Wildwood Coyotes

Coyote pup in Wildwood.
So cute, you might be tempted to go nearer and feed it. DON'T

Coyotes in New Jersey are not rare, endangered or threatened. But they are becoming more common, and many people are fearful of their presence. 

A recent increase in coyote sightings near Wildwood’s back bay has raised concerns among local residents. These cunning and very adaptable predators are digging underneath fences, entering backyards, and keeping frightened residents at home. Homeowners are keeping their pets inside, and they’re thinking twice about letting small children outside unattended. 

City officials say locals feeding the coyotes is contributing to the problem. The city has put up more than a dozen warning signs around town to not feed any coyotes. The mayor noted that the coyotes are fearless and that they don’t run and just stare when a car comes closer to them. 

These sightings have been concentrated near Wildwood’s former landfill, which is currently being redeveloped into a nature preserve. Officials are hoping the completion of the project will keep coyotes further from residential homes. 

Residents throughout the state are encouraged to follow these guidelines to mitigate coyote encounters:

• No feeding 
• Secure garbage and pet food 
• Strengthen fencing 
• Consider installing motion-activated lights or sound deterrents

Sounds in the Night

If you have ever been camping at night, you have probably heard strange sounds from the darkness. The darkness tends to make sounds a bit spookier and also makes it more difficult to identify and get a sense of the distance of the animal making the sounds.

A reader named Joe emailed that he has been researching predators in New Jersey. He has recorded some night sounds while camping at Brendan Byrne State Forest (formerly the Lebanon State Forest).

 Listen to a short clip of what he heard

His guess is that it is either a pack of wild dogs or coyotes. Readers of this blog know that we frequently get reports of wolves and even mountain lions in New Jersey. Neither wolves nor mountain lions have ever been confirmed in our state. But we do have lots of coyotes.  

Listen to coyote pack howling 

Wolves bark, but in a very different way from dogs. Their barking sound is described as “short and low-pitched” or “guttural and coarse”.

So, what did Joe hear? I asked two wildlife biologists. They agreed that a pack of wild dogs or coyotes is a good guess. Dog packs are not common in NJ, particularly in any State Forests. I asked whether it might be the sound of coywolves. 

coywolf hybrid

In New Jersey, "coywolf" is a term often used to describe eastern coyotes, which are coyotes with some wolf ancestry. These animals are not a distinct species but rather a hybrid form of the coyote that is evolving in the northeastern United States. While sometimes called coywolves, they are more accurately referred to as eastern coyotes.

Both biologists said that the coywolf does exist here, but it would take a DNA test to determine that identification. 

Coywolf studies at Pepperdine University concluded that coyote DNA dominates, but the animal is also 10 percent dog and 25 percent wolf.

What do you think Joe heard and recorded? Considering that Brendan T. Byrne State Forest is in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, does anyone think it might have been the Jersey Devil?

Tracking a Coywolf

Eastern coyotes (coywolf) differ from their western counterparts
with a larger average size and various color phases,
 including blonde and black. Photo via state.nj.us/dep/fgw/

I have received more sightings and meals about wildlife identification by tracks this summer. (Maybe because people have been eager to get outside after the at-home kind of year that 2020 was due to the pandemic.) Though I have studied tracking for many years, I claim no expertise and still turn to references at times.

Recently, Frank sent me two photos and asked about identifying a coywolf. This hybrid of a coyote and wolf is also known as the Eastern coyote. 

I was running on the Yellow Poppy Allen Trail at Bass River State Forest and came across the tracks in the attached pictures. My finger is about 4' from the tip the the knuckle on my hand, and my sunglasses in another photo (placed on ground in between front and back paw tracks) are about 6" across.

I showed the photos to a ranger after completing my hike, and he seemed to think it was Coyote because of the fat toe pad as compared to a wolf track with more narrow toe pad.

Ironically, after seeing a photo of a Coywolf I realized I saw one crossing Magnolia Rd in Pemberton where it approaches the circle at Route 72 within the past 2 years. I remember being totally puzzled by the black and dark orange animal crossing, looking sort of like a dog but with significant hackles on its shoulders.

