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Coyotes Feeling At Home In State

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By FRANK SARGEANT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 25, 2008

Three coyote attacks on leashed dogs walking next to their owners in Lee County in recent weeks shocked many Floridians, who had no idea the wild canines lived anywhere outside Texas. But in fact, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, coyotes are now common in every county in Florida.

The most surprising part about the attacks is that they took place with the dog owners present. Normally, humans have a hard time getting within rifle shot of the wary and intelligent creatures.

Michael Carter, who ran a wildlife ranch near Lake City for years, considered coyotes the scourge of the earth. They frequently caught and killed his expensive exotic deer and other animals, and he in turn did his best to catch and kill them.

"After you try to trap coyotes for a while, the ones you don't catch get really smart," Carter said. "They can tell a fresh human footprint, either by scent or by sight, and they will stay clear of anywhere you have walked."

To catch the critters, Carter dug a hole in deer trails and set a trap in the hole. He added a bit of cover scent from a spray bottle, covered the trap with a light coat of sand and grass, then took a branch and swept away his footprints as he backed away from the site.

Did it work?

"Hardly ever," Carter said. "But at least you feel like you're fighting back."

Considering how abundant coyotes are, it's remarkable we don't see them more often; their nocturnal ways and normal wariness around humans make sightings rare. I've actually seen a lot more bobcats in the woods than coyotes over the last 20 years, yet wildlife biologists say coyotes are the more numerous species in most areas.

Coyotes eat just about anything, but they probably dine on armadillos more often than anything else in our woodlands - armadillos are slow, dumb and nearly defenseless, and also very abundant. Coyotes also eat a lot of mice. Rabbits, squirrels and other small game are normal prey, and they also do some damage to baby turkeys and deer fawns.

In the western states, it's rare to step outside in a rural area on a cold, still night and not hear coyotes howling close by. We rarely hear that in Florida, maybe because the heavy wooded areas muffle the sound at shorter range, or maybe because the coyotes here just don't howl that often.

Biologists say coyotes have migrated east across the Mississippi over the last 40 years with the steady increase in whitetail deer populations, which would indicate a predator/prey relationship, but finding coyote kills of adult deer is very rare in Florida. Apparently they usually take the much easier small game that's abundant here.

They're found throughout the eastern U.S., including surprising numbers in urban areas. Illinois biologists have speculated there could be as many as 2,000 living inside the city limits of Chicago. Pet predation by coyotes is a major problem in parts of Los Angeles and surrounding suburbs. A healthy, wild coyote was found in one of the city parks of New York City last year.

And they are not going away. Coyotes have litters of up to 10 pups each year, and are continuing to spread throughout the country.

Coyotes almost never attack humans, but the one in the Lee County attacks is displaying unusual behavior - and it's likely to get him killed in the near future.

Meantime, the conservation commission advises those who live in areas where coyotes are present to avoid encouraging them. Pet food placed outside is a magnet, as are free-roaming small pets. Purposely feeding coyotes almost assures they will become people problems. Otherwise, the vast majority live shadowy lives that rarely impact humans, and you have to admire a wild dog that is so intelligent and adaptable.

ETC.: Captain Jim Lemke presents a free tarpon seminar Wednesday night at 7 at Tightlines Tackle, 6924 N. Armenia Ave. in Tampa; (813) 932-4721. ... Randy and Bruce Dickens and Dan Winter present a free offshore trolling seminar Wednesday night at 7 at the Gold Triangle Fishing Club meeting at Bill Currie Ford, 5815 N. Dale Mabry Hwy. in Tampa; (813) 935-3293. ... Captain Woody Gore, and sons Mark and Mike join captain Mel Berman of WFLA, 970 AM, for a free fishing clinic June 4 at 7 p.m. at Toyota of Tampa Bay, 1101 E. Fletcher Ave. in Tampa; (866) 438-8696.

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