Coyotes here are a mix of domestic dog, wolf, and coyote. They call them coyotes, but they are not true. These things are much bigger than one would expect.
Had several in the backyard a few months ago. Definitely as big a German Shepard. One gray the other larger and black.
People used to laugh and call some of us crazy, but science is finally confirming we are seeing a hybrid. And the hybrid is much bolder, less scared of humans.
They would not be a problem if people were encouraged to trap and shoot them.
Coyotes gotta eat too.
In my neck of the woods in upstate NY, we call them coydogs.
That yip yip yip always freaks me out when I’m outside because I know they have already caught something and it could have been one of my pets.
The proper names for “coyotes” in the east are “Eastern Coyote” or “Coywolf”. They are bigger than their western counterparts and do have wolf lineage.
I live in a nice area north of Scottsdale, AZ. Kind of large houses in 2 acre lots. Used to have gravel roads, now paved and $$$$ homes being built. More garbage for the coyotes, javelinas, etc. I’ve had a small pack of coyotes stalk me and my dog. It was pretty frightening. I go into town now for walks. They come where the food is.
Meet the Coywolf: (8:53 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd18fLEf_Cw
Longer documentary from the PBS Nature series: (46:24 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA_OZKPGYUI&t=150s
When I was a kid we called them “coy-dogs.”
Our housing is too close to shoot them with a rifle. But pellet guns would scare them off a bit.
We are lousy with them in Georgia. The Atlanta suburbs have them everywhere. They come through our yard at night all the time. You cannot leave small dogs and cats outside.
CoyWOLF is what they are known as. They are Coyotes that have mated with Wolves. Here is a story explaining what has happened in the NE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd18fLEf_Cw&t=85s