Coyotoon Spotted on Property

There is a photo that has been on our page for months, and I thought that you might enjoy hearing how that photo came to be.

For a bit of history, we welcomed a pair of geese a couple of years ago, but they have since been evicted. They are bad tenants….. too messy. We have tried a few humane goose deterrents, and the things that have been most successful for us are Wily and Yodi, the two coyote decoys. Geese are rather big birds, but note the size of their heads….tiny brains. They are easily fooled by a plastic dog with no legs. We had left Yodi out all winter as he was guarding our pond plants from the marauding deer. When we witnessed two pair of geese engaging in a bidding war over our small island, we went in search of Wily. We found Wily and his stake, but we couldn’t find his furry tail anywhere. What self respecting coyote would stand guard with a naked butt? So I went on EBay and bought a coonskin cap with a genuine raccoon tail. With a small modification, Wily now is sporting a very fashionable rear accessory.

Wiley Coyote with a Raccoon Tail

Now, I think Bayley is pretty darn smart, and I have been bragging about her here on these pages, but even she was fooled the first time she laid eyes on Wily. Maybe the smell of the tail was sending mixed signals. She wasn’t intimidated at all, but wanted to engage Wiley in a game of tag. Bayley definitely had the advantage there, being as she had legs. Wiley may not run fast, but he can spin on a dime.