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

[Dave Bear]

I had a pack follow me off Sugarloaves on Zealand Rd before. I had watched the sunset from the summit and they flanked me all the way to my Jeep. Some howling in the rear but the sentries up near me were quiet and off to each side. They are a cunning animal that is predatory not just curious!

 

[pocahontas]

Thanks for the heads-up John/NH

It's good to be aware of other people's experiences!

 

[NewHampshire]

I'm a nature lover, but I hate coyotes. They'll eat ANYTHING (your cat, your dog, your trash, your children)

Reminds me of one time I was out pheasant hunting with a friend. We were working a small field in Epping (NH) and I stumbled upon half a jaw bone, a bit of skin fragment and collar of someones beloved pet cat (no tags on it so we could not inform the owner). This was a clear cut coyote kill. And not a very pretty one either.

Brian

 

[gaiagirl]

Our coyotes are indeed a hybrid animal, Western coyotes crossed with Eastern wolves at some point and we got these 40+ pound more wolf than coyote coyote. And yes, they do indeed hunt in packs, paricularly where there is bigger game plentiful and room to roam. They have definitely filled the niche vacated by wolves when they were extirpated here in New England. I heard them more and more these past couple of years during Spring especially where I was living in Madison. They were probably running deer and/or simply traveling along the power lines down the road from the gravel pits (where the females often dig dens and have their pups in late winter/early Spring).

I am not afraid of them, but I might be spooked with a pack this close if I were hiking solo. I have only ever encountered single coyotes on hikes and even then have only surmised I was being "followed" once I had completed my loop (for example, a few years ago while hiking Kearsarge North in late Spring). I have friends who see them often (again, single dogs) on walks in the woods in Eastern Mass, and on Cape Cod. I find it interesting that they don't really seem concerned around humans (though I know of nobody personally who has encountered agression in them) and that wolves, from everything that I know about them, tend to stay as far from humans as possible. Moral of the story, I suppose, is that they are evolving in front of us and that they do well living nearby to us AND by taking over where wolves left off ....

 

[Billy]

Heard a few not too far into the woods one evening when running through the neighborhood. Found out that no matter how tired you might be, given the right incentive you can always run faster. On the up side, though, I notice the deer have stopped eating my arborvitae.
And similar to Brian's experience from a few posts above... I was working on someone's lawn once and found half a cat, almost literally HALF a cat. One front leg, one rear leg, and part of the skull gone. Must've been a ky-ote.
From the Providence Journal. Love the first sentence.

 

[Forester Jake]

Back again from the north central mountains of Vermont...

Danged coincidence I just had an "encounter" with 3 coyotes today!
I was cruising a woodland parcel in the Worcester mountains near Elmore mountain, admiring a large set of coyote tracks. I had been still & quiet for some time atop a ledge taking a break. All of a sudden, I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye- in the hardwood trees below me a very large and very healthy coyote was on a full gallop. Then another below. Then another above. In a matter of one minute they were gone with never a yip, bark, growl, sniff, nor howl. I can only assume they didn't smell me because I was both upwind & upslope from them. They seemed to know exactly where they were headed. All three looked extremely fit & healthy, perhaps around 50 lbs apiece. Exhilarating but nerve wracking at the same time. For some reason I felt the urge to get their attention (why???????) but kept silently goosebumped instead. I will note that there is a large dairy farm nearby and I know for a fact that this pack bothers the cows. Often times they'll shoot one and it'll hang near the barn for a few days as a warning to the others. Big coyotes!

Thanks for bringing these concerns to our attention with your question in this thread.... Probably no need to panic but it's certainly beneficial to consider an encounter, especially if striking out alone in an area of known activity.

 

[walker]

... I remember reading a news story about someone being stalked while walking...somewhere in Essex county, MA? It was a more urbanized area, thats for sure.

A woman walking her two dogs in a small Town Forest in Groveland, Ma, (Essex County) was followed by several coyotes for some time. She was walking the two dogs off leash at the time.

