Letter Re: Feral Dogs and Coyotes in a Schumeresque World

The problem of feral dogs after TSHTF will be a real one. In my part of the country we have a problem with people dumping unwanted dogs. They were cute when they were pups but outgrew the family. Some people would take them to the pound, but with it’s over population and short ‘stay’ led a lot of people think that they were doing the dogs and cats a favor by letting them loose to fend for themselves. This is animal cruelty any way you look at it.

There have been several cases where a feral dog joined up with a coyote. These two are usually natural enemies. But you throw a female in heat into a coy dog’s territory, he may eat her or he may take her as his mate. Now you have the start of a pack that 1) has no fear of man and 2) the natural instincts to hunt of a coyote. These packs will then grow as other feral dogs join.

Now for some food for thought; my uncle was having trouble with a large mixed pack killing off his livestock. When I mean large, I’m talking close to thirty animals. He tried hunting them. The instincts of the coyote kept him from killing more than one or two at a time before the others learned. He tried trapping them using foot holds. Again he did catch a couple before the others started digging up his traps. Snares were not used, being illegal in this state. The way he did finally take care of the rest will be considered inhumane by the bunny huggers. He took large treble hooks and tied them to stout branches using pieces of barbed wire about four and a half to five feet off the ground. He then baited each hook with a chunk of beef. Within a week he had disposed of over two dozen feral dogs, coyotes and hybrids. I know this sounds cruel but look at the alternative. That chunk of meat could have been one of his prize show calves or one of his daughters or my aunt.

As for these working on wolves, I have no experience with them. But I don’t see why not. Just place them another foot or so higher and make sure to secure them to a larger branch.

So I suggest that along with your regular traps and snares, stock up on the bigger treble hooks. You could hang them using bailing wire, wire hangers, barbed wire like my uncle or even heavier gauge speaker wire or some of your used and twisted up non-reusable snares.

One word of warning though. These will catch any canine that can reach them including yours and your neighbors’.

That’s my pre-1982 penny’s worth. Keep your head down and your powder dry. – “Okie” in Muskogee

JWR Replies: Documented instances of feral dogs “packing up” with coyotes are very rare. So it is not realistic to think that this will be a common threat in TEOTWAWKI. However, feral dogs just by themselves will likely be a significant threat, since millions of pets will surely be turned by their owners in the event of a nationwide disaster. It has also been well-established that wolf packs proliferated and expanded their territory in the aftermath of the Black Death in the 14th Century. At one point there were packs wolves heard howling just outside of Paris. We could witness something similar in the event that there is a population crash–wolves, coyotes, feral dogs and other predators will probably all expand their territories and hence there will be more attacks on humans. And people ask me why I have so many traps and store so much ammo…