Kamloops trails, as epic as they can be, are not without hazards. There are plenty of things to be aware of while hiking in the BC interior. From icky, bloodthirsty ticks to venomous rattlesnakes; Bears and cougars, oh my! Coyotes are not the most threatening or awful, in my opinion, but I do have a healthy awareness of them. I try to understand BC wildlife as best I can so that I can make good choices, employ best practices and keep myself and my pack safe in the outdoors and on the trails.
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Coyotes Among Us
Wildlife in Kamloops
Kamloops, British Columbia: Nestled in the valley of two rivers and expanding into the hills more and more every year. With new subdivisions popping up in neighborhoods like Batchelor Heights, Juniper and Dufferin, we are encroaching on wildlife.
A couple of the Kamloops trail systems that seem to have the most visible coyote population are Lac de Bois Grasslands and Kenna Cartwright Nature Park. But whether in the outskirts, along the river or in the neighborhoods, coyotes can be seen all over Kamloops.
I live just down from Kenna Cartwright. Many of my short to medium, after or before work dog walks take me alongside or through the park boundaries. I've spotted coyotes on the trails and in the streets, both during daylight hours and at night. Many evenings, sitting on the patio, I hear them yipping and singing. I know that hearing the song of the coyote does not mean there has been a kill. I’ve learned to recognize and appreciate coyote behavior in a way I never did before.
Challenging Perceptions
Coyotes and People
Reports of coyote encounters in Kamloops can be found all over facebook and other social media. Some reports even get shared further by local news sites.
In January 2023 INFO news.ca outlined a report to Kamloops Conservation about an aggressive coyote attack in Juniper: Dog walker attacked by coyotes in Kamloops park
My dog and I have come across numerous coyotes on Kamloops trails and elsewhere. I have witnessed seemingly playful bouts from young coyotes and older ones and have showered my dog with praise and “oh what a good girl” for having not been fooled by their tricky luring tactics.
Only recently after delving into the behavior of coyotes in the wild and in urban areas have I come to accept that my understanding of those encounters was wrong.
Our view of an animal, just like our perception of the world, stems from our own personal archive of beliefs and fears.
Conventional wisdom teaches us to be on guard for specific, sometimes ugly behavior in dogs, coyotes and people. When we see something that fits the bill, we accept it and run with it, full speed. A dog only eats grass when it has a stomach ache. Your dog walks ahead of you because it thinks it is the alpha. A coyote pack howls in the night because they’ve taken down some prey.
Understanding the Kamloops Coyote
The playful behavior that I mentioned before was probably only the coyote being social. It isn’t uncommon for coyotes to be curious about dogs and attempt to interact slightly, if they don’t feel threatened. Just like dogs, not all coyotes act the same way. But luring is not considered a hunting strategy employed by coyotes.
Unlike wolves who only hunt in large, organized packs, coyotes hunt primarily alone, and only sometimes in pairs or small family packs. Since they mate for life, a coyote family pack is usually just mother, father and pups, though sometimes one or a few of those pups might stick around as adults and help bring up the next litter their siblings. Adult coyotes in British Columbia only weigh between 9 to 23 kg, with the larger of the two BC subspecies being more northern than Kamloops. That’s smaller than a border collie.
Coyotes are opportunistic feeders. In Kamloops their diet typically includes rodents or other small mammals, birds, insects, and fruits. But they are an extremely resilient species. In other regions where small animals are scarce a coyote population will adapt, sometimes working together to hunt a larger animal, like a young deer or sheep. In the summer months when Kamloops’ abundant yellow bellied marmot population is at large, the coyotes here feast relatively easily. Grouse, water fowl, rabbits, squirrels and field mice are also staple foods of our local coyote population.
Coyotes and Dogs
Just because luring is not a behavior of coyotes doesn’t mean they don’t still pose a threat to dogs. Small/toy-breed dogs could still be preyed on by a coyote. Keeping smaller dogs very close to you while walking in coyote habitats is a good idea. If you do see a coyote on the trail or nearby you should pick up your dog and leave the area walking.
