Wolves in Indiana, Marion county Indianapolis?

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  • Trevlan

    Marksman
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    Jan 6, 2011
    151
    16
    Franklin Township
    So I was walking my pup this morning before my morning rounds. When I came to my back yard, I saw some tracks leading up to my kitchen window. At first I though it could have been some peeping tom, but I realized they were animal tracks. Like when an animal is in a full sprint. So I disregarded them because my neighbor said that Coyote and deer come thru in my back yard. Then as Sammy was finishing up her morning pee pee and kaki, I saw it. OMFG, this couldnt have been a Coyote. I've lived in NYC my entire life, and the only Coyote I've seen have been on TV and they look scrony. This was a strong tall beast that was looking right at me. No more than 200 feet separated us. A distance he/she would have traversed in seconds. I slowly pulled my dog towards me, and started to walk backwards towards the house. The animal dissapeared into the woods.

    I have a few questions, Are there wolves here in Indianapolis? How dangerous are they? Why didn't my dog bark when the animal was there in plain sight? And if it wasn't a Wolf, how dangerous are Coyote?

    There aren't many things I'm affraid of. But for that time until it dissapeared, my legs were shaking a little. It was an experience.
     
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    Jul 3, 2008
    3,619
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    central indiana
    there are no confirmed wolves in the wild in Indiana..
    coyote can be larger than you expect , and yes they can be a risk to pets.. usally not a risk to adults if only one coyote..

    It may have been a loose dog..
     

    Trevlan

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    Jan 6, 2011
    151
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    Franklin Township
    I was only one large canine. Could have been a loose Siberian Husky, but just the other day a neighbor lost her pug and was driving around town looking for her. So I doubt it's from this neighborhood. Either way, a loose dog is just as dangerous as wolf or a coyote when it's hungry.

    I remeber when we first moved into this house. The fridge wasn't working properly, and we had just gone food shopping. My lady, since it was cold out, had the bright idea to leave the stakes outside in our back yard. Needless to say, the next day, there was only one steak left. lol. I would have loved to see whatever ate them walk away with 7 steaks in it's tummy. He must have been sleepy.
     

    Zoub

    Grandmaster
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    May 8, 2008
    5,220
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    Northern Edge, WI
    Why didn't my dog bark when the animal was there in plain sight?
    Because your dog is a useless POS?

    Dogs like Labs and other working breeds have been known to attack a Grizzly to save their owner. Not barking at a Coyote in plain sight is close to Dog treason.

    Perhaps he was trying to set you up? Let the Wolf-Dog get a shot at you. What you have there is s furry ornament and permanent child.
     

    ATOMonkey

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    Jun 15, 2010
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    Plainfield
    Coyotes have been cross breeding with ferral dogs for some time now. They are growing larger and more pack oriented.

    They're getting more wolf-like every year.
     

    Trevlan

    Marksman
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    Jan 6, 2011
    151
    16
    Franklin Township
    Because your dog is a useless POS?

    Dogs like Labs and other working breeds have been known to attack a Grizzly to save their owner. Not barking at a Coyote in plain sight is close to Dog treason.

    Perhaps he was trying to set you up? Let the Wolf-Dog get a shot at you. What you have there is s furry ornament and permanent child.

    LoL. Most likely, she's only 12 weeks old. And it's a lab.

    Maybe she was upset about me locking her up at night while she learns to potty train as was thinking,"Master? I'll show you master you Bas****" lol. She didn't even look it's way. What a worthless mutt. Anyone wants a pure breed black lab?
     

    Trevlan

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    Jan 6, 2011
    151
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    Franklin Township
    Coyotes have been cross breeding with ferral dogs for some time now. They are growing larger and more pack oriented.

    They're getting more wolf-like every year.

    Monkey, don't tell me that. Or maybe the next time I take the dog to walk, it'll be me who craps. It had to weight atleast 100 to 150 pounds. The Coyote's I see on TV usually weight like 50 to 75 pounds and look hungry and scrony. I could probablly kick one of those across the yard. But that one today? Hells to the no.
     

    abnk

    Master
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    Mar 25, 2008
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    Because your dog is a useless POS?

    Dogs like Labs and other working breeds have been known to attack a Grizzly to save their owner. Not barking at a Coyote in plain sight is close to Dog treason.

    Perhaps he was trying to set you up? Let the Wolf-Dog get a shot at you. What you have there is s furry ornament and permanent child.

    I agree. He did this so he could sleep with his wife and drink his booze.

    Did the animal leave any clear tracks in the snow? Wolf and coyote tracks are different. Not that I have any suspicion of it being a wolf.
     

    eldirector

    Grandmaster
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    Apr 29, 2009
    14,677
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    Brownsburg, IN
    Yeah, coyotes can get pretty big. Most around here are in that 25-30 pound range. They can get MUCH bigger, though. I think the record is nearly 70 pounds. The big ones, especially if a hybrid, look just like a small wolf. They would have no problem with you or your dog 1 on 1. A pack of them could be real trouble.

