Why there is a lot of coyote activity this time of year

They live among us year-round, but there is a better chance now of spotting or encountering coyotes in your travels.

Mating season peaked in mid-February and as coyote couples await their new offspring, they are patrolling their territories and being more vigilant of their surroundings. And you should be, too.

“They’re being a little more protective of their home turf and their boundaries,” explained Dan Thompson, ecologist for the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.

In coming weeks, coyotes born last year will be leaving home to chart their own course and make way for new pups, typically born in March and coming out of dens in April.

“There is a lot of coyote activity this time of year,” Thompson said. “You haven't seen them, you haven't heard them but trust me they're there.”

By now, suburban residents should know some Coyote 101 basics, particularly this time of year: Attacks on humans are rare. Never feed them. Keep your dog leashed, even in your backyard, and cats indoors.

If you do encounter a coyote, don’t run — it makes you look more vulnerable and scared, experts say. Instead, yell at them, maintain eye contact and make yourself look big and loud to scare them away.

And when you hear them howling?

“They're checking in,” said Chris Anchor, senior wildlife biologist with the Forest Preserve District of Cook County.

There's more, of course, including that coyotes in the Chicago area are neither skittish nor aggressive.

“They learn to basically ignore us,” added Anchor, one of the principal investigators for the Urban Coyote Research Program, which in its 26th year is the most in-depth and longest-running study in the U.S.

Behavior like “shadowing” can happen any time of year, Thompson said, but it is more pronounced and prominent now. Basically, they are watching your behavior and “escorting” you through their territory, he added.

Dogs are regarded as interlopers in coyotes’ territory, and if they’re not on a leash you have no control, Anchor said. It’s best to go outside with your dog and hold it on a leash, the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County advises.

Coyotes can target dogs to eliminate perceived threats to their young but mostly coexist without issue. However, dogs that tend to be territorial and bark vigorously can trigger an attack, experts say.

Particularly during this time of year, there is ample information available on the websites of your local community, forest preserve district and other agencies regarding all things coyote.

Lincolnshire, for example, promotes information on coyote activity and the village's management plan, which covers behavior, answers to common questions, how to keep pets safe and more.

A common thread is that coyotes are part of the environment.

“I'd say one of the biggest misconceptions that I see is that some people believe that coyotes don’t live in or near their neighborhoods,” said Bill Graser, wildlife biologist with the Forest Preserve District of Kane County.

“It's safe to say that we are sharing our landscape with coyotes from rural areas all the way down to the Magnificent Mile,” he added.

Coyote attacks on people are rarer than bear or shark attacks, Anchor said.

While uncommon, coyotes can target dogs, not as food but because coyotes are protective of their home turf and boundaries.

“Especially when you have that smaller dog with the Napoleon complex,” Thompson said.

For that reason, people need to take an active role in preventing and avoiding potential conflicts, according to Graser, particularly when out in natural areas with dogs.