The coyotes are back, and looking for trouble again. I heard them howling in the night, but it wasn’t until my morning walk that I realized just how close they were. In the dusting of snow we got overnight, I saw their fresh paw prints in my driveway, headed towards my neighbor’s yard. Not only are they hungry, but from now through March it is coyote mating season, and they are very territorial. Therefore, we need to keep our guard up!
Asa offered to write a song explaining the dangers of coyotes to pets this time of year. And in a moment of weakness due to lack of sleep, I agreed. However, Asa chose to write his parody to the tune of Duran Duran’s iconic hit, “Hungry Like the Wolf,” and only got as far as the do-do-do part of the song, before he was distracted singing his favorite song of “Baby Shark” instead.
Dark is the winter, night is their time
Coyotes active, ready for crime (do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do)
Howling, they want to give me a sign
And catch something delicious ready to dine (do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do)….Coyote Shark!
Thus leaving me no choice but to interrupt Asa’s song and explain myself how humans can protect their pets. Coyotes tend to feast on small animals. Therefore cats and smaller dogs need to be alert if they are present in your area. However, coyotes are also more aggressive this time of year because they are looking for a mate. So a larger dog may be viewed as a threat to their territory. Here are a few tips to try to avoid conflict with coyotes this winter.
First and foremost, don’t feed the coyotes, and remove any tempting food sources in your yard like bowls of pet food, easy to open garbage cans, and make sure your compost is not accessible. Also be sure to clean up any bird seed that may accumulate under feeders. Although coyotes are primarily carnivores, they do enjoy to eat most anything, especially in winter when food is scarcer.
Don’t leave pets unattended in the yard, even if you have a fence. Coyotes can easily get over fences, especially a highly motivated one. The Humane Society recommends “coyote-proof” fences which are at least 8 feet tall and made of materials they can’t climb, or “at least six feet tall with a protective device on top, such as a ‘coyote roller,’ that rolls off any coyotes who try to scramble over the fence.” They also recommend securing your fence below the ground so the coyotes can’t dig under it. I’d also like to add, repair your fence, because our neighborhood coyotes walked through a gap in ours last winter!
If you do encounter a coyote in your yard or while out on a walk, don’t panic and don’t run. For the most part coyotes want to avoid you, or at least your humans, as much as you want to avoid them. The Humane Society recommends hazing coyotes. Now they don’t mean hazing as in having them pledge to join a college fraternity! They mean making it undesirable to stay on the property. This includes having your human look big and threatening by waving their arms and yelling. Making noise using air horns, banging pots and pans, or blowing whistles can also intimidate coyotes, and make them move along. But remember, coyotes are smart. If they return don’t be a one trick pony! Vary your methods, because otherwise they’ll catch on your human is all bark and no bite.
Most importantly, if you encounter a coyote that is sick or injured, do not interact with it. Instead contact your local authorities, because a sick animal is an unpredictable animal, and you don’t want to escalate the situation.
Now that I think about it, I suppose Asa was helping by singing his mashup parody of “Hunger Like the Wolf” and “Baby Shark.” Because that song sure is annoying and makes me want to leave the room!
