Coyotes have been a mild irritation to homeowners and livestock owners for centuries, but now they have become a downright nuisance.
There are more and more encounters between coyotes and people for many different reasons in the past couple of decades.
One of these reasons is that the coyote population is exploding out of control.
Now that coyotes have learned how to live and thrive in close proximity to humans, they are able to have more litters.
Another reason why coyotes are becoming more of a problem is the expansion of human territory.
As we continue to tear down habitats and drive their natural prey animals to extinction, coyotes are forced to encroach upon our territory in search of food.
Not only is this problem going to get worse with coyotes, but it will affect all wildlife population if we do not change our priorities quickly.
Coyotes prey upon smaller and weaker animals than themselves.
If you live in a rural area that is near a field or wooded area, coyotes can be a legitimate danger to your pets.
Another issue to think about is that coyotes could attack your pet and cause serious injury or pass on deadly diseases, infections and parasites through their bites, saliva and scratches.
While most coyotes do not approach humans, a sickly or diseased coyote can possibly attack children in the area.
Coyotes will also prey upon small livestock animals.
Their main targets are birds like chickens and ducks, but they could also attempt to attack and kill calves and sheep.
Coyotes can do this because they hunt in packs and can take down larger and larger prey as their pack numbers rise.
Coyotes are a serious problem and if you have issues with them attacking pets, livestock or you suspect there is a diseased coyote in the area, you need to take care of the problem right away.
-There are several repellents out on the market that claim to deter coyotes from coming on your property.
These claims are misleading as they may work for a few days and then become completely ineffective.
You will have to reapply the repellent constantly and it costs more money than it is worth.
-One of the most effective ways to get coyotes off your property once and for all is to exclude them out of your property.
You can do this by building a sturdy fence that is buried at least a foot underground and extends several feet above ground to discourage them from jumping over or digging under the fence.
This is obviously impossible for people with large pieces of land.
-Along these same lines, a great way to get coyotes away from your house is to keep your yard clean.
Do not keep large pieces of equipment in your yard, cut any tall grasses and trim all the trees and bushes on your property.
This takes away all the places the coyotes like to hide, and if they do not feel secure, they will most likely find a new hunting ground.
-You can attempt to trap the coyote, but this is very hard to do.
Coyotes are very skittish about anything they haven't seen before and if they catch even a hint of human scent on the trap, they won't go anywhere near it.
You can mask the scent by scrubbing the cage and setting it with latex gloves on, but unless the coyote is desperate for the bait, it probably will not go in.
It is also dangerous to go up to a caged coyote as they will most likely react with aggression.
The safest and easiest way to get rid of coyotes is to call a professional.
In many states it is illegal to trap wild animals and all states have specific rules on how to properly euthanize the animal.
Check your states regulations and get in touch with a wildlife removal agency or the humane society if the issue with the coyotes is getting out of control.