of a dog."

bear?

Knockers · 05-08-2012, 08:21 AM

http://www.watchcartoononline.com/th...-the-Woods.jpg

dippasan · 05-08-2012, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by islander10

We found a dead deer under our neighbor's deck early this spring. The smell was terrible! It was mostly bones. My husband dragged it up into the woods. Each time he has checked it, it has been moved. He thinks it has been moved at least 250 ft.up hill. He had taken off the antlers so there isn't much to grab on to. Not much is left, now. Our other neighbor's have found a recent kill of a turkey and a pile of droppings with berries. The droppings are the size of a dog. A little nervous when I take my 40lb dog up in the woods to do his business. What do you think?????

My little 10 pound mutt would be a light snack for either a Coyote or a Fischer cat. Sounds like a little lead poisoning may be in order....er...I mean catch and relocation of the poor displaced carnivore .

islander10 · 05-08-2012, 04:36 PM

Thank you for the replies. I will be yelling and singing in the woods. Just like a crazy person. No comment dippasan!

Kamper · 05-09-2012, 05:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by islander10

... The droppings are the size of a dog. ... (my 40lb dog) ...

Big droppings!

Did you see any tracks? It might actually be a dog.

Rattlesnake Gal · 05-09-2012, 01:48 PM

A few years ago we found a deer carcass with what looked to be coyote scat nearby. (Dog sized scat with deer fur mixed in.) Over the years the bones keep disappearing. We have never seen or heard them, but other islanders have seen them. We keep a look out for coyotes and don't leave the dogs unattended or roaming free. Good luck. I know this is very unnerving.

riverat, I like how you think!

Coyotes can be a real nuisance.

BroadHopper · 05-09-2012, 01:53 PM

I'm not so sure that there would be a coyote. They usually run in a pack, never alone.

My best guess will be a pack of domestic dogs. A decade ago, a friend of mine on Sleepers caught a pack of dogs chasing a deer on the island.

Quilt Lady · 05-09-2012, 02:30 PM

Late last winter I looked out of our lakeside windows and watched a lone coyote trotting along on the ice. Where he came from, I don't know but I watched as he made his way over to Sleepers Island. He went up onto the island at the Alton end. So you might have at least one coyote out there.

Personally, I would never use a baseball bat on a coyote. If he got that close, he would definitely be sick (rabies?) and I'm not about to go through those nasty shots. A trusty .38 special in the pocket (properly permitted, of course) would work for me. The noise alone would probably scare it off (and half of the residents as well).

Belmont Resident · 05-09-2012, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quilt Lady

Late last winter I looked out of our lakeside windows and watched a lone coyote trotting along on the ice. Where he came from, I don't know but I watched as he made his way over to Sleepers Island. He went up onto the island at the Alton end. So you might have at least one coyote out there.

Personally, I would never use a baseball bat on a coyote. If he got that close, he would definitely be sick (rabies?) and I'm not about to go through those nasty shots. A trusty .38 special in the pocket (properly permitted, of course) would work for me. The noise alone would probably scare it off (and half of the residents as well).

We had a hunter set up on our property for bear a couple of years ago. One afternoon he was checking on his bait and saw 2 coyotes guarding it. When he approached instead of running they attacked him. He shot one and the other went into the brush only to come out on the opposite side and attack him. He didn’t kill either but got a bullet into both.
So don’t assume a threat or a gunshot will scare them off.
These animals seem to becoming more aggressive and more and more populated in the NE area.

Pineedles · 05-09-2012, 07:08 PM

That sounds like a highly unlikely scenario. I think your hunter wanted to start an urban legend of his own. Behavior of coyotes doesn't match this type of scenario. I should add that I am a hunter.

Belmont Resident · 05-10-2012, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pineedles

That sounds like a highly unlikely scenario. I think your hunter wanted to start an urban legend of his own. Behavior of coyotes doesn't match this type of scenario. I should add that I am a hunter.

