Coyotes Are Now Aggressively Looking for Love in Illinois, So Watch Your Pups!

If it seems like you've been spotting and hearing more coyotes lately near your neighborhood, you're right! It's officially coyote mating season in Illinois, and there are a couple of important things you need to be aware of.

Watch Your Pups!

Now that my family has moved to a more rural area, seeing wildlife has become a more frequent part of my day, especially during my morning commute to work. I love animals, so I usually enjoy seeing deer along the road or hearing coyotes howling in the distance, but then I see posts like this on social media...

Holy. Smokes. Coyotes will lure my dogs to where their pack waits in the distance to attack them?!? I am now terrified for my little fur babies, and not so appreciative of the coyote howls I hear in the distance!!!!

Now, the rescue that posted the above information may not be located in Illinois, but we all know coyotes have a big presence here in the Stateline, AND right now is when they're really getting busy if you know what I mean.

Coyote Mating Season in Illinois

Typically coyotes start mating in mid-January in Illinois, and the activity usually peaks in late February or early March according to wildlifeillinois.org. Babies usually come in the Spring, and that means for the next several weeks, coyote activity will become more apparent AND aggressive.

Westchesterwildlife.com says;

Coyotes can become more dangerous during their breeding season as the males will want to protect their territory from other males. Also, female coyotes will protect their pups and make sure they are not seen by any predators, thus they can get dangerous in some circumstances.

During this time of year, coyotes will pose a major risk to smaller pets, and the risk increases even more during their mating season.

Luckily there are a few things we can do to keep coyotes from snacking on our pets and out of our yards this winter:

• Put up a fence, but remember, coyotes have been known to climb or jump over chain-link fences, so a tall wooden one might be best. (We have one of those, thank goodness).
• Do not let your pets roam loose, especially if you know there is a coyote presence in your neighborhood.
• DO NOT FEED COYOTES! Don't leave garbage or pet food out where a coyote could be tempted to scavenge it or assume it is an open invitation to lunch.