I have heard others comment on the ability of coyotes to distinguish long arm silhouettes. Apparently crows can do the same.

Didn't see any coyote but did see a wolf on the side of the road in the ditch outside of Biwabik eaitng a dear in April.

As an aside: there are coyotes and then there are coyotes.

The ones we get on the Canadian prairies aren't worth worrying about, unless you get one that's rabid. They're pretty small and generally timid. In the rural areas or the bush, they're mostly invisible. Though in the large cities with parks running through them (and nobody showing them 'which way it flows'), they've become quite bold and might even attack a small dog on a leash. Big stick time.

I was initially surprised at the fatality on the East Coast. Coyotes? Really? But apparently the Wile-E's out there are twice the size of their prairie cousins, and aren't terribly afraid of a lone hiker. So it's a different ball game. I would not want my kid sister to be tag-teamed by a couple of big, hungry dogs; nor by E.Coast coyotes. A can of bear spray would be appropriate gear. (I find myself taking it more and more; it's light and effective in many situations.)

End aside.

Crows and coyotes are some of the smartest species in NA. These 2 very different species are only a handful of all that have increased their population and territory against human encroachment. We have plenty of coyotes around here and they never cease to amaze how smart they are and how they learn and adapt from their mistakes. It is not often that anyone can fool a coyote...and very very rarely twice.

I have never seen coyotes that look like they would threaten a human adult, however if a few young coyotes get in a pack, they as Canoedogs said, get a little bit braver and if you have small animals or children, precautions are recommended no matter how remote you may think the threat is.

One good thing (depends on your view) coyotes around here have a knack of keeping the local and very annoying stray cat population in check. Just a couple of weeks ago, my SIL seen a coyote trotting along the street (and presumably home) with a cat in it's mouth....

Flip side of the coin, when living up northern Canada and in a small rural area, we went through a few cats that we deduced was due to the local coyote population. After about the 3rd cat going AWOL, we gave up keeping this type of family pet...


As for crows, they are almost a nuisance around here, yet I like observing these smart and clever birds as they go about their daily lives in the park nearby. If you are ever out hiking, you may be followed a crow or 2 as they are smart enough to know that people = a possible food handout source.

I don't believe coyote attacks are as rare as some people think. Here's an excerpt from a recent paper by the University of California, and this is just referring to that one state.

"Coyote attacks on humans and pets have increased within the past 5 years in California. We discuss documented occurrences of coyote aggression and attacks on people, using data from USDA Wildlife Services, the California Department of Fish & Game, and other sources. Forty-eight such attacks on children and adults were verified from 1998 through 2003, compared to 41 attacks during the period 1988 through 1997; most incidents occurred in Southern California near the suburban-wildland interface. Attack incidents are typically preceded by a sequence of increasingly bold coyote behaviors, including: nighttime coyote attacks on pets; sightings of coyotes in neighborhoods at night; sightings of coyotes in morning and evening; attacks on pets during daylight hours; attacks on pets on leashes and chasing of joggers and bicyclists; and finally, mid-day sightings of coyotes in and around children’s play areas"

escholarship.org/uc/item/8qg662fb

Just found out about this recent publication today and I haven't read it, but it would seem to be relevant to this discussion:

Call of the wild

48 attacks over a 5 year period is very low when compared to family dog attacks on kids and calculated on a ratio basis.

Getting back to the coyotes, this sentence explains part of the increase in attacks.

Due to an absence of harassment by residents, urban coyotes lose their natural fear of humans, which is further worsened by people intentionally feeding coyotes.

IMO, people who feed wildlife whether it be a coyote or a bear, it will come back and bite you in the end...no pun intended.