Well from what I understand bear bait makes for a great meal and it would stand to reason that two feeding animals might want to protect their meal.
Given coyotes growing unpredictability in their interaction with humans and other animals, mainly our pets as a food source, I find it hard that someone who supposedly calls themselves a hunter would discredit this from happening.
Given this hunter had absolutely no reason to make up a story about what just had happened, maybe you don’t spend enough time in the woods to have gathered enough information to base your disagreement on.
Although I do not hunt myself, I do watch a lot of educational programs on TV. Many of these programs are focusing on what effect urban sprawl is having on animal behavior and how climate change is causing many animals to change as well.
To say that this could not happen pretty shows that you might be somewhat ignorant to wildlife behavior. Calling yourself a hunter and understanding animal behavior are two different things.
After all there are many who call themselves hunters who drive around the backwoods of NH and ME looking for something to shoot at, AKA heater hunters. Unless your trudging through the woods stalking your prey or setting a tree stand in a likely spot that you have scoped out your not really a hunter.
I found it odd that a coyote would drag a deer under a house because they are not known to come around where human scent is unless they are looking for food. To hide a carcass under a house is most unusual for a coyote, but being it was an empty camp maybe not.

Pineedles · 05-10-2012, 07:01 AM

I'm not "ignorant" enough to get dragged into a name calling fight with you BR.

SIKSUKR · 05-10-2012, 07:46 AM

I'm not a hunter but I did stay in a Holiday Inn.

AC2717 · 05-10-2012, 08:02 AM

we should send Siksukr after it, he is a tazmanian devil after all

islander10 · 05-10-2012, 08:20 AM

Thanks again. I don't think the deer was dragged under the porch. It was just laying there, rotting. It has been dragged since it has been up in the woods.

dippasan · 05-10-2012, 08:43 AM

It amazes me, in the very short time that I have been a member and reading the forum, how many threads end up getting nasty.
I'm convinced that a thread about baking brownies would make someone mad.

RailroadJoe · 05-10-2012, 09:30 AM

DIPPISAN You don't remember the Girl Scout cookie episode?

dippasan · 05-10-2012, 09:37 AM

Ha Ha Perfect!
Tagalongs or Samoa's...could be war!

Rattlesnake Gal · 05-11-2012, 07:35 AM

Is it possible that the deer was sickly and was trying to hide under the deck and the coyote happened across an easy meal? I know for a fact that animals do venture under camps during the winter.

islander10 · 05-12-2012, 03:57 PM

So, one neighbor saw a coyote twice last year and two have heard it howl, this year!
Guess it is a coyote!!!

SteveA · 05-12-2012, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SIKSUKR

I'm not a hunter but I did stay in a Holiday Inn.

Ya.. but, was it a Holiday Inn 'Express" the regular Holiday Inns make you less smart!

meredith weekender · 05-13-2012, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dippasan

Ha Ha Perfect!
Tagalongs or Samoa's...could be war!

DOSIDOS Rule!!!!!!!!!

dpg · 05-14-2012, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rattlesnake Gal

Is it possible that the deer was sickly and was trying to hide under the deck and the coyote happened across an easy meal? I know for a fact that animals do venture under camps during the winter.

In my opinion that's exactly what happened. It very easly could of been wounded and chased under the camp. The last thing you want to do after hunting and wounding a deer is start after it right away. Best to wait awhile if it was wounded bad enough it will bed down somewhere and die there.

dippasan · 05-14-2012, 07:59 PM

Well, I was on my deck around 11:00 pm last Friday night and heard several "howls". Had 4 other guy's come out of the house to hear the sound and we all agreed that it had to be a coyote. I am on the southern side of the island and it sounded pretty close.
It sounded as though there was only one and we heard no "return" howls.
Keep a close eye on your pets. Coyote's will eat just about anything.

islandMike · 05-24-2012, 09:35 AM

My kids were walking Sleepers Island last weekend and found another Turkey kill near the center. They saw fresh deer tracks and also observed several other live turkeys, so there is still "natural" wildlife prey left on the Island. I have no idea how long the "natural" wildlife prey will last before the coyotes start looking for other prey. Does anyone have any ideas about dealing with the coyotes? We have fenced in our property to keep our dogs contained, but they do "escape" on occasion. I would hate to hear a story about a "lost pet" on sleepers.

