WILDLIFE IN RYERSONS WOODS
Coyote
Canis latrans
Once common only in the northwest corner of the United States, the Coyote now roams through most of North America. Coyotes prefer to live in the brushy area between woods and open fields, but they are opportunists and will make their home wherever food is available. Ryerson Woods offers them a perfect habitat with woods, prairie and plentiful food.

Coyotes are members of the dog family. They resemble small German Shepherds. Most are light grey or tan with a straight bushy tail tipped with black. They are about 18 to 24 inches tall, 44 to 50 inches long and weigh from 18 to 45 pounds.

Most of the year coyotes wander over many miles, alone or in groups, but they have a core territory of two to three square miles where they make a den for their young in the spring. They can dig their own den, but often the female will enlarge an old fox, skunk or woodchuck burrow that is used year after year.

Coyotes are thought to mate for life. Mating season is in January, February and March. Pups are born in the spring and depend on their parents to feed them. Carefully watched, they leave the den at three weeks. At eight to ten weeks they are taught to hunt. Within a year, most pups find their own territories, usually relocating within ten miles of their parents’ den. Some will stay with their parents for one or two seasons to help raise the next year’s litter.

Coyotes mainly eat meat and fish, fresh or spoiled, and occasionally insects and vegetation. Rabbits are a favorite, followed by mice, rats, voles and other small mammals. They have keen senses of hearing and smell and can run up to 45 miles per hour for short distances, chasing and exhausting their prey. Deer are rarely killed by coyotes, but they will feed upon the remains. As they become bolder, and move closer to homes, they are a threat to cats and small dogs too. Although not their natural food source, keep an eye on your pets if coyotes are in your neighborhood!

Although coyotes sometimes hunt during the day as well as at night, you will probably hear them more often than you will see them. Early in the year coyotes howl to announce their territory and call for a mate; females howl and huff to call their young. As members of the dog family, you will recognize their yelps, whines, growls and barks.

You may think that you are seeing more coyotes in Lake County in recent years, but actually, the coyote population has remained about the same since a dramatic increase in the 1970’s. They may be getting bolder as their territory is developed and they become more used to people. Avoid attracting them to your home. Keep garbage cans covered and don’t leave pet food outside. Coyotes are valuable members of our community, keeping the rodent population down and scavenging dead animals. Encourage them to stay in their natural habitat, such as Ryerson Woods, and not in your own backyard.