Stalked by a coyote

[Hawkshot99]

I run a lawn mowing business, and am very used to seeing wildlife that is not too afraid of my mowers. Deer that will let me get within 20 yards before they run away, or rabbits running out of bushes as I drive by.

Today I was out mowing one of my bigger accounts that has some woods on 2 sides. As I was mowing the back yard I made a turn and there was a big coyote sitting in the middle of the lawn watching me. Extremely startling, as I have never seen one, and the closeness of it.

As I reached for my phone on my hip, it got up and walked into the woods before I could get a good picture. For the next 15 minutes I could see it pacing back and forth just beyond a rock wall at the edge of the property. At several times it came out and stood on the wall watching me. I did snap a few pics with my phone, but when I sent them to my e-mail it re-sized them for sending, and you cant zoom in anymore.

Are coyote's day time animals, or could this one have rabies or something?

 

[severine]

I've seen coyotes during the day before (in MT/WY) so I don't think they're necessarily nocturnal (though I have also heard them at night after a kill, too). Sounds like it was pretty calm, all things considered. I'd imagine the racket from a lawnmower would be harsh on their ears. I wouldn't assume it had rabies. Cool experience though.

 

[marcski]

I've seen coyote right where I live in Westchester county during daylight hours. I was driving into my development and there was one clearly in the middle of a grassy area...that was walking back toward the woods. I stopped my car to get a close look, because at first it looked like a German Shepard, but once I stopped...there was no mistaking it for a Coyote. Big bushy tail and real mangy looking. Once I stopped my car...it turned around...looked me right in the eye and then continued to walk slowly into the woods.

I've seen another a few years ago in the middle of the afternoon up at Rockefeller State Preserve. My oldest was a baby, I had her in a baby jogger...and clear as day a Coyote was about 30 yards up a trail. It also moved into the woods pretty quickly once it saw/heard us.

I think the Coyotes are the only natural predator for the ever increasing deer population around here. (other than motor vehicles!). We've seen a carcass in the local woods when mountain biking..the dogs would always run right up to it when we passed that area...until finally, an animal must have taken it away one night.

 

[Warp Daddy]

WTF !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hawk b careful man !!

I had one comeup running near our vehicle about 2 weeks ago as we were driving around some backroads in the. Tug Hill Plateau . Damn thing startled us

 

[Glenn]

Damn, that's pretty wild!

What kind of mower you sporting? ZTR? I love landscaping equipment. I've got an older Bunton walk behind 48". It's a damn tank.

 

[campgottagopee]

Yotes are pretty curious by nature so I don't think it was rabid at all----i see them all the time around here, in fact saw one this a.m. driving into work. Love hearing them "sing" at night.

 

[noski]

Has anyone heard a fisher cat at night? I think it is what I heard, and it was awful- like a tortured domestic cat, a terrible screaming yowl. Unnervering for sure.

 

[Grassi21]

Has anyone heard a fisher cat at night? I think it is what I heard, and it was awful- like a tortured domestic cat, a terrible screaming yowl. Unnervering for sure.

A friend of mine was out hunting. He had a feeling something was following him. When he turned around he say a fisher cat about 20 or some yards behind him. Spooked my friend a but but the cat was just curious.

 

[tcharron]

I run a lawn mowing business, and am very used to seeing wildlife that is not too afraid of my mowers. Deer that will let me get within 20 yards before they run away, or rabbits running out of bushes as I drive by.

Today I was out mowing one of my bigger accounts that has some woods on 2 sides. As I was mowing the back yard I made a turn and there was a big coyote sitting in the middle of the lawn watching me. Extremely startling, as I have never seen one, and the closeness of it.

As I reached for my phone on my hip, it got up and walked into the woods before I could get a good picture. For the next 15 minutes I could see it pacing back and forth just beyond a rock wall at the edge of the property. At several times it came out and stood on the wall watching me. I did snap a few pics with my phone, but when I sent them to my e-mail it re-sized them for sending, and you cant zoom in anymore.

Are coyote's day time animals, or could this one have rabies or something?

Naw, sounds like a perfectly normal encounter to me. If he started doing wild shite like charging you and the such, THEN I'd worry. But if he was keeping a safe distance, and watching, that's what they tend to do.

 

[ctenidae]

People get concerned about coyotes and mountain lions and such showing up more often, but I kind of like seeing good old Mama Nature adapting and asserting herself.

 

[Hawkshot99]

What kind of mower you sporting? ZTR? I love landscaping equipment. I've got an older Bunton walk behind 48". It's a damn tank.

For now I have a Exmark Viking 48" walk behind. It has the ZTR hydro trannies though, so it can turn just as good as a ZTR. I also have a sulky so I can move along at a good pace.

Dont have any pics of my mower on here, but that is what I run.

 

[Glenn]

I like the hydros! I've tried to mow with mine after it rained but the wet belts turn it into a really heavy push mower. It would be fine if our lawn was totally flat...but it isn't.

Here's my beast. I bought it with a practically brand new 12.5hp Briggs on it. 3 weeks later, the engine went. There was a dead mouse in the cooling duct. All the clippings and what not packed behind the lil bastard and the engine locked up. It wasn't totally dead, it bent the crank. I ran it after it cooled off and then completely blew the engine. Might as well do the job right. :razz:

I bought a new 13.5hp electric start unit. After buying a new engine, I didn't feel like throwing more money at it. I converted it over to pull start and sold off the extra parts.

Mid transplant:

All done!

That engine has been chugging along for the last 5 years. Later that summer, my blade belt went. I then realized all the spindles were cooked. D'oh! So I put three new spindles in.

The deck has been painted John Deere green...which totally doesn't match the rest of the mower. I'll have to dig up a pic.

Mows great though. I've got it raked just a bit, so it lays down some really nice stripes. :beer:

 

[Hawkshot99]

I've got it raked just a bit, so it lays down some really nice stripes. :beer:

I'm going out now to cut. Ill get a pic of some stripes!:smile:

 

[Glenn]

I'm going out now to cut. Ill get a pic of some stripes!:smile:

I love stripes! I mow in an alternate diagonal pattern...so it always looks angles from where you're standing.