Coyote Sightings More Frequent in Fall, Spring

The coyote Al Neibacher saw walking across the pond behind his house several years ago was more brazen than most, Neibacher remembers.

"He wasn't afraid of me at all, I watched him down there for a good 15 minutes," Neibacher said. "I bet I took 50-60 pictures of it."

It wasn't the first coyote he'd seen in Inver Grove Heights, but from that point on, Neibacher said, they began appearing more regularly around his Bester Ave. home. Now, Neibacher estimates he has as many as five of six coyote sightings each year, with most of those sightings occurring between November and March.

That doesn't surprise Inver Grove Heights Interim Police Chief Larry Stanger, who says that the number of coyote calls the police department receives tends to increase in the spring and fall. Part of the reason for the call increase, Stanger believes, is because thinner foliage makes the animals more visible. But Minnesota's deer herd is also more active in the fall, and coyotes—which are carrion-eaters—like to scavenge from deer carcasses lying alongside busy roads, Stanger said.

Male coyotes may range over a territory as large as 36 square miles, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Coyotes pups also leave the den and strike out on the own in the fall, which may account for an uptick in sightings.

To help keep the coyote population in check, Inver Grove Heights city officials discourage residents from intentionally feeding the animals or leaving pet food or garbage outside. If confronted with a coyote, you should "haze" the animal by shouting or waving your arms, Stanger said. If you see a coyote exhibiting aggressive behavior, Stanger added, you should call 911.

Neibacher, who has a fenced-in backyard, isn't overly concerned about the safety of his dog, a female Bichon named Lilly. But he does keep a close eye on her when he lets her outside. He and the neighbors also have an informal "Neighborhood Watch" system in place for coyotes—and will pass the word if they see any of the animals in the neighborhood.

Like Neibacher, Inver Grove Heights resident Keith Joyce has seen—and heard—more coyotes within recent years.

“When I first moved here, I never heard them or saw them," Joyce said. This summer, however, Joyce spotted three of them walking down the middle of Concord Boulevard. He also hears them howling regularly.

"I’d rather listen to them howling than the neighbors dogs barking all the time," Joyce said. "They’re part of the wildlife around here."