coyotes in your neighborhoods? (Dallas, Arlington: airport, eat, castle)

[Fillmont]

Will sometimes see them around alleys at night. They are very quick to run away from cars, so I never see them for more than a few seconds.

[fistofsouth]

Here's a Coyote story for you. I live in Denton and before we purchased our current home we rented. This was inside "the loop" (288) in Denton so it is a relatively developed area. I work in the evening (I'm working now) and normally get home about 1:30 am. I enjoy a smoke and a cup of coffee under the stars so often I would go out front with one of our cats and just chill and look up at the stars. One night I had a new episode of Fringe on the DVR and I had paused it to go outside and one of the cats came out with me. After I had burned through about half a cigar it occurred to me that the DVR would come un-paused and that could wake up the family so I ran inside, hit play and the paused the DVR gain. I was inside for a maximum of 30 seconds.

I come back outside and our cat was not in the yard anymore. He's predominantly white and about 14 lbs (not small for a cat) so I normally see him right away. Imagine my surprise as I am walking across the yard, look out in the street and there running right down the middle of the road is a Coyote with my cat dangling from his mouth. Well I really loved this cat and since he was totally motionless and not struggling to get free I assumed he was dead. Somewhere in my head the Irishman in me snapped, that provoked a "Veteran's Moment" for me and in a fit of rage I screamed at the top of my lungs with the full inflection of a former Sergeant "HEY ****** Moderator cut: language. The coyote looks at me and starts running. Now I'm running after him, not thinking I can save my cat, but simply seeking some raw, visceral vengeance. Well since this guy is trying to run with a 14lb cat I'm gaining on him, so he drops the cat and takes off in a sprint and now I'm in a sprint too. As I pass my cat I caught movement out of the corner of my eye so I stopped and looked and to my great delight my cat is still alive.

Still he has blood gushing from his mouth so I'm thinking he has severe internal trauma. So I bite the bullet and take him to an emergency Vet Clinic and as it turns out his injuries were very minor. He had some abrasions on his head and the coyote pierced my cat's tongue when he grabbed him by the head, that in conjunction with an increased heart rate was the cause of the profuse bleeding.

In the end my cat is fine, but we are both a little more apprehensive about going outside at night.

[kenshi]

Originally Posted by stonewallhorn

Your children are fine. your pets are fine (hell, my dog used to play WITH them).... and YOU are fine

Pray tell where did you learn about coyotes? I don't know about children, but they certainly will eat cats and small dogs. Also, it makes absolutely no sense to say something is 50 acres away. That's like saying something weighs 20 gallons.

[BoxCar Willie]

Originally Posted by stonewallhorn

I'm always a little shocked when TEXANS don't know their coyote facts. I don't mean to be rude, folks. It's just that I find it funny that as we move more and more onto THEIR (the coyotes') land, we then act as if hell has frozen over because we see one or hear them.

Look, especially if you live in one of these newly formed yuppie-villes like Frisco, Flower Mound, Lantana, McKinney, etc... that 10 years ago were nothing but forests and farmlands, you can't be shocked to see coyotes. And I got news for you... the coyotes have company in these places, too, to the tune of bobcats, feral hogs, foxes, and even (dare I say it?) COUGARS (aka mountain lians, panthers, pumas).

I've seen coyots in Dallas proper. I've seen them in Ft Worth. I've seen them in Irving. I've seen them in Richardson. They're everywhere.... and you have NOTHING to fear from them.

Not only do YOU not have to fear, but your kids don't, either. I'm 29 and I grew up in east tx. They used to come up into our yard, no more than 10 yards from the front door (especially on cold nights) and howl and yip and bark... run and play.... it used to keep me up at night a lot. I remember that even as an 8 yr old boy, if I wanted to get them out of the yard, all Id have to do is step out onto the front porch and say "HEY!!!". The mere sight of my 4'8, 75lb frame was terrifying enough to send even the largest pack of coyotes rocketing out of the yard, with reckless abandon to get as far away from me as possible.

Your children are fine. your pets are fine (hell, my dog used to play WITH them).... and YOU are fine

Now if you have any watermelons or squash growing in your yard... that may be a different story ;0)

They will USUALLY run away untill they become rabid then NOTHING is fine around them. I've had em around me in Maine, SC and here in Texas. I'm not scared of em BUT like every other wild critter I will respect them and if I have to destroy them IF they become a threat.

[sunnydays13]

Originally Posted by renlouis

My friend spotted a pair of coyotes right near the road (in front of a partially cleared wooded area) in front of our elementary school a while ago. She called me because it's my daughter's school and she was concerned. It was about noon. I called to tell the school, as I was concerned that the kids were on the playground, but also that they would be walking home from school a couple of hours later and many kids walk right by that area. The school didn't seem concerned at all, but I went and stood where they were spotted when the kids were released. I felt like a paranoid person based on the school's lack of concern, but I couldn't do nothing. Better safe than sorry, right? I couldn't live with myself if a lone kindergardener had been taken down by a pair of coyote and I knew that risk was there and did nothing about it!

From what I've read, it sounds like they may stay in the same area for a while (days or weeks?) - the school has never issued a warning and as far as I know there have not been more sightings, though I don't know if I'd hear about them.

I seriously doubt the children were in any danger, Coyotes aren't known to attack humans. Now if you left a baby sitting in the woods that's a different story. However, I understand your concern, but why exactly are kindergarteners walking home in the first place? Unless they have an older kid with them then that's what you should be concerned about, not a few mangy mutts.

[Pooua]

Originally Posted by BoxCar Willie

They will USUALLY run away untill they become rabid then NOTHING is fine around them. I've had em around me in Maine, SC and here in Texas. I'm not scared of em BUT like every other wild critter I will respect them and if I have to destroy them IF they become a threat.

Coyotes in Maine are a different breed than coyotes in Texas. Indeed, coyotes in New England sometimes interbreed with the local wolf population, producing a hybrid that is more aggressive and has social organization than a typical coyote. A woman hiker was killed by what is believed to have been such a hybrid about 2 years ago.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Coyotes kill Canadian folk singer
Coyote-Wolf Hybrids Have Spread Across U.S. East
Coyote + wolf = new breed of predator - Technology & science - Science - DiscoveryNews.com - msnbc.com
Coywolves; hybrid wolf-coyotes in New England? | Gene Expression | Discover Magazine
Coywolves

As it happens, we don't have much of a wolf population around here. We do have a lot of coyotes, but they are small, timid animals. I've seen several of them, from Garland to Frisco. All the large parks and nature preserves have them, and even farmer's fields give them a place to live for a day.

[kenshi]

A few weeks ago, I think I saw a coyote trotting down Inwood just before I crossed it on Walnut Hill.

[asubram3]

I've seen Coyotes at least twice i my neighborhood in Far North Dallas. There are wooded areas around where they probably live.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by kenshi

A few weeks ago, I think I saw a coyote trotting down Inwood just before I crossed it on Walnut Hill.

Just north of there on the east side of Inwood sits a large pond/tiny lake, it seems like a good number of coyotes live around that pond. I live close-by, this area sports legions of coyotes.

I see them at night while driving or walking quite often. I hear them quite often as well.

[Pooua]

Oh, and, yes, there was a puma (mountain lion) photographed in Hall Office Park in Frisco a few years ago. It grabbed a duck from the pond.