Distinguishing a coywolf from a coyote, wolf or even a domestic dog by tracks is difficult. An actual sighting helps (see below). Size isn't always helpful as there is a wide variety of canine track sizes, both domestic and wild. Confirmation is usually based on DNA (from scat or blood)

The wild canid family in the continental US consists of (from smallest to largest) grey foxes, red foxes, Western coyotes, Eastern coyotes (coywolves), and the rarer (and not found in NJ) red wolves, Mexican wolves and gray wolves. 

Wild canine tracks can range in size from 1.5 inches in length up to 5.5 inches (not including toenails/claws). Of course, domestic canines overlap those sizes too.

When I took a tracking class, I learned that the surface (substrate) an animal is walking on (mud, snow, packed dirt, sand etc.) changes the look of an animal’s tracks. Tracks also change as time passes, often getting larger as well as degrading. 

When an animal is walking on a softer or more slippery substrate (like mud or snow) it will spread its toes to help it balance. So tracks on a solid, harder ground will (usually) appear more accurately compact.  

Since it is almost impossible to distinguish a large dog from a wolf from a single track, it is recommended that you look at the pattern of the trail. Dogs tend to have rather erratic walks (perhaps not if leashed, but then you'd also see human tracks). They are not stalking. Their hind foot tracks seldom register within their forefoot tracks.  

A wild canine typically has a direct registration walk. Wolves tend to walk more directly when traveling, so their trails show that the hindfoot is placed within or directly in front of the forefoot. Wolves will also approach strangers and strange objects cautiously and tracks may show them circling widely to investigate rather than approaching directly.

coywolf (Eastern coyote) 4 inches

The photo above is a coywolf track that was confirmed (by DNA). It is about 4 inches long.

Since a coywolf is somewhere between a coyote and wolf, they are identified by characteristics between the two. For example, a coyote has a narrower face and a smaller nose pad than a wolf. The coyote has taller and pointed ears compared to a wolf's more rounded ones.

As with tracks, their physical size varies. Adult coyotes top out at around 50 pounds, while wolves are 70-150 pounds. We could expect an adult coywolf to be between the two ranges.

On clear tracks (like the one above), all the claws of a wolf are seen. For coyotes, the outer ones may not show.

Some studies define the “coywolf” population in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada that originated through hybridization between Canis lycaon (Eastern Wolf) and Canis latrans (Coyote), but maintain that it is now genetically uniform and only minimally influenced by either parental species. An alternative interpretation of available data is that this northeastern Coyote population is genetically diverse, substantially more Coyote than Eastern Wolf in its genetic composition, and part of a larger population of Coyotes that interbreeds with a hybrid Coyote/Eastern Wolf population in southern Ontario and western Coyotes in western New York and Pennsylvania.

So did Frank see coywolf tracks? As stated, hard to tell. At 4 inches, that is a good-sized canid. The track appears to be direct registration. Might it be a bog dog? Possibly. And because owners often let dogs run free in the woods, you might not see human tracks nearby. (see this side by side comparison of a dog and coyote - hard to tell)

Frank also asked about reporting a sighting. There is a way to do that at state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/rprtform.htm but it is more for endangered and threatened species and since a coywolf identification just from tracks is so difficult, I doubt that it would be investigated or recorded.

See Also

wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Gray-Wolf/Identification
Coyotes in NJ  state.nj.us/dep/fgw/coyote_info.htm

Coyote Encounters on the Increase in New Jersey

Coyotes were not always native of New Jersey and other places, but this very adaptable animal has extended its range north and east across Canada from its original range the mid-west.

There are stories in the news about coyote interactions in our state
A woman and a dog were injured this month in separate coyote attacks in Ramapo Valley County Reservation in Mahwah. Township police and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office closed the reservation that afternoon. It was not known if the separate attacks were done by the same coyote, but coyote attacks are not rare in the township. In August, a woman walking in Mahwah encountered a coyote that was initially chasing a deer but then stopped and bit her twice.

