If You See A Coyote In Your Backyard, Here's What You Need To Do

When wild critters wander into our gardens or backyards, we often start finding ways to keep deer from nibbling the hostas or ways to keep squirrels out of bird feeders. However, if you see a coyote, you might wonder whether you should do anything at all or if it's too dangerous. Charles van Rees, Ph.D., a conservation scientist, professor, and naturalist, spoke exclusively with House Digest to share his dos and don'ts for managing coyotes in your backyard. Van Rees recommends utilizing loud noises in your yard, saying, "Yelling and clapping are perfectly reasonable deterrents to disturb and scare off a coyote." He says the goal is, "Ideally, coyotes will learn to avoid people, and this can reinforce that behavior."

However, van Rees goes on to explain how ineffective and potentially dangerous it is to throw objects at coyotes. While you might intend to hit the coyote, van Rees urges you to consider that you might not have great aim. An object like a rock could damage your property, another person, or the coyote; plus, it has the potential to cause an animal to present an aggressive fear response.

Speaking exclusively with House Digest, scientist Charles van Rees reminds us, "While it's acceptable to harass a wild animal in a place like a backyard or garden to deter them from using the space in an unwanted way, people should not shoo wild coyotes that they encounter in natural areas like nature preserves or parks." When it comes to coyotes intruding into yards and other private outdoor spaces, van Rees proposes fencing for the best possible deterrence. He shares, "Quality fencing, like wire fences buried a few inches deep into the ground, is an extremely reliable option." Thankfully, there are many affordable fencing ideas to enclose your yard and help keep coyotes out.

Van Rees further shares his thoughts on other methods of deterrence. When it comes to commercial chemical deterrents, he says that there are some worth trying, though their effectiveness hasn't definitively been proven. He also mentions that you should always check ingredients before use to avoid harm to other wildlife. He offers motion-activated sprinklers as an effective and humane solution and suggests the possible use of motion-activated lights, too.

In his exclusive interview with House Digest, naturalist Charles van Rees points out that the number-one reason to harass coyotes found in your yard is to discourage them from associating your property with food. He suggests taking care of scraps, garbage, and other human-sourced food on your property, explaining, "Cases of coyote attacks on people are quite rare and largely restricted to cases where the animals have been fed or conditioned to associate people with food."

Though rare, coyote attack incidents do happen and are often more dangerous to children compared to adults. The expert also says you will want to keep coyotes off your property to prevent danger to cats, rabbits, toy-breed dogs, and other small animals. "Barring sick or injured animals, [most attacks] will be restricted to things that the coyote views as prey," van Reese states. Therefore, when it comes to danger with coyotes, you should focus on the safety of outdoor pets and small children.