Night riding with coyotes.
04-26-21, 05:16 PM
#76
Member
It’s going to be getting too hot for me to ride during the day soon and I want to start riding at night before bed time to help me sleep. Plus the full moon is coming up and I’ve always wanted to ride then. I’ve had to deal with dogs chasing me over the years and always managed to stop them by yelling commands.
I now live outside the city in the desert and we have lots of coyotes hunting at night so I’m not so sure if I can command them to stay away. I know they can take down a deer and I’ve been told that they can sense health weaknesses which worries me because I’m over 70 with health issues and can’t really move that fast. I’ve heard many stories about bike riders being chased by cougars and bears, but never heard anything about coyotes.
I now live outside the city in the desert and we have lots of coyotes hunting at night so I’m not so sure if I can command them to stay away. I know they can take down a deer and I’ve been told that they can sense health weaknesses which worries me because I’m over 70 with health issues and can’t really move that fast. I’ve heard many stories about bike riders being chased by cougars and bears, but never heard anything about coyotes.
Likes For Dvdvija:
04-26-21, 06:02 PM
#77
Senior Member
Thread Starter
I got bit in the back of my boot by a Mojave green rattlesnake and luckily it didn’t break the skin. The venom was inside my boot and pants leg that irritated my calf as my paints leg rubbed my skin causing me to go into shock. I stopped at a fire station close by and they looked at it, Said I was lucky and washed off the venom. I rolled up my paints leg and tossed the boot before going home with only one shoe on.
04-26-21, 06:19 PM
#78
52psi
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 4,014
Bikes: Schwinn Volare ('78); Raleigh Competition GS ('79)
Mentioned: 29 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 790 Post(s)
Liked 801 Times
in
390 Posts
__________________
A race bike in any era is a highly personal choice that at its "best" balances the requirements of fit, weight, handling, durability and cost tempered by the willingness to toss it and oneself down the pavement at considerable speed. ~Bandera
A race bike in any era is a highly personal choice that at its "best" balances the requirements of fit, weight, handling, durability and cost tempered by the willingness to toss it and oneself down the pavement at considerable speed. ~Bandera
04-26-21, 06:28 PM
#79
Pennylane Splitter
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Orange County, California
Posts: 1,878
Bikes: Yes
Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1784 Post(s)
Liked 1,437 Times
in
987 Posts
I live in the Greater Los Angeles suburban wasteland and we have coyotes wandering the neighborhoods. Plenty of pets, raccoons, opossums, squirrels, birds, fruits and vegetables for them to feed on. I ride a lot in the early morning darkness during the week and see them regularly, never been worried about them attacking me. They keep their distance and are easily scared off if you try to approach them. Overall I consider them less of a threat than pet dogs.
04-27-21, 04:53 AM
#80
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,098 Times
in
5,054 Posts
I don't get it. One death in 1986, of a 3yo snatched in the suburbs. Lightning kills more people. Hypothermia, heat exhaustion, hitting trees, falling down all kill more people. Pet dogs kill more people. Snake bites, tick bites, flesh eating bacteria. At least as many people - 1 - died of the bubonic plague in the US in that time period.
Again, why is this a competition? I know about those other things, and I take precautions to avoid several of them. There are increasing numbers of coyote encounters. and, if you're following this thread, you'd also know that coyotes are changing in some places as they breed with other critters.
Coyote attacks do happen, they are rarely fatal. I would want information on how to avoid them if I rode where there were a lot of coyotes.
By your logic, we shouldn't think about any risks other than heart attacks because they're the most likely fatal events.
04-29-21, 08:42 AM
#81
Retired
I don't see coyotes being an issue. I would be more concerned about distracted drivers.
Kevin g
Kevin g
Likes For onekgguy:
04-29-21, 01:32 PM
#82
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,098 Times
in
5,054 Posts
If I lived somewhere where I saw coyotes more than once a decade, I could manage to watch out for both. And if you're exclusively riding single track, I'd think the rational person would be more concerned with coyotes than drivers.
04-29-21, 09:44 PM
#84
Grupetto Bob
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Seattle-ish
Posts: 6,189
Bikes: Bikey McBike Face
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2571 Post(s)
Liked 5,602 Times
in
2,907 Posts
When I single-track, I often take an air-horn of compressed air, like the ones boats use to signal opening a bridge. Super loud and makes my ears ring. Had a conversation with a wild life officer and he recommended it for scaring off bears, coyotes and cougar. He said in his experience, it was the most effective.
__________________
Road 🚴🏾♂️ & Mountain 🚵🏾♂️
Road 🚴🏾♂️ & Mountain 🚵🏾♂️
Likes For rsbob:
04-30-21, 07:01 AM
#85
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,098 Times
in
5,054 Posts
When I single-track, I often take an air-horn of compressed air, like the ones boats use to signal opening a bridge. Super loud and makes my ears ring. Had a conversation with a wild life officer and he recommended it for scaring off bears, coyotes and cougar. He said in his experience, it was the most effective.
04-30-21, 07:50 AM
#86
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,219
Mentioned: 211 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18403 Post(s)
Liked 15,495 Times
in
7,317 Posts
Whenever I see the title of this thread "Nightswimming" by R.E.M. starts playing in my head.
