In the PNW coyotes are habituated to living around but not with people, out here in the suburbs like Redmond WA I have seen 4-5 coyotes all trotting together on a city street, disappearing into the green belt. In our area they are known to dine on rodents and rabbits (also released into the wild in large numbers by people), cats and the very occasional small dog. Locally there are plenty of rabbits I think they tend not to track or eat dogs so much, but cats are just an abundant opportunity, they'll take them if they see them and are hungry, and someone is always a little hungry in a coyote pack. Folks report seeing lots of rabbit skeletons in the woods, they are commonly hunted by every predator out there, from cats to coyotes. I have also seen a few mountain beaver carcasses which I would blame on the coyotes - I feel sorry for that, there has been so much development in the suburban margins that its a hard life for the mountain beaver already from human influx into their environment.

People - I would be very surprised if we have anything to worry about as long as game is abundant. I have never heard of coyotes luring their prey into an attack. Coyotes are always trotting perpendicular if not away from me. It could be the one you saw sitting was watching or standing some sort of guard from the edge of their territory, and his likely response if you approached would be to alert other coyotes to your advance, and their retreat.

I have to say that I actually admire the coyote, it is such a resiliant animal and generally not a nuisance to anyone. When people feed them that can evolve into problems, as feeding any wild animal can.

I used to hear them at night near here but then they built a freeway 1/4 mile north of here and cut off the habitat some. I do know that they have a run under the freeway where they sometimes run through at night but I have never heard of anyone around my neigborhood having problems.

I know how much the coyote contributes with rodent control, keep up the good work Wiley and may you one day catch a roadrunner or two:)

This is a link to an interesting article by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources on Coyotes in Maryland:

http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/hunt_trap/furbearers/coyote.asp

A couple of notes:

Populations of coyotes in the neighboring Commonwealth of Virginia were found to be increasing at 29% per year. A similar increase in population is thought to be in progress here in Maryland.

All counties in Maryland have popultations of coyotes, despite the fact the Maryland is one of the last two states to have been colonized (first seen in 1972) by coyotes (the other being Delaware).

Coyotes become the local top predator, displacing other natural predators (e.g. our local red fox) and others. "In fact a localized indicator of the presence of coyotes is a rapid decline in the free ranging cat population."

The take-away I get is that if you haven't seen them in your neighborhood yet, you will.

I have not seen any in my neighborhood, but 2 red fox that used to appear in my backyard have disappeared, as has a cat that used to wander through the border of the woods in the back. So I'm keeping my eyes open.

When I was stationed at Vandenberg AFB, CA. 1 hr north of Santa Barbra, we had coyotes all over the base but never in the housing area, well at least not oin the day.

They keep to themselves and always appear to be skiddish and sickly...just starving I say. I would not fear a coyote what so ever. In fact id fear a stray pi$$ed of dog way more.

no ... I don't worry about them.
it would only be a concern if the animal looked sick and "out of its mind".

Pete2

Folks have sighted coyotes here in Providence often enough that I'm cautious to never let my dog out in the backyard without keeping an eye on him. (Common sense anyway.)

Several weeks ago my husband and I woke to the sounds of a small crying dog at 2 am. After an hour of listening to it we got up to see what was going on. Found the poor thing a few blocks away, forgotten in the freezing rain outside his own home. My husband spotted what he thought were coyotes investigating the scene as well. They ran off when we approached, and fortunately the owner came out shortly thereafter to collect his dog.

There are enough stray cats and dogs in this city to keep a coyote well-fed, I think.

I went on a 4 day Mini-Vacation over the weekend with my freinds here in West-Central Iowa, and sitting out on the deck at night I could hear the Coyotes right at Sunset. It was a beautiful/spooky sound.. something I don't hear when I am in the city.

We were talking, and someone brought up how Coyotes were being pushed into Wolfe territory, and that they were interbreeding creating a hybrid that was as big as a Wolfe, but less fearful of man like coyotes tend to be. There's not many (if any?) Wolves in Iowa, but in Wisconcin and Illinois I think they have zones where they are common.

The only thing I've heard of is to never mess with Coyote's young. But I guess that goes for any animal.

No, I don't concern myself with them. I grew up in the foothills of Mt. Rainier. I'd regularly build partially buried forts in hollows in the woods and the local coyotes would take them over as dens. At 13 I'd be out by myself crawling into a fort/den and would hear the now resident coyote telling me that it was now sublet and to leave. I would and we never had a problem. We had horses, dogs, rabbits, pigs, barn cats and we never had a problem with them. LOVE to listen to them serenade though.

In Scotland we don't have Coyotes, so I can't really comment, but in general I don't have any worries about any wildlife but sometimes I worry more about certain places.

This place gives me a bad vibe for example;


The Deil's Head or Devils Head.

Last week a wave came in and grabbed an unwary fisherman to his doom.

There has also been reports of dogs being attacked by the local killer Seals.

http://news.stv.tv/north/194008-black-labrador-pet-dog-put-down-after-being-savaged-by-huge-seal/

Looks like there ought to be a climbing route or two on the Devil's Head....How tall is it?

I have only been to Scotland once, a trip that was all too brief. Fascinating coastline and fabulous, rugged country.....