I think I need a bigger blade •WARNING• GRAPHIC PICTURE•

[Grant Lamontagne]

At various points while building the highway, we are working on. We have required access roads which once that section was completed, we’re no longer used for much of anything and are just left for nature to reclaim.  These access roads are a great spot for a nature walk when I have a little bit of downtime at work.

It is a very pretty place to be and enjoyable to get away from the noise of heavy equipment and smell the woods instead of hydraulic fluid.

Lately I have been noticing more and more coyote tracks and droppings, and I have on multiple occasions noted that I was being tracked likely by coyotes.  As an experienced outdoors person, I keep a few rocks in my hands just in case, but I also know that one or two coyotes are not likely to try somebody my size simply because I’m an unknown quantity, and their bellies are probably full, judging by how much other wildlife is around.

Even so coyotes are bold and dangerous and yesterday I came across a reminder of just how bold and how dangerous. Unfortunately, it also seems like I may have underestimated their numbers.

Yesterday I found the remains of this deer, completely stripped to the bone.  I don’t think that there was so much as an ounce of meat left on this carcass, and given that the few bits of flesh that were still on it were still red, I’m pretty certain it happened within a few hours of when I stumbled across it.

Figuring that deer was about 130 pounds means there’s probably about 50-60 pounds of meat and 30 some odd pounds of soft tissue, which means in order to completely strip it, there had to be more than one or two coyotes.

It’s a bit sobering to think that the times I heard them 50-60 feet away in the woods that there may have been a whole pack and not the lone animals I thought there was.

Naturally I also wonder how many times I was in this situation and didn’t know they were there.

Since I spend a lot of time in the woods and coyotes are getting more fearless I think it’s about time i re-evaluated my  outdoors gear as I’d really rather not be their next meal.

Def

[IMR4198]

   I would hate to fight a coyote pack with a knife.  I suppose someone could carry a Bowie or something to make them feel better.  Likely wouldn't help.  Size wouldn't matter either.  One single coyote attacked a 600 pound hog at the farm next door.  A whitetail deer is a much tougher adversary than a person.  Fast, great sense of smell and hearing, woods wise and wary. 
   I have had coyotes track me.  On the return trip I saw their tracks in the snow following mine.  Don't count on seeing them either.  If you have seen some at a distance, it is unlikely you have seen a fraction of the ones that are near.  They are masters of concealment. 
   Fortunately, healthy coyotes don't generally bother humans.  If they are rabid, all bets are off.  I had one near contact with a rabid fox.  My hound came to grips with him before he could attack.  Even with a large dog fighting it, the fox wouldn't back down.  I ended the attack with a shotgun.  Rabies problems where I live.  The wildlife people have been dropping medicated baits from the air and distributing them by vehicle. 
   I assume that a sidearm is out of the question in Canada.  Oddly enough, I can carry a sidearm but not a Bowie knife.  Best wishes.  G
   [ You are not allowed to view this attachment ]  
Late edit.  Found this in my driveway last year.  G

[Grant Lamontagne]

A sidearm is sort of out of the question.  My employer frowns on armed employees, as many do!

I am thinking of getting something like a Henry Mare’s Leg that I can carry.  I think it is classed as a pistol in the US but it is long enough to satisfy the law in Canada for Long Guns so I could carry it.  Further, if you have a coyote license, there is no bag limit or season, so if anyone (like a conservation officer) ever asks I can honestly say I am hunting coyotes when in fact I am simply not interested in being hunted by coyotes.

The Mare’s Leg comes chambered for .22, .357 and .44, and my initial preference would be .22, but the sensible part of me would probably go with the .357 and load .38 Special into it.

As for seeing a coyote, you are 100% correct.  I have not seen them, I have simply heard them and figured out what it was through experience.  You barely hear them, but in the fall when there are fresh leaves on the ground even the big cats make the odd noise.  It’s all about hearing the noise and waiting for the next one to realize they are following you.

As for attacking a hog, yeah, I am nowhere near 600 pounds, but coyotes know hogs.  They know deer.  They know horses.  They also know people are often armed, and they generally won’t try anything unless they think they can get the drop on you…. And they are hungry enough.