This is not a new thing. The first record of a coyote in New Jersey was documented near Lambertville, Hunterdon County in 1939. The species may have bred with gray wolves, emerged into the New England states and extended its range south through New Jersey. However, evidence also suggests at least some coyotes were imported from western states by people. NJ Fish and Wildlife has never imported coyotes for any reason at any time into our state.

The strain of coyote (or coywolf) has more variations in fur color and is actually of a larger body size than their western counterpart. Color variations in NJ eastern coyotes range from the typical “western” coyote gray-tan through almost white to reddish to black. And, everything in between.

In New Jersey, adult males generally weigh between 35 and 40 pounds, with a few animals in the 45 to 50-pound range. Females generally weigh about 5 pounds less, in the 30-35 pound range.

At a distance, the coyote looks similar to a German Shepherd, but when viewed up-close you can see it has a thinner muzzle and fox-like "brush" tail that are distinctive.

Sightings of coyotes have increased throughout New Jersey since the 1990s because of the coyote’s ability to co-exist with man, and to adapt to different habitat types and food sources.

Coyotes have been documented in all 21 New Jersey counties.

When encountering a coyote, Township police have advised people to not turn their backs to the animal. Instead, make noise and throw small sticks to scare the coyote away.

If you encounter a coyote. DO NOT TURN YOUR BACK & RUN Make yourself as big and loud as possible, throw small sticks to scare them away and call 9-1-1.

As with bears and other wildlife, it is best to keep your pets inside, and secure your trash receptacles.

Coyote Attack in Fairfield

On June 13, 2019, at approximately 6:56 P.M., Fairfield police officers were dispatched to the Fairfield Recreation Complex, located at 221 Hollywood Avenue, to investigate a report of a coyote that just attacked two people. Fairfield is a township in far northwestern Essex County, New Jersey. The initial investigation revealed that a 37 year old female from Fairfield was walking in the park pushing her 4 year old son in a stroller. She was in the area between the tennis courts and the Fairfield Community Pool which is adjacent to a wooded area.

As she was walking, another individual who was also walking alerted her to the fact that there was a coyote walking directly behind her. When the female turned around to see for herself, the coyote lunged at her. The victim fell to the ground and the stroller tipped over. The coyote allegedly bit the adult female on the back of her leg. The coyote then attempted to go after the child, biting him on his right leg. At this time, other individuals began to run towards the victim at which time she was able to get up and right the stroller. She attempted to flee at which time the coyote again lunged at her. The coyote then ran into the adjacent wooded area. Both victims were transported to an area hospital for treatment and an evaluation.

The Fairfield Police Department immediately closed the recreation complex to all additional activities to include a youth soccer game on the park’s turf field and a pick-up basketball game on the courts. The New Jersey Conservation Department, the Department of Environmental Protection, and Associated Humane were all contacted for assistance and responded.

Police officers then began searching the immediate area for the coyote. At approximately 8:36 P.M., Sergeant Frank Tracey was in the area of 244 Big Piece Road when he thought he saw a coyote traveling along a fence line. He exited his police vehicle with his M4 patrol rifle and made his way into the back yard. He initially noticed a cat in the yard and thought that is what he saw. A few moments later, a coyote emerged from behind a pool and began to aggressively approach the officer. In order to protect himself, the officer fired several shots, striking the coyote and killing it. The Associated Humane Society took possession of the carcass in order to conduct testing for rabies.

As this incident was unfolding, several residents along Big Piece Road notified the police that a resident’s Doberman Pincher was attacked last evening by a coyote. It is unclear if this is the same animal as the residents described that coyote as being much larger. Several Big Piece Road residents have reported seeing and hearing a large number of coyotes behind their homes.

