Coyotes Spotted on Some Golf Courses

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

A Pinehurst golfer has a novel excuse for a lost ball - a coyote ran off with it.

Recent sightings of coyotes on and near golf courses Pinehurst No. 5 and No. 6 and in Pinewild are bothering residents with small pets, but animal control and wildlife officials report that there is no serious danger to human beings.

Earle Hightower, a Pinewild resident who grew up with coyotes in Utah and Colorado, said coyotes pose little danger to humans."

With small pets, it is a different story. However, Hightower said, coyotes usually leave large dogs alone.

Al Carter, animal control director for Moore County, estimates there are hundreds of coyotes in the county. He said they will be here for years to come.

But coyotes are actually the responsibility of the N.C. Wildlife Commission, not county Animal Control.

Sgt. Mark Dutton, the commission's enforcement officer in Moore County, said coyotes are expanding their territory throughout North Carolina because the region offers no natural predators to keep their numbers under control.

It is legal to hunt coyotes six days a week, Monday through Saturday, in North Carolina. Dutton said the hunter can use a firearm or a trap during daylight hours, beginning half an hour before sunrise and continuing until half an hour after sunset. Hunting is prohibited on Sunday and at night.

Dutton said local regulations apply, however, and this means that no one can shoot a coyote in most municipalities. Pinehurst, like most municipalities, has an ordinance prohibiting the discharge of a firearm within village limits. Trapping regulations likewise apply in many jurisdictions.

"They're no cause for major danger," Dutton said

Carter said his agency will handle a coyote if it appears to be rabid. He added that the coyotes spotted in and around Pinehurst do not appear to be rabid because they still have their motor skills. They just appear to be sly and wily, similar in character to the comic strip character.

"They are not dangerous to humans," he said. "Now, cats and dogs are another story."

Sightings have generated a series of calls to the Pinehurst Police Department, which has dispatched officers on each occasion. Golfers and residents walking their dogs have developed a communications system in which they call all neighbors with pets after they spot coyotes.

"I shined my flashlight on him for at least five minutes, and he just stared at me from under a hilltop," said one woman who spotted a coyote at the 16th hole on Pinehurst No. 6 while walking her dog at 9 p.m. Saturday.

She described the encounter in an e-mail to Maureen Burke-Horansky, founder of Animal Advocates of Moore County, who has circulated pet warnings to everyone in her e-mail address book.

Another Pinewild resident recently reported seeing a coyote two weeks ago while he was out on a golf cart with his dog about 7 a.m. He recalled that rabbits used to be common in the area but now he rarely sees one.

Coyotes 'Avoid Danger'

Hightower admitted that he has a sentimental attachment to coyotes and admires their survival skills.

"In the West, they devised a trap using cyanide, which would be sprayed into the coyote's mouth when it ate a piece of beef," Hightower said. "They also hunted them from airplanes and placed a generous bounty on them. The coyotes are very smart."

Hightower emphasized that coyotes are not dangerous to humans and said there are no recorded attacks on humans.

"Of course, I wouldn't want them to eat my cat," he said. "I have a dog who is about the size of a coyote and looks somewhat like one. We moved down here from Montgomery County, Md., which had a big influx of coyotes shortly before we moved. One almost bumped into me while he was chasing a rabbit through my backyard."

Hightower said coyotes do not ordinarily tangle with a dog their size because they are too smart to risk being wounded. He said the exception might be a situation in which a dog comes too close to its den when there are pups inside.

Ranchers in Utah and Colorado tried unsuccessfully to eliminate coyotes with traps and poison, but only managed to upset the balance of nature, according to Hightower.

"The coyotes kept the ground squirrels in check, and when they eliminated the coyotes, the ground squirrels proliferated, leaving holes in the ground which the horses and cattle stepped into, resulting in broken legs," Hightower says.

Hightower fears that reports of sightings in Moore County are blowing up the danger and causing needless distress, although he said it is wise to keep family pets in check.