    BTW: My father in law sees them on the canal and river all the time. They are actually pretty common in Indy.
     

    ATOMonkey

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    Jun 15, 2010
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    Plainfield
    Coyotes are supposed to weigh less than 30 lbs, less than 24 inches at the shoulder and travel in pairs or solitary.

    The things we have in Indiana are a subspecies of the coyote that was originally introduced. A lot of people call them coy-bogs. They are much heavier, much taller, and tend to travel in packs.
     

    45pro

    Expert
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    Mar 21, 2009
    1,081
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    Plymouth
    All the cyotes i've ever seen were prolly about 50lbs, nothing spetacular, about the size of an average "medium' dog. I have a purebred siberian husky and in no way would be confused with a wolf/cyote. cyotes tend to have dark greyish brown coats, not bright white and grey.
     

    grunt soldier

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    May 20, 2009
    4,910
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    hamilton county
    your pup probably didn't even realize it was there. and being 200 yards away your size guess was probably a bit off. he was probably 60-70 lbs and was watching you hoping you were going to let his dinner off the leash. his partner was probably lying in wait. i have almost never seen a coyote by themselves, usually always 2 around.

    my brother lives around 79th/michigan rd in indy and the coyote population is huge there. the coyotes in broad day light have eat 3 cats and 2 dogs. one literally right in front of the owner while she ran. if there is nothing to keep them in check and scared they get very brazen. definitely be careful letting your pup run to far. you don't have anything to worry about personally minus the pup
     

    jeremy

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    Feb 18, 2008
    16,482
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    Fiddler's Green
    Coyotes are supposed to weigh less than 30 lbs, less than 24 inches at the shoulder and travel in pairs or solitary.

    The things we have in Indiana are a subspecies of the coyote that was originally introduced. A lot of people call them coy-bogs. They are much heavier, much taller, and tend to travel in packs.

    Coy-Dogs are not as much a sub-species of Coyote. It would be more accurate to say that they are a hybrid of the Coyote and Feral Domestic Dogs. We have been fighting the problem with Coy-dogs for decades up here North of Indy. Part of the reason you will find so many of us put here in the sticks that just shoot stray dogs whenever we come across them...
     

    ghostinthewood

    Sharpshooter
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    Dec 1, 2010
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    18
    Washington, IN
    Coy-Dogs are not as much a sub-species of Coyote. It would be more accurate to say that they are a hybrid of the Coyote and Feral Domestic Dogs. We have been fighting the problem with Coy-dogs for decades up here North of Indy. Part of the reason you will find so many of us put here in the sticks that just shoot stray dogs whenever we come across them...
    :yesway:

    I don't know about how coyotes act near bigger cities, but they get blamed for more than what they do. Apparently the new thing to blame coyotes for is the rabbit population. Coyotes would rather eat other rodents. Cats are more likely to kill rabbits. More reason to shoot them. ;)
     

    jeremy

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    Feb 18, 2008
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    Fiddler's Green
    Foxes tend to do a lot of damage to the foxes also...
    Feral Dogs and Cats would be what I would attempt to tag with the blame for it though...
     

    Trevlan

    Marksman
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    Jan 6, 2011
    151
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    Franklin Township
    200 feet was the distance. I have targets out at 100 feet and 125 for my air rifles. He was just a little beyond that. I took pictures of the tracks by my kitchen window. I used a 20 ounce bottle of aquafina for size comparison. I also ventured out into the hotzone for you guys and took a picture of the tracks the actual animal made and the direction it went afterwards! Both of my SLR cameras didn't like the cold so I had to use my cellphone. I'll upload them to my site and post them here in a few.
     

    Trevlan

    Marksman
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    Jan 6, 2011
    151
    16
    Franklin Township
    Now that you mention it. LoL. The track prints will show another dog joining in on the walk to the woods. Sneaky bastards. I keep my pup on the lease at all times. I let her run off once to see if she would come when I call, but she didn't come as fast as I expected. Never again. Not until she's bigger. Pics comming soon.
     

    Trevlan

    Marksman
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    Jan 6, 2011
    151
    16
    Franklin Township
    Print near my kitchen window
    1155646672_PyPjo-M.jpg

    Possible fecal matter? My pup leaves bigger ones than these.
    1155646694_NrWf5-M.jpg

    Two prints side by side, still near kitchen window. I doubt these were from the beast I speak of.
    1155646720_p7wXN-M.jpg

    These are the prints
    1155646761_X4je2-M.jpg

    This is where it went
    1155646811_VeU6u-M.jpg


    To my eyes it was as big as a siberian husky. Could have been mistaken because it was early morning. Either case, it was an experience. lol.

    Let's discuss the prints.

    One thing the photos don't show is how deep the prints were. And also, the animal walked away, it was in no hurry. Hope that helps. BRB have to get my kid from school.
     
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