It’s currently coyote breeding season, followed by the upcoming birthing season in April.<\/p>\n
MARLBOROUGH, Conn. \u2014 Dickinson Road is heavily wooded, and neighbors say they have heard coyotes more often in recent weeks since the breeding season started in January. Now they are even catching them right outside their homes.<\/p>\n
\u201cLuckily, we\u2019ve seen a bunch of things,” Shawna Wainwright said. “I\u2019ve seen a bear, I’ve seen a bobcat several times. I got good pictures of one last year. Skunks, possums, foxes. And the coyotes, we\u2019ve seen them all the time, but I\u2019ve never seen one before.\u201d<\/p>\n
From birds to reptiles and animals big and small, mother and daughter duo Shawna Wainright and Raiyn Runyan have taken photos of them all from their yard in Marlborough. But one animal they\u2019d only hear but never see was a coyote.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had just woken up, and my window\u2019s right next to my bed,” Runyan said. “I was looking out the window to see if there was anything out there, and I saw it coming over our cliff. And I was like \u2018oh my God.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The coyote emerged from the fog and came within feet of the house. It wandered across their property before it scampered off.<\/p>\n
Neighbors like Stephen Edwards say sightings are on the rise in the area, and coyotes are coming closer than ever before.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve been very brave,” Edwards said. “They come right into the yard, but as soon as they hear people, they tend to just run away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sign up for the FOX61 newsletters:\u00a0Morning Forecast, Morning Headlines, Evening Headlines<\/a><\/p>\n Right now, it’s coyote breeding season, followed by the upcoming birthing season in April. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) says there’s a low risk of a coyote attacking a person, but that chance increases in the spring during the pup-rearing season.<\/p>\n Stephanie Beebe takes no chances with her kids and dog.<\/p>\n \u201cKeep an eye on your kids, your pets, things like that,” Beebe said. “Especially your smaller pets and smaller dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n Wainwright and Runyan already lost a cat to the outdoors and think a coyote got to it. They say everyone should keep cats and dogs indoors unless they\u2019re supervised.<\/p>\n “Mothers are protective of their young,” Wainwright said. “And they have to feed them. Unfortunately, sometimes our babies, our pets, become their food.\u201d<\/p>\n Experts advise people to stay away from possible den sites, keep dogs supervised and on a leash, and never provide a source of food for coyotes. They say to scare away any coyotes that come too close.<\/p>\n “If they see the area is safe, especially the way it marked it, they\u2019re going to be like \u2018OK, it\u2019s cool, they don\u2019t care I\u2019m here,\u2019” Runyan said. and they\u2019re going to keep coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n Most coyotes will give birth in April, and litters can have up to seven pups.<\/p>\n Tim Littau is a Multi-Skilled Journalist at FOX61 News. He can be reached at\u00a0tlittau@fox61.com<\/a><\/p>\n Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at\u00a0newstips@fox61.com<\/a><\/p>\n HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS<\/p>\n Download the FOX61 News APP<\/p>\n Apple App Store:\u00a0Click here<\/a> to download<\/p>\n Google Play:\u00a0Click here<\/a> to download<\/p>\n Stream Live on ROKU:\u00a0Add the channel from the ROKU store<\/a> or by searching FOX61.<\/p>\n Stream Live on FIRE TV: Search \u2018FOX61\u2019 and click \u2018Get\u2019 to download.<\/p>\n FOLLOW US ON\u00a0X<\/a>,\u00a0FACEBOOK<\/a>\u00a0&\u00a0INSTAGRAM<\/a><\/p>\n