05-07-2012, 08:17 PM	#1
islander10 Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Sleepers/Florida Posts: 17 Thanks: 2 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Coyotes on Sleepers Island We found a dead deer under our neighbor's deck early this spring. The smell was terrible! It was mostly bones. My husband dragged it up into the woods. Each time he has checked it, it has been moved. He thinks it has been moved at least 250 ft.up hill. He had taken off the antlers so there isn't much to grab on to. Not much is left, now. Our other neighbor's have found a recent kill of a turkey and a pile of droppings with berries. The droppings are the size of a dog. A little nervous when I take my 40lb dog up in the woods to do his business. What do you think?????

05-07-2012, 08:31 PM	#2
jkjoshuatree Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Bear Island Posts: 642 Thanks: 349 Thanked 145 Times in 77 Posts	Certainly Sounds Like Coyotes I'd bring a bat and be very, very loud when you're walking. __________________ Dream out loud.

05-08-2012, 03:57 AM	#4
Belmont Resident Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Belmont NH but prefer Jackman Maine Posts: 1,857 Thanks: 491 Thanked 410 Times in 251 Posts	Maybe not coyote I'd be thinking a fisher cat before a coyote. I doubt a single coyote could drag down a deer unless the deer was sick or injured. Also I'm not sure Sleepers Island is big enough to support a pack of coyotes. Have you heard them howling at night? __________________ "better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing, then a long life spent in a miserable way.."

05-08-2012, 07:09 AM	#6
Happy Gourmand Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Ruskin FL Posts: 1,027 Thanks: 188 Thanked 322 Times in 179 Posts	droppings with berries... "and a pile of droppings with berries. The droppings are the size of a dog." bear?

05-08-2012, 08:21 AM	#7
Knockers Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 22 Thanks: 14 Thanked 11 Times in 4 Posts	'Freaky' Bear of Sleepers island Found!!! (must use special bullets) http://www.watchcartoononline.com/th...-the-Woods.jpg

05-07-2012, 08:53 PM	#3
Jonas Pilot Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Wolfeboro, New Hampshire is my home, 24-7-365 Posts: 1,686 Thanks: 1,047 Thanked 336 Times in 189 Posts	A lot of strange things have happened on Winnie's islands. I don't think you should worry about what happened. But, I once heard an Indian legend about deer that were shot and killed by Abanakee warriors but never found. Usually, if they shot the deer late in the day and couldn't find it they would wait until the next day to start their search again. The night before they made sure they knew exactly where to start their search. They remembered where they last stood and where the deer should line up with. If the natives came back to that site and found the deer in a spot that was far from where they last saw it a great mumbling could be heard. "It has been moved!" 'What did this?' They would soon leave to find a place of less peoples and far from the bumpy territory of the high place.

05-08-2012, 04:36 PM	#9
islander10 Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Sleepers/Florida Posts: 17 Thanks: 2 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Thank you for the replies. I will be yelling and singing in the woods. Just like a crazy person. No comment dippasan!

05-09-2012, 01:48 PM	#11
Rattlesnake Gal Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Central NH Posts: 5,252 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 1,451 Thanked 1,349 Times in 475 Posts	Oh, Deer! A few years ago we found a deer carcass with what looked to be coyote scat nearby. (Dog sized scat with deer fur mixed in.) Over the years the bones keep disappearing. We have never seen or heard them, but other islanders have seen them. We keep a look out for coyotes and don't leave the dogs unattended or roaming free. Good luck. I know this is very unnerving. riverat, I like how you think! Coyotes can be a real nuisance.

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05-09-2012, 01:53 PM	#12
BroadHopper Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Laconia NH Posts: 5,562 Thanks: 3,180 Thanked 1,098 Times in 791 Posts	Dog packs I'm not so sure that there would be a coyote. They usually run in a pack, never alone. My best guess will be a pack of domestic dogs. A decade ago, a friend of mine on Sleepers caught a pack of dogs chasing a deer on the island. __________________ Someday may never be an actual day.

05-09-2012, 02:30 PM	#13
Quilt Lady Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: West Alton, NH Posts: 169 Thanks: 0 Thanked 25 Times in 11 Posts	but then again . . . Late last winter I looked out of our lakeside windows and watched a lone coyote trotting along on the ice. Where he came from, I don't know but I watched as he made his way over to Sleepers Island. He went up onto the island at the Alton end. So you might have at least one coyote out there. Personally, I would never use a baseball bat on a coyote. If he got that close, he would definitely be sick (rabies?) and I'm not about to go through those nasty shots. A trusty .38 special in the pocket (properly permitted, of course) would work for me. The noise alone would probably scare it off (and half of the residents as well). __________________ QL (Doing my best to encourage Global Warming ... one quilt at a time!)

