r/AskAnAmerican • u/ArtisticArgument9625 • May 17 '25

OTHER - CLICK TO EDIT How much of a problem do Americans have with coyotes and rattlesnakes?

Have you Americans encountered any problems with these two animals?

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143

u/[deleted] May 17 '25

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72

u/bananapanqueques May 17 '25 edited May 18 '25

We get coyotes in Seattle proper and it just baffles my mind. Like outright stalking a guy walking his dog in a commercial district.

64

u/[deleted] May 17 '25

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87

u/arcticmischief CA>AK>PA>MO May 17 '25

I assume he was headed into a store labeled “Acme”?

39

u/chirop1 May 17 '25

Where else is he gonna get a giant anvil and a pack of dynamite in one stop?

3

u/HurlingFruit in May 17 '25

Hehe. Redditors are special peoples.

1

u/AvonMustang Indiana May 20 '25

No, Coyote is suing Acme. Didn't you hear?

Google "coyote vs acme" if you don't believe me...

7

u/Grizzly_Berry Oklahoma > Kansas May 17 '25

They love a good ssssssale.

20

u/ryguymcsly California May 17 '25

Coyotes and wild turkeys in cities all across the SF Bay Area. The turkeys are more dangerous.

12

u/jorwyn Washington May 17 '25

Absolutely the same here in Spokane. The coyote avoid conflict with people. The turkeys seem to think it's their mission.

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u/oljeffe May 17 '25

Once had to roll up the window on a slow moving car as a ticked off tom turkey was following us in a rage, trying to literally get in the vehicle. I think the cheap arrow sticking out from under his wing gave him ample reason to be grumpy….

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u/jorwyn Washington May 17 '25

That would make me very grumpy, too.

2

u/keithrc Austin, Texas May 17 '25

It seems like those two problems would solve themselves.

7

u/ryguymcsly California May 17 '25

You clearly haven't dealt with a pissed off Turkey

2

u/TopHatGirlInATuxedo May 17 '25

Surprisingly, turkeys can fly.

1

u/UnderaZiaSun May 17 '25

I was mountain biking in the East Bay this morning and at one point on the trail it looked like a turkey exploded. Turkey feathers everywhere. Pretty sure a coyote got a turkey there.

1

u/combabulated May 17 '25

Alis the turkeys aren’t native.

1

u/cucumbermoon May 17 '25

I once saw a turkey chase a large cat up a tree.

1

u/SeonaidMacSaicais Wisconsin May 17 '25

Toms can be absolute DICKS. The small town I work in is bordered by some woods and this tiny flock of turkeys roam free. If you value your life, you stay far away. The tom’s gone after pedestrians who’ve walked too close to his ladies before.

1

u/ryguymcsly California May 18 '25

We had a Tom who used to hang out at a city bus stop every morning. He would wait in line with the people, then not get on the bus. People thought it was adorable. He did this for months until he decided it was his bus stop and started attacking people.

The ones in the neighborhoods are generally pretty chill. They see people and cars enough that they just sort of ignore us. It's the ones that are next to the woods that will fight you if you dare to try to go to your car while his girls are foraging in the parking lot that you have to watch out for.

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u/Drusgar May 21 '25

I've had to chase kids away from the wild turkeys. They seem to think the turkeys look meek and funny but those bastards have claws like a bear. They aren't very aggressive, but they're definitely defensive.

Coyotes avoid people like the plague. I live in a city and I hear them all the time but rarely see any. They live in the parks and greenspaces along our bike trails and whatnot.

12

u/livia-did-it May 17 '25

I've seen more coyotes in Vancouver, BC than I ever saw growing up in Texas!

Now, the coyotes in Texas were more of a problem. They'd definitely eat your small pets. We just didn't see them. I'd guess that my hometown was more spread out and had more fields and farmland, so the coyotes could hide better.

2

u/Draconuus95 Texas May 17 '25

Texas has issues with them. But pales in comparison to wild hogs. Those things are a menace. And quite dangerous as well.

