Need some help....

[sharpshooter]

This evening my dog was attacked (sorta) by a coyote and I was hoping that you guys could tell my why.
Here is how it went down,
I had a tire go flat on the tractor, so by the time I got back into the area it was around 6:15pm. We are replacing a fence next to a circle of milo, and I saw a coyote earlier this afternoon on the edge of the circle and didn't think much of it. It has been cold for the last 2 days and the sun shone a little this afternoon so I figured that he was just catching some ray's.
Now back to the tractor, I get the tire on by 6:30ish and decide to go shred the fence line that we are replacing, as I am driving up to the fence line I see 2 coyotes standing next to the afore mentioned circle that is about 150yd from the fence line I am going to shred. My lab Penny goes every where with me, she is doing her thing while I start shredding the fence line, I look up and there is a coyote running straight at my dog, Penny is 15ft in front of a deere 4640 running wide open. This coyote runs up and nips her on the hock, runs 10 ft to a old piece of machinery and starts pissing on it:CF: :hs:
then this coyote looks at my dog like it is going to make another pass at her , so I jump out of the tractor and charge the coyote. He doesn't really seem to care, I pull my pliers and hit him in the ribs at 10ft then he runs off but only to the edge of the circle. He stands there and watches me while I finish shredding the fence line.
Once I am finished, I go back to my truck put my dog in the back and drive up there hopping that he will try to attack again, only this time I will hit him with a 9mm:st: but as luck would have it I drive up there and both coyotes run back into the milo and never show their sorry hides again the rest of the evening.
So was this a male protecting his mate?
Is this how coyotes stake out new piece of turf?
Why was I able to charge a coyote and he not care?
My dog is fixed so I know that this is one thing I can rule out.
Also there has been a bad case of mange in the area, and I haven't seen a healthy coyote in 3 years or so, and these two had very nice pelts.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!!!

[talltexasshooter]

Scott,

I saw the same activity out of a pair (I think the alpha pair in the area) in that field we hunted near plainview. A pair chased the lab with us back from a long retieve and right into the waiting barrels of a couple of novas. The lab looked really happy as the coyotes took a couple of 3 inch no. 2s apeice. I think this is territorial behavior. Coyotes will definitely attack a dog in hunt mode, but in this case I think it is much more just to protect their turf. If you need any help with them, my 308 is dialed in perfectly right now.

[sharpshooter]

Keith,
Thanks for the info, I am leaving in a few min to take care of these 'yotes I will post some pics if I am successful :st:
On another note, do you want to come duck hunting next Saturday with us? bring your waders and gun and I will take care of the rest. We will be hunting up by Gruver, so if you can make it call or pm. me

[salthunter]

,.... I think this is territorial behavior. ,...... We lose dogs in my area every year to coyotes Often they will, "call out" a dog to kill them,. Neighbor watched some yotes call his dog,.. they act like they are playing,.. then the tide turns and the dog is attacked,.. When the coyotes saw my buddy they took off
I knew a few guy in Wyoming that have trained dogs for hunting, The dog goes out and courses an open area barking,.. coyotes respond,. The dogs I know of are trained to run to the handler with the coyote chasing them the predetor hunter shoots the coyotes. Most of the coyotes are 25-35 lbs chasing 60-70 lb dogs

[kirsch]

sharpshooter as salthunter has said this is very common tactic by coyotes. Most dogs will not give chase to two coyotes but virtually all medium to large sized dogs can take on one coyote and will give chase. The coyote is teasing the dog into chasing it to lure it away from the area where at least one other coyote is waiting. It urinating is just another way to tease the dog. While one coyote keeps the dog occupied, the other will come in from the rear and try to bite the dogs backside off. I had a german shepard as a kid have this happen to it.

A coyote not being scared of a tractor is no surprise. I have seen them run right next to a tractor which has always seemed strange. They know they don't have to fear it. The same coyote sometimes will be spooked by a driving truck at 800 yards away.

The part that is most alarming or puzzling is why the coyote didn't get scared by you. Coyotes typically are very nervous around human scent let alone seeing you charge it. My only guess is this coyote was so locked into what he was doing that it let its guard down, or it is sick. I have been as close as 3 feet from a coyote ready to pounce on me one time,:nn: and I turned around in time and I don't know who was more scared, me or the coyote:st: . I think we both were equally freaked out. I got up and the coyote changed his leap and off he went and I was so messed up I didn't even get my gun up to kill the darn thing. That coyote was attacking but not me but the rabbit and as soon as it realized I wasn't, it got out of there.

[Kreller1]

Thats some pretty aggressive behavior where it basically ignored YOU. The dog thing I can understand, I've seen that a hundred times. Best bet is to hop on the tractor, take Ole Betsy, and your pup out there and introduce those two 'yotes to Mr. Nosler.