# Goat gone - Coyote?



## Crowbar032 (Dec 6, 2011)

I had two goats that were too young to breed separated into a different pasture with my donkeys. Donkeys and goats always stayed together. I know there are lots of coyotes in the area. I though that they would be safe....until one goat disappeared. I hunted for two days and didn't find any evidence of what happened. No hair, no bones, no hide, nothing, no buzzards flying around a couple of days later, just gone. She just vanished. I thought the donkeys would be enough to protect them, but apparently not. I don't consider my goats as pets, they are livestock. However it still really bothers me when something like this happens. 

So I'm getting even. I like to hunt. Up to this point just turkey and deer. I have a Remington model 700 chambered in .308 with a 3x9 scope. I just bought a Wicked light that mounts on the scope with a green filter and a red filter so I can shoot up to 300 yards at night. I also have a animal distress call. This weekend it's coyote killing time. 

Disclaimer: The State of Indiana allows hunting of coyotes at night out of season with any conventional weapon on your own property using electronic calls. This is per the 2012-2013 Indiana Hunting and Trapping manual. I am not and would not do anything illegal.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I hope you get them. Coyotes are a problem here too.


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## mmiller (Apr 3, 2012)

I hate to hear that. No matter if they are pets or just livestock it always hurts the pocket book to lose even one. 

It would seem to me you would have found something. Hair or blood if it was a yotes. Seems to me something or someone would had to leashed that goat up an walked off with her. Or she could have gotten outa the pen an then was attacked. If my Livestock guardian was not protecting then it would be sent packing. There seems to be alota things at play here. First thing would be to check your fences to see if the goat could have gotten out. If it had been yotes that got in the pen they would have killed the goat then drug her off thats why I wonder if she got out. Plus its a possibility she was stolen. But I would still have some yotes target practice.

Also if it was the yotes they WILL be back. They will get braver an it will be just a matter of time before they go after the rest of your goats. If your donkeys are not workin find something else.


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## mmiller (Apr 3, 2012)

Had another thought, like I said check your fences if the yotes were chasing your goat they could have ran her thur the fence an then got her. Its just odd that she just up an disappers.


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## Farmgirl675 (Oct 21, 2010)

Is it possible someone stole the goat out of the pasture? We have had issues with that in our area...just a thought. Either way hope you have luck getting the coyotes...they are also a big problem here.


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## Crowbar032 (Dec 6, 2011)

Well, I had a passing thought that maybe someone stole her. If they did, they didn't come down the driveway they would have had to went through the woods. I have some [email protected]#E$%^&*() neighbors to the east that are still mad that I made them fence. If they took her, it would be 3/4 of a mile of walking through thick underbrush to get back to their house. She disappeared right before Labor day and they always have a big reunion that weekend. It occurred to me that they may have decided to roast a goat. This is just a what if scenario that I keep playing in my mind because I have absolutely no evidence of that happening. I should also ad that this pasture is about 35 acres and most of it is pretty thick. Nothing has really been on it for 20 years so it is grown up with everything. Even though I searched and looked for two days, it is entirely possible that I missed some evidence in the thick brush. She was up next to the house at 6pm the night before and missing the next morning which is why I'm leaning coyote. And why wouldn't they have taken both goats, why just take one. She was also timid around people. When I bought her she had broken one of her horns off and was leery of people not carrying a food pan so someone would have had to work to catch her. In any event, I know I have coyote issues so they are going to bear the brunt of my frustrations. I think I'm also going to put up a couple of cheap trail cameras along the property line, just in case someone is lurking around back there.


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## Shellshocker66 (Mar 19, 2012)

Have fun with the coyote target practice!

I think around here no signs of what took the animal would result in figuring it was a cougar. Especially since you had a donkey in there with it? Or like you said someone might have just taken it. 

Hope you figure out the mystery!


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## HaleyD (Sep 12, 2012)

The trail cameras are a great idea. I recently had a problem with trespassers on my property and those did the trick. And if it's not people, you may snap some pictures of coyotes or other predators that are hanging out.


