Unwelcome Neighbors:
Coping with Coyotes By Jim Casada
W I S D O M A N D WAYS
Coyote - Photo by Melissa McGaw, courtesy of NCWRC
T
ales of coyotes run as bright threads through the fabric of American folklore. For many Native American tribes in the coyote’s original habitat west of the Mississippi River, the animal figures prominently in their mythology. In some cases the canine is a wise mentor that guides and helps humans, others envision the animal as a trickster constantly getting into trouble only to use cleverness to extricate itself, while in a few cases coyotes represent greed and overweening pride. Many tribes include the coyote in their hunting lore, a reflection of the animal’s abilities as a predator, while for others they are a clan animal or part of annual festivals or dances. In his book Roughing It, Mark Twain, the consummate voice of American folkways, went on a multi-page rant depicting the coyote in quite negative fashion. He describes it as “a long, slim, sick and sorrylooking skeleton” that represented “a living, breathing allegory of want.” Then there’s the coyote as a sort of bungling buffoon in the popular Warner Brothers cartoon series that sees Wile E. Coyote hopelessly, haplessly attempting to outwit the Road Runner with an incredible array of Rube Goldberg-like contraptions invariably ordered from Acme Corporation. With the notable exception of some Native American tribes that held the coyote in high esteem or even venerated the animal, and not all did, these representations are far wide of the mark. In actuality the coyote is a clever, highly adaptable, deeply socialized creature with such a distinctive ability to adjust to its surroundings that it has to be reckoned the ultimate survivor. In fact,
68— Winter 2021/22 CAROLINA MOUNTAIN LIFE
when coyotes first began to show up in the Carolina High Country and indeed all across the Southeast, a wildlife biologist offered me a telling if somewhat gruesome assessment of their capabilities to integrate into almost any environment from remote wilderness to the heart of urban areas. “When the last man on earth dies,” he said, “the coyote will be there to gnaw his bones and cockroaches will clean up the scraps.” The coyote is not a native of the High Country and indeed was not present east of the Mississippi until the 20th century. Numerous factors entered into the eastward spread of this animal, originally a resident of open country and the plains of the West. Fox hunters illegally trapped and transported them to provide a chase animal for their dogs. Ever opportunistic, coyotes used bridges across the Mississippi River as travel corridors bringing them to new territory. The near extirpation of their greatest enemy, the wolf, allowed the species (sometimes known as prairie wolves) to increase exponentially. Clear cutting of eastern forests and vast expansion of agricultural lands provided prime habitat. Then there’s the remarkable adaptability that was always part of the equation when it came to the coyote’s ever-expanding range. The fact that they are now thriving in the heart of major metropolitan areas such as Chicago and New York City attests to this trait. On the local scene, anyone who spends much time outdoors in the High Country and pays close attention to the natural world has to be aware of the fact that there is a substantial coyote population here. The evidence is readily available for anyone
with keen observational skills and an understanding of the wilds. If there seem to be fewer red foxes, it’s because coyotes are killing this competitor. Piles of scat filled with hair or, in season, persimmon seeds, spotted along woodland trails or those meandering through old fields tell a story. So does the nocturnal howling and yipping of individual coyotes or family packs, and those eerie sounds often frighten humans roaming in the gloaming. Add frequent actual sightings, the occasional disappearance of pets allowed to run loose (smaller dogs and cats are prime coyote prey), or mysteriously vanishing pet food along with intrusions into garbage, and the overriding message is pretty clear. The coyote has arrived on the scene. Rest assured it is here to stay. That “here to stay” message may not be welcome, but it’s reality. The coyote, although generally viewed as a meat eater, will consume almost anything: they prey on small animals such as mice and rabbits; packs can and do kill deer (especially recently born fawns); they are opportunistic nest predators and bad news for groundnesting birds such as turkeys and grouse; they will kill and eat domestic animals ranging from chickens and livestock to household pets; carrion, fruit, vegetables, all sorts of garbage, and much more are on the menu. That dietary versatility translates to ready survival. Even more striking is the flexibility the animal exhibits in its breeding habits. When numbers are reduced well below the carrying capacity of a given area through trapping, hunting, or other human-connected means, coyotes instinctively react by
