Digging A Gopher
It was a beautiful day, with lots of green grass in the hills and a few scattered clouds – remnants of yesterday’s rainstorm and I was on my way to the airport. We’d been in a recurring storm pattern for more than a month, so the ground was damp, and the grass was growing.
As the road carved its way through the rolling hills, I glanced to my left and there – not a stone’s throw from the road – I saw a coyote digging. The way he was going at it, chucking out dark, moist soil, he must have had a nose-full of gopher scent.
The rain-softened soil must have made it conducive for easy digging, and because May is pup-rearing season, the coyote was likely very motivated to bring home the bacon, ’er, uh… gopher.
The combination of soft soil and an aggressive coyote did not bode well for the gopher. But, in the natural world, that’s life… and death.
That’s also bad news for you – and your pets. From now through late summer, coyote pups are growing, and the pressure is on for adult coyotes to put in more effort and more hours – hunting.
Not surprisingly, studies indicate that the number of coyote attacks on pets also peaks during this season. Food is food, and to a hungry coyote, your pet represents a lot more of it than a measly gopher, and no digging required.
It’s all about being prepared. If you knew that a burglar was in your neighborhood, you’d be more diligent about locking the doors and keeping the lights on. Well, you can just bet that there is a coyote in your neighborhood – or maybe several.
And as we roll into spring and summer, they’ll be hunting. Plan now to keep your yard and neighborhood Coyote Proof.