That’s where my tiny bladder is a real pain in the butt, as they love to attack when you are distracted by things like peeing and I do that often. 

And you are right, I would lose fighting a coyote (or multiples) with a blade, regardless of size.  But, given that I can’t run (and couldn’t outrun a coyote even if my bones were made of bone) I don’t have much choice but to stand my ground.  My only hope at that point is to put up enough of a fight that they figure I’m not worth the effort.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

Oh, and I suppose I could just stay out of the woods, but where’s the fun in that? 

I won’t be on that particular trail much longer as our highway is opening in the next week or so, and I’ll be going somewhere else.

But there are coyotes anywhere you have deer and I have seen deer in my yard in the middle of the city.  I think most people would be surprised at how close coyotes are at any time.

Ded

[G-Dizzle]

A sidearm is sort of out of the question.  My employer frowns on armed employees, as many do!

I am thinking of getting something like a Henry Mare’s Leg that I can carry.  I think it is classed as a pistol in the US but it is long enough to satisfy the law in Canada for Long Guns so I could carry it.  Further, if you have a coyote license, there is no bag limit or season, so if anyone (like a conservation officer) ever asks I can honestly say I am hunting coyotes when in fact I am simply not interested in being hunted by coyotes.

The Mare’s Leg comes chambered for .22, .357 and .44, and my initial preference would be .22, but the sensible part of me would probably go with the .357 and load .38 Special into it.

As for seeing a coyote, you are 100% correct.  I have not seen them, I have simply heard them and figured out what it was through experience.  You barely hear them, but in the fall when there are fresh leaves on the ground even the big cats make the odd noise.  It’s all about hearing the noise and waiting for the next one to realize they are following you.

As for attacking a hog, yeah, I am nowhere near 600 pounds, but coyotes know hogs.  They know deer.  They know horses.  They also know people are often armed, and they generally won’t try anything unless they think they can get the drop on you…. And they are hungry enough.

That’s where my tiny bladder is a real pain in the butt, as they love to attack when you are distracted by things like peeing and I do that often. 

And you are right, I would lose fighting a coyote (or multiples) with a blade, regardless of size.  But, given that I can’t run (and couldn’t outrun a coyote even if my bones were made of bone) I don’t have much choice but to stand my ground.  My only hope at that point is to put up enough of a fight that they figure I’m not worth the effort.

Def

Maybe bear spray? I assume it could work on bears, coyote, and mountain lions, but maybe not hogs. It’s a shame that our maple syrup drinking brothers to the north cannot carry handguns, even as protection from animals in the woods.

I am not versed in Canadian gun law, but I believe that there are no SBR or SBS laws up there like there are here in the states. If that is true, I assume you would be allowed to put a stock on the Mare’s leg to make it more useful. Definitely go for the .357 option over the .22. The 22 would be fun, but the 357 more useful for everything but squirrels and rabbits.

[Grant Lamontagne]

The Mare’s Leg is long enough to satisfy the law so they are fine to carry.  I can also carry a rifle or shotgun, but none of those are overly convenient.

I can buy bear spray, dog spray, coyote spray and so on, and yeah, they would probably be quite effective.  But, having been on the receiving end of those kinds of things on many occasions (long story, but I have terrible taste in friends sometimes!) I’m always concerned about blowback and making myself even more defenceless!

Def

[IMR4198]

   Coyotes are a low risk to prepare for actually.  99.9% of the time around here it is potential people problems.  If you discount crawling and flying invertebrates and the occasional snake, the animals are really no problem at all.   Best wishes.  G
 

[Vidar]

Flame thrower? Although getting attacked by bright burning coyotes sounds even worse.. Also amazing at starting forest fires I've heard.

More seriously most animals are afraid of flames. Survivors from a sunken ship up in the arctic were surrounded by polar bears and managed to keep them away until their rescue by burning remains of their life boat in a circle.

[Farmer X]

I was unfamiliar with the Henry Mare's Leg. Now I kinda want one. Chambered for .357, it should be a great anti-coyote firearm. You might also want to consider a Canada-legal .357 or .38 revolver. I wouldn't want to fend off a rabid, starving, or otherwise PO'd coyote with a blade.

