something to think about next time you are in the woods alone

[beowulf]

this past week an 19 year old singer song writer,taylor mitchell , from canada was killed by coyotes while hiking ! these critters are everywhere  , they`ve even been seen in central park . when you are hiking carry at least a good stout walking stick ,and always keep an eye on the kids ! if this young lady had a moses stick she might still be alive !

[Hanshi]

Scary and tragic to say the least.  They were all over the place back in Georgia but as yet have seen none here in Va.  They are here in good numbers, though.

[roundball]

this past week an 19 year old singer song writer,taylor mitchell , from canada was killed by coyotes while hiking ! these critters are everywhere  , they`ve even been seen in central park . when you are hiking carry at least a good stout walking stick ,and always keep an eye on the kids ! if this young lady had a moses stick she might still be alive !

What a waste...and that seems pretty bold for coyotes to do that to a person...wonder if they were really wolves and got reported wrong.

I haven't thought about that sort of thing happening to me in the woods but I always carry something...either the muzzleloader I'm hunting with...or in case of a rabid fox, etc...a 4" S&W .45 Long Colt with alternating chambers of CCI birdshot cartridges and 230grn JHP's

[hank-aye]

Funny you should say that  Hansi.

When I lived in Drayden, Md.(38 deg. 09' 19.02" N 76 deg. 29' 34.38" W elev. 14') I caretakered a farm (189 acr.). As it was isolated (cable wouldn't come out that far, stopped 3.5 miles from me), and stray dogs were sometimes a problem.
Saw a pair one day in March of '95. Used an *&^$#$% in .223 cal. Missed  . Went to see the paw prints as there was 'something not quite right' about them. Had read in some hunting mag. a month or few earlier that the way to tell the diff. between dog prints and cyot. prints was on one the claws aimed out (\). and the other aimed in (/). These aimed the cyot. direction. so i covered 'em wiff coffee cans after I took some photos with a yard stick as a scale.
Called DNR and the biologist came down 2 days later. made some castings of them an told me he'd get back to me, yea or ney.
Week later I was informed that I had the first 'confermed siting of coyt. in Southern Md. Told me they must have crossed over from the Northern Neck of Virginia when the Potomac had frozed over earlier that winter. They are in ALL of the Lower 48.
If the foxes that you are use to seeing are gone chances are that a cyot. may have eaten it and taken over it's den.
hankaye

[DEADDAWG]

Yotes are everywhere now a days. Heck we even got yotes and deer running around in the city of Detroit. Only problem is you'd get in more trouble shooting them than people. After all, Detroit is known as Murder City.

[redhawk]

I live in the central part of NC about 3/4 mile back in the woods.  This happened to me year before last the first morning morning of muzzleloader season.  I left my cabin walking down an old  logging road to my deer stand.  About 100 yards out my flashlight gave out.  Not to worry I am going down an old road and there are enough moonlight to see.  About another 100 yards down the road a coyote yelped to my left then a few more steps one yelps behind me then the next time it is to the left of me.  It was either one circling me or several around me yelping.  Either way it was kind of unnerving! They followed me all the way to my stand.  In my stand I could hear 1or2 walking around me about 50 yards out.  When it got daylight I never saw anything.  The next day I killed one from that stand.  It was unnerving going from being the hunter to the hunted. You can bet my flashlight works when I go out also.

[hank-aye]

Nother instance;
Was on my way back to Columbus, Oh. where my terminal was. Jumped offa US 33 South
(Iknow in Oh. it's East), onto 270 South. There just on the right was a coyt. tryin ta go INTO the city fer dinner! 
Thet was back 'bout '02.

[old salt]

   If my information is correct there has never been a confermed case of
healthy wolves or coyotes attaching a person. It sounds more like stray dog
to me.
   If it confermed that the tracks or coyotes then I would say they should
confirm the cause of death, is from coyotes and not human.

[FrankG]

When I lived in Wa. state as a pup in early '60's there were feral dog pack problems . They were known to attack livestock and humans , had very little fear of humans ! This was in a pretty wild and thinly populated area 26 miles north of Tacoma.

[Watauga]

Hard to find a Rabbit around home any more.
Any thing that nested on the ground is being eaten by the Coyotes

[beowulf]

the coyotes were not only seen by another person who ran them of , but one of the pair that attacked her was killed !  month or two back a small child was dragged of by coyotes , cant remember which state it was in but do remember seeing it in the paper ! I dont worry about wolves ,they generally avoid humans , but the coyote is getting a little bit to used to us !

[William]

Up-and-coming folk musician Taylor Mitchell, 19, died Wednesday from injuries she suffered during a coyote attack while hiking alone in a national park in eastern Canada.

Mitchell, a singer-songwriter, was touring the Eastern Coast to promote her new album when the horrible incident occurred, according to The Associated Press.

The young musician was hiking solo on a trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia on Tuesday, when two coyotes confronted her and attacked.

She was evacuated by airlift to a Halifax hospital in critical condition. According to authorities, Mitchell died from her injuries Wednesday morning.

Wildlife biologist Bob Bancroft told The Associated Press that coyotes, also known as prairie wolves, rarely attack humans because they are naturally shy animals.

Bancroft, who is also a retired biologist with Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources, told the news source it was possible the coyotes mistook Mitchell for a deer or some other prey.

"It's very unusual and is not likely to be repeated," Bancroft told The Associated Press. "We shouldn't assume that coyotes are suddenly going to become the big bad wolf."

Brigdit Leger, spokeswoman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, told the news source that emergency dispatchers were called to the scene Tuesday morning after hikers along the trail heard Mitchell scream out for help.

When police arrived at the scene, they shot one of the attacking animals, wounding it, but both coyotes managed to get away.

Paul Maynard of Emergency Health Services told The Associated Press that Micthell was in critical condition when paramedics arrived, and that her body was covered in bite wounds.

"She was losing a considerable amount of blood from the wounds," he said.

Officials blocked the entrance to the trail following the attack and searched for the hostile coyotes.

"There's been some reports of aggressive animals, so it's not unknown," Helene Robichaud, the park's superintendent, told The Associated Press. "But we certainly never have had anything so dramatic and tragic."

[redwoodfox]

 a coyote grabbed a 2 year old girl off her front porch about a year ago. This was in the foothills outside san fransisco.

[NW Wildman]

Looks like we need to do some hunting I think ill dust off the AK47 and load up some mags and spend the night coyote Hunting and maybe Ill see bigfoot Ill give him a hug for all of you. 

[redwoodfox]

wait a minute... AK-47? isn't this a muzzleloader forum?.. So then thats a muzzleloading AK,right? LOL!! :D