Coyotes in our midst: managing the fear factor

Their howls and yips travel long distances through the dark night, lending a sense of dread or delight, depending on your perspective. Curiosity can lead to greater understanding; fear can limit our ability to see this wily canine realistically.

Coyotes have been accused of everything from highly destructive livestock raids to attacks on humans. And while isolated incidents can occur, they are not indicative of typical coyote behavior. Like urban legends, such rural legends lengthen in the telling, and are often used to support population reduction activities such as bounties and competitive hunts.

More than 500 hunters harvested 39 coyotes during Sullivan County’s first three-day coyote hunt run by the Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs around the time of the coyote’s annual breeding period recently. Awards ranging from $100 to $2,000 were given to hunters and the largest coyote bagged was 46 pounds.

Such population reduction measures have proven useless so far. Despite initial declines, coyote eradication programs in the West using bounties, poison and traps have actually resulted in increased numbers of this skillful predator. Due to a built-in biological mechanism, coyotes respond to a population decrease by increasing their litter size, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC), which notes, “A bounty system has never successfully eliminated or significantly reduced coyote populations anywhere in North America.”

Coyote impacts on livestock may be exaggerated, too. The PGC conducted an analysis of 300 coyote scats which revealed a diet that included mostly plant matter, birds, insects, rodents and other small mammals like rabbits and woodchucks. Deer comprised approximately 57 percent of the diet. While the PGC acknowledges the occurrence of a “low rate” of coyote predation of sheep, chickens, ducks and goats, the study produced no evidence of livestock consumption.

For those who fear a coyote encounter, the PGC points out that while it is important to treat this predator with respect, coyotes make every attempt to steer clear of humans. In addition, coyotes play an important role in reducing deer populations, and in cleaning up the remains after vehicles encounter deer on regional roadways.