“The Fairfield Police Department is still cautioning all residents in the area of Big Piece Road and all those who use the recreation complex that they still need to exercise great caution when walking around their yards or in the park” said Chief Anthony G. Manna. “The police department intends to deploy officers with rifles in the park and at several scheduled events taking place at the community pool and a nearby school to assure the safety of the public as best as we can” said the chief.

There will continue to be a police presence in the park at this time along with increased police patrols in the Big Piece Road area. The Department of Fish and Game were present earlier today and set several traps in hopes of catching any other coyotes. They were able to identify several dens in the area as well and will be monitoring them over the next several days.

There still exists a population of coyotes in the area and we cannot be sure that another incident will not occur. Anyone using the park as well as those travelling in the Big Piece Road area should exercise caution and be aware of their surroundings. Try to remain in pairs or groups, carry a charged cell phone, keep dogs on leashes while walking and do anything else you may feel would be necessary to protect your safety.

The Fairfield Recreational Complex located at 221 Hollywood Avenue will have limited operations. The following entrances to the park are CLOSED until further notice: Green Meadows Road entrance, Holly Drive entrance, Big Piece Road Entrance. All closed entrances are closed by orange barrels and caution tape. Please do not walk around or remove these items. They are there for your protection.

SOURCE: Press release from the Township of Fairfield

Eastern coyotes differ from their western counterparts
with a larger average size and blonde and black color phases.

---

The following coyote precautions come from the NJ Fish and Game website.

Coyote Precautions

The following guidelines can help reduce the likelihood of conflicts with coyotes:

• Never feed a coyote. Deliberately feeding coyotes puts pets and other residents in the neighborhood at risk.
• Feeding pet cats and/or feral (wild) cats outdoors can attract coyotes. The coyotes feed on the pet food and also prey upon the cats.
• Put garbage in tightly closed containers that cannot be tipped over.
• Remove sources of water, especially in dry climates.
• Bring pets in at night.
• Put away bird feeders at night to avoid attracting rodents and other coyote prey.
• Provide secure enclosures for rabbits, poultry, and other farm animals.
• Pick up fallen fruit and cover compost piles.
• Although extremely rare, coyotes have been known to attack humans. Parents should monitor their children, even in familiar surroundings, such as backyards.
• Install motion-sensitive lighting around the house.
• Clear brush and dense weeds from around dwellings - this reduces protective cover for coyotes and makes the area less attractive to rodents and rabbits. Coyotes, as well as other predators, are attracted to areas where rodents are concentrated like woodpiles.
• If coyotes are present, make sure they know they're not welcome. Make loud noises, blast a canned air siren, throw rocks, or spray them with a garden hose.
• Coyotes are typically secretive animals not often seen or heard. Yet there are times during the year when they are more visible and more vocal. Although usually nocturnal, coyotes can be seen any time of day, especially during the breeding season from late January into early March. Vocalizations, consisting of howls, yips and barks, also increase at this time.

Coyote New Jersey

I suspect that residents of New Jersey are less surprised these days to see reports in the news of coyotes in the state.

Hearin that rather eerie night howl in NJ still sounds a bit out of place to me. But coyote ingenuity and resilience to adapt to the conditions of its range are legendary.

American Indian mythology includes many stories of this animal as both a deceptive trickster and as a sly genius. It even entered popular culture as the cartoon enemy of Road Runner.

Ranching and herding in the West, led to campaigns to destroy the coyote using not only hunting and bounties, but poisons, gases, helicopter hunts, and engineered epidemics. But they have survive and thrived. Their range is from Alaska to our East Coast, including New York’s Central Park.

I came across a recent book called Coyote America which is both an environmental and a natural history of the coyote. It traces the five-million-year-long biological story of an animal that has become the “wolf” in our backyards. With the appearance of "coywolves," that is even more so the situation.

In writing here about coyotes the past few years, I have reported on a range of topics, from the increased sightings in our state, to the hunting season in NJ for coyotes.

As coyotes and coywolves become "New Jersey's apex predator" and more media stories about coyotes in the state appear because of an increasing number of sightings and encounters, we can expect that it will become a situation like that of bears. One side will argue for protection, wise management and diversity, and the other will want the numbers drasticaly reduced or even eliminated.

