We’ve been living in our neighborhood for nearly 15 years. Until this month, we’ve never had to deal with coyotes threatening us or our pets, but it’s quickly becoming a problem.

We first noticed howling coyotes outside our window in the weeks leading up to Christmas. The pack seemed to be pretty far away, and the noise always started up in the early morning hours. It almost sounded like a group of adults sitting around a campfire, drinking beers, and laughing it up. We soon realized the howling wasn’t coming from partiers—it was coming from coyotes.

At first, we were mildly concerned but didn’t think too much about our new neighbors. While they were within earshot, they were far enough away to brush off. There are a lot of woods around our house, so I assumed there were plenty of critters out there making weird noises all night.

Early this morning, though, the whole family was awakened by a pack of coyotes that seemed VERY close—if not IN our backyard. It was roughly two o’clock in the morning when my wife and I went downstairs. We flipped on the backyard light and spotted two coyotes sniffing around. They quickly raised their heads, froze for a moment, and took off toward my next-door neighbor’s house.

Now, I’m nervous about letting my dog out in the backyard, especially at night. His routine is to go out and do his business right before we all settle into bed. From now on, we’ll have to walk him until this coyote threat subsides.

This morning, after we talked about it on the air, we received calls from a few hunters who said they’d be willing to come to our neighborhood to try to scare off the coyotes. “They tend to mark their area. Once they do that, they’re likely to return,” one hunter messaged us on the Fun 107 app.

We briefly considered using a humane trap we had once used to capture one of our missing cats, but thought better of it. We were probably getting in over our heads with zero experience dealing with wild animals. Plus, we learned that trapping season is only allowed in November.

We decided to look into the laws regarding hunting and trapping coyotes. Wildlifehelp.org was a hugely helpful resource. One useful tip was to ensure your yard is well-lit.

According to Mass.gov, coyote hunting season runs from Columbus Day through March 8. Hunting must conclude by midnight, except during shotgun deer seasons, when shooting must stop 30 minutes after sunset.

While I’m not thrilled about having coyotes roaming through our neighborhood, I think we’ll just minimize our dog’s outdoor time for the foreseeable future. Hopefully, the coyotes wander deeper into the woods instead of searching for food around our homes.

Tips to Keep Your Pet Safe During Coyote Mating Season on the SouthCoast

The truth is, coyotes thrive adjacent to humans. During mating season, adhere to these tips from Mass Wildlife to keep you, your pets, and the coyotes safe.

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