[IMR4198]

Mare's Leg was what bounty hunter Josh Randall (Steve McQueen) called his sawed off Winchester 92.  Old tv series called Wanted Dead or Alive.  An entertaining western show for the most part.  Best wishes.  G
 

[Grant Lamontagne]

   Coyotes are a low risk to prepare for actually.  99.9% of the time around here it is potential people problems.  If you discount crawling and flying invertebrates and the occasional snake, the animals are really no problem at all.   Best wishes.  G
 

Insects aren’t as big of a problem here.  There aren’t a lot of actually dangerous ones here in Canada.  I have experienced some major infections from bug or spider bites, but nothing too life threatening.

Also, there are very few snake species in Canada that can kill, and none of them are anywhere near here.  We have four snake species native to Nova Scotia and none of them are particularly dangerous.  Some will give you a nip, but there’s no venom or anything.  And, since we are connected to the mainland by a road, a railway and a salsmurfer swamp, not a lot of animals come across from the rest of the country.

I was unfamiliar with the Henry Mare's Leg. Now I kinda want one. Chambered for .357, it should be a great anti-coyote firearm. You might also want to consider a Canada-legal .357 or .38 revolver. I wouldn't want to fend off a rabid, starving, or otherwise PO'd coyote with a blade.

I don’t want to have an encounter with any kind of coyote if I can avoid it.  Or a bear.  I figure the .357 should be suitable for both.  There’s no grizzlies here, and our black bears aren’t overly aggressive, but there’s always times.  They are bears after all.

I hate killing anything I’m not intending to eat, but I have no desire to spend a relaxing weekend being digested either. 

When it comes to pistols,I’d rather have something I can put two hands on, especially in the middle of an adrenaline dump.  The Mare’s Leg gives you the best of both worlds IMHO.

Def

[G-Dizzle]

Insects aren’t as big of a problem here.  There aren’t a lot of actually dangerous ones here in Canada.  I have experienced some major infections from bug or spider bites, but nothing too life threatening.

Also, there are very few snake species in Canada that can kill, and none of them are anywhere near here.  We have four snake species native to Nova Scotia and none of them are particularly dangerous.  Some will give you a nip, but there’s no venom or anything.  And, since we are connected to the mainland by a road, a railway and a salsmurfer swamp, not a lot of animals come across from the rest of the country.

I don’t want to have an encounter with any kind of coyote if I can avoid it.  Or a bear.  I figure the .357 should be suitable for both.  There’s no grizzlies here, and our black bears aren’t overly aggressive, but there’s always times.  They are bears after all.

I hate killing anything I’m not intending to eat, but I have no desire to spend a relaxing weekend being digested either. 

When it comes to pistols,I’d rather have something I can put two hands on, especially in the middle of an adrenaline dump.  The Mare’s Leg gives you the best of both worlds IMHO.

Def

If you have not shot a mare’s leg or shockwave style firearm, i would encourage you to try it before buying. Without the help of a stock or brace, it is actually a less stable shooting platform than a pistol and for most people harder to shoot accurately.

[nate j]

I feel like .357 is a little light for bear, especially if you plan to load it with .38 SPL.

If a pistol is out of the question due to Canadian laws, something like the Marlin Trapper Series isn’t much heavier than the Mare’s Leg, but would be almost as quick to handle, and as GD says easier to shoot accurately.  Also the option to stay with a pistol cartridge or move up to a rifle cartridge.

[IMR4198]

   There is a tendency here to escalate.  I think I would put a can of bear spray in my tool bag or whatever you use on your job and forget about it.  If you ever had to use it, chances are it would be on a hostile dog or human.  I always enjoy being out in the woods and seeing animals myself.  Take along a can of insect repellent, and don't get it confused with the bear spray.  Best wishes.  G
 

[Farmer X]

I agree that a .357 is a little light for bear. Rounds that are good for dispatching bears are probably a little heavy for coyotes. There probably isn't too easy a solution there.

And I would advise that one absolutely should not use bear spray against a human adversary. It is much more potent than pepper spray that is intended for use against humans, and could do some very serious damage. I've heard stories of people using bear spray on humans and going from victim to offender.