In September of 2011, eight to ten coyotes took down and killed a 400 pound buffalo on a farm in in the City of Haverhill, MA.

They're out there, and they're staying.

As Teddy said...Walk softly and carry a big stick.

See you on the trail...(Walking softly).....Walker

 

[gaiagirl]

The farm in Haverhill where those buffalo live is just down the road from my parents' house. After that story in the local papers there was a retraction of sorts. It sounds as if perhaps he did lose a buffalo, but that contention that coyotes were the cause was completely bogus. I am not clear on who exactly came up with the "theory" that a pack killed the animal, but what I heard made it sound like the animal died of illness and someone had an interest in jazzing up the story. Despite the fact that these are "tame" buffalo, they are still BIG animals. In Yellowstone, only the largest wolves hunt and kill buffalo (the name of the pack escapes me now, but it is only 1 pack in the park that does this, and they are massive animals, every one of them). I'm not saying it's impossible, but I can't imagine coyotes killing anything that big, unless it was VERY old or VERY ill.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

...I do not mean to spark paranoia by this thread, either.

As soon as I read that, it was obvious to me that is exactly what such a thread would do.

So, what's next - wild-eyed tales of rabid squirrels? Killer squirrels? Might be time to dust off the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, and get out the popcorn to watch News at 11.

Early Thursday morning I was camping with hiking friends when we heard very loud, very close, coyote calls - coming from 3 sides of us. WE WERE SURROUNDED!! Well, we were, in a sense. However, in this case it was obvious to me that the calls were likely a means of the pack locating each other after a night of scavenging, so they could reassemble as the sun would be up shortly.

Yes, coyotes are carnivores, but they're essentially scavengers. They're intelligent, and know than man is a source of food in many ways. That they would watch us closely to see if there was an opportunity for food is completely logical.

There's a difference between watching and stalking.

Equating the two makes for great fear-mongering.

 

[griffin]

what I heard made it sound like the animal died of illness and someone had an interest in jazzing up the story.

There was also a suggestion that the owner may have been hoping for some kind of compensation from the state - something that's available to people who lose livestock to predation.

I've had far closer encounters with coyotes down here in Mass. than in New Hampshire. I've seen them in the Middlesex Fells where I take my dog in the morning, and we even had one hiding in the yard behind us a few years back. The AC theorized that it had been hit by a car and crawled into the first thing that looked like it would provide cover. But that still means that the coyote was wandering around Davis Square in Somerville.

I can't say that I"m that worried they're going to decide either Augie or I are an easy meal, but I am happy that I hike with poles.

 

[TrishandAlex]

Coming down the last mile of Dicey's Mill Trail yesterday (Ferncroft, Mt. Passaconaway), I thought I heard two coyotes calling back and forth to each other. Alex and I had just broken out the headlamps and, since we are both a bit afraid of the dark, this was not what we wanted to hear. I assured Alex that we'd be fine, but I told her to stay very close to me. I carried my pepper spray and my large hunting knife to make myself feel better.

Was either one of us actually in any danger? Probably not. However, it doesn't hurt to take precautions, even if it's just to calm one's own jittery nerves.

 

[audrey]

Here in the suburbs of Boston, coyotes are present in the conservation lands as well as in back yards and on streets. A number of our dog owning friends have had encounters that were benign but stressful nonetheless. I'm happy to have a fenced backyard. How high can a coyote jump??

We have had no local reports of harmful incidents. No doubt the coyotes have taken their share of kitties but we also have a visible fox population (one builds a temporary snow cave in our front yard) that has actually been observed to attack cats.

Some towns are trying to hunt down at least some of the coyotes but scientists say it's futile. There are too many that will just move in to fill the niche.

On our hikes up north, we've heard them but never seen them.

 

[DougPaul]

Some towns are trying to hunt down at least some of the coyotes but scientists say it's futile. There are too many that will just move in to fill the niche.

