Coming face-to-face with a coyote can be an unnerving experience, especially if it happens at night when visibility is poor. Coyotes are found throughout North America and they are extremely adaptable, often living close to human settlements. While attacks on people are rare, coyotes will defend themselves if cornered or threatened. Knowing how to respond safely is important for preventing any escalation. This article provides quick answers on what to do if you have a coyote encounter at night, with more detailed explanations to follow.
Quick answers:
– Remain calm and do not run or turn your back. Back away slowly while facing the coyote.
– Make yourself look big by waving your arms and make loud noises.
– If the coyote does not retreat, be ready to fight back aggressively.
– Avoid crouching or bending over, which can trigger a predatory response.
– Pick up small children and pets immediately so they don’t run and trigger chasing.
– Report any aggressive or unusual coyote behavior to authorities. Monitoring helps track public safety issues.
Understanding Coyote Behavior
To respond properly during a coyote encounter, it’s important to understand their typical behaviors and motivations. Coyotes are naturally afraid of humans and will usually retreat if noticed. However, they can lose fear of people when they associate humans with food, such as pet food, trash, or small pets. Intentional and unintentional feeding leads coyotes to approach homes and yards searching for an easy meal.
Coyotes are primarily nocturnal and do more hunting at night when fewer people are active. Nighttime also brings them closer to homes and neighborhoods in search of food. So while coyote attacks are rare overall, you are more likely to have an encounter with a coyote at night in an area frequented by humans.
While coyotes help control pest and rodent populations, they will also prey on small pets left unattended, especially cats and small dogs. Securing pets is important to avoid attracting coyotes close to homes.
Common coyote behaviors around neighborhoods include:
– Foraging for human food sources in yards and trash cans
– Being attracted by small pets left unsecured outside
– Hunting rodents and rabbits attracted to lawns and landscaping
– Roaming streets and sidewalks at night when less human activity
– Becoming comfortable in neighborhoods with frequent feeding
– Searching for water sources like pet water bowls left outdoors
– Seeking safe denning spots under decks or in overgrown yards
What to Do if You Encounter a Coyote at Night
If you have a direct coyote encounter at night, here are the proper steps to take:
1. Stay calm
It’s natural to feel anxious, but try to remain calm. Running or panicking can trigger a coyote’s prey drive and provoke chasing or an attack.
2. Stand tall and make yourself look big
Wave your arms, open your jacket, raise anything you can above your head to appear larger and more intimidating. You want the coyote to recognize you as a potential threat, not prey or competition for resources. Shouting firmly is also recommended.
3. Maintain eye contact and back away slowly
Always face the coyote while retreating. Do not run or turn your back, which can elicit pursuit. Move as a unified group if you are with others. Maintain eye contact to monitor the animal’s reaction.
NEVER attempt to feed or approach the coyote!
Offering food teaches the coyote to approach people for an easy meal and loses fear. Feeding coyotes, whether intentional or not, trains them to be more bold around neighborhoods.
4. Use noisemakers or projectiles
Making loud noises with whistles, air horns, pots and pans, or other devices may frighten the coyote away. As a last resort, throwing sticks, small rocks, golf balls, or spraying water may drive off a persistent coyote if you carry such deterrents.
5. Fight back aggressively if attacked
In the rare event a coyote directly attacks, do not flee. Shout, wave your arms vigorously, and try to intimidate it. If physical contact is made, punch, kick, and use sticks or rocks as weapons. Target the eyes and nose if possible to discourage further advancement.
| Deterrents for Aggressive Coyotes |
|---|
| Air horns or whistles |
| Pots and pans banging |
| Throwing projectiles |
| Water sprayed from hose or super soaker |
| Aggressive shouting and waving of arms |
| Swing sticks or bats aggressively |
6. Pick up small pets and children immediately
If you have a small dog, cat, or child with you, quickly and calmly pick them up. Running triggers predatory pursuit. Do not let them run around trying to escape the coyote. Larger dogs should be leashed and controlled.
7. Report aggressive coyote behavior to authorities
Inform animal control, police, or wildlife authorities about any incident where a coyote exhibited unusually bold, aggressive, or threatening behavior. This helps track public safety concerns and may lead to special management of problem animals if a threat pattern emerges.
Preventive Measures in Coyote-Prone Areas
While coyote attacks are uncommon, people living in regions where coyotes frequent neighborhoods can take preventive measures to further reduce risks:
- Never feed coyotes or leave pet food accessible outside
- Securely enclose compost piles and cover trash cans
- Trim overgrown vegetation to reduce hiding places and possible den sites
- Install motion-activated lights and alarms to deter coyotes
- Walk pets on a leash and accompany small dogs and cats outside
- Bring pets in at night unless the yard is well-secured
- Clear away brush/woodpiles bordering the yard
- Use fencing and commercial deterrents if coyotes keep returning
Following these basic practices removes attractants and makes yards less appealing. This encourages coyotes to avoid neighborhood areas in search of better habitat. But occasional sightings may still occur, so knowing how to respond safely to encounters is always important.
Conclusion
Coyotes play a valuable role in ecosystems by controlling pest populations. Generally, they prefer to avoid humans. But habituation to neighborhoods can lead to bolder behavior, warranting caution. Following the right response steps when encountering a coyote at night helps defuse most situations peacefully. Remaining calm, standing tall, yelling, and maintaining eye contact usually convinces the coyote to retreat. But preparing deterrents and aggressively defending yourself may be needed against an exceptionally stubborn or aggressive animal. Removing food attractants and securing pets reduces neighborhood visits from coyotes in the first place. Staying vigilant about strange coyote behavior helps identify public safety risks that may require wildlife management intervention. With proper precautions, people can coexist with urban coyotes at minimal risk if encounters occur.