I am still skeptical that these were coyotes. I think it was more likely that these were starving (thus skinny) wolves on the hunt. I live in Texas, grew up on a ranch, have been a hunter and camper all my life and have never seen a coyote make would could remotely be considered an aggressive act towards a human. However, must say, I now live in a upper middle class neighborhood on the northern edge of the Dallas metroplex and coyote sitings are very common in our community. They are particularly fond of the little bunnies that abound around here and the occasional French Poodle or kitty that is out and about. Just as a side note, the coyotes seem to have some new competition lately. There's a recent report of a hawk snatching a Chihuahua out of a homeowners back yard a few days back - lady witnessed the dastardly act from her kitchen window...
(I posted this on another thread on same topic - repeating it because I believe they were coyotes.)
I live in Cape Breton. Coyotes are very large here and there ARE wolves here as well but very rare. We have heard a wolf howling at night - no confusing it with coyotes. We’ve often said we think they’ve cross-bred.
The coyotes also bold here. A guy was walking his medium sized dog on a leash along a country road just outside of our village in broad daylight. Coyote charged out of the woods and grabbed the pet by the neck and was gone before the man could even react, leash and all.
Saw a pack feasting on a deer they had run out onto the lake ice last winter in sight of our picture window that looks out over the Bras d’Or Lake. There were as many as five there at one time. Broad daylight. They also go after farm animals here, especially sheep and fowl.
DNR does not have a bounty on them but you can kill them - even hunt them if you want - unofficially. They are getting too numerous lately probably because of the mild winter temperatures which have allowed an increase in the number of deer, rabbit, grouse and other prey.
Originally they were brought in deliberately by DNR because the deer were too numerous and were eating trees planted for reforestation after logging. I am sure it was done to please STORA which was bought out by NEW PAGE recently - pulp mill here. They own lots of woodlands and have a lease on mucho provincial land for logging, including the Highlands I am told.
There are predators here for the coyote - black bears and cougars. Had a cougar in our yard and woods one night in September - a female yowling for a mate. Hope she got herself a few coyotes for breakfast but one cougar won’t help keep the coyote numbers down much as their territories can be up to 200 square miles.
Don’t ask if we go for a walk with our dogs on a trail or in the woods unprotected and I won’t have to answer you. I’ll just say that what happened to this young woman would not happen to us.
I hope the DNR gives serious consideration to allowing coyotes to be hunted officially and/or they put a bounty on them due to this girl’s death. Gives them a good reason to go against the greenies (Elizabeth F’ing May), but they probably won’t.