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## goatiegurl*Oh (Nov 11, 2007)

Good idea with the trail cams


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Good luck.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

The coyotes here are not that big, I dont see one able to get a goat out of a pen except for little baby ones. Now if she got out one might have got her, but even then how big of a goat are we talking about? I had a doeling, I would guess 60-70lbs die and we were having coyote issues so just left her where I could see her and use as bait, and even when they came in they would eat on her but not able to drag, and I had 2 going at her at one time (got them both by the way  Any ways the coyotes were bad here this year, once they get the tast of goat hard to stop them, I lost 7 kids and shot 6 coyotes, I even started locking the smaller ones up and thought the bigger kids were safe till one went after my bottle baby, then I got mad and started reading, wolf pee is your answer (if it was coyote that got yours). if you spray it all around it will keep them from coming in (I would make sure you dont have wolfs around though). I would have to buy a truck load of the pee to keep them out of our area lol, so what I have been doing is just spraying it on the goats and is working. My brother even seen a coyote not to far from the goats, he went over the hill looked at them and walked the other way. I dont want to kill your hunting fun but I swear by this stuff.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I think either foul play or a mountain lion would be the culprit... a coyote would not carry off a goat, they kill then drag to eat, a mountain lion however would carry it off and drag it up a tree.


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## HaleyD (Sep 12, 2012)

I think liz has a good thought. I'm not sure about your area, but I know there have been reports of mountain lions just west of me. I've never personally had any issues with them (and hope to keep it that way) but I could see them being the culprit if you have any in your area.


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## Crowbar032 (Dec 6, 2011)

Jessica84 said:


> wolf pee is your answer (if it was coyote that got yours). if you spray it all around it will keep them from coming in (I would make sure you dont have wolfs around though). I would have to buy a truck load of the pee to keep them out of our area lol, so what I have been doing is just spraying it on the goats and is working. My brother even seen a coyote not to far from the goats, he went over the hill looked at them and walked the other way. I dont want to kill your hunting fun but I swear by this stuff.


I'm for whatever works, I'm not worried about spoiling my hunting. I'd prefer not to be up half the night shooting coyotes, I'd rather be sleeping.

To my knowledge there are no mountain lions or wolves in this area. The Indiana DNR says that coyotes weigh from 20-50 lbs statewide. The few that I've shot over the years were bigger than that though. The missing goat was in the 40-50 lb range. I could be completely off on the coyote. I've got one trail cam and will get a couple more cheap ones (if someone stole a goat, a trail cam could go next) to "see" what's going on. I'm still after the coyotes though. Certain nights I can hear three different packs howling and yipping relatively close by.


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

Could have been allot of things but it never hurts to thin down the coyote population regardless. My brother and I sometimes go out in the desert, play some distress calls and shoot coyotes with the AR-15.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I think liz has the right idea about foul play, I am also 100% with xymenah. We have never been to big on killing the coyotes, they dont bother the cows and are good to keep rodents down. But I have goats now and if I see one, it goes bye bye. As for the rodents, you can get a box of .22, 500 for $10, it is worth the $10. What made me so mad about these dang coyotes is there was so much to hunt around here and they still went the easy way of going after small kids, I would some what understand if there wasnt anything to eat, still very mad, but understand. If you do want to go the pee the best price I found was at preditorpee.com (or something like that)


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

The website is www.predatorpee.com. Just be careful with urine sometimes it will call them in because they see it as a challenge for their land.

I never bothered with the coyotes in Mississippi because they never bothered me but here in Arizona they are super bold and a total nuisance. They terrorize our dogs in mid day by sitting by the fence and took three of our cats off(one was a 20lb cat). I looked out the other day and one was hanging out in my back yard trying to stalk one of my moms 12lb dogs. It jumped the 5ft fence and made itself at home. I wish my doberman/rottweiler girls had been out they would have ripped it to shreds.


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## Zarafia (Mar 25, 2012)

From what you've written here it sounds like the coyotes might be taking the blame for a far more likely culprit, local humans with no morals. I find it unlikely that a coyote could attack, subdue and carry a goat off your fenced property without leaving some trace evidence.
On the other hand, a jerk of a human being would be far more capable of removing your goat from your fences without leaving a fur or blood trail. And as for why they only took one, well one goat is plenty for a party BBQ.
I hope you do get some real answers. I've always heard that donkeys make excellent livestock guardians. But they wouldn't know to protect your goats from people .


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## PearcePastures (Oct 6, 2012)

The coyotes in our area, NW Indiana, are documented as being the among the largest of the US breeds. Many are comparable in size and looks to a German shepherd. Having had some encounters myself, they could definitely taken out one of my goats. They consume their kill in private after swiping it and sometimes there is no trace of the kill. In addition, we have the dreaded dog/coyote mutts around here too and they are quite gutsy. 

It could be a rotten person too of course-there are far too many of those too.

Happy hunting though!


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