Expect to see more coyotes across Florida as mating season begins

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. - Expect to hear and see more coyotes across Florida as we've entered the mating season, which means they will be more active these next few months.

"We heard them as recently as 24 hours ago," Longwood resident Samantha Taylor said Monday. 

She and her neighbors in the Bolling Farms subdivision have recently had their fair share of coyote encounters. 

"I was trying to sleep [last night]. And then, when [the howling] started, I just got a little bit scared and nervous that something was going to happen with the coyotes," Taylor's 13-year-old neighbor, Jaydon, said.

Wildlife trapper Joshua Morera, owner of Spartan Wildlife Removal, told FOX 35 News the problem is only going to get worse. 

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"Now, I'm getting 20 to 30 calls a week," he said.

Apartment complexes, neighborhoods, and schools, for example, are contacting his company for help.

"An increase. An astronomical increase," he said. "There's so many calls coming in. And for some reason, this year's mating season is just going above and beyond."

The Florida Wildlife and Conservation Commission (FWC) says coyotes can be found in every county in Florida. Your best bet, regardless of the time of year, is to keep your distance. But if they get too close for comfort, hazing them by making loud sounds and acting aggressively often works. 

"Remember, these are apex predators. They are going to be calm at first, but they will switch like a light switch," Morera said.

With coyotes becoming part of our daily lives, for now, homeowners like Taylor are having to come up with some creative solutions to protect themselves and, especially, their pets. 

"We have a chain-link fence that's maybe two or three feet tall that is separating us from them. We're just getting to the point now where, no, they're not going anywhere, so we're just going to have a six-foot fence put in to protect our dog," Taylor said. 

Both Morera and the FWC recommend not leaving food out for wildlife. Whether the food is meant for cats or other animals, it's that same food that's attracting coyotes.

You can learn more about coyotes in Florida here.