With rapid urbanization, more and more forest and wildlife habitats are being burned down and slashed away. This leaves the wild animals with lesser space to live and coexist with their kind. The same applies to Coyotes because that is hands down one of the reasons why they are venturing into the neighborhoods, especially to find shelter, food, and water sources.
So, if you find a few coyotes visiting your backyard, be assured that those are the reasons behind their visit. However, despite their motive, no one wants to witness wildlife in their backyard, especially one as ferocious as a coyote. When you see a coyote, your first instinct will be to trap, hunt or catch it; all are dangerous and illegal.
However, when it comes to how to get rid of coyotes, there are a few simple ways that work like magic. Most of these proactive tools can discourage them from returning to your house, reducing the risks of infestation that you are worried about.
Also read: How to Get Rid of Geese? | 11 Potent & Humane Ways
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Why do I have coyotes in my backyard?
Like most other wild animals, Coyotes visit human land, homes, and backyards for shelter, food, and water. Since forests are dying due to rapid urbanization and poaching, food availability is reduced, leading to further complications.
Not finding suitable living conditions, the coyotes come to the mainland to find suitable food and living conditions. And, if your backyard somehow offers the same to them, be assured that they will keep returning for more.
List of Ways to Get Rid of Coyotes
When looking for ways to get coyotes out of your backyard, be assured that hunting or killing shouldn’t be an option. Not only are there legal consequences, but it is also highly unsafe for you.
1. Fence the Property
Although coyotes are fast on their feet, they aren’t the best jumpers, especially when the barrier is too tall. If you live somewhere close to a forest that attracts coyotes to the mainland, we’d recommend installing a very high-rise and tall fence around the perimeter of your home.
This preventive measure should be done before you even settle into your home. When installing the fence around the house, try to get wired and barbed fencing to prevent coyotes from returning to your home.
2. Integrate Loud Noises
Coyotes don’t enjoy being surrounded by loud noises, which is common with wild animals. High-pitched and high-frequency ultrasonic sounds are enough to keep them out of your property for good.
Several electronic devices in the market are available that emit similar high-frequency noise and are often triggered by motion. If a coyote enters your property, the motion immediately triggers the noise, driving them out of the backyard. Keep these devices switched on at night because that’s when they infiltrate the homes the most.
3. Install Powerful Lights
Along with loud noises, coyotes don’t prefer being surrounded by powerful, bright lights. They tend to navigate to the areas where the light is minimum, so you need to do the opposite.
If you habitually keep the backyard dark and without lights, the same for the porch area; you need to change that before the coyote stops visiting altogether. Motion-triggered lights are the best choice, especially when you install them and keep them switched on during the night.
When a coyote steps into the backyard or the property, the trigger will switch on the lights, scaring them away immediately.
4. Eliminate What’s Attracting Them
Before you take any step to eliminating the coyote from your property, you need to assess what is attracting them to your house or backyard in the first place. If you want to know how to get rid of coyotes, it is a given that you have to take a step back and analyze things first.
Once you know why the coyotes are visiting so frequently, it becomes easier for you to remove the said attraction or make the area inhabitable for them so they don’t return in the future. Most of the time, they come around in search of food and water. So, if you have food sources outdoors, an open pool, or puddles of water, eliminate them immediately without any further thoughts.
5. Get a Guard Dog
Yes, you heard it right. Coyotes are not the best with guard dogs, especially if you get a ferocious breed like a German Shepherd. They make for fantastic guard dogs and can ensure that the coyotes stay out of the perimeter of your home. However, remember that if multiple coyotes exist in your backyard, one guard dog might not be enough and can get hurt.
In such cases, ensure you bring the dog inside where it is safe for them. The last thing you want is to have the dog hurt or injured by the wild coyotes trying to protect you. Also, for multiple coyotes in the backyard, you must contact professionals or wildlife control centers to do the rest of the job.
6. Spray Ammonia Around
Another potent and quite effective remedy to eliminate the coyotes from your property is spraying a good amount of ammonia throughout the house’s perimeter. Coyotes have very sharp noses, making them sensitive to many smells around the property, including ammonia. The intense smell of ammonia isn’t favorable and will drive them out of your property in no time.
There are several high-quality brands of ammonia that you can spray around the house for similar results, especially when acting as a coyote repellent. You can spray it around the house’s perimeter every other day to ensure the coyotes stay out of your property.
7. Haze the Coyote
This isn’t one of those elimination methods everyone favors, primarily because it comes with many complications. It can also compromise one’s safety when trying to haze the coyote out of the property. However, it is worth a shot, especially if there’s only one coyote in sight.
You need to buck up all your courage, flail your arms, and scream at the animal while rigorously approaching them. Coyotes tend to get scared quite quickly, so if they have been hazed before, they will flee from the site. However, if they haven’t been hazed before, they might try to counter your stance. In that case, hold your position and try to scare them through it.
Also, when you find them running, follow them to ensure they are out of the safety net zone and won’t return.
8. Get Help from a Professional
When you spot a coyote in your backyard, it is common to be scared and not know how to get rid of them. This is a very common human response. However, this is where you need to step up your game. Instead of sitting back and watching, get help from professionals with the tools, knowledge, and resources to trap the coyote and get them to a safe place out of the human habitat.
There are wildlife control centers that tend to such calls. If you didn’t get your hands on one, your next best choice would be to opt for a local professional to eliminate such issues.
We hope by now you know how to get rid of coyotes without any hassle. Remember that you shouldn’t hunt or kill coyotes if they come to your property. There are legal consequences, and it is not necessary at all. These mentioned methods should tip off the coyotes without any complications. In case nothing works, you can always call in a professional.
Also read: How to Get Rid of Foxes? | Top 7 Humane and Legal Ways
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are coyotes most afraid of?
You might not believe this, but coyotes are afraid of people. They are also not fond of loud noises and bright lights.
Will human urine keep coyotes away?
Typically, we’d recommend spraying ammonia around the property instead of human urine because that has better efficacy in removing the coyotes from the property. Human urine doesn’t have much evidence.
Which smells deter coyotes?
Coyotes have a solid sense of smell and avoid the smells of wolf urine, vinegar, strong perfumes, chili pepper, etc. So, if you want to keep them out, spray these generously around the house for better results.