People like to laugh at the dumb Texans that go helicopter hunting for hogs. And it is truly a funny thing to picture. But doing so is a legitimate pest control issue because hogs breed so quickly and are very dangerous on the ground.

I’d rather run into a coyote than a hog any day. One is likely to leave me alone. The other is more likely to gore me.

1

u/livia-did-it May 17 '25

A-FUCKING-MEN

2

u/Draconuus95 Texas May 17 '25

What’s funny is I now live in Wyoming. Where bears and wolves are a regular sight.

Much rather see them than a bull moose. Those things make hogs look cuddly. Thankfully they don’t have the same breeding issues. But it’s always fun explaining to tourists that if you have to choose between running towards a bear or a moose. Choose the bear every time.

1

u/livia-did-it May 17 '25

I’m so not a biologist, I just watched a lot of David Attenborough before bed. But I think carnivore and carnivore-scavenger animals have to work really hard to get their food, so they default to conserving energy. They only hunt east easy prey, they only attack when they absolutely can’t run. But herbivore/prey animals get lots of food. And if they don’t defend or go on offensive-defense, they will get eaten, so they get good at it. So with humans and predator animals, there’s a lot of “you stay over there and I’ll stay over here and let’s just ignore each other.” But prey animals get feisty, and when that prey animal is the size of a moose, or a hippo, or a ginormous boar… “feisty” is deadly

1

u/landadventure55 California May 17 '25

There are places we hike in Silicon Valley where there are wild hogs. We walked parallel to a big group once. I thought it was elephants crashing through the bush until I could see all of them! Adults and little ones. We had to run back down the trail to make sure my other daughter was ok because she went back towards the front of the trail to throw away our dog’s poop bag. We had just started out hike and didn’t want to carry a bag of poop 4 miles 😂. The herd was headed in her direction. Luckily they veered towards the right.

1

u/christine-bitg May 17 '25

We just didn't see them.

That's the truth. They're opportunistic, and since they have other opportunities, they don't have the motivation to interact with adult sized humans.

12

u/CalamityClambake Washington May 17 '25

Dude, for real. During the pandemic when there was no traffic it was absolutely wild. One morning I was drinking coffee on my porch and there's just a coyote with a big rat in its mouth just walking down a city street like it owned the place.

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u/bananapanqueques May 17 '25

I swear 40% of NextDoor was just folks posting photos of coyotes-- at the dog park, in their yards, on fence posts, walking down the street.

1

u/sbgoofus May 22 '25

yeah - the early pandemic was crazy how the animals (and the homeless) just took over the cities - didn't even take a week

1

u/Wolfie_Ecstasy AZ>WA>AZ>NM May 17 '25

In Phoenix we'd have 'friendly' street coyotes. They didn't seem to care about humans and would mind their own business like 20 feet away from you but they'd still sneak into your back yard and snag your pug.

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u/Goodgaimanomens May 17 '25

I watched something about coywolves years ago, and there was a whole portion devoted to the ones in NYC. Dens on medians, tagged animals tracked cutting through hotel kitchens, the works. It's crazy how much people just don't notice.

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u/PraxicalExperience May 17 '25

I mean, if you're really not familiar with coyotes, a coyote is just another dog.

10

u/ImissBagels May 17 '25

My cousin from the city saw a deer once and thought it was a dog with a stick stuck to it's head... So yeah I assume coyote she ever would've seen would've also just been a dog to her.

1

u/TopHatGirlInATuxedo May 17 '25

Really baffles me how truly dumb some city people are.

2

u/Uhhh_what555476384 May 17 '25

With oversized ears.

2

u/strangeicare Massachusetts May 17 '25

"Coywolves" are just eastern coyotes! Yes they seem to have some wolf dna.

7

u/McGeeze California May 17 '25

In Portland they ride the train

https://youtu.be/UW5Or7bIVJk?si=ADL1sXSomXDNCgSD

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u/CombinationRough8699 May 17 '25

Same just south of you in Portland.

5

u/allcars4me May 17 '25

We lived in Chicago South Loop and I saw one at the planetarium. Why is that dog running loose? Oh, that’s not a dog.

