Brandon Twp – If food is available’they find it. They coexist and thrive in densely populated areas. Yet, their actions, say experts are often misunderstood, ‘they don’t stalk, they simply take advantage of their opportunities.?
Coyotes are found in just about every Michigan County and locally in Hadley, Goodrich, and Grand Blanc where a local trapper has encountered more than 200 during the past year.
‘They are in the area and will stay until their food supply has diminished,? he said
‘They are on the top of the food chain and will take over an area, deplete the food supply and move on.?
The local trapper (who asked to remain anonymous) added that dogs not on a leash or cats will become prey to the predator.
Tim Reis, former Department of Natural Resources Fur Bearer Specialist and current Management Supervisor of Saginaw Bay Management Unit said it’s hard for the state to keep track of coyote numbers because there are fewer trappers to record the population. The harvest of trappers is often used by the DNR as a measuring method to estimate species population. Trappers also call in wildlife location sightings to the DNR.
Both Reis and the local trapper say there are several reasons coyote population and movement is on the increase.
‘The fur industry is not what it used to be,? said Reis. ‘Trapping is a lot of work and if the trappers can’t make the money they are not going to make the effort.?
Reis said a state sponsored agricultural program that encourages farmers to allow the fields to fill in with hay also impacts coyote movement because the fields become an ideal harbor for shrews, meadow voles, mice, and rabbits. All are the preferred diet of the coyote.
Recent mild winters have contributed to an increase in prey, hence an increase in predators.
Reis added that urban sprawl is creating a conflict between human and coyote. Not because the sprawl is driving the coyotes from the woods, however.
In rural areas such as Atlas, Brandon, and Groveland townships, pet and home owners need to not tempt the curious nature of a coyote by luring them with loose pets, bird feeders, outdoor pet feeders, or loose garbage.
‘My argument is we are living in their territory,? said Reis.
‘We just don’t know how to live with wild life in rural areas.?
It’s often assumed that coyotes are being driven out of natural habitats, ending up in the backyards of rural and urban homes.
Another misconception suggests that coyotes were transported by the Department of Natural Resources into Oakland County.
‘Not true to both,? said Jonathan Schechter, a naturalist for the West Bloomfield Parks and Recreation Department who often finds wintertime coyote tracks on his Brandon Township property.
‘They are not being driven out of the woods, they are not woodland animals,? he said.
‘They got here by themselves as opportunists following food abundance ‘they wander widely and are even in some industrial areas of Detroit.?
Because of their tolerance for human activities and adaptability to virtually all habitat types Michigan coyotes can been seen near farm buildings and at the edge of clearings, hunting for food, lending to the lurking behavior perceived by humans as stalking.
‘They don’t stalk but are very intelligent and very curious.?
‘We are almost encouraging them to come into the area because of the mowed lawns, brushy areas, and trails,? Schechter added.
They eat rabbits, mice, squirrels? and that’s a perfect habitat for those animals.?
Dubbed ‘Wiley? because of their opportunistic hunting habits, the coyote will eat almost anything from seasonal berries, frogs, mice, rats, snakes, to birds.
On occasion, when tempted, the coyote will nab a free ranging chicken or cat, if one passes by.
Averaging about 45 pounds, coyotes occasionally bring down a small deer, however, it’s rather unlikely when smaller prey is abundant, because of injury risk.
They are a small, non-aggressive animals, only 18 inches tall, easy to identify by the way they always either hang their bushy, black-tipped tail drooping down or carry it straight out.
Often observed in family groups, coyotes do not form a pack as a rule. The male pups will leave the den at between six to nine months, while females usually stay with the parents.
‘People are truly afraid of them, but putting out food for raccoons is far more trouble,’said Schechter.
They are shy animals.
‘Being bothered by them is far more of a perception (than their danger), just yell and they will be scared away.?
Schechter warns that while coyotes do not stalk humans, any animal species will attack when cornered. Feeding wild animals, encountering a rabid animal, or confining one poses a bigger threat than having coyotes living on the perimeter of our own backyards. Or is it that we are living in theirs?