Coyotes can be quite aggressive and pets and people have been threatened, attacked and bitten by coyotes in NJ.  Officials shot and killed a coyote suspected of attacking a Bergen County resident near a wooded area in Norwood and a nearby K-8 school canceled outdoor athletic practices and indoor recess after two coyote dens were found near school grounds.

This is not "new news" considering that the first sighting of a coyote in New Jersey was in 1939. The current figures are that they exist across all 21 of the state’s counties, with a population estimated at 3,000.

Sightings in NJ usually increase in the spring as they bear their litters during April and May.

Eastern coyotes are larger than Western coyotes. Past interbreeding between gray wolves and coyotes may be responsible for the larger size and color variations in NJ coyotes. To the untrained eye, coyotes resemble German shepherd dogs. They can be seen in coats of blond, red and black.

The coyote is a wild member of the dog family and is not a threatened or endangered species in NJ. Eastern coyotes can be up to 60 pounds, but average about 40 pounds.

The NJ Department of Environmental Protection recommends, much like for bears, that residents
put garbage in tightly closed containers that cannot be tipped over to prevent bear and coyote foraging. You can also reduce the protective cover for coyotes by clearing brush and dense weeds from around homes, and be more cautious about children and pets being on their own even in their backyards.

If you do encounter a coyote, do not run because that initiates the "prey instinct" in the animal and the coyote will go into pursuit mode. Rather, act aggressively - "yelling, waving your arms, stamping your feet, or throwing stones” until it leaves.

Coyotes play an important role in the ecosystem, helping to keep rodent populations under control.

The coyote was never introduced or stocked in New Jersey, but has firmly established itself in our area through its extremely adaptable nature.



Understanding Coyotes by Michael Huff

Have You Seen a Coywolf in New Jersey?

A "coywolf"                                  Photo: forestwander.com via nj,com

If you have heard that New Jersey has coywolves living here, it's true.  But the name coywolf is a new one tagged onto the hybrid animal that is the eastern coyote. The species is not a "coy" (as in shy) wolf, but a hybrid that is mostly coyote. Researchers say they exist in the millions throughout the Northeast, including in NJ.

This cross between a coyote and a wolf used to be considered an eastern coyote, but recent research shows the hybrid name is a more accurate descriptor. Eastern wolves interbred with western coyotes when deforestation and hunting threatened their population. Though coyotes in any form were once unknown in our state, they have spread statewide in the past decade. Their DNA is 65% coyote, 10% dog and 25% wolf, the Economist reported.

The coywolf is about twice the size of a coyote, with larger jaws and bigger muscles that allow it to kill larger prey, such as deer. But coywolves eat pumpkins, watermelons and other garden produce, as well as discarded food, rodents and other small mammals including squirrels and pets.

As with other coyotes, the coywolf has adapted very well to suburban and urban environments. (It is estimated that at least 20 live in New York City.) Urban/suburban habitats offer easy access to trash and easy hunting in areas without underbrush and cover (such as parks, trails and lawns) so that the coywolf needs only half the territory it would require in the countryside. Railway corridors make travel fast and easy. They tend to be more nocturnal in populated areas.

There is some debate in the science community as to whether the coywolf actually has evolved into a distinct species, but the name has traction.  NJ.com has called them "New Jersey's apex predator" and  they were tagged as the new "superpredators" by Field and Stream magazine.

New Jersey Furbearers

American mink

Despite the title of an online article, "The American Mink, one of N.J.’s most common semi-aquatic carnivore," I myself (and I suspect many readers) have never seen a mink in my Jersey travels. The mink (Mustela vison) is native to the state, although it is thought that escapees from mink farms have interbred with wild mink.

