When Wildlife Gets a Little Too Close for Comfort.

Seeing a coyote crossing a field or disappearing into the woods can be an impressive sight. Seeing one repeatedly around your home, livestock, pets can be a very different experience. Coyotes are intelligent, adaptable predators that have learned to live remarkably well alongside people. Farms, ranches, rural properties, neighborhoods, and even urban areas can provide them with food, water, shelter, and easy travel routes.

Just like any other animal, the basic needs of food, water and shelter are the main requirements for inhabiting an area, but these animals won’t stick around unless there’s a reason for them to stay. They typically prefer to travel around wood lines, heavy brush, overgrown areas, edges of fields and undeveloped property as their travel corridors.

Seeing the animal itself is the most obvious sign—but coyotes often leave other clues behind…….

Watch for:

• Repeated coyote sightings
• Tracks along roads, trails, fences or muddy areas
• Droppings along trails or other prominent locations
• Howling, yipping or barking, particularly around dusk and nighttime
• Missing small pets, poultry or young livestock.
• Evidence of digging around or underneath fencing (check the footprints)
• Repeated activity captured on trail or security cameras
  
  One sighting may simply mean a coyote was passing through. Repeated activity may tell a different story.

What About My Pets?

This is one of the biggest concerns property owners have when coyotes begin appearing nearby. Coyotes are predators, and small unattended animals can potentially be vulnerable—particularly outdoors. If coyotes are known to frequent your area:

Keep pets supervised
Avoid allowing small pets to roam unattended, particularly from dusk through dawn.

Don’t intentionally feed coyotes
A coyote that associates people or homes with food can become increasingly comfortable around developed areas.

Remove easy food sources
Pet food, unsecured garbage, animal feed and other attractants should be secured whenever possible.

Pay attention to patterns
A trail camera or security camera can help determine when and where animals are moving through the property. Awareness is one of your best tools.

Did You Know?

COYOTES ARE FOUND THROUGHOUT FLORIDA
They have successfully expanded their range and can now be found in every county of the state.

THEY’RE INCREDIBLY ADAPTABLE
Coyotes can live in rural areas, agricultural land, forests, suburbs and even heavily developed environments.

THEY’RE OPPORTUNISTIC EATERS
Although coyotes are predators, their diet can include small mammals, insects, fruit and other readily available foods.

THEY CAN TRAVEL SIGNIFICANT DISTANCES
The coyote you see on your property doesn’t necessarily live there. Your land may simply be part of a larger territory or travel route.

HEARING SEVERAL DOESN’T ALWAYS MEAN THERE’S A HUGE PACK
Coyotes use a variety of howls, yips and barks to communicate. A relatively small number of animals can sound like considerably more.

THEY’RE OFTEN MOST ACTIVE WHEN WE’RE NOT
Coyotes commonly increase their activity around dusk, nighttime and dawn, particularly where they live near people.

Make Your Property Less Inviting

Wildlife problems often begin with opportunity. Removing those opportunities can be an important part of reducing coyote activity around your property.

• Secure garbage
• Bring pet food inside
• Protect poultry and small livestock
• Remove animal remains promptly
• Maintain fencing where appropriate
• Supervise small pets outdoors
• Reduce unnecessary food attractants

If there’s no easy reward, there’s less reason to keep coming back.

When Prevention Isn’t Enough

Sometimes you’ve removed the obvious attractants and changed how the property is maintained — but the problem continues. That’s when it may be time to evaluate additional wildlife-management options. Every situation is different. Location, animal behavior, surrounding habitat, pets, livestock and the type of activity you’re experiencing can all affect an appropriate response.

That’s where Guardian Trapping can help.

We provide the trap. You do the trapping.

Our goal is simple: give you access to the equipment you need to put a strategic trapping plan into action—without having to purchase and store an expensive trap yourself. With proper surveillance, coaching and the right tools in your hands, this solution can be a lot easier than you think.

Don’t wait for the problem to get worse. Call Guardian Trapping today!