Predator continues to kill our goats

[TheNinja]

Dunno, but Fish and Wildlife will probably find out for us. If the bear came back two days out of three, I bet it will be back again.

Bear is all we can figure. The trail it left in the grass was too big to really be anything else, and it went through the goat pen by bending the t-posts almost to the ground, not sure what else could do that.

It's a 'squatch

 

[AreaCode707]

Not a short term solution, but two ridgebacks (I'm more than a little biased) are great dogs for this sort of thing, no problem chasing off bears or mountain lions, generally very quiet unless something is very wrong, and are very good family dogs...not sure how they'd behave around chickens, but they will probably do ok if raised with them.

Ridgeback is our dog of choice for a goat guard dog, just waiting to get one til late winter when we relocate what's left of our goats away from Washington to Northern California. Not in the right position to get a new dog now, just couldn't do it justice in training at the moment.

 

[DrPizza]

It wouldn't make a difference to me whether an animal was in season or out of season. Well, I guess it does make a little bit of a difference - if it happens while the animal (fox, coyote, etc.) is in season, I'll tell my friends; maybe get it mounted at the taxidermist. If it's out of season, it'll just disappear & no one would know. I cross my fingers that I get a bear this year during archery season though.

 

[randomrogue]

Do you live in 707 or are you moving there? If you live in 707 bear country then you're pretty damn rural and shouldn't be surprised. It's up to you to deter it with lights, dogs, etc. If it's a mountain lion then that's really rare. Just make sure the kids aren't around and get the county involved.

Truth is that if you live on the west coast you're always going to be dealing with wild animals. Possums are nasty. Racoons tend to get bigger than lots of dogs and a female one can probably kill a dog if it has young. I've lost lots of pets to just these. Then you add in the occasional bird of prey, fox, and coyote. Bears though are avoidable by simply not living in their territory. Mountain lions are super rare and you should consider your goats a gift to it.

 

[KingstonU]

Where I grew up we got bears in our neighborhoods and in our yards all the time, especially during a really dry season where there are no wild berries for them to eat.

Keep us posted on if arrive on a solution!

 

[AreaCode707]

It wouldn't make a difference to me whether an animal was in season or out of season. Well, I guess it does make a little bit of a difference - if it happens while the animal (fox, coyote, etc.) is in season, I'll tell my friends; maybe get it mounted at the taxidermist. If it's out of season, it'll just disappear & no one would know. I cross my fingers that I get a bear this year during archery season though.

Want to come visit?

 

[aldamon]

Not a short term solution, but two ridgebacks (I'm more than a little biased) are great dogs for this sort of thing

We have a great pyrenees who has done a great job so far -

Beautiful dogs guys.

 

[AreaCode707]

Do you live in 707 or are you moving there? If you live in 707 bear country then you're pretty damn rural and shouldn't be surprised. It's up to you to deter it with lights, dogs, etc. If it's a mountain lion then that's really rare. Just make sure the kids aren't around and get the county involved.

Truth is that if you live on the west coast you're always going to be dealing with wild animals. Possums are nasty. Racoons tend to get bigger than lots of dogs and a female one can probably kill a dog if it has young. I've lost lots of pets to just these. Then you add in the occasional bird of prey, fox, and coyote. Bears though are avoidable by simply not living in their territory. Mountain lions are super rare and you should consider your goats a gift to it.

Moving to 707 and guard dog planned because yes, it's definitely rural. Living there before, we had two cougars that killed livestock, so not so rare around here.

These goats were killed in 425. Ten minutes from MS headquarters.

 

[randomrogue]

These wouldn't happen to be 4H goats or something similar? We've had people steal sheep and goats.

 

[AreaCode707]

Bump for more dead goats.

 

[iGas]

The hot sauce trick that we use for warding of tigers, and perhaps it will work on bears as well as cougars.

Lace a small plastic bag with the highest scoville oil that you can find in the middle of a chicken drumstick (a few hot sauce baits will do) and tie it to a tree that dogs/cats can't reach, but large game can. Once the animal have a taste of that they will never come back to your farm again. (make sure the plastic bag is washed before you lace it in the chicken drum stick to clean off the hot sauce smell)

 

[zinfamous]

Bump for more dead goats.

missed this, the first time posting.

are these black bears, most likely, in that part of the country?

I know it's difficult once they've been trained to a feeding spot, but have you considered--and I know it's crazy--setting a few trip lines with fireworks (M80s, roman candles), fuck, something that scares the shit out of those cowards?

if you can't trap it or kill it effectively, how about exploiting its general nature?

 

[Loop2kil]

Call in the GB Packers, they will surely take care of the Bears. sorry couldn't resist.

 

[zinfamous]

Call in the GB Packers, they will surely take care of the Bears. sorry couldn't resist.

*shakes fist.

Op clearly stated that it was obviously a cougar.

All you need is a rainstorm, and a shitty O-line, and any cougar (panther) wil fold under the pressure.

 

[brainhulk]

I would get 3 pit bulls. That bear won't go near you sheep anymore

 

[AreaCode707]

Hope they get it...

 

[Baked]

That's horrible! I would just stuff my goat with C4 and remote control detonator. Press the button if I hear any disturbance in the barn.

 

[iGas]

I would get 3 pit bulls. That bear won't go near you sheep anymore

IMHO, the OP is on the right track to get rhodesian ridgebacks.

I use to work in the woods (bear country), and pit bulls are the first dogs to run away from bears. The only thing that pit bulls seems to go after are porcupines and get a face full of quills.

 

[AreaCode707]

Oh that's awful! Poor dog!!!! I hope they sedated it right away to remove those quills... Poor baby!

 

[zinfamous]

holy crap! I was also thinking pit bull is a bad idea. not the type of dog that is going to defend livestock.

need a Pyreneese or GSD for that, as Dr Tomasso Pizza mentioned.

 

[Mr. Lennon]

IMHO, the OP is on the right track to get rhodesian ridgebacks.

I use to work in the woods (bear country), and pit bulls are the first dogs to run away from bears. The only thing that pit bulls seems to go after are porcupines and get a face full of quills.

Wow that is fucked. Makes you wonder about predators that get nailed by that in the wild. Wouldn't they most likely die?

 

[Blitzvogel]

GSD are too small, I would have 5 of them if I really wanted to give them a proper chance against a possible mountain lion without fear of losing one of the dogs. Get a couple or three Kangal dogs.

 

[Ancalagon44]

A Predator? Did you call Arnold Schwarzenegger?

 

[dquan97]

It's a chubacabra

 

[pcgeek11]

IMHO, the OP is on the right track to get rhodesian ridgebacks.

I use to work in the woods (bear country), and pit bulls are the first dogs to run away from bears. The only thing that pit bulls seems to go after are porcupines and get a face full of quills.

That is not a Pit Bull. That is a picture of a Bull Terrier, not even remotely the same. A real trained Pit Bulldog isn't scared of anything.