"I agree that they are a danger to cats and small dogs," Hightower said. "Coyotes don't like to encounter dogs anywhere near their size. Like all wild animals, they avoid danger whenever necessary. Getting wounded in a fight isn't a good way to survive."

'Fear Humans'

Paul Tillman, a certified wildlife agent with the N.C. Wildlife Commission, said coyotes have been migrating into North Carolina since the early 1980s and their numbers are continuing to grow.

"Every county has them, but Moore County is going to have a big crop because we have the perfect habitat for them - lots of open fields and wooded areas. They will continue to increase and will be here long after we are gone," Tillman told a Pinehurst group at a recent meeting.

Tillman said coyotes build dens on the edge of woods. Coyotes have been seen on No. 6 in the area between the 12th green and the 13th tee, and he believes they have dens in the wooded areas abutting the course.

"If you have a cat or small breed dog, be very careful," Tillman said. "Keep dogs on a leash. Generally, if you are walking a dog, coyotes are curious about the dog but won't attack. They like cat meat so if you put a cat out at night, you do so at your own risk."

Tillman, a member of the county animal control staff and informally known as the "critter gitter," said coyotes differ from wolves although they do occasionally travel in packs and have been known to attack a cow. It is more likely that they will take a calf, rather than an adult cow.

"They fear humans," he said. "Coyotes are not dumb. They can sense danger so traps are not very successful. Traps can also get cats and dogs by mistake. So it seems we have to learn to live with them."

Tillman recommended that anyone having a problem with coyotes in Pinehurst call the police department.

The coyote is one of four wild animals for which state law requires euthanasia if captured outside their habitat. The other animals are foxes, raccoons and beavers.

Contact Florence Gilkeson at (910) 693-2479 or by e-mail at florence@thepilot.com.

More like this story

honest1 3 years, 4 months ago

Pinehurst golfers and Pinewild residents: Listen to the wise advice that these officials and Mr. Hightower are giving you! Coyotes are VERY shy of humans and provide a huge service in ridding our golf course and surrounding areas of rodents & insects. Coyotes also clean up the carrion, so if an oppossum dies on the course,you won't have to look at it the next day. Please check projectcoyote.org, a group of renowned wildlife biologists who have great tips for coexisting with coyotes. If residents want to scare coyotes away, make noise, instead of aiming flashlights at them. Small dogs and cats should not be wandering around anyway. They are more likely to be hit by a car or poisoned.

MikeNC 3 years, 4 months ago

The coyote situation in Pinehurst is not only disturbing, but this article and the comment provided seem to sugar coat the actual problem. Yes, they are a serious threat to pet owners, but the facts go further. They are not cute and cuddly visitors to our community. They are a threat to not only pets but to humans as well. Especially to infants and young children. There are numerous recordings of attacks on humans, especially the young. I will include a URL of a recent attack that killed a young and upcoming singer in Canada.... http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/29/folk-singer-coyote-attack-canada

Here is another URL that will give examples of coyote attacks on humans is Western states.... http://tchester.org/sgm/lists/coyote_attacks.html Although these attacks are even less frequent than dog bites, when a coyote does attack, he or she is looking for food. The attacks I listed are for Western Coyotes. Our Eastern coyotes have taken on genetic tendencies to be both larger and more aggressive. North Carolina Wildlife officials should be able to confirm this. NC wildlife policy is to shoot these animals on site and plead witrh deer hunetrs to do just that.

Me and my wife have lost three pet cats to coyotes. I can provide a picture of the grissly remains of one such pet that I tracked down in the woods. Coyotes also hunt our natural fauna such as possums, racoon, fox, birds and young deer. They will also snatch a calf at birth let alone other livestock. Coyotes are wonderful and intelligent creatures, but they belong out in the open west with plentiful supplies of jack rabbits, etc....NOT in Pinehurst, NC doing what comes natural to them. I lost three pets and if anyone has a problem with these coyotes, I will help them solve their problem free of charge. I can only do so in accordance with State laws. If you have an active problem with coyotes, please call me (Mike) at 215-0487.

