Coyotes Are Pooping In My Yard – What Should I Do?

Here in Utah, I have found a lot of coyotes near and around the cities. When I have been up checking trail cameras I notice the most tracks, especially in the snow right near the houses.

Coyote Poop
Coyote Poop From My Yard

In other in most states, coyotes have taken up living right in town. Coyotes will usually live in cemeteries, parks, or vacant lots with lots of cover or places to hide.

Recently I found coyote scat right in my front yard. If you think you have a coyote coming into your yard, you can identify that scat by reading the article we wrote about coyote scat and poop to see if you have it in your yard.

I have noticed that coyotes are not in the same area for more than a day unless they have a den in the area. Most of the time they come through an area every few days because they always seem to be on the move.

Urban Coyote Scat

One of the best ways to tell, you have a coyote passing through your yard is that you will find coyote scat.

Coyotes are scavengers and predators. They can be attracted to your pets for several reasons that most pet owners will not like.

Coyote Poop on Porch

A coyote may be leaving poop on your porch because you have left dog food or cat food on the porch. Science coyotes are opportunistic they will take what food they can as fast as they can.

The reason they are leaving their scat on your porch is that they are marking their territory. They are basically marking your porch as a place to get food.

Why Do Coyotes Poop In My Yard?

In my case when we found coyote scat in my yard, I was not surprised. We just moved in and live fairly close to the mountains. If you live close to the mountains or country that is where coyotes are most likely to be, on the edges.

So coyotes are not very selective as to where they poop. They tend to poop right in the middle of the path whenever they need to. So if you are finding scat or poop in your yard it is probably where the coyote was at in the middle of the night.

At my house, I also have a game trail that seems to run through the edge of my yard. We live on the corner of a street and I believe the animals are cutting the corner and coming through my yard.

I hope to set up a trail camera but I have seen signs of coyotes, fox, raccoons, and deer all using the trail. I am excited to see what is out there. If you want to see some of my trail camera compilations we have several videos that were made just outside of town.

Common Places Coyotes Are Pooping In Peoples Yards

As I was doing some research for this article I came across information that told me people finding coyote poop on their porch, driveway, deck, sidewalk, yard, and even in their window well.

Kind of crazy to see that coyotes seem to be making themselves to home in urban areas.

One of my thoughts is that there are not as many coyotes as there is a mix of coyotes, raccoons, and foxes leaving scat. In our article about scat identifying coyote scat we also discuss telling the difference between all those different animals scat.

They are easy to get confused and foxes and raccoons are way more common in town than coyotes are.

How To Stop Coyotes From Pooping in My Yard

Coyote Deterrent

One of the best ways you are going to keep coyotes from pooping in your yard is to get a large fence all the way around your yard. If the coyotes can’t get in then they can’t get in they can’t mess with your yard pets or livestock.

Another way to deter coyotes is to bring all pet food and pets in the house at night or put them in a barn. Removing food and animals will help deter coyotes and protect your animals.

Coyotes tend to have a diet of pets when they are living in the city. One of the most common being cats. There are lots of them and everybody lets them out at night when coyotes are most active.

Coyote Trapping

If you have a large enough coyote, fox, or raccoon problem you may consider calling the local trappers in your area to come and remove the animals causing the problems.

Coyote trapping in many states is open year-round and a trapper can come at any time and capture as well as remove the coyotes.

We have a list of the trapper associations by state you can contact to see if someone would be able to come over and help you out. Trappers are some of the most knowledgeable people about removing different animals because they spend the most time in the woods.

If you DIY type then I have also written several coyote trapping articles to help a beginner trapper get started trapping coyotes. Here are several of those articles and there are more listed at the bottom of this page.

Coyote Poop Removal From Your Yard

Most of the time you will be fine removing coyote scat from your yard yourself. I have read articles online where they try to make you overly scared of the diseases that coyotes carry and say you probably need a hazmat suit, or a professional to come to remove the coyote scat.

I am not going to promise you that you won’t get the disease or say that I am a professional, but if it was my house I would just get a shovel and scoop it up and throw it away.

If you feel nervous or have a large pile of scat in your yard (probably from raccoons) then you can call professionals to come and take care of it. Pest control people will come and do the job.

Coyotes and Dogs

One of the big reasons you might worry about coyote scat in your yard is because you have a dog. Coyotes can come around because they are attracted or want to show their dominance to dogs.

If your dog is a small to medium-sized dog, you will want to make sure you keep an eye out for the coyotes. Also do not leave your dog out. They will kill them if they get the chance.

Your dog could be the reason you are having coyotes come into your yard. They can be very territorial and can be attracted to marking their territory in your yard.

Does Coyote Poop Look Like Dog Poop?

Just like your dog, a coyote is also part of the canine family. Their poop or scat is very similar to dog poop. The only difference is their diet. Your dog is eating dog food and a coyote is eating meat.

In coyote poop, you will find bones, fur, and other pieces of animals in them. Often you will see remains of rodents such as groundhogs, squirrels, and potguts.

If you don’t know what is a potgut, you can read my article about them.

Are Coyotes Attracted to Dog Poop or Urine?

Dogs and coyotes are attracted to each other’s scat and urine. They mark their territory in the same ways and will often mark the same locations when they come in contact with each other.

I have family members that have told me that they will take their dog out of coyote trapping. When they are looking for a spot to put a trap they will see where their dog is marking its territory and set the trap there.