Coyotes: Followed by a pack in Belknaps. Anyone else ever have an issue with them?

[hikingmaineac]

I'm happy to have a fenced backyard. How high can a coyote jump??

This coyote got its hind legs caught in a picket fence and had to be released by police and firefighters.

An Article on Boston.com today talks about encroaching coyotes in MA and how to scare them off. It suggests you can “scare or threaten coyotes with loud noises and bright lights.’’

An online GIS mapping tool has been created so the public can share/track coyote sightings.

 

[Brambor]

Love the photo

 

[griffin]

Now if we could just do something about the humans that leave food (deliberate feeding, pet food, unsecured garbage, etc) out for them...

Doug

I remember reading this article 2 years ago and being gobsmacked at the number of people they found deliberately feeding coyotes - including the neighbors of one woman who's dog was killed by them.:

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/m...0/how_we_can_coexist_peacefully_with_coyotes/

Clearly, they're going to find food sources without human intervention (and I can't say I'd have minded them moving in and dealing with the rat issue we had around here last summer), but why add to it?

 

[Little Rickie]

So I was just wondering if I am a coyote magnet

Eat more garlic.

If they were stalking you you wouldn't hear them.

 

[erugs]

There were reports of people and their dogs being bothered by coyotes in the Cape Elizabeth, Maine area (just south of Portland).

When I lived in New Boston I saw them a few times and heard them many more times. Now that I live in Manchester, I only hear jets, police/fire sirens, and the dumpster trash collection trucks on Wednesday mornings.

 

[DougPaul]

Clearly, they're going to find food sources without human intervention (and I can't say I'd have minded them moving in and dealing with the rat issue we had around here last summer), but why add to it?

It isn't just more food for them--feeding them will cause them to lose their fear of humans and to associate humans with food which is likely to lead to more unpleasant (and possibly dangerous) encounters.

Doug

 

[Chip]

We had some coyote yipping around us pre-dawn on Pierce once. I've had them cross paths right in front of me. I'd be concerned for a small dog, but that's about it.

So, what's next - wild-eyed tales of rabid squirrels?

FWIW: Maybe a biologist could confirm this, but I'm pretty sure there's a much higher chance of being bitten by a rabid animal than any other form of wild animal attack...and how many of us have had that happen ?

 

[Little Rickie]

It isn't just more food for them--feeding them will cause them to lose their fear of humans and to associate humans with food which is likely to lead to more unpleasant (and possibly dangerous) encounters.

Doug

Just like bears, which is manageable and nothing to fear.

Domestic dogs and cats have the most to worry about. I've never been a fan of those small yappy dust mop dogs anyway.

 

[JacobH]

I live about 20m south of the Belknaps and they are pretty common in my area. I hear them quite often at night, never had any problems as far as I know, though. They seem to keep to themselves for the most part. I love to hear them chat to each other.

A few times they have come pretty close (within a few yards) but I've never felt threatened. I believe they were just being curious. They are great neighbors.

 

[Stan]

I've had the joy of hearing coyotes in the wild from our tent while camping in Maine. Most coyotes in northern New England are wolf hybrids with many characteristics of wolves, including the howl as opposed to a yip. It is a wonderous sound echoing in the silence of the night.

I would not take coyotes lightly, especially a pack, especially a hungry pack.

In recent years deer populations in the northern woods have been stressed by deep snow and harsh conditions, making them easier prey for coyotes. This abundance has led to an increase in the coyote population and as the deer decline so will the coyotes (with help from hunters wishing to preserve deer for their own larder) but not before desparate attempts to find new food sources. That could point to a higher incidence of human-coyote conflict until the cycle plays itself out.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

...Most coyotes in northern New England are wolf hybrids with many characteristics of wolves

Please provide a citation for this, something beyond a newspaper reference. Thanks.

 

[Mac]

I rode my bike around Cape Breton this past summer. There are signs all over warning about coyotes. I found it to be a bit silly, actually, but understandable all the same due to the girl being killed. I heard them in the Highlands, but never saw any.

This ain't as silly as it might seem. There was another documented case in Cape Breton (Ingonish Area), where a young girl was sleeping outside her family's tent (in an established campground) and a coyote grabbed her by the head. The coyote was driven off, and the girl survived, with many stitches.

The following is a citation mentioning interbreeding with Gray Wolf:

Citation: NH Fish and Game http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife/Wildlife_profiles/profile_eastern_coyote.htm

 

[JacobH]

Yeah... the Wikipedia page on Coywolf links to the Toronto Star twice, the Caledonian-Record once, a blog, a dead link to Montana State U research paper. Not very reliable looking stuff, unfortunately.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coywolf

I would also like to read some other sources if anyone has some! What a great topic.

edit: That F&G link is good, thanks!

 

[pedxing]

Here's a primary source on the hybridization of the Eastern Coyote in Eastern Mass:

http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1656/045.017.0202

Research showing populations of hybridized coyotes in the Northeastern U.S.:

http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/6/1/89.short

There is also some long standing research showing wolf populations with coyote DNA, e.g.:

http://www.jstor.org/pss/2409486

 

[griffin]

Please provide a citation for this, something beyond a newspaper reference. Thanks.

Walter Jakubas did a study under the auspices of the Maine department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, referenced here (although I can't find the original publication):

http://www.sportingjournal.com/main128.shtml

Roland Kays was part of a follow-up study summarized here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3297665.../coyote-wolf-new-breed-predator/#.TycAY4EprTo

abstract of the original paper:

http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2009/09/23/rsbl.2009.0575.abstract

I am not saying either is correct, but those are the studies I've seen referenced.

 

[Jason Berard]

Yeah... the Wikipedia page on Coywolf links to the Toronto Star twice, the Caledonian-Record once, a blog, a dead link to Montana State U research paper. Not very reliable looking stuff, unfortunately.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coywolf

I would also like to read some other sources if anyone has some! What a great topic.

edit: That F&G link is good, thanks!

Hey, Don't go dissin' the Caledonian Record. That was my hometown newspaper growing up! I read the blog article at the CR link. It sounded relaible to me.
Tests were done on two seperate animals by professionals which showed them to share DNA with wolves.

 

[JacobH]

Hey, Don't go dissin' the Caledonian Record. That was my hometown newspaper growing up! I read the blog article at the CR link. It sounded relaible to me.
Tests were done on two seperate animals by professionals which showed them to share DNA with wolves.

No disses! Just saying, more sources are better and that wikipedia page looks a little on the dry side. I wouldn't trust a "scientific" article from the FDD if that was the only source I could find either.

Thanks for the other links everyone!

 

[Jason Berard]

I was quite surprised to see a link to the CR as a citation for anything, myself!

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Thanks pedxing and griffin for those references. It's interesting to note the southern range of this hybridized version.

IMO, filling the niche left by the extermination of the wolf is a good thing. Longterm, it will result in a healthier mammal population (deer, moose, rabbits, etc).

 

[griffin]

IMO, filling the niche left by the extermination of the wolf is a good thing. Longterm, it will result in a healthier mammal population (deer, moose, rabbits, etc).

I suspect you're right regarding the niche previously filled by wolves. But I think the long-term consequences in the new niche they're creating - sub/urban environments - are a little less obvious. Not saying their impact will necessarily be negative but it's going to be interesting to watch.