Coyote sightings, crowd-sourced

Interesting to see this in the Portland, Oregon, area (in the U.S. Pacific Northwest).

Of course, the maps probably show sightings that are probably way under reported, but still might be useful for sitters and households with pets.

Coyotes have been known to scale fences up to 6 to 8 feet high and attack small pets.

https://pdxedu.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=db99c10f5d6e4bb7afeaa36d1fd5e0f2

Coyotes are astonishing jumpers. Yes they can and have scaled big fences and grabbed outdoor cats and small dogs.

It’s important to note that coyotes will mate once per year, usually in early spring. The rest of spring /summer is spent rearing their pups, who will then leave the family in the fall.

So, the active coyote sightings and encounters are typically late winter/early spring, and again in the fall when the grown pups leave the family to search for their own territory and mates.

Coyotes near us are no longer fearful of humans. You can raise your arms and scream all you like, they stare at you and follow from a distance. They are also not aggressive (they know they can’t take down an adult human, they are too small compared to our size) so that is usually that, just the following. But small dogs are at risk so never walk a small dog off leash in coyote populated areas (really most of North America). Very small children can also be at risk. Supervised outings even in yards is so important for small children or small dogs.

I have 70 lb retriever who has barked away coyotes near us, so not an issue for larger dogs in my experience. When she was a pup though - man those coyotes followed us until pup grew up!

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Coyotes are reasonable common in some parts of Western Canada. A common source of pet owner concern, in terrains with limited visibility.

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