The mink is not threatened in the state and has a stable population. Not threatened, unless you consider that The New Jersey Hunting and Trapping Digest lists raccoon, skunk, opossum, weasel, mink, muskrat, red and gray fox, coyote, beaver, otter and nutria as species that have open seasons for trapping in the State of New Jersey. (In New Jersey, a Trapper Education course must be passed and a trapping license obtained to trap in the state - see http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/trapping_info.htm)

Several of these species were not here historically or disappeared and have only returned through re-introductions.

Native to NJ are the river otter (Lontra canadensis), long-tailed (Mustela frenata) and short-tailed ermine (Mustela ermine). Also native are the striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis), raccoon (Procyon lotor) or gray fox (Urocyon cinereorgenteus).

Coyotes, which are now being reported with more frequency in the state, were never present in New Jersey until the past fifty or so years. Their appearance is due to many factors including habitat loss in their previous area of habitation. The current theory is that overall movement (based on DNA sampling) in the last century by the western coyote to the midwest, Great Lake states and through Lower Canada led to some western coyotes mating with gray wolves. Their offspring moved further eastward through Lower Canada and down through the New England states and into the Mid-Atlantic States.

NJ had gray wolves in the state until about the mid-1850s. Today, there are no wolves in New Jersey outside of zoos and preserves. But the eastern coyote appears to be here to stay.

Some of our other furbearing creatures past and present include:

• Marten (Martes americana) historically present but extirpated since the mid-1800s
• The fisher (Martes pennanti) also extirpated but again present in Sussex and Warren counties although few in number. Probably due to re-introduction by New York and Pennsylvania in the last decade
• Beaver (Castor canadensis) had almost disappeared from here by the early 1800s. It is believed that some escapees from the Rutherford-Stuyvesant game preserve in Allamuchy, Warren County established a breeding population. Restocking enabled the beaver to re-establish itself by the mid-20th century. 
• Most common to us is the raccoon which is, was and has always been a native of New Jersey and was a species that the British explorers to this new land reported, since they did not exist in Britain.
• Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) was thought to be numerous in the central and southern part of the state in the late 1860s, but in the last hundred years the range of both opossum and raccoons has extended much further north including into Canada where they historically never existed.

opossum

Coyote Sightings and Attacks Increasing

There has been an increasing number of media stories about coyotes in New Jersey because of an increasing number of coyote sightings and encounters.

Bergen County residents have actually been attacked by aggressive coyotes several times since last fall and two people have been bitten by coyotes this year. Most recently, officials shot and killed a coyote suspected of attacking a county resident near a wooded area in Norwood. A nearby K-8 school canceled outdoor athletic practices and instituted an indoor recess policy for the remainder of the week after two coyote dens were found near school grounds.

There were also reports of coyotes in Harrington Park and in Ridgewood a coyote was seen lurking around the Willard Elementary School area (though neither was found).

The first sighting of a coyote in New Jersey was in 1939, but official sightings have been irregular in the years since. They are now reported in almost 400 municipalities across all 21 of the state’s counties, with a population estimated at 3,000.

Coyotes are adaptable to humans and generally stick to rodents, rabbits and sometimes small deer for food. They rarely attack humans, but recent incidents include coyotes investigating humans walking dogs and dogs alone in backyards. Increased fear comes from several cases in which the attacking coyote has been found rabid.

On the night of April 30th, a coyote grabbed a Yorkshire terrier in a backyard and retreated to the woods with it in Randolph Township.

New Jersey and New York City residents are reporting an increased coyote presence this spring.

Coyote Concerns

 There are no wolves in the wild in NJ (only in captivity) but coyotes are more common every year. And this is the time of the year you are more likely to see them.

I sometimes receive emails from residents of NJ who ask questions about wildlife. Occessionally, I can answer them, but sometimes I can only refer them to other sources at the NJDEP or private organizations.

I got an email this past week from Chris who was concerned that he might have spotted a wolf in his Mahwah, NJ backyard. It's a bit hard to see in his photos but they are most likely of a coyote. (Although he lives close to NY state and so...  see http://www.catskillmountaineer.com/animals-coyotes.html )

http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_wolf/wolf-coyote_compare.pdf

I have written here before about our state's coyotes and certainly someone with small children and pets outdoors has some legitimate concerns with coyotes being near their home.

