Coyotes are numerous here in North Carolina also. They have been introduced in all 48 lower states, largely due to the Dept. of Interior under the Clinton Administration.
I don't think that is true, Red Wolves have been reintroduced which are often mistaken for Coyotes, The government has spent millions on coyote eradication over the years. Here's a quote from a thread on City-data.com in reference to this also in NC.
Posted by Blackhawk309:
No, the government has never released coyotes in NC. However, for years and to this day, wealthy NC fox hunters buy live coyotes for fox hound training within fenced pens. Several hurricanes ago, these coyotes escaped. Also they have migrated from Virgina and Tenn into NC. Every NC county has coyotes, some with very dense populations. I know of 1 guy that trapped over 50 just during Dec, Jan, and Feb in Mitchell Co. this year. The art of hunting them is rapidly growing in NC. They are the hardest, most difficult animal in the wild to hunt, mostly due to their high intelligence and ability to adapt to any surrounding. Experts say they are the smartest wild animal in the world. Last year there was estimates of 300 coyotes living in downtown Manhattan NY. Just this past month the Wildlife Comm. revised hunting regulations to give hunters more flexability in hunting yotes on NC gamelands. On private owned property, they can be hunted year round, but not on the gamelands and National Forests. Maybe someday, as the population gets worse, that restriction will be amended. I am a member of the NC Predator Hunters Assoc. Feel free to visit our website and talk forum if you have yote problems or would like to learn the facts from fiction. Thanks.
Read more:
Coyotes in NC (Davidson, Alamance: safer, eat, estimates) - Page 9 - City-Data Forum
Coyotes will kill foxes but they won't wipe them out. We have both coyotes and foxes here and were we used to live. The coyotes will sure thin them out though.
I have often called in Gray foxes and Coyotes in the same setup. That said, a coyote will take whatever it can and the males can be quite territorial, even with domestic dogs.
Coyotes are opportunist. One study I read years ago when I was into hunting and trapping them, said there diet was generally mice (availability), but they will eat any easy pickens.
