Why Are Coyote Sightings Spiking In Tacoma And Elsewhere?
BY Herschel Smith
6 years ago
“I’ve lived in Tacoma for 20 years. We’re experiencing definitely more activity,” said Sierra.
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Fish and Wildlife suggest if people run into an aggressive coyote, make yourself look big, put your hands in the air and throw things at the animal if they get aggressive.
How about shooting them? Oh, I see, you can’t discharge a firearm within the city limits without being considered a criminal by the cops. Well, maybe there’s the answer to the question, yes?
On October 24, 2018 at 12:57 am, David said:
I happen to live in Tacoma. I happen to carry a weapon. If I happen encounter an aggressive coyote, I’ll be shooting it.
But that’s pretty damned unlikely though, because there are very, very few coyotes here, if any at all. The spike in sightings is part yuppie millennial hysteria, and part Tacoma News Tribune dumbassery.
On October 24, 2018 at 5:06 am, Matt said:
I live in a municipality in central N.C. We’re seeing a rise in coyote activity here too. Thankfully it’s still mostly affecting the rural areas but it is spreading. As far as shooting them, at least in my city we have a specific exemption that allows defensive shooting so that if you were being attacked you’d be legally clear.
On October 24, 2018 at 6:22 am, Jess said:
Throw things at a wild, feral coyote? Your cell phone? Shoes? Underwear? As far as looking big, if coyotes are hungry, trying to look big only makes them think of a bigger meal.
Why not just jump up your butt and disappear? If you can’t shoot the critters, that’s about your only real escape, unless you call running until they catch you escaping.
On October 24, 2018 at 7:54 am, Fred said:
That’s funny, right there.
On October 24, 2018 at 11:37 am, billrla said:
The other night, while beginning my regular late-evening dog walk, I saw a coyote strolling down the sidewalk on the corner outside my home, right smack in the middle of Los Angeles. We’re talking a residential neigborhood between Wilshire and Santa Monica Blvd., on the Westside of LA. “Modest” $1.5 million-dollar homes, condos and coyotes. While biking, I’ve seen a coyote standing in the middle of Sunset Blvd in Bel-Air and a coyote hanging out on the grounds of the West LA VA Medical Center. I’m fine with coyotes. It’s some of the people in LA that raise the hairs on the back of my neck.
On October 24, 2018 at 1:21 pm, jack said:
I had fox and bobcats (+turkey, raccoon, deer, opossum) in my yards in both Oakland and San Jose. Now that I’m in a semi-rural area in NC, I have an infestation of coyote.
Unfortunately, my biggest concern is those of the 2-legged variety invading my home at 2:30am (which happened to my neighbor this past Saturday).
Luckily, I can follow Tacoma’s advice and throw small lead stones at both 2 and 4 legged offenders. Being weak, I use ancient technology (gunpowder) to help me accelerate my lead stones to a speed where they can act as a deterrent to bad behavior.
On October 24, 2018 at 2:22 pm, John said:
Do you mean Tacoma Park Maryland near DC?
Coyotes (the furry toothy kind) have been seen
running around in the Washington, DC parks
over the past several years.
On October 24, 2018 at 6:48 pm, Gryphon said:
Urbanization of Coyotes is a self-reinforcing Process. As each Interbreeding with a Stray Dog happens, the ‘Coydogs’ become Less Afraid of Humans and their Urban Environment; Charlie Darwin’s Law in Effect.
Recently, when a Neighbor went out to do ‘cleanup’ of the Night’s ‘take’ with an NVG-Equipped Carbine, He found two actual Dogs- one a stray, the other one with a Collar, having a street address 25+ Miles in another, more Urban County. When He reported this to the Sheriff’s ACO, they were Not Surprised. Being a Farmer, Sniping Snoopy in your Field with Livestock isn’t (yet) a Crime, and Loss of Cows due to being Stampeded at Night has happened several Times this Year.
On October 30, 2018 at 2:33 pm, MoralFracas said:
Why are there more coyote sightings ___________ (fill in the blanks.
Deer and coyotes have expanded their ranges since the White man. They love the landforms and uses we create. Had three or four setting on the golf course in Snotsdale by my office for years. Kept the rabbit population in check, Bobcats galore too.
Hunters don’t hunt them anymore also helps. We have a standing order in my hunt club that every hunter must shoot a coyote whenever they see one. If you get caught NOT doing that, your out!
(One area I had hunted Coues for years in had an estimated 97,000 deer in it in 2000. Eight years later it was down to just over 14,000. Fish and Game at their annual meeting said it was ML’s. Tags were no more than 50/year. They eat a deer a week in AZ.)
On October 30, 2018 at 2:43 pm, MoralFracas said:
Had a coyote snatch a baby out of its little crib off the porch in Snotsdale as well. (Look it up). Mom had just went inside to answer the phone and saw it out of a window. Beat the yote off with a broom. Trust them at your own risk, they appreciate the flexibility in your love of nature.
This was one attack from last year:
https://www.azfamily.com/archives/az-game-and-fish-catches-coyote-believed-to-have-attacked/article_9f5c3c47-0735-5c67-8c1c-1fa2786d4db2.html
CA:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coyote-drags-toddler-from-front-yard/
http://www.latimes.com/socal/coastline-pilot/news/tn-cpt-me-1127-coyote-attack-20151125-story.html
NOT RARE