I live in Georgia, and built a home in a very isolated area 7 years ago. My family has peacefully coexisted with the large coyote population that surrounds us, and have been cautious, but never afraid. We hear them and see their scat all around us, but have never worried about them. But, last night, I had an absolutely terrifying experience with a group of them while walking my dog at dusk. I know, stupid move.
But, I got home later than usual and thought I could beat the darkness. Anyway, while my dog and I were walking, I kept hearing something in the woods, but assumed it was armadillos and continued walking. My black Lab raised the hair on her back and charged into the woods. She chased the animal away and came back to my side. Again, I assumed it was an armadillo, and continued walking. It was very close to me. At the same moment, my dogs hair stood up again, so I turned and headed home.
As we did, I heard the rustling of several animals coming right at us from the woods. I yelled at them to stay back and tried to look big as I backed away, but they continued to move closer. My dog charged into the woods again and this time I heard multiple animals rustling in the leaves as she barked and chased them back.
I started running and calling for her to come. When my dog came back to me, I went back to walking and yelling at what I now realized were coyotes.
I could hear them stalking us from the woods, but kept walking and yelling. When I got close to my driveway, I looked behind me to see that 3 coyotes were on the road and following us. One was very large and was walking confidently in our direction. The others were kind of skulking around in the background. When I looked at them, the big one barked at me. It sounded like a dog bark, not a yip or a howl.
Immediately, the woods all around me erupted in howling and yipping. I know it was probably just a few coyotes, but it sounded like hundreds of them were around us. The yapping was getting closer as we ran, coming from behind us and from a field right next to our house. It seemed like they were surrounding us and were vocalizing as they did. Once my dog and I got inside, the coyotes continued howling and yipping outside of the house for a few minutes and then stopped.
I assume the bleating sheep sound was a deer and that we may have interrupted a kill, but we retreated, and they kept coming at us. Also, they had been stalking us for a while before we got anywhere near the area where I heard the bleating. My dog had been walking right by my side until the moment that they started approaching us from the woods and she charged in to scare them back. Was that an aggressive move toward my dog to entice her to fight, or a signal to the pack to move in?
It obviously caused a group of them to get aggressive in scaring us away, or launching an attack, or whatever they were doing. I have walked my dogs down that road every day for seven years. Is it safe to continue walking my dog down that road in daylight, of course , or has something changed now? Any answers you can provide will be very much appreciated.
Kathleen, we live in WI and have a coyote population living in a large woods behind a farmers field which is behind our house. Not loud, just enough to draw a curious animal I. I have heard this injured sound once when I was walking my dog. Perhaps this was the bleat you heard? Maybe as a way to stop you from walking away? Sounds like a terrifying experience. Thanks for the reply!
That makes sense. The dogs turned back toward home when I yelled for them, but the coyote turned back too. So, both dogs and the coyote were running back up the driveway towards me. The coyote ran up next to my shepherd mix and did something that caused him to turn back on it and resume chasing it off of our property. He was led to a field across the way where 3 more coyotes suddenly appeared and surrounded him.
My yelling broke the action for a second and he was able to tuck tail and run home. This was in broad daylight, late in the afternoon. I guess they have it out for my dogs. Great job, living in San Diego, these sounds are sometimes a nightly occurrence. I would say the moonlight one is the most common.
I once heard this sound right outside my window on a summer night, the closest thing I could compare it to was the sound lions make at night to communicate in Africa, I lived in California, east of the bay area.
No lions that I know of here. I always thought rightfully or wrongly, that the excessive yips was the coyotes surrounding their prey and as it quickly stopped, they were going in for the kill. Of course thinking now after just coming in from a walk and hearing nothing after the yip, yip stopped, that I must be wrong.
Would coyotes attack someone like myself with dog walking on their territory? During the day or night? The Adirondack Almanack is a public forum dedicated to promoting and discussing current events, history, arts, nature and outdoor recreation and other topics of interest to the Adirondacks and its communities.
We publish commentary and opinion pieces from voluntary contributors, as well as news updates and event notices from area organizations. Contributors include veteran local writers, historians, naturalists, and outdoor enthusiasts from around the Adirondack region. The information, views and opinions expressed by these various authors are not necessarily those of the Adirondack Almanack or its publisher, the Adirondack Explorer.
Sunday, March 2, Email Share on Tumblr. Related Stories. Coyotes Prepare for Winter. The Sounds of Adirondack Coyotes. Guest Contributor The Adirondack Almanack publishes occasional guest essays from Adirondack residents, visitors, and those with an interest in the Adirondack Park. Tags: Coyotes , nature , predators , wildlife. Running George says:. March 3, at pm. September 22, at am. Jan says:. Harold says:. Harley says:. March 4, at am.
Sandra Weber says:. March 5, at am. Paul says:. Bill says:. March 6, at am. Brad says:. Coyotes howl and yip not to announce to their food that they plan to eat it who would scare away their dinner? A coyote may howl to bond with family, meet up with a friend or relative, or warn territorial rivals that this land is taken. Like most other predators, coyotes hunt silently by sneaking up on their prey. Coyotes live in small family groups typically containing just two to five individuals, but use auditory illusions to make themselves sound like a large, intimidating pack.
Just one mated pair might sound like a dozen or more animals! This is one of the reasons that people are often alarmed by their calls. Human perception of coyote group size ," Human-Wildlife Interactions journal, fall In District of Columbia, WildlifeHelp. Skip to main content. Should I be concerned if I hear coyotes howling, yipping or barking? Laws and regulations to be aware of While we attempt to provide guidance about state and federal regulations pertaining to specific species and control techniques, we do not provide information about local jurisdictions city, town, county, etc.
Contact your local city or county government to inquire further. No guarantee is made that information or lack of information associated with a species or control technique is completely accurate or current. You should become familiar with federal, state and local laws before beginning any wildlife control activities.
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