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Active Coyotes
updated: Feb 19, 2013, 2:00 PM

By Edhat Subscriber

Has anyone else noticed more coyotes and\or more active coyote packs at all hours of the day in the Alta Mesa area lately? Over the weekend (mid-day) they could be clearly heard celebrating a kill in the open space area between upper Micheltorena and the dead end of Hillside Rd. We also had a pack of four come up to our fence in the early afternoon a couple weeks ago to say "hi" to our large dog. I enjoy seeing the local wildlife but if I had a cat or small dog like many of my neighbors I'd be concerned letting them out without supervision!

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 376220	2013-02-19 02:05 PM
Actually, I recall much more late night howling the last couple of years compared to now. Of course, I'm not familiar with coyote breeding habits, so maybe there are more pups and noise in the spring/summer.
COMMENT 376232	2013-02-19 02:19 PM
they are here to reclaim their land, since we do not know how to live with each other :)
COMMENT 376237P	2013-02-19 02:28 PM
funny i live up there and ive been thinking i hear fewer coyotes than in years past
COMMENT 376244P	2013-02-19 02:50 PM
We heard a lot of yipping from the arroyo west of Eling's drive off Cliff Drive last week. I wish they'd cruise through the westside and clean out some of the raccoons.
COMMENT 376246P	2013-02-19 02:54 PM
Gee, and I was hoping the raccoons would cruise through my yard and clean up some of the rats.
COMMENT 376247	2013-02-19 02:56 PM
Like 237P I live up there and have noticed a lot less howling over the last year or so, but yes, in the past few weeks there has been quite a lot of coyote yelping. Oh, and if you are lucky you can see the pair of young albino raccoons that hang out around the SB Highlands.
COMMENT 376254	2013-02-19 03:07 PM
They seem to have just returned to the hill above the end of Chino/below Miramonte a couple of weeks ago.
COMMENT 376256	2013-02-19 03:08 PM
I think I heard that the coyotes are usually breeding in Jan/Feb, so they are out and a little less shy. In April/May is when the pups are born. My dog and I have been approached by coyotes much much more often from Jan-May...
COMMENT 376289	2013-02-19 04:26 PM
The Feb. 21, 2013 issue of the New York Review of Books contains a review of Jim Sterba's "Nature Wars: The Incredible Story of How Wildlife Comebacks Turned Backyards into Battlegrounds."
COMMENT 376375	2013-02-19 07:37 PM
They are not "celebrating a kill". Please! Coyotes communicate with others by howling. These are not evil beings lurking in the outdoors waiting to pounce on you. I've handled many wild, untamed coyotes and many tame ones and they have to be the most mild-mannered wildlife I've dealt with. This kind of fear-mongering is why government agencies burn coyote pups alive in their dens. Look up some photos. Can we all just get along?
COMMENT 376415P	2013-02-19 08:41 PM
375: I had a 1/2 coyote 1/2 German shepherd for 17 years who was very mellow (pups were in an underground burrow, were dug out by workers at an OC tract development after they found the mom shot nearby). They're wild animals who need to eat, and attack smaller animals - pets who are defenseless, occassionally babies, because they're hungry, not evil. Years ago a mom visiting Yosemite smeared honey on her daughter's face, trying to get a cute photo of her daughter and a nearby bear cub. The bear cub who ate her daughter's face wasn't evil, either, he was a bear, and her mother was a stupid human.
COMMENT 376434P	2013-02-20 12:26 AM
415P. Thanks for the nightmare material. I was afraid my dreams would be all unicorns and glitter tonight. 375: You rock. Leave the coyotes alone.
COMMENT 376457P	2013-02-20 07:01 AM
We live on Eastside below APS. After the Tea Fire, all the enjoyable coyote yips and howls, talking to each other along the hilltops, disappeared, and we surmised they were either killed in the fire, or retreated farther back in the hills. Maybe their population or courage are just recovering. We hope to hear a full chorus again soon!
COMMENT 376461	2013-02-20 07:15 AM
Snopes says the bear mauling child smeared with honey story is an urban legend. Always check those stories that sound too ghastly to be true. My coworker sends me a bunch of anti-obama stories that turn out to be false so I am used to checking.
COMMENT 376464	2013-02-20 07:21 AM
you live on the Mesa if your zip code is 93109, if not you are the West Side.
COMMENT 376468	2013-02-20 07:43 AM
I live in the Goleta foothills and when we hear coyotes they are 'in town' rather than the foothills. They are intelligent and have moved where there are little munchies and food bowls easily available. Staying out where the hunting is for those dang little gophers is hard work. Go to the urban cafeteria instead.
COMMENT 376546	2013-02-20 10:21 AM
We have a pack of coyotes on our property everyday. Morning, afternoon, late night.... Doesn't matter when, its all the time. We have 3 dogs and they have been attacked more than once. They have come to our front door. We live Conejo / las Altures area. They are hungry, they are hunting, wild animals! But we choose to live here! If you think there are less coyotes now then before fire 3+ years ago... You will find them here!
COMMENT 377218	2013-02-21 03:16 PM
I was speaking with the Animal Control officer a couple of weeks ago and he referred me to Fish and Game. They are the go-to people for coyote issues. He did tell me that the coyotes travel from one area to another. I'm wondering does that happen when the food sources gets low, then they move on? They come back of course.

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