Coyotes are increasingly common throughout Massachusetts, including on Opacum Land Trust properties, and that’s great news for our conservation efforts and for our local ecosystem! These intelligent predators control rodent and rabbit populations, which helps to reduce the spread of disease, including diseases like Lyme disease that can spread to humans. Coyotes also regulate smaller predator populations such as fox, opossums, and raccoons.

Balancing Wildlife Needs with Community Access

The presence of coyotes and other wildlife means that efforts to protect connected habitat is working. This is great news, but it does mean that sometimes we need to make changes to how we use conservation property in order to balance the needs of wildlife with the needs of the community. To support this balance, we have temporarily closed a portion of the Yellow trail at Opacum Woods to give our wildlife neighbors the space they need during this active season.

We made this decision after hearing reports of coyotes following hikers with dogs, sometimes while vocalizing. This is an example of natural “escorting” behavior that indicates to us that the coyotes living near the Yellow trail need a bit more space right now than we’ve given them.

Coyote Escorting Behavior

This behavior may seem scary until you understanding what is happening and why. The intensity of escorting behavior varies depending on certain factors. With individual hikers or hikers with leashed dogs, coyotes typically follow at a respectful distance, quietly ensuring you’re moving through their territory.

However, encounters with off-leash dogs often trigger howling, yipping, or barking as coyotes gather family members for support to protect their space from the off-leash dog, which they perceive as an immediate threat to their safety.

The contrast is striking: leashed dogs usually result in quiet escorting, while unleashed dogs often prompt vocal displays that sound alarming but are simply the coyotes’ way of managing a territorial challenge.

Tips for Peacefully Coexisting with Coyotes

The key to peaceful coexistence lies in respecting coyotes as the wild animals they are and following four important rules:

1. Always keep pets leashed on our conservation properties—it protects both your pet and local wildlife.
2. Respect temporary trail closures and give wildlife the space that they need.
3. If you encounter a coyote that seems too comfortable with human presence, practice aggressive hazing: make yourself appear large, maintain eye contact, make loud noises, and move confidently toward the animal until it leaves completely.
4. Never feed wildlife.

Together, we can enjoy our shared outdoor spaces while ensuring that wildlife remains wild and wary of humans.

For more information, we recommend the Massachusetts Wildlife guide “Prevent Coyote Conflicts” for detailed hazing techniques and coyote behavior information.

If you have any questions or concerns about wildlife encounters at any Opacum properties, email info@OpacumLT.org or call the office at 508-347-9144.