How To Keep Coyotes Away

Have you been having too many problems with coyotes? Coyotes are considered nuisance animals in many states and may be dealt with in several ways to protect livestock or pets.

Getting coyotes to move on to find food somewhere else is a good way to keep them away. When this does not work removing them from the area will be the only option.

If you are having issues with coyotes in your yard or getting into your livestock the following list was the best idea for keeping coyotes away.

Hazing or Scaring Coyotes

If you are having a problem with a coyote the fastest and easiest way to scare a coyote away is a loud noise and running towards the coyote. This will fix most imidate issues.

Coyotes are usually scared of people and will usually stop the problems they are causing such as eating a pet or livestock animal and run. Some people have even used an air horn when scaring coyotes.

If a coyote is aggressive towards you when you are trying to scare it away it may have babies in the area or it has other issues and may need to be removed. Contacting animal control may be a good option if the coyote is aggressive because usually, they run.

A Tall Fence or Wall Will Keep Coyotes Out

A coyote fence is a good option for keeping coyotes out of your yard. A fence or wall eight feet tall or higher will keep out most coyotes.

Having a fence will often keep coyotes out but if there are other attractants in your yard such as pets or other livestock then you may need to implement other deterrents to keep coyotes away.

The first thing to do is look for holes or places you might be having coyotes enter your yard. Coyotes will leave a trail if they are regularly going under a fence.

Many coyotes have learned to jump very tall fences and walls. By using the wall to get another jump off the wall or fence a coyote can get their paws on top of the wall or fence and pull themselves up and over.

Fences with railing and spikes on the top can be effective at keeping them out but it may also get some animals can get stuck in a fence when they try to jump over it and don’t quite make it over.

Coyote rollers are a good option when trying to keep coyotes from jumping your fence.

Coyote Rollers

Coyotes rollers are spinning bars that can be attached to a medium-height fence to keep coyotes out. The bar is attached to the top of the fence or wall to not allow animals to get their feet on top of the fence to pull themselves over.

The roller will roll and they will slip and fall right off the top of the wall or fence.

Usually, a six to eight-foot high fence will be a good height of the fence to add coyote rollers too. The coyote roller will also keep your pets in your yards such as cats and dogs.

This would probably not be the best option for large yards or ranches but is usually better for smaller areas because rollers can become expensive if you have to put them on the top of all the farm fences. But they are very helpful in most fenced yards.

Install an Electric Fence

If you have a long fence adding an electric fence to it may be a more cost-effective method to keep coyotes out than coyote rollers. Many farmers have found success with electric fences and coyotes stay out.

Electric fences can also be added where there is no fence. Campers have even used them to keep bears away from their campsites. Putting them around a field can be used to keep pets and livestock safe.

Barb Wire

Adding barb wire to your fence in rolls or angled out on top of your fence is a very effective way to keep coyotes away.

Compared to coyote rollers it may be cheaper. Rollers take a long time to install and barb wire can be installed much faster. It also does not require the maintenance that an electric fence will require to keep it working.

Clean Up Pet Food

If you are feeding your pets in your yard with cat food or dog food you will want to clean it up. Coyotes are opportunistic and will come into your yard to eat any pet food or scraps that are around.

Related: What do coyotes eat?

Coyotes can smell as well as a dog can and so they can find any food that is in the area or yard. Clean up anything your dog or cat would eat and they will not find any quick opportunities and move on.

Trap and Remove Coyotes

Coyotes can be removed from an area by trappers. In many states, trapping is open year-round on coyotes and there are trappers in your state or province that are willing to remove and trap them.

Removing coyotes from an area is a good option and trappers are good at catching and removing them. If you are interested in finding trappers in your state we have a list of contact info on finding trappers to come and help you remove coyotes. You can connect with your local trapping association and they can connect you with a trapper in your area.

Coyotes can be trapped in urban or rural areas and trappers can help with any issues you are having near chicken coops or other livestock.

If you want to learn to start trapping removing coyotes for yourself you can learn more about coyote tripping here on our site. This may be the best way to solve the issues you are having and remove specific problem coyotes.

Hunting Nuisance Coyotes

If you are a farmer with enough land to hunt on you may consider having coyote hunters come in and remove coyotes in the area. Hunting coyotes can be an effective way to keep coyotes away but you may have to remove a lot of them for it to put a dent in the population.

In some states, it is legal to hunt them out of a helicopter and that is the most effective way to remove a lot of coyotes from your farm and protect livestock.

This can be a more convenient method than trapping but may not allow you to remove as many coyotes. Trapping requires checking traps usually every day or every few days.

Get a Dog to Protect Your Livestock or Pets

Getting a dog that is big enough to protect your livestock or other pets from coyotes may be a good option. Several breeds of dogs are bred to be able to protect against attacks from coyotes.

Some breeds of dogs will even kill coyotes and that can also fix the problem as well.

Motion Activated Deterrents

Motion Activated Sprinklers

A motion-activated sprinklers may be able to keep coyotes away from a part of your yard. If coyotes are coming after your chickens it may be helpful to have a few sprinklers defending your coop.

If they are eating food in your garden you may use them to protect the produce they are eating. Also spraying entrances that are commonly used will also help keep them out.

Motion Activated Sound Makers

As long as you are not disturbing your neighbors you should put out motion-detecting sound makers. If you can get one that sounds like you scaring the coyote away even better.

In urban situations, they know when they are being chased and will move on when they are chased away.

Motion Activated Lights

Adding motion-detecting lights to your yard or farm may also allow you to know and increase the likelihood of scaring a coyote away.

If you have neighbors close you may consider a light closer to the ground that just the coyote is going to see. Combining it with sound may be the best option when trying to scare coyotes away.

Keep Coyotes Out Of The Garbage

Your garbage in or out of your garbage can could be the attractant pulling in coyotes to investigate your yard. When we have had a party and some food or paper plates get left in the yard the animals will find them.

If a coyote can get into your garbage it may try to do so whenever it smells food in your garbage can. Keeping your garbage can in a garage or making it inaccessible to animals like coyotes will keep them moving when they pass through your yard.

Conclusion

Coyotes can sometimes be a nuisance and attack our pets, livestock, or do damage to property. Often times when there is an issue with coyotes it means they have to leave or they have to be removed from the area.

If you are interested in learning more about coyote trapping feel free to look a some of our other articles below.