MikeNC 3 years, 4 months ago

One thing I forgot to add is that the coyotes are also establishing themselves at the #8 golf course adjacent to the housing complex of Village Acres. It has been "Rumored" that pets have been disappearing from that area. This time of year is when coyotes begin their denning and mating ritual. Come about April or May Moore County will have on the average of six more coyote pups per each breeding female. Coyote females will also breed with pet or feral dogs producing coydogs. I admire the coyote's adaptive behavior and survival skills, but have no sentimental attachment to them. We also have no population of ground squirrels that cause any problems in horse country. Most of us have pet cats and dogs which I do have a sentimental attachment to.

honest1 3 years, 4 months ago

MikeNC, unfortunately you are providing erroneous information about coyotes here. One must always be cautious around wildlife, but only TWO people have been killed by coyotes in HISTORY. Canadian singer Taylor Mitchell was the second person.
There are about 24 bites to humans NATIONWIDE by coyotes ANNUALLY, usually from people trying to feed them. Compare that to the 1000 people treated DAILY in U.S. hospital rooms for bites from domestic dogs and the dozen mauled and KILLED ANNUALLY by DOMESTIC DOGS. Coydogs are EXTREMELY rare, due to the different mating patterns of coyotes and because coyotes usually view dogs as competitors. Small pets should NEVER be allowed to wander. They are more likely to be hit by a car or poisoned than snatched by a coyote. But it can happen, because they are the same size as coyotes' natural prey. We need to protect our small pets from many threats, not just coyotes. I am a pet owner. I respect pet owners, but I also respect our wildlife and appreciate it.

MLD206 3 years, 4 months ago

I would like to clarify a couple of things. Coyotes, just as any other wild animal in their natural habitat can be dangerous and human contact should be avoided. Likewise domestic animals can be dangerous or carry diseases and need to be treated with just as much respect. There is not enough data to support the public getting overly concerned about coyotes more than any other indigenous wild animals. Yes if confronted and felt threatened the coyote is most likely to respond as any other wild or domestic animal and defend itself. People need to take precautions around their homes and be mindful of their small pets. Just because coyotes are spotted in and near residential areas does not in an itself mean that the public should be overly alarmed. There are plenty of wooded and natural areas near the towns that all sorts for wild animals call home, Pinehurst is no exception. Also, eastern coyotes are generally much smaller in size to western coyotes generally not being any larger than 35-40 pounds, not much bigger than the red fox. I dont know of any data to support that eastern coyotes are more aggressive than western. They are both scavengers and would rather eat a deceased carcass than to take a live animal, usually only when the animal is injured, sick or vulnerable. I can also attest that the NC Wildlife has no such "policy" of shoot these animals on sight. The NC Wildlife supports the lawful taking of wild animals and offers a very liberal season on coyote for taking with the legal means of a firearm. There are also very liberal trapping seasons. Other than that, there needs to be a significant cause of damage or threat to life or property before the taking by permitted means of depredation will apply, and only done with a permit issued by the NC Wildlife or under other state law. If anyone wants to find more information on co-existing with wildlife or other important information, please visit ncwildlife.org. If someone has concern that a coyote or any other wild animal appears to be sick or injured they should contact their local Wildlife Enforcement Officer or the 24 hour communications center. Thank you.

MikeNC 3 years, 4 months ago

Sorry honest1, my information is correct. It is the article itself that provides erroneous information. The article states..."Hightower emphasized that coyotes are not dangerous to humans and said there are no recorded attacks on humans." I provided links to show that Hightowers' information is inaccurate as there have been attacks and deaths. You are correct that coyote attacks are rare compared to dog bites and maulings. But look at the number of dogs there are and they live in close proximity to humans. I never stated that attacks from these animals are numerous, but that attacks have taken place.

