Coywolf Sighted In Indianapolis

[indiucky]

When I lived in Virginia, one of my neighbors owned a wolf hybrid. It was a really cool dog. Only thing I didn't like was that it howled...a lot...late at night...and I could hear it from his house into my house..

I was fishing in the back country at BWCA in Minnesota the first time I heard a wolf howl...It'll make the hairs on your neck stand up tall for sure....

 

[gregkl]

I was fishing in the back country at BWCA in Minnesota the first time I heard a wolf howl...It'll make the hairs on your neck stand up tall for sure....

Not to thread drift but my son and I used to go the the Boundary Waters annually. Great times!

 

[NVG]

Thanks for everyone posting. I'm learning a lot from this thread.

 

[SAILORGOLF46]

I attended a talk titled "how to live with coyotes" put on by the IN DNR a couple years back. If I remember correctly they said the eastern coyote that we have here in Indiana has red wolf in its dna/family tree from way back. Not exactly a hybrid just had a few features as mentioned in OP's link. I am afraid the are here to stay.

 

[Slonsteady]

This is the biggest coyote I have seen. He was easily 40#+ and big.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=60113&d=1508593747

I took him late last year in Putnam county. I kept his tail and it is huge.

 

[phylodog]

If it has "coy" in the name, kill it. No downsides.

 

[Leadeye]

This was one ugly looking animal.

 

[indyartisan]

I had two run full tilt by me chasing a coon. The coon went up a tree in the back yard and the two coyotes did a half circle and were standing there looking at me panting like a couple of happy dogs. I thought they looked about the size of a German Shepard (80lbs?) but maybe it was just their winter coats. In Hamilton County.
.

 

[buckwacker]

If it has "coy" in the name, kill it. No downsides.

Yessir!

 

[Restroyer]

About 10 years ago when I lived at another place and I didn't have much of my own firewood I would have to buy a couple truckloads for the winter. One time I was referred to an out of the way farm that had a real good price on chopped firewood. When I got there I noticed 5 large coy dogs running around on his property. I asked him what the hell were those giant looking coyote / wolf like dogs. He claimed he bred them from a German Shepherd & a coyote. He said they patrolled his farm (looked more like a junkyard). They were big and were free to roam and seemed to be aggressive. Now I don't get intimidated by large dogs because I have two huge German Shepherds of my own and I have always had extra large dogs. But these 5 coy dogs made me feel real uneasy. I even made my young sons get back in the truck while I loaded up the firewood because I was afraid they were going to get bit. Needless to say I never bought firewood from the guy again. He and his place and his coy dogs gave me an uneasy feeling.

 

[Hookeye]

Coyotes stare a hole right through you. Dogs don't

 

[BluedSteel]

Yes, technically a coywolf is a coyote/wolf hybrid. But I am certain there are at least a few wolves currently in Indiana. I believe that I personally saw one [wolf] as a roadkill just a mile or so west of the "Bloomington Gate" of Crane a few years ago. An aquaintance of mine who lives outside of Silverville [East of Crane, west of Bedford] claims to have seen some as well. I'd like to point out two anecdotes for those who say it's not possible. 1) At the time I saw my roadkill the official IDNR position was that there were no bobcats in IN. But everyday I drove past a farm/rockbluff that almost always had one or more DNR vehicles parked there. Turns out that they [DNR] had a radio collar on a female bobcat who denned and bore cubs in the bluff, as well a male bc that lived and hunted on the grounds of Crane. They were keeping it a secret to protect them until the story broke in the Bedford newspaper. 2) I was raised in SW Indiana and was taught to recognize and avoid water moccasins on our hunting and fishing trips. [I'm in my 50's]. And every year the DNR assured everyone in their official publications that no such creature existed in our state. Until a grumpy old local in Pike Co. got tired of hearing this from "the college boys". So one day while frog hunting in the Sugar Ridge FWA (it was still called Patoka FWA back then) he got the chance to catch one and put it in what was literally a gunny sack. Which he then drove the few miles to the Wildlife Biologist office which was in the Area Headquarters. Said biologist didn't take the old man seriously until he open the bag and was struck at by the snake. Which fortunately missed. The snake was caught by a neighbor of my grandfather and came off a reclaimed stripper pit where we all fished. Moral of the story: the official version of what is and isn't can be wrong. Sometimes deliberately and for good reason. Sometimes just old fashioned ignorance. It pays to keep an open mind.

 

[DRAIN SURGEON]

Are you getting bobcat mixed up with mountain lion? Bobcat are native to indiana and have always been here.

 

[two70]

Are you getting bobcat mixed up with mountain lion? Bobcat are native to indiana and have always been here.

I doubt he is getting bobcats and mountain lions mixed up. Both are native to Indiana and both had been more or less extirpated until recently, though mountain lions technically still are.

 

[natdscott]

Coyotes stare a hole right through you. Dogs don't

About that second bit...that's not quite always true.

But the dog that does, better get the hammer dropped on it just as fast or faster than a coyote.

-Nate

 

[KLB]

We had these a few years back and I collected a lot of pictures on the game cams that I'll have to find. I forwarded them to a dog breeder that I knew and he forwarded them to someone more knowledgeable. The story was that they are a mix of coyote, some sort of Michigan wolf like Indiucky mentioned and dog. One ambush killed a full grown doe while I was out hunting when they were in the area. I haven't seen them is some time, but the following year a farmer on the other side of the HNF from me started seriously raising goats and sheep. Those are probably easier hunting that the deer around me.

I would hope that the farmer has some livestock guardian dogs with those goats. Soon after we started keeping goats we got two Maremma LGDs to keep away the coyotes here. The coyotes will skirt our property now, but they won't even try to get our goats.

 

[snapping turtle]

Throw a donkey or mule in with those goats or sheep. Being a pack animal the donkey will eventually flock with the other animals. You never hear of dog attacks on donkeys and mules for a reason.

 

[KLB]

We considered donkeys, but chose the LGD route instead. They are great dogs. They do tend to bark a lot at night. Especially as they mature and are learning the ropes. I do know whenever a coyote or deer go by my property now though.

Llamas are another option.

We have enough equine beasties already.

 

[Tactically Fat]

We considered donkeys, but chose the LGD route instead. They are great dogs. They do tend to bark a lot at night. Especially as they mature and are learning the ropes. I do know whenever a coyote or deer go by my property now though.

Llamas are another option.

We have enough equine beasties already.

Want some Llama? My parents have about 12-head too many.

 

[KLB]

God no! We have enough animals. I have to fight my wife constantly to stop her from buying more. Horses, goats, rabbits, ugh.