Although attacks on humans are extremely rare in eastern states, as with any predatory animal they can occur and in suburban and urban areas, and coyotes have occasionally attacked small pets.

Coyotes play an important role in the ecosystem, helping to keep rodent populations under control.

Coyote sightings in NJ usually increase in the spring as they bear their  litters during April and May, and this is when encounters with humans is more likely to occur.

Females deliver between three and nine pups, and they are most likely to cross paths with humans (and their pets) as the adults forage for food for the pups in the spring and summer. They are far more interested in rabbits, mice, birds and other small animals. Of course, if we humans make garbage, pet food and our pets unattended, coyotes may be tempted to come closer to our homes. Like our Jersey black bears, they are very adaptable to and learning to be quite tolerant of human activities.

The coyote is a wild member of the dog family and is not threatened in New Jersey and has been spreading throughout the Northeast and across New Jersey.


Eastern coyotes differ from their western counterparts with a larger average size and various color phases, including blonde, red and black.

coyote photo via http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/

The NJ Department of Environmental Protection recommends that residents

• put garbage in tightly closed containers that cannot be tipped over to prevent bear and coyote foraging. 
• reduce the protective cover for coyotes by clearing brush and dense weeds from around homes.
• be more cautious about children and pets being on their own even in their backyards. 
• in response to a coyote encounter, do not  run, because that initiates the "prey instinct" in the animal and the coyote will go into pursuit mode. Rather, act aggressively - "yelling, waving your arms, stamping your feet, or throwing stones” until it leaves.

Coyote Hunting in NJ

Beginning today, a special night hunting season on coyotes will begin in New Jersey. Hunters have been allowed to use rifles to shoot coyotes during daylight hours since November, but by obtaining a special permit, hunters are able to shoot coyotes at night during the season that continues until mid-March. The state established its coyote hunting program in 1997.

Estimates from the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife say that there are more than 5000 coyotes in the state.

There were several reports of coyotes attacking pet dogs last year including one small dog that was walking unleashed with its owner that was killed in Sparta Glen Park in Sussex County.

Coyote attacks on humans are rare and they are wary of people and will avoid them. The rare cases include two separate attacks in NJ when in Monmouth County in 2007 coyotes attempted to drag off a child.

Coyotes' preferred prey is rabbits, mice, birds and other small animals. Coyotes play an important role in the ecosystem, helping to keep rodent populations under control. But, as with our Garden State bears, they have adapted to eating available sources like garbage, pet food and unattended domestic animals (especially cats and small dogs) and carrion.

Eastern coyotes in NJ can be up to 60 pounds, but average about 40 pounds. They are found in all NJ counties.

Eastern coyotes are larger than Western coyotes. Past interbreeding between gray wolves and coyotes may be responsible for the larger size and color variations in NJ coyotes. To the untrained eye, coyotes resemble German shepherd dogs. They can be seen in coats of blond, red and black, according to the state Division of Fish and Game.

Over 2,000 night hunting permits were issued, but because coyotes are extremely smart and difficult to find, the numbers are expected to be low.


http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/coyote_info.htm

Coyotes

Coyote sightings in NJ will probably increase in the next month or so. Coyotes bear litters during April and May, and this is when encounters with humans is more likely to occur. Females deliver between three and nine pups, and they are most likely to cross paths with humans (and their pets) as the adults forage for food for the pups in the spring and summer.

Coyotes are very adaptable and though their preferred prey is rabbits, mice, birds and other small animals, they will use whatever is available, such as garbage, pet food and domestic animals that are left unattended and carrion that they find. And, like our Jersey black bears, they are learning to be quite tolerant of human activities and allowing both species access to human food and garbage can lead to problems.

Although attacks on humans are extremely rare in eastern states, as with any predatory animal they can occur and in suburban and urban areas, coyotes have occasionally attacked small pets.