You state that you respect "Our Wildlife"...that is a contradiction because it is our wildlife that these outsider coyotes are attacking, eating and sometimes maiming. Pinehurst and other towns are not a natural environment for these predators to live in. I love nature and wildlife, but I prefer our natural wildlife and our dogs and cats better than I do coyotes.

Here's another fact for you....As the coyote population is allowed to expand in this area, the possibility of an attack on humans becomes that much more possible. How many bites or attacks on Pinehurst residents would be acceptable in your mind to a species that was never intended to inhabit this area? I would think that if coyotes should be welcomed into our community, it would be a good idea for NC State Wildlife Officers to change the state laws. Coyotes can be hunted by regulation six days per week. There is no closed season and no bag limit. In fact hunters are encouraged to shoot them on sight because our wildlife officers know the destruction that these predators are doing to our local fauna and the dangers involved as they encroach upon our communities. Is this what you respect? How about we just import a few grizzly bears into our community? We can call them cuddly guys Smokey the Bear as we also compare these coyotes to the cartoon character.

About coydogs...Here is a link to a respectable web site. I'll let people decide for themselves whether or not they exist and if they'd like to take the chance of having some of them roam our neighborhoods:

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/coydog.htm

MikeNC 3 years, 4 months ago

Eastern Coyotes... http://local.garden.org/Coyotes_Greensboro_NC-r1216651-Greensboro_NC.html

NC Coyote Hunting regulation... Page 50 of the NC Hunting and Trapping Regulation Digest: Effective July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010...Quote "GROUNDHOG, NUTRIA, COYOTE AND SKUNK (striped)...There is no closed season or bag limit." Yes, that is a very liberal season, just as it should be. And hunters are encouraged to shoot on sight while legally hunting other game. Call the Wildlife management Division and ask the question... (919) 707-0050

Red Fox...An extremely large red fox would be approximately 25 pounds. Most are much lighter.

MikeNC 3 years, 4 months ago

Here is the correct URL on information about the Eastern Coyotes. Sorry for the mistake on my previous post...

http://www.ncwildlife.org/trapping/Documents/BMP_EasternCoyote.pdf

rayplumas 3 years, 4 months ago

For anyone to say coyotes, don't bother humans,baloney!! there are several fatalities, most recent a young lady in Canada. Please do some homework on these wild animals. http://tchester.org/sgm/lists/coyote_attacks.html There are some new diseases that are rampant among them as well, they have found infected coyotes and wolves in the west.

MLD206 3 years, 4 months ago

"Coyote attacks on people are extremely rare. There have been a small number of 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.

Coyotes have justifiably a huge fear of humans. Usually coyote attacks on people occur when a coyote has become comfortable around people, often as a result of people feeding them. (Living With California Coyotes (pdf); National Wildlife Federation)

In the rare event that a coyote attacks you or someone near you, yell at the coyote to make it back off. Don't run away since a coyote can outrun you (unless you can run faster than 30 mph!). (Los Altos Town Crier 7/24/96; Coyote Fact Sheet)

Here are some overall statistics:

Officials with the California Department of Fish and Game estimate that roughly one person gets bitten by a coyote per year in California. The last human to be killed by a coyote was a child in the Los Angeles area around 1980. (SDUT 1/3/95, B1; 5/16/00, B3) For comparison, over 300 people have been killed by domestic dogs in the U.S. between 1979 and the late 1990s. (Humane Society of the U.S., reported in Tracking and the Art of Seeing, Paul Rezendes, second edition, 1999, p. 194)"

Good info, I think this explains why there shouldnt be a major concern. Domestic animals are far more likely to harm humans in Pinehurst than wild animals, not saying that it couldnt happen, but less likely.

rayplumas 3 years, 4 months ago

Again the data cited by MLD is out of date, a young singer, Taylor Mitchell was killed last year in Canada by two coyotes. Eastern coyotes are showing up much larger than western ones, I lived on a ranch in MT and the ones here are much larger. As they are no longer hunted they are rapidly losing fear of humans.