Coyotes also have more pups when the population is sparse.

Hunting isn't likely to eradicate them but it may help to prevent bad interactions (from the human standpoint...) by removing the habituated individuals.

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

Doug

 

[grouseking]

While I have never actually seen a coyote before, I don't really think there is anything to be particularly afraid of. I can definitely see how it would be freaky if something seems to be "stalking" you, but in the white mtns, I would think its more of a curiousity thing on their part.

Urban coyotes are potentially more worrisome on the other hand because they are used to people. Still, common sense should keep people out of harms way if something were to happen.

 

[RoySwkr]

This article suggests that deer are having an easier time with better travel and more forage, making it harder for coyotes
http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/307961/its-time-when-moose-matter

 

[Snowflea]

A little coyote love

Coyotes are smaller out here in Coastal California, but I see them very, very frequently in the Santa Monica Mtns. and have never felt threatened or "had an issue" with them. Quite the contrary: I consider it a treat to see them, especially if it's a mama w/pups. There are lots of rabbits for them to eat, but occasionally there will be a (usually over-sensationalized) news story of someone's off-leash chihuahua getting snatched away... usually in Orange County. They way I look at it, they're just trying to survive... to say, it's FOOD, and they're HUNGRY.

When I lived in the Northeast Kingdom of VT, we would often hear them yipping and howling at night. I'm pretty sure they got one of my cats, but I don't begrudge them that. Again, they were hungry and she was easy pickins. (And outdoor cats aren't "innocent" either. How many songbirds does the average pet cat kill annually?)

The fact that coyotes are thriving in so many places I actually find admirable. They are survivors in a time when being a wild animal isn't so easy.

The chances of them attacking a human are very, very slim. As others have said, if you're really afraid, carry pepper spray and a big stick.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

...How high can a coyote jump??

I've seen them clear a 5' wire fence, which is quite common where I live now. These are the smaller western variety, like Stinkyfeet said.

I don't know whether the larger eastern variety would find a 5' fence a barrier or not. There must be a point of diminishing returns in terms of strength:weight vs. gravity, but have no idea where that is in the canine family.

 

[audrey]

I've seen them clear a 5' wire fence, which is quite common where I live now. These are the smaller western variety, like Stinkyfeet said.

I don't know whether the larger eastern variety would find a 5' fence a barrier or not. There must be a point of diminishing returns in terms of strength:weight vs. gravity, but have no idea where that is in the canine family.

Luckily Leo hasn't figured out that a Lab probably could get over our 4' fence. One coyote checking us out at 5 am looked like he stood that tall. Leo loves other dogs but seeing the coyote brought him up short, quiet and just staring.

 

[walker]

A small attempt of humor

...So, what's next - wild-eyed tales of rabid squirrels? Killer squirrels? Might be time to dust off the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, and get out the popcorn to watch News at 11. ...

The Date: April 20, 1979
The Place: Plains, Georgia
The Attackee: James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr.
The Attacker: One of those big splay-footed things that we called swamp rabbits*

It's all fun and games until someone loses a arm. And than..."Oh, It's just a flesh wound"

See you on the Trail (Packing the Holy Hand Grenade of Antich in the front pocket)...Walker

The whole story

*From Press Secretary Powell's 1986 book "The Other Side of the Story"

 

[Red Oak]

I agree that coyotes in the west coast are very wimpy!I used to hang at a skateboard ranch in San luis Obispo where the surrounding active farm lands had problems with the coyotes going after cows.Seemed to be these coyotes specialized in hiding from us skateboarders.Some of the bro's like to take out their rifles and take pot shots at them.Nothing like surfers and skaters with hair down to their waists shooting at coyotes.I spent a bunch of time hiking the surrounding hills and little mountains in the area and was much more concerned about the mountain lions, especially when there are warning signs for them.The local deer seemed to share this concern for these tree climbing cats.