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Oly Coyotes

Submitted by Sarah on Sun, 09/03/2006 - 3:11pm.

Coyotes have been mentioned a few times recently in write ups about the west side raccoons. I've never seen a coyote in the area and assumed that they were rare to nonexistent, I assumed wrong.

Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife has a news release from 2004 concerning a coyote attack on a dog at Watershed Park. Lots of good info in it. Including the fact that coyotes are found all over the state and in 2004 numbered over 50,000 state wide.

WDFW also has an excellent page up all about coyotes and especially about the best ways for us to live with them.

Anyone have any coyotes in Olympia stories?

Coyote behavior is based on instinctual programming for survival that is centuries old. As intelligent beings, individual coyotes can learn new ways to obtain the food, water, and shelter they need to survive. But coyote needs aren't going to change.

However, human "needs" to set garbage on the curb, leave dog food outside, or put the cat out at night, can and should be re-examined. If humans want to peacefully coexist with these fascinating wild animals, it's up to humans to change.

Sarah's blog
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Evergreen Yotes

Submitted by emmettoconnell on Sun, 09/03/2006 - 5:44pm.

When my mom went back to school to Evergreen, my brother and I used to go out there with her often. One time, we were heading down Evergreen Blvd off of Cooper Pt. and a coyote was standing in the median. I had never seen a coyote so close in to Olympia before. I'd seen them on the east side of the mountains a lot, but never so close.

Eastside CDN

Submitted by DrewHendricks on Sun, 09/03/2006 - 6:38pm.

A small property perches on the eastside amidst the center of a block, as a minifarm oasis in the urbanity. Along the driveway of this property late one night, in the headlights of my car, I saw a coyote. She was white, and almost grey - in the way only coyotes can be in that light. And she moved off downhill, toward the city's center - not away from the city. She slipped into a low blueberry bog and whatelse beyond I could not tell you.

Now, this would worry me in almost no circumstances - especially since I was in a car. But my kitty lives in that yard, and my kitty would make a nice breakfast for a coyote. Indeed, I saw her moments later rushing to meet my car. She didn't come to harm, but she easily could have. When I heard the westside "felinocidal racoon" story, I immediately thought that a coyote was being covered by the blame heaped upon a gang of racoons!

As for the Eastside Racoons, so far they only partake of chickens. No cats (that I know of) have so far come to harm.

Coyote light

Submitted by Sarah on Tue, 09/05/2006 - 11:18am.

I know exactly what you mean by how coyotes look in headlights.

Glad your kitty was unharmed.

Where do the coyotes have to go?

Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Sun, 09/03/2006 - 7:26pm.

Where do they have to go to find a place where they can exist without interference from human activities?

Sure, opportunism might be in play here. But where should the coyotes go when human communities are encroaching into the territories of wilderness?

Well, growing up in the

Submitted by Norm on Sun, 09/03/2006 - 8:10pm.

Well, growing up in the sticks we had a sacred place for coyotes....we called it a graveyard.

I hear the coyotes here (I'm

Submitted by OperaGirl on Sun, 09/03/2006 - 8:17pm.

I hear the coyotes here (I'm pretty close to down town Oly). I don't hear them as much as I used to which kind of makes me sad...although when they get all worked up they can sound pretty frightening!

I had to chase a coyote

Submitted by Jade on Mon, 09/04/2006 - 12:08am.

away from my chickens one day recently.

Coyotes live everywhere. They are indeed adaptable. They are urban animals. There are coyotes that inhabit Central Park in Manhatten that the city has been unable to exterminate due to their incredibly adaptive traits.

There are coyotes on Beacon Hill in Seattle who have learned to stay quiet to avoid detection.

I have never lived far from them, though out here at the city limits they can be really noisy at night. Its pretty eerie.

Jade

(A Rose in the Pumpkin Patch)

Speaking of adaptable...

Submitted by emmettoconnell on Mon, 09/04/2006 - 6:31am.

Google "Coyote Democrats"

"(Idaho) has elected Republicans so dumb they need to be watered, but any Democrat who hopes to stick around must have the adaptive skills of a coyote." former Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus.

How did you

Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Mon, 09/04/2006 - 8:36pm.

discover "coyote democrats?"

I think I helped coin it

Submitted by emmettoconnell on Mon, 09/04/2006 - 8:43pm.

I started blogging at westerndemocrat.com just after the 2004 election, and I started reading a lot about Western politics, including Gov. Andrus' book, which included the above quote. The former blogger at Makesmeralph.typepad.com (I think at SquareState.com now) actually coined the term officially though. I think.

I hear coyotes, too, occasionally

Submitted by M Kretzler on Mon, 09/04/2006 - 10:39am.

I live just north of Capital High and I hear them some nights, late, howling away. Also, not as often as I used to, but I'm not sure that means anything.

Several years ago, I saw a coyote during the day sitting on the edge of Ensign Rd, where it loops from Martin Way, through Woodard Cr. to St. Peters. Just sitting there in the grass at the margin of the road.

West side

Submitted by CKochmer on Mon, 09/04/2006 - 8:09pm.

I live in the west side smacked in the area which is zoned for the killer coons... I see coyotes all the time a mile or so out when you get to mud bay. But the coons keep them away from my hood. However, we do also have a few foxes here.

West side foxes

Submitted by Sarah on Tue, 09/05/2006 - 11:21am.

Can you tell us more about those foxes?

I've heard coyotes a few

Submitted by kiki on Tue, 09/05/2006 - 11:50am.

I've heard coyotes a few times out on Lilly rd. I think they are somewhere on the Chehalis Western Trail which runs behind my apt complex. I've also seen foxes walking around out there at dawn and dusk.

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