A new concern is the cysts that have been showing up in wolves and coyotes in Idaho, this disease can be transmitted to humans and it can be fatal. Disease being their only real enemy to control populations.

MikeNC 3 years, 4 months ago

Now that is reassuring MLD206...As you stated in your earlier post that..."There is not enough data to support the public getting overly concerned about coyotes" and now you say..."with most of the attacks involving small children under 5 years of age." My question is this...How long should we set back and collect and analyze data on coyote attacks in Pinehurst to form an intelligent decision on whether they are a threat or not? Do you have children in this age group and do you live in these known coyote expanding areas? Common sense seems to have gone out the window these days. Coyotes are KNOWN to be predators.....Period and end of discussion. They always have been and always will be. Predators do what they are intended by God to do...prey on living things and adapt in whatever ways necessary in order to survive. And I will give coyotes credit for doing an excellent job at that. Coyotes are not only a threat, but they are a liability to those who choose to let them be and analyze data on their upcoming behavior and wait for something dreadful to possibly happen. News Flash...It's too late then!

It is a common practice for coyote hunters to use various animal distress sounds to coax the predators within shooting range. The coyotes are responding to what they believe is an injured animal and hence an easy meal. Common predator calls are cottontail rabbits, jack rabbits, fauns and puppy whelps. Have you ever noticed the similarities between these natural sounds and the sound of an infant crying? That should and is meant to disturb you, especially since you brought up that most attacks are on children under the age of five.

Thank you Rayplumas for your hands on knowledge of some of the differences between the western and eastern coyote. It's hard to refute personal acquired knowledge.

Here is an example of what coyote behavior is all about. This graphic photo is what predators do. It's their job. Like all of us, they have to eat to live. This little guy was one of our pet cats. He was an abandoned or wild kitty when we found him living at the landfill. We took him in and had him doctored up and neutered. He was a loving little guy with loads of personality and appreciation for us taking him in under our wing. He would curl up with us at night in our lap or around our shoulders. We live in a safe place where cats can be 'cats' and enjoy the outdoors without fear of car tires and other such things. He was about three years old when he had an 'event' with a coyote. I still miss the little fella as some Pinehurst residents are now learning to live without their precious little missing pets. This photo is disturbing...But, moreso to me than to any of you and it is a reality of what we are discussing.
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j236/mike-nc/cat-1.jpg

CSmithson 3 years, 4 months ago

Most importantly, we need to know how the coyotes on Pinehurst #6 feel about the coyotes in Pinewild who enjoy all the benefits of Pinehurst living without having to pay Pinehurst property taxes.

MLD206 3 years, 3 months ago

Mike, if you would have noticed, the quotes that I copied and pasted are from the link that was posted by ray, not my quotes. I posted that for the reasons stated that your children are MILLIONS of times more likely to get injured by the family pet than by a coyote. Only a couple of children have ever died from Coyotes in the US and over 300 by domestic pets. So if your logic is to try and rid the areas of all coyotes (which is not feasably possible) to avoid children being attacked ( and yes I have 2 small children and live near more wild animal habitat than in Pinehurst which has coyotes) then it would be more beneficial to do away with all domestic dogs as well, and im sure there are thousands more of them living in Pinehurst than Coyotes, so your argument makes little since based on collected data. If you will read my earlier posts then you will see that I agreed that an attack from a coyote is possible its not very likely and for those reasons there should be no cause for major concern. Humans are millions of times more likely to get hurt or killed from other hazards and dangers than a wild animal attack and we cant rid the world of those hazards either. Should cars stop driving in Pinehurst because children could get run over, should kids stop riding bikes, scooters and skateboards because the number one killer of children is from head injuries, should we not send our kids to school because there have been hundreds of more children killed by guns in school then by wild animals, should we not allow our children to play sports because more children have died from playing sports than from wild animal attacks. I think you get the idea. Im not condoning that we need to have Coyotes living in residential areas and that people should not be concerned about them, all im saying is that just the fact that they are here does not mean that people should be scared to leave their homes or play golf or allow their pets to go outside. If you read the data from the NCWRC webpage cited in earlier posts then you will see that normally their are only very few Coyotes that will inhabit a certain range, younger ones are pushed out by more dominant males and they will also kill each other if necessary. We also have Black Bear that occassionally will pass through the area as well, this doesnt mean we should go on an all out rampage to kill them either. Wild animals are going to be a part of our habitat whether we like it or not and there are measures in place to help control those populations not withstanding mother nature. If you want to hunt or trap coyote in a legal manner to help control the population then thats great, but dont get people fearing for their lives for little or no reason. Just a bit of advice, watch out for that truck when your crossing the road tomorrow, people are hit by vehicles everyday. This is my last comment on this topic.

