Forgive me Mudcat for taking Krinkle seriously even though we are just his puzzle and toy.   When I drive trough South Carolina they have public service announcements saying not to hunt coyotes at night because they look and act so much like red wolves. Perhaps they are not as endangered as you thought.

This article says the species may even be a cross between wolves and Coyotes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_wolf

Obviously Mr. Krinkle you have as much right to the woods as the coyote/wolf/dog, whatever it is. (Carol says it is probably a chupacabra) But animals being spared the pleasure of dealing with lawyers are blissfully unaware of your rights.

One of which is the right to bear arms. If it were me I would purchase a light, easy to carry, double barreled 410 gauge shot gun or pistol, one barrel to shoot into the ground as previously suggested, one barrel to "go for the eyes" as Kendall so sagely suggested.

The 410 would have plenty of stopping power for a dog or Coyote. It would not have the range to endanger distant people or animals with a missed shot.

Carol suggests that bear repellant, (large cans of pepper spray) would be effective with the side effect of not killing the animal. She always thinks of the humane way. She used to do animal rescue and work in a zoo.

If you do kill an attacking coyote. Save the head so that they can test it for rabies.

Did you know that most most US chupacabra sightings in the US turn out to be coyotes with extreme mange?