Making Animals more Dangerous

[Johnny1A.2]

Originally Posted by lwcamp

These are actually reminiscent of some animal tactics I have actually encountered. About 8 years ago I was going for a walk with my two dogs (a border collie mix and a blue heeler mix) in the undeveloped, swampy area around the Yakima delta, where the Yakima river flows into the Columbia. I encountered a pair of coyotes. Normally coyotes just run away whenever they encounter an adult human, or watch from a long ways away (well out of rifle shot). These ones would circle around at a range of about 20 to 50 meters, yipping, often pausing in plain sight and staring at me and my dogs (one even occasionally stood up on its hind legs to give yips, a very odd thing to watch). My best guess is that they were trying to get my dogs to chase them, at which point they would lure the dogs far enough away and behind cover that I couldn't come to assistance and then kill a dog or two to eat. Fortunately my dogs, being of herding dog stock, paid close attention to me, stayed close, and didn't go running off. If I'd had a hound, I suspect it would be dead. I saw them use this behavior on two different occasions. It unnerved me enough that now whenever I go out where I might encounter coyotes I always bring a firearm if I've got dogs or my kids with me.

Luke

I've heard of coyotes doing similar things to lure dogs.