Here’s the video shot by Shawn Henry which garnered a huge media response.
Now the question is if it had been you inside your home watching this unravel, what would you have done? Would you have watched from inside the confines of your home?
Would you have gone outside and try to defend the deer with a hockey stick or baseball bat?
I’ve been hearing from many a Monday morning quarterback on what they would have done.
Me, I’m a complete chickenshit when it comes to wild animals. I’m not gonna pretend that I’m so manly that I woulda gone out there and wrestled with the coyotes like some people act like they would have done.
So let’s poll it and I’ll leave an option open for other answers.
Good Morning Gloucester 
The third choice would be to go out with the hockey stick and whack Bambi but the first choice of letting nature take it’s course is just fine.
So what happened? The deer may have learned that she doesn’t ever want to come to this area again. that would be a good thing. Less lyme disease spread to the dog and people living in the house. The deer also might think twice about grazing on all the native plantings, stripping the fruit trees of bark killing them and eating the rhododendron. Gardiners spend a lot of money and time spreading wolf urine in their yard to keep the deer out. Wolfoties will mark your plants for free. While in the area the wolfoties would also pick off the lyme disease ridden mice in the area. Another good thing. If you like birds the wolfotie may also eat a feral cat or two that have been mowing down all he birds and butterflies.
Why would you want to chase the wolfoties away with a hockey stick? They are doing you a huge favor many times over.
The deer was having trouble in the snow pack but was fine once it made it to the road. So why did the animal officer even get involved? He likely chased them all back into the woods so the deer was back in trouble in the snow pack and was then gutted by the wolfoties. Both the wolfoties and the deer were learning survival tactics trying not to waste energy. Adding a human throws it all out of kilter. Now the wolfoties will think if they are in the same spot and a human shows up the human will help them catch the deer. Dumb.
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It’s just nature. Just because it happens in front of my eyes doesn’t mean I should meddle.
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I agree with Anonymous. Even though I still watch all of the National Geographic programs that show all types of incounters with animals that make me squirm and root for the prey animal, I so badly want some kind of natural order of things to happen. Having predators like our coyote hybrids in the area can REALLY help on so many levels. It’s going to be difficult for some people to accept but having them here teaches all of us how to live and not abuse the environment. Respect for all life forms is key.
P.S. I love Gloucester 🙂
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Joey,
I keep getting blacked out pictures on your blog. This is an example. I’m using a MacBook Pro. Is anyone else having this problem?
Kauren
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From what I understand this usually happens to Mac folks who haven’t updated their browsers
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I guess I’m a butinski. I would have gone outside and threw the bigest rocks I could throw at the coyotes. I know its nature but it would ruin my day knowing I did nothing to help that deer.
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I voted to help the deer. Imagine this: the deer runs away behind me. But now the two coyotes see another two-on-one situation…against me. They circlce me while one charges and the other is behind me. And my cell phone is next to my car keys in the house. I start to get out of breath and …
yeah helping seemed like a good idea.didn’t it?
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I would have ran out there naked and got them in a circle hand-in-paw-in-hoof and sung Kumbaya. Actually, I think it’s best not to intervene unless you are some sort of wildlife expert who knows a damn good reason why it might be a good idea to intervene. Although, I understand why people would feel guilty if they didn’t intervene.
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I might h ave gone out to my deck making a loud banging noise on pots & pans, but would let nature do its thing. That’s how these people get mauled and then wonder “why did that animal turn on me?”
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I love how the deer keeps his/her tail up the whole time alerting other deers in the area of danger!
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Time to break out the shotgun….. the last few years have shown that coy-wolves very human children the same way the view the deer…. they are opportunistic feeders and there are an over population of them in Gloucester as well….just ask anyone in East Gloucester…. and the season is open as well!!!
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I probably would have made a noise to scare them away if it looked like they were going to get the deer if only for the reason that I wouldn’t want coyote to think of my driveway as their successful hunting ground lest they mistake me, one of my kids or one of my animals as a potential meal.
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Our first response was to try and help the deer, but we quickly realized that we were only making matters worse. Shawn tried stamping his feet and throwing ice chunks at the coyotes (who paid him no attention) but that only freaked the deer out and made her run, which made her more vulnerable to attack. So, we let nature take its course and decided to film some of it while it happened. That deer held the coyotes at bay for over 4 hours and several of our backyards before the animal control officer arrived and chased them all deeper into the woods. Which was a good thing…..it was school vacation week and the neighborhood kids were stressed out watching bambi under attack.
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shoot, shovel and shut up
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If a coyote came in my yard It would have a death sentence, deer or not, I won’t even let my dog out without watching for them! There are to many of them around here. Should have a hunting season for the suckers.
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Did you shoot my mommy?
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Sandi I think that’s a terrible thing to say. Controlled breeding is the way to lower the number of coyotees, not by taking a gun and shooting in cold blood just because the animal enters your property. Although you may get a kick out of it, it’s a very cruel way of doing it.
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