04-30-21, 08:38 AM
#87
Retired
Kevin g
04-30-21, 09:01 AM
#88
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,098 Times
in
5,054 Posts
04-30-21, 11:35 AM
#89
Grupetto Bob
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Seattle-ish
Posts: 6,189
Bikes: Bikey McBike Face
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2571 Post(s)
Liked 5,602 Times
in
2,907 Posts
Single track or road riding where coyotes are prevalent or becoming aggressive makes no difference.
I hack-sawed off part of the horn to make it a bit more compact.
I hack-sawed off part of the horn to make it a bit more compact.
__________________
Road 🚴🏾♂️ & Mountain 🚵🏾♂️
Road 🚴🏾♂️ & Mountain 🚵🏾♂️
04-30-21, 04:04 PM
#90
Junior Member
think they have orange eyes at night--see 'em all the time here in Texas
04-30-21, 06:04 PM
#91
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,098 Times
in
5,054 Posts
04-30-21, 10:59 PM
#92
Grupetto Bob
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Seattle-ish
Posts: 6,189
Bikes: Bikey McBike Face
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2571 Post(s)
Liked 5,602 Times
in
2,907 Posts
05-01-21, 11:08 AM
#93
Senior Member
It’s going to be getting too hot for me to ride during the day soon and I want to start riding at night before bed time to help me sleep. Plus the full moon is coming up and I’ve always wanted to ride then. I’ve had to deal with dogs chasing me over the years and always managed to stop them by yelling commands.
I now live outside the city in the desert and we have lots of coyotes hunting at night so I’m not so sure if I can command them to stay away. I know they can take down a deer and I’ve been told that they can sense health weaknesses which worries me because I’m over 70 with health issues and can’t really move that fast. I’ve heard many stories about bike riders being chased by cougars and bears, but never heard anything about coyotes.
I now live outside the city in the desert and we have lots of coyotes hunting at night so I’m not so sure if I can command them to stay away. I know they can take down a deer and I’ve been told that they can sense health weaknesses which worries me because I’m over 70 with health issues and can’t really move that fast. I’ve heard many stories about bike riders being chased by cougars and bears, but never heard anything about coyotes.
Likes For Fredo_Adagio:
05-01-21, 07:43 PM
#95
Grupetto Bob
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Seattle-ish
Posts: 6,189
Bikes: Bikey McBike Face
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2571 Post(s)
Liked 5,602 Times
in
2,907 Posts
I forgot to say you can also use the air horn on inattentive drivers. Wish I had it with me yesterday when doing a Strava segment for a PR and an SUV stopped at stop sign perpendicular to me on my right. There was zero traffic in either direction for her and she was looking into the sun, which was my direction. I was at 23 MPH and braked hard about 50 feet from her since I felt she did not see me thus destroying my PR but perhaps saving an accident.
I know companies sell purpose made air horns for bikes but if you had one handy anyway...
I know companies sell purpose made air horns for bikes but if you had one handy anyway...
__________________
Road 🚴🏾♂️ & Mountain 🚵🏾♂️
Road 🚴🏾♂️ & Mountain 🚵🏾♂️
05-03-21, 08:57 AM
#96
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Boston Roads
Posts: 975
Bikes: 2012 Canondale Synapse 105, 2017 REI Co-Op ADV 3.1
Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 507 Post(s)
Liked 237 Times
in
133 Posts
Don't know if my anecdotes are worth anything to you, but I've seen coyotes twice, both earlyish in the morning:
- in a meadow on an winter 'hike' in a park in the local suburb - two coyotes about half a mile away ahead, watching me already when I noticed them. I kept walking and it took them 5 seconds to scurry into the woods; never got closer to them than that
- on the road near a golf course on a ride, about a quarter mile away - it ran alongside the road, then scurried off to the golf course, never stopping watching me and my riding buddy
These were New England coyotes and not in a pack, so YMMV. I'm not to worried about them. They do attack dogs around here though.
- in a meadow on an winter 'hike' in a park in the local suburb - two coyotes about half a mile away ahead, watching me already when I noticed them. I kept walking and it took them 5 seconds to scurry into the woods; never got closer to them than that
- on the road near a golf course on a ride, about a quarter mile away - it ran alongside the road, then scurried off to the golf course, never stopping watching me and my riding buddy
These were New England coyotes and not in a pack, so YMMV. I'm not to worried about them. They do attack dogs around here though.
05-03-21, 09:59 PM
#97
Junior Member
I was raised on the farm . We hunted coyotes as a sport. In fact some neighbors bought new trucks, bought and trained greyhounds and built boxes on the trucks for the dogs and went hunting. It is a sport like Fox and hounds.
Having said that, coyotes are cowards. They avoid active people unless rabid. They sneak in at night to steal chickens, they may kill pets. I moved into a new office building at the edge of town and we saw one coyote stroll by our building to go to scout the dumpsters behind restaurants 1/2 mile away. Wolves are aggressive types.
Having said that, coyotes are cowards. They avoid active people unless rabid. They sneak in at night to steal chickens, they may kill pets. I moved into a new office building at the edge of town and we saw one coyote stroll by our building to go to scout the dumpsters behind restaurants 1/2 mile away. Wolves are aggressive types.