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Why we're seeing more coyotes this winter

Just before dawn on New Year's morning, I let my dogs outside and shuffled to the kitchen, half-asleep, to make coffee.

No sooner had I ground the beans than a fury of barking started outside. The tone and tenor of the barks told me that this wasn't just morning playfulness; something serious was going on.

Running to the window, I looked out back. Barely discernible in the dim light was the silhouette of a coyote in a faceoff with one of my dogs. A four-foot high chain link fence was between them. My older, larger dog was keeping a distance behind the confrontation.

The stance of all three dogs was antagonistic. Hackles were raised, barking was fierce. Knowing full well that a fence doesn't stop a determined coyote, I raced to bring my dogs inside. Losing a dog (or two) to a coyote would not have been a good way to ring in the new year.

I've written about coyotes in this column over the years. I've hung out with wildlife biologists, trappers and hunters, and I've followed lots of coyote tracks in the field. So, this New Year's morning scene came as no surprise.

Surprise is a common response when people see a coyote. Lots of people have no idea that these predators are in our midst, winter, summer, spring and fall. My New Year's brush with Wile E. Coyote was a good reminder for me, and it seems a good time for a refresher column for everyone who lives in coyote territory.

Knowing a bit about coyote behavior and ecology will help us coexist with these creatures who, by all accounts, are here to stay.

Coyote courtship

Coyotes are a reality in suburbia. They are everywhere. There's not a township in the suburbs that a coyote hasn't traversed. You don't see them as often as other wild mammals - say, squirrels - because they're pretty good at laying low, and they're most active from dusk to dawn when we aren't out and about.

This time of year is a bit of an exception, though. You're more likely see coyotes in winter because they're searching a little harder for food. Also, it's courtship season.

The phone calls will start coming to forest preserve districts about sightings and the media will start reporting coyote incidents. It happens every year.

Courtship and mating season lasts from January to February. As with human dating, coyote courtship is an expensive endeavor. Calories count, especially when temperatures are below zero.

Once the females are impregnated, they will require additional caloric input. It doesn't matter whether the calories come in the form of Pekingese or possum, a Bichon or a bunny. If it's easy and nutritious, it's fair game.

In ecology, this is called opportunistic behavior. Lots of animals are opportunistic, including us. It makes a lot of sense in terms of survival. Get what you can get, when you can get it. Oh, as Mom always said, don't be a picky eater.

The gestation period for coyotes is roughly 60 days. Coyotes will hollow out a den under a tree, a brush pile or the shed in your backyard for the birth and raising of pups. They are amazingly discreet. You may walk by a den many times and never know it's there.

In late April or May, the female will give birth to four to nine blind and helpless pups. During this time, both parents will be out seeking food for their young. It will take five to six weeks of “spoon-feeding” (actually, regurgitate-feeding) for the pups to mature enough to venture outside the den and start to eat grown-up food, brought to them by the parents.

Cute or cruel?

Coyotes often travel in pairs, side by side. In winter, you can find sets of parallel coyotes tracks, like these at LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve in St. Charles. COURTESY OF VALERIE BLAINE

Years ago in early May, I came across an active coyote den in one of our forest preserves. It was well-hidden. There were signs of recent activity at the entrance and around the immediate area. I had a hunch there was a litter of pups was in that den, but there was not a peep from them.

That afternoon I shared my finding with our wildlife biologist. He went out to the site and put a game-cam on the den. The next day, he got some good footage of the pups venturing outside to play.

The video also caught Mom Coyote as she came to check on her offspring. Awful darn cute - but when it comes to wildlife, you can't think in terms of cuteness or creepiness. Wildlife is, well, wild.

This statement is not terribly profound, but people who don't interact with wildlife very much often don't get it, particularly when it comes to coyotes getting food. A month ago, the major news networks in Chicago reported a coyote incident in Northfield.

“Brutal Coyote Attack on Northfield Family's Dog,” read one headline. “Vicious Coyote Attack on Dog,” read another. Words like “fierce,” “menacing,” and “dangerous” are often part of reports about coyotes.

By contrast, a barn swallow catching a mouthful of insects isn't newsworthy, nor is the act viewed as ferocious or cruel. Yet, they're doing the same thing. Both wild animals are preying on other animals. It happens.

Protecting your pets

Though more commonly seen in winter, some coyotes are visible in summer. This one showed up during a Forest Preserve District of Kane County field training at LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve. COURTESY OF CHUCK MISNER

Emotions run high with pets - and I would have been extremely upset had one of my dogs been killed by that coyote on New Year's morning. The lesson for me - for all of us - is to be vigilant with our pets, and to avoid situations in which we might have a negative interaction with native predators.

First and foremost: Do not leave food out, any time, anywhere. (I don't.) Especially important is to feed your pets inside. (I do.)

Be extra vigilant about fences. (Note to self: build higher fence.) Coyotes are agile and can climb if they want to. If you have an electric fence, your dog is vulnerable to anything that might come in the yard, whether it's a coyote or neighbor's dog.

As a species, coyotes have proved to be quick learners. They watch us, they know our habits, and they can figure out our behavior. For example, if you put cat food out every morning at 8 a.m., the coyotes in the neighborhood will know that. And, they will come to expect it. This is called being habituated. Coyotes habituated to easy food become the problem coyotes that so often make the news.

Respect the coyote as part of the overall wildlife community. Chances are that you'll catch a glimpse of one in the next month. If we're all careful, we can let the 'yotes do their thing patrolling the fields and avoid unnecessary conflict.

Valerie Blaine is the nature programs manager for the Forest Preserve District of Kane County. You may reach her at blainevalerie@kaneforest.com.

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