Coyote population isn’t growing in Massachusetts
BY Herschel Smith
2 years ago
Wildlife encounters are pretty common in the Greater Boston area, from wild turkeys at crosswalks to coyotes in yards. Well-publicized coyote attacks in recent years and an uptick in sightings this year have some people worried. Wildlife biologist Susan McCarthy from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife joined GBH All Things Considered host Arun Rath to help us understand coyote activity in the area. This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
Arun Rath: So first, could you start off by giving us maybe a bit of a coyote reality check? Are we seeing significantly more sightings in encounters than in the past? And does that mean there are more coyotes on the ground in Eastern Massachusetts?
Susan McCarthy: Well, what I can say is that it does seem as though there are more reports of coyotes in suburban and urban environments. But whether or not that means there are more coyotes on the landscape is a great question to ask. And so what we’ve determined is that over the past 10 years, the coyote population in Massachusetts has stabilized. Coyotes are existing at very high densities and they’re in all available habitats throughout the commonwealth of Massachusetts. We wouldn’t say that the coyote population is growing. … We know that’s not true. That’s not the case.
Yea, you go ahead and keep telling yourself that. Mind you, don’t be so confused as to believe that Coyotes are afraid of you when you meet up with them. With a buddy to help him out, this Coyote might have succeeded against that big cat. But the point is that a single Coyote had the steel to go up against a big cat alone, even though he ended up calling it off in the end.
So as you walk your dogs in the evening and carry your cell phone to call 911 (but no sidearm), you tell yourself that Coyotes aren’t more numerous and there is no problem when those six eyes are staring at you from the bush.
Ever see a coyote and a mountain lion fight? 👀 pic.twitter.com/73GAYiMFr5
— Old Row Outdoors (@OldRowOutdoors) April 9, 2018
On November 15, 2022 at 10:49 am, George said:
Once many years ago I witnessed a very mangy coyote tangle with a very healthy badger. The coyote lost all the encounters, brief as they were, until the badger made it to its hole and then the coyote gave up.
On November 15, 2022 at 12:13 pm, James said:
Grew up in Mass.,first off,you need a ltc in state that is usually a 6 month wait(plus full of lib/commies who do not want firearms).!
Second,we have coywolves,not coyotes unless bred or brought here from out west.
They are no more dangerous/a threat then 30 years ago,just more encounters as population grows,they are pretty good in that they breed what the land sustains.
Since Mass.,while I do not want the coys to get stomach issues they ate the libs/commies in the state would be doing the world a favor(I would also supply them with tums!).
On November 15, 2022 at 2:02 pm, =TW= said:
One on one, my money’s on the cat. Or badger, boar, bear etc.
Buck deer? Even odds.
Which is why canids hunt in packs.
Well, not foxes.
On November 15, 2022 at 8:09 pm, bob sykes said:
The Eastern Coyote is 5/8 Western Coyote, 2/8 wolf, and 1/8 big dog. They form packs, and they are comfortable around people. The are at least 50% bigger than Western Coyotes.
Prof Gehrt at Ohio State notes that Eastern Coyotes are very at home in cities, because there are many more food resources (including small dogs and children), and many good den sites.