The answer is: Community-wide hazing. Whether you’re in your yard or out and about, encountering a coyote can be unnerving. But with a little preparation, you can be ready to haze aggressively. A “scare stick,” small rocks, a plastic trash bag, or an empty soda can filled with a few pennies, are small items you can carry and access when you’re walking your dog on a leash. These items, or a strong spray from a garden hose, also work well to chase a coyote off your property.
Be loud and act mad! Move toward the coyote using your hazing tools, or even just waving your arms and screaming “Go Away!” If you yell once, it may back off and then stop to look at you. Don’t stop hazing until the coyote leaves the area entirely, which could take up to a minute. If you leave before it does, you are signaling it’s okay for the coyote to be there. Instead, make the coyote scared of you! Visit Belvedere’s coyote awareness webpage for more information.