[Grant Lamontagne]

   There is a tendency here to escalate.  I think I would put a can of bear spray in my tool bag or whatever you use on your job and forget about it.  If you ever had to use it, chances are it would be on a hostile dog or human.  I always enjoy being out in the woods and seeing animals myself.  Take along a can of insect repellent, and don't get it confused with the bear spray.  Best wishes.  G
 

I agree with you- I have no intention of escalating anything!

But, the only thing we use at work is fluorescent survey marking paint, which would probably be an effective deterrent, but if I'm going to use nonlethal methods I'd rather not permanently blind an animl.  Also, I'd have to be a lot closer than I want to be to use it.

And, given the placement of where that particular trail was, it is very unlikely that I would be meeting up with a person or their dog.  This is not an area frequented by people, and is quite out of the way.

And I would only consider a firearm if I was in places that are out of the way and not frequented by other people or their dogs.  Canada is, a very large and very sparsely populated country, and there are lots of places like that, even in and near the cities though- lots of places for coyotes to live comfortably in. 

Just to put it into perspective, the area of the US is 9.8 million square kilometers with a population of (roughly) 346 million people.

Canada is almost ten million square kilometers and has a population of roughly 37 million people.

My province alone is about 40% larger than the country of Denmark and has recently reached a population of 1 million people, versus the almost six million people in Denmark.

And I'd say at least 60-70% of the population here lives in the city.

It's not difficult to find places to be well and truly alone here.   

Def

[IMR4198]

   It is good to be aware of the threats that you face.  It seems you don't have to consider feral dogs or feral people.  That is not the case here.  The only thing we share are the bears and coyotes.  I saw bear tracks today and hear coyotes almost every night.  They come right through my yard according to my trail cameras. 
   I assess the bear and coyote threat level where I live as approaching zero.  It is entertaining on these sorts of forums to imagine a 'what if' sort of situation.  Telling real or imagined bear stories have kept the hunt-n-fish outdoor magazines in business for over a hundred years now.  It seems the vast majority of Outdoor Life covers show a bear.  I understand that.  It sells.  Nobody would buy one of the things with cover art of a man being chased through the woods by a pack of feral dogs with a roll of toilet paper in one hand and holding his pants up with the other. 
   I offered the bear spray suggestion as a sop.  I never have carried any and never will.  Just a boring contribution to your interesting thread.  It was fun but looks like it is about played out now.  Just for chuckles, what sort of multi or knife do you usually carry when you are on your job?  Best wishes.  G
  

[Grant Lamontagne]

I’ve carried bear spray over the years, but rarely for use on bears.

As for outrunning things, I’m so fast I’d probably get crushed in a turtle stampede. 

Def

[nate j]

I don’t (usually) carry bear spray in black bear territory (where I also live), but I carry it in grizzly country.  If I am carrying it, it is somewhere on my person immediately accessible; not buried in the bottom of my pack.

[Pacu]

I had a friend let me borrow his thermal scope as he was building up a 6.5 Grendel for deer hunting. It's amazing what lurks outside your door in the night.

I live in the small town in East Texas. Lots of Coyotes out in the woods and fields. I see them often, small packs wandering around. Can't shoot them in city limits so it's just a wildlife refuge around here. Deer, hog , coyotes and apparently we have mountain lions about now too.   

https://www.kltv.com/2024/12/12/texas-parks-wildlife-releases-statement-longview-mountain-lion/

Our coyotes around here are healthy looking. Every now and then I'll see a solo one during the day as I'm in the deep woods managing vegetation on right of ways. Ruger SP101 always near.

[G-Dizzle]

I had a friend let me borrow his thermal scope as he was building up a 6.5 Grendel for deer hunting. It's amazing what lurks outside your door in the night.

I live in the small town in East Texas. Lots of Coyotes out in the woods and fields. I see them often, small packs wandering around. Can't shoot them in city limits so it's just a wildlife refuge around here. Deer, hog , coyotes and apparently we have mountain lions about now too.   

https://www.kltv.com/2024/12/12/texas-parks-wildlife-releases-statement-longview-mountain-lion/

Our coyotes around here are healthy looking. Every now and then I'll see a solo one during the day as I'm in the deep woods managing vegetation on right of ways. Ruger SP101 always near.

A .357 revolver makes a great woods gun. One of the best outside of grizzly country.