Larger dogs and humans are more likely to be seen as a threat. Coyotes in a family pack will come to the defense of each other. You might know your dog to be harmless but a coyote being pursued by it might run straight for the protection of other coyotes, thus giving life to the popular misconception of ‘luring’. Stop your dog from chasing or running after coyotes, dogs, other wildlife or livestock to keep it safe.
The Hills Have Ears
Coyotes Communicate
Coyotes have a whole repertoire of sounds. One of the most distinctive is their yipping. It's like a chorus of high-pitched barks that can be heard echoing through the night. These yips serve as a way for coyotes to communicate their location and keep in touch with one another. Coyote songs are haunting melodies of howls and barks; An eerie symphony that carries across the landscape. Coyote songs are thought to carry many messages, some purposeful and some social. But it doesn't usually indicate a kill. Coyotes are not always the biggest kids on the block. Standing over their prey and singing a victory song would be like ringing the dinner bell for any bears, cougars or other coyote packs that might be around. It would be counterproductive if not just impractical.
Other Coyote Habits
Coyotes don’t stock people for prey or to attack. But when we see reports of coyotes following dog walkers or hikers, what do we think?
If you catch sight of a coyote trailing you on a hike, don’t panic, it's probably just ‘escorting’.
It turns out escorting is a very common and typical behavior of coyotes. What it means is that the coyote sees you or your dog as a potential threat. It probably has a den or pups nearby and wants to lead you or follow you until you reach what it feels is a safe distance away. If it is just quietly watching from a distance behind you, stay on the trail and keep walking until you are clear of it.
The other possibility is that this coyote has learned to look for food left behind by people. This is why people should never feed wildlife or leave garbage behind on any trail or in any park, even biodegradable stuff like banana peels… just NO. If you aren’t leaving a trail of garbage behind you, this type of coyote should have no reason to pursue.
Seasonal Behavior of Coyotes
Local News Now quoted a representative of Wildsafe BC saying that coyotes in Kamloops enter mating season from early February to mid-March. Pups are born in April and May. Wildsafe BC’s wild coyote fact sheet says “Coyote activity picks up during mating season and they can become protective of their dens when raising pups.”
Many wildlife species tend to be at their most dangerous when they are protecting their young. Be aware and give them space.
Hiking with Dogs BEST PRACTICE
Stay on the trail.
By staying on a well traveled trail you are less likely to unknowingly wander too close to a coyote den. Coyotes that live in busy parks like Kenna Cartwright are used to people passing by. Deviating from your route, especially if your path takes you close to the coyote’s den, might make you seem like more of a threat.
Keep your small dogs close.
If your small dog wanders, it might be wise to keep it on a short leash when you're in coyote territory. If you’re on a trail and see a coyote, don’t take any chances, pick your small dog up and carry it away from danger.
Don’t let your dog chase.
Altercations with coyotes and medium or large sized dogs usually only happen when the coyote or coyotes feel in defense of themselves or their family. Try teaching your dog to stay with you on the trail and leave wildlife alone.
Don’t default to ‘fight or flight’.
Be aware of the coyote’s escorting behavior. If a coyote appears to be following you, understand that it might see you as a threat and probably just wishes to see you away from its den area. Give it what it wants. Don’t linger. Leave the area walking.
Leave nothing but footprints.
Don’t leave wrappers or food scraps behind. Doing so will teach coyotes to associate humans with food and will endanger everyone who uses the trail.
A note about Sources:
For this post I collected general coyote information from many different sites and studies including https://coyotecoexistence.com/ and https://projectcoyote.org/carnivores/coyote/ but to keep the information pertinent and relevant to Kamloops and BC trail users I fact checked using two local sources: https://wildsafebc.com/species/coyote/ and
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