MikeNC 3 years, 3 months ago

Maybe that's my problem MLD, I try to apply common sense about known situations and prevent a problem before it occurs regardless of how unlikely that may be. Others like to analyze such things to nausea. Maybe they get lucky and nothing happens, but odds are against that. I'm sorry to have frightened you or others as that was not my intent.

Your points on domesticated animals are right on. So are those on bikes, scooters, skateboards, sports and so fourth; thanks for the enlightenment! There is recourse we take for every one of them items to reduce or eliminate such injuries or death. Let's just talk domestic animals however. When a dog becomes vicious and attacks it will normally be destroyed. There are also numerous statistics you or others can look up and analyze on why they bite or become vicious. Most likely two stats you will find is that there is a direct correlation to the number of domestic dogs we have living in close proximity to humans to the number of attacks. Another stat will probably be animal abuse to that particular animal or possibly even a breed of animal that is already KNOWN to not cohabit with humans very well because of breeding traits, etc. But my point is that there is recourse that can be taken to prevent that animal from ever attacking again. There is even recourse for Pinehurst residents to take when a neighbors dog digs a hole in their flower garden, is not on a leash and is roaming the neighborhood, barks too much, barks too loud or even if the dog or a neighbors cat pees on their automobile tire. Pinehurst PD or Animal Control could add dozens of such events in which they are routinely called upon to take action. Why should residents have to accept the risk of expanding wild coyotes roaming in their backyards? Actually they do not have to, recourse is available, but some cooperation from others must be in place....(Continued next comment)

MikeNC 3 years, 3 months ago

...(Continuation from above)

Yes, I do know there are lots of coyotes throughout the State. That is fine for them to live out in the wild. I just see a potential problem when they are literally in Pinehurst backyards and that common sense thing in my head kicks in. Can they be completely eliminated...no, but an attempt to take a control measure within the village is possible and can be legal for Pinehurst residents. NC Wildlife Commission will in fact work with the village to control the numbers of these coyotes. There must first be an instance of damage caused by these predators. They cannot act strictly because the predators exist there. It will most likely not take much detective work to establish they are taking residents pets. Folks can probably analyze this and find plenty of statistics showing that missing pets that are gobbled down by coyotes causes severe emotional distress for both children and adults. I already have pretty solid information that this is already occurring in Village Acres, adjacent to golf course #8. Once damage has taken place, the Wildlife Commission can allow the taking of such predators by legal firearms in that particular county. This action must be done with the Villages leadership approval. There are state school trained damage control specialists that can be assigned to take this action. They would do so both safely and humanely. There may be a fee that the specialists will charge. Sgt Mark Dutton along with the Village Leadership can also give a private party the legal right to take this action, which in some cases will be done voluntarily without financial charge. But of course if residents and the village administration feel no threat is present, no action need be taken.

Don’t open up this website on coyote attacks on children MLD as it contains documented attacks that the original article states have never happened. http://varmintal.com/attac.htm

If anyone should be having known problems with coyotes; such as missing or maimed pets or livestock, you can contact me at 215-0487 or my email is ncmacks@aol.com . I can only help according to NC State laws and will do so at no expense to you.

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