Coyotes play an important role in the ecosystem, helping to keep rodent populations under control.

"Blonde" coyote

The coyote is a wild member of the dog family. This resourceful mammal has expanded its range significantly in the recent past, colonizing the entire Northeast and now found throughout the Garden State.

The coyote was never introduced or stocked in New Jersey, but has firmly established itself in our area through its extremely adaptable nature.

Eastern coyotes differ from their western counterparts with a larger average size and various color phases, including blonde, red and black.

photos via http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/

The NJ Department of Environmental Protection recommends that residents

• put garbage in tightly closed containers that cannot be tipped over to prevent bear and coyote foraging. 
• reduce the protective cover for coyotes by clearing brush and dense weeds from around homes.
• be more cautious about children and pets being on their own even in their backyards. 
• in response to a coyote encounter, do not  run, because that initiates the "prey instinct" in the animal and the coyote will go into pursuit mode. Rather, act aggressively - "yelling, waving your arms, stamping your feet, or throwing stones” until it leaves.

Coyotes in New Jersey

Recent reports of a coyote sighting in Montgomery put that species in the New Jersey public eye.

If you live outside the state, I'll bet that Jersey coyotes seems unusual as many people associate a coyote calling at sunset with some southwestern location.

This past week, a resident raking leaves at midday saw two coyotes in her back yard. One of the coyotes approached her and when she tried to scare it off, the animal attempted to bite at her legs. She was able to get back to her house by striking at it with the rake.

Most of the wildlife and people news the past few months in NJ has been about the bear hunt and controlled hunts of deer in order to to manage the populations. Both species are at the other end of endangered status as their numbers far exceed what the habitat can safely sustain.

"Blonde" coyote

The coyote is a wild member of the dog family. This resourceful mammal has expanded its range significantly in the recent past, colonizing the entire Northeast and now found throughout the Garden State. The coyote was never introduced or stocked in New Jersey, but has firmly established itself in our area through its extremely adaptable nature.

The coyote closely resembles a small German shepherd with the exception of a long snout and bushy, black-tipped tail. Another key difference from a domestic dog is readily noticeable even from a distance: The coyote has a habit of holding its tail in a horizontal position or lower while standing, walking and running. Past interbreeding between gray wolves and coyotes may be responsible for the larger size and color variations in our eastern coyote. Eastern coyotes differ from their western counterparts with a larger average size and various color phases, including blonde, red and black.

photos via http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/

The NJ Department of Environmental Protection recommends that residents put garbage in tightly closed containers that cannot be tipped over to prevent bear and coyote foraging. they also suggest reducing the protective cover for coyotes by clearing brush and dense weeds from around homes. So much for that landscaping...

People in areas affected certainly need to be more cautious about children and pets being on their own even in their backyards.

The recommended response to a coyote encounter is actually similar to what we are often told about bear encounters - and it certainly seems counter-intuitive to most people. Do not  run, because that initiates the "prey instinct" in the animal. The coyote will go into pursuit mode. Rather, by acting aggressively - "yelling, waving your arms, stamping your feet, or throwing stones” until it leaves. Try keeping that in mind when you encounter a snarling animal though...

Coyotes are very adaptable and will survive on whatever food is available. Their preferred prey is rabbits, mice, birds and other small animals. Coyotes will take on young and weakened deer as well. They will eat carrion that they find, and also garbage, pet food and pets and domestic animals that are left unattended.

Like our black bears, they are quite tolerant of human activities - perhaps too much so. The more they encounter humans without negative consequences, the more aggressive they may become.

Although attacks on humans are extremely rare in eastern states, as with any predatory animal, they can occur. Coyotes bear litters during April and May, and this is when encounters with humans are more likely to occur.

 
Coyotes (Our Wild World)
Wild Dogs : Wolves, Coyotes and Foxes (Kids Can Press Wildlife Series)
Spirit of the Wild Dog: The World of Wolves, Coyotes, Foxes, Jackals and Dingoes