Autumn is the season when probably the most people visit the woodlands. Whether it’s to hike, view fall foliage, photograph or hunt, it is usually the most pleasant time to be there. The temperatures are comfortable, there’s low humidity and no biting insects.
But for some people, being in the deeper portions of the bigger woods spawns a certain degree of discomfort, be it fear of becoming lost or, more often for some, of encountering a wild animal. Much like the “lions and tigers and bears … oh my!” segment in the “Wizard of Oz,” the mind may wonder what creatures may be lurking nearby in those dark forest shadows? And more importantly, do they represent any danger to me?
Like many sportsmen and outdoors people, I’ve spent a good portion of my life wandering the woods, both in daylight and, when hunting raccoon, at night. My biggest fear, if you could call it that, was surprising a skunk at close range. I’ve been startled at night by bedded deer that launched at close range and went crashing off, and by ground-roosting grouse that flushed so close I felt the wind created by their rapid wing beats. Other than that, my times spent in the woods have been very docile.
But there are still people who have an unnatural fear of wild animals, especially those sporting sharp teeth. We don’t have many lions and tigers, but we do have black bears, and encountering one can be exciting to say the least, and for some, frightening to say the most. The same can be said of encountering an large adult coyote, which will appear very similar to a grey wolf. But aside from obviously sick specimens, that should always be avoided, just how dangerous are these two animals?
There have been a small number of coyote attacks on people in the U.S. and Canada, with most of the attacks involving small children under 5 years of age. Since 3 million children are bitten by dogs every year, your small child is millions of times more likely to get hurt by the family pet than by a coyote. The best estimates assert that, in recorded history, there have been 20 to 30 coyote attacks on humans in the U. S. that resulted in injuries, and they were primarily minor injuries.
Coyotes normally avoid contact with humans and hunt rabbits and rodents. But scientists said some that live near suburban developments are becoming bolder, raiding garbage or even attacking pets and humans. An increase in coyote attacks on humans in the past decade is most evident in Southern California, where bedroom communities have quickly pressed into wilderness, allowing the canine hunter-scavengers to roam backyards for food which can include free-roaming small pets.
DEC wildlife biologist Gordon Batcheller studies coyotes in New York State. Batcheller says coyotes are "becoming habituated to humans and human environments, and adapting their behavior to ours. From the coyotes' perspective, this human environment "is a 'subsidized environment,' meaning it provides an artificially high amount of foods with an unnatural absence of threats," Batcheller said. "These adaptable animals take quick advantage of these unnatural environments." DEC officials estimate that 20,000 to 30,000 coyotes presently live in the state. Paul Curtis, a Cornell wildlife biologist, adds, "Hearing coyotes howling in the woods at night is a wonderful thing. And that's where we want to keep them—in the woods, away from people."