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05-09-2012, 07:08 PM	#15
Pineedles Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Moultonborough & CT Posts: 2,541 Thanks: 1,071 Thanked 667 Times in 366 Posts	That sounds like a highly unlikely scenario. I think your hunter wanted to start an urban legend of his own. Behavior of coyotes doesn't match this type of scenario. I should add that I am a hunter.

05-10-2012, 07:01 AM	#17
Pineedles Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Moultonborough & CT Posts: 2,541 Thanks: 1,071 Thanked 667 Times in 366 Posts	Really I'm not "ignorant" enough to get dragged into a name calling fight with you BR.

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05-10-2012, 07:46 AM	#18
SIKSUKR Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 5,075 Thanks: 215 Thanked 903 Times in 509 Posts	I'm not a hunter but I did stay in a Holiday Inn. __________________ SIKSUKR

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05-10-2012, 08:02 AM	#19
AC2717 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Maynard, MA & Paugus Bay Posts: 2,547 Thanks: 751 Thanked 350 Times in 263 Posts	we should send Siksukr after it, he is a tazmanian devil after all __________________ Capt. of the "No Worries"

05-10-2012, 08:20 AM	#20
islander10 Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Sleepers/Florida Posts: 17 Thanks: 2 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Thanks again. I don't think the deer was dragged under the porch. It was just laying there, rotting. It has been dragged since it has been up in the woods.

05-10-2012, 08:43 AM	#21
dippasan Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Hooksett NH and Sleepers Isl Posts: 391 Thanks: 287 Thanked 189 Times in 82 Posts	It amazes me, in the very short time that I have been a member and reading the forum, how many threads end up getting nasty. I'm convinced that a thread about baking brownies would make someone mad. __________________ Luck is when preparedness meets opportunity

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05-10-2012, 09:30 AM	#22
RailroadJoe Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 620 Thanks: 259 Thanked 158 Times in 100 Posts	DIPPISAN You don't remember the Girl Scout cookie episode?

05-10-2012, 09:37 AM	#23
dippasan Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Hooksett NH and Sleepers Isl Posts: 391 Thanks: 287 Thanked 189 Times in 82 Posts	Ha Ha Perfect! Tagalongs or Samoa's...could be war! __________________ Luck is when preparedness meets opportunity

05-11-2012, 07:35 AM	#24
Rattlesnake Gal Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Central NH Posts: 5,252 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 1,451 Thanked 1,349 Times in 475 Posts	Deer Is it possible that the deer was sickly and was trying to hide under the deck and the coyote happened across an easy meal? I know for a fact that animals do venture under camps during the winter.

05-12-2012, 03:57 PM	#25
islander10 Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Sleepers/Florida Posts: 17 Thanks: 2 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	So, one neighbor saw a coyote twice last year and two have heard it howl, this year! Guess it is a coyote!!!

05-14-2012, 07:59 PM	#29
dippasan Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Hooksett NH and Sleepers Isl Posts: 391 Thanks: 287 Thanked 189 Times in 82 Posts	Well, I was on my deck around 11:00 pm last Friday night and heard several "howls". Had 4 other guy's come out of the house to hear the sound and we all agreed that it had to be a coyote. I am on the southern side of the island and it sounded pretty close. It sounded as though there was only one and we heard no "return" howls. Keep a close eye on your pets. Coyote's will eat just about anything. __________________ Luck is when preparedness meets opportunity

05-24-2012, 09:35 AM	#30
islandMike Junior Member Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	another turkey kill on sleepers My kids were walking Sleepers Island last weekend and found another Turkey kill near the center. They saw fresh deer tracks and also observed several other live turkeys, so there is still "natural" wildlife prey left on the Island. I have no idea how long the "natural" wildlife prey will last before the coyotes start looking for other prey. Does anyone have any ideas about dealing with the coyotes? We have fenced in our property to keep our dogs contained, but they do "escape" on occasion. I would hate to hear a story about a "lost pet" on sleepers.