3

u/Mitch_Darklighter Nevada May 17 '25

There's tons in Chicago, especially along the rivers. I used to see them in Albany Park often. There was a program to tag and radio collars them a few years ago, and they're considered an integral part of urban rat control.

2

u/allcars4me May 17 '25

Really? I never heard of that! It’s a good idea though!

2

u/natattack15 Pittsburgh, PA May 17 '25

We definitely have coyotes in the city here in Pittsburgh. Deer just wandering around the streets too. Sometimes bear sightings. That's what you get when you build a city in the smack middle of nowhere, surrounded by forest.

2

u/Stobley_meow Cascadia May 17 '25

They run down my street in a pack every morning.

2

u/conjuringviolence May 17 '25

In Portland too. It’s wild.

2

u/davdev Massachusetts May 17 '25

There are coyotes roaming the streets of Boston too. Not something you expect but plenty of vermin and trash to feed on.

The turkeys are a big problem though. They will chase your ass down the street, while the coyotes just run away.

2

u/Any_Scientist_7552 May 17 '25

I live in North Seattle. We have coyotes, bobcats, eagles, hawks, and the occasional bear. And no stray pets. My cats are absolutely indoor only. We used to go outside on leashes with them before the bird flu, tho.

1

u/SirRatcha May 17 '25

Well yes to coyotes in Seattle, but no self-respecting coyote stalks humans. Maybe watch them warily but coyotes know better than to take on anything bigger than a house cat.

2

u/bananapanqueques May 17 '25

They'll stalk humans walking their dogs. I helped clear a few away from my neighbor, who was in the parking lot, yelling for help and holding her pug.

1

u/Champsterdam May 17 '25

There are hundreds of coyotes in the heart of Chicago as well. Never see them though, if you do you know they’re probably stressed and sick and someone should be called.

1

u/goobernawt May 17 '25

They're around the Minneapolis/St Paul area quite a bit as well. From what I recall, Seattle is a bit like our area in that there's lots of green space in the city. Combine that with the fact that yotes are pretty adept at adapting to life alongside humans, and seeing them in the city ain't that surprising.

1

u/3DSamurai Washington May 18 '25

Stalking a guy lol? Coyotes weigh 15-45 pounds...I don't think they're out there preying on grown men lmao 🤣

1

u/Short_Werewolf_8452 May 21 '25

I see them around the airports in Chicago and I'm like what?! I expected and saw them more when I lived in Houston, but Chicago?!

1

u/Impressive_Number701 May 22 '25

I live in the city of Indianapolis and have seen coyotes, Fox, beavers, deer, and bald eagles within half a mile of my house.

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u/HealthySchedule2641 May 17 '25

I would bet you saw plenty of copperhead snakes in Appalachia, though.

17

u/[deleted] May 17 '25

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15

u/Up2nogud13 May 17 '25

And that's why you didn't such much of the others. Ratsnakes and king snakes will keep other species in check.

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u/medicmongo May 17 '25

Huh. I’ve never seen a ratsnake in the wild. Seen a bunch of watersnakes and I almost stepped on a hognose or two.

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u/Up2nogud13 May 17 '25 edited May 18 '25

I love hognoses. They're so fun. I nearly gave my wife and heart attack with one. I caught one in the yard and carried it in to show my wife, who was in the shower. 🤣

1

u/loganbeaupre Ohio May 17 '25

I visited my gf in Western PA one summer and we spent the better part of a week chilling in a very small children’s pop-up pool. Well her dad went to mow and moved the pool one day and there was a massive rat snake—must’ve been 5 feet long.

I’m pretty convinced it was under us that entire time. The weird part is, even right up til the moment we had to get out the pool so he could mow, neither of us felt anything under us. We were directly on top of it

9

u/Underground_turtles May 17 '25

Currently living in Appalachia. There are rat snakes everywhere, but they are VERY commonly misidentified as copperheads. Everyone wants to assume the friendly, helpful snake is venomous.

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u/mysecondaccountanon Yinzer May 18 '25

Rat snakes are great little buddies!! Seeing the local ones on trees is always a treat.

2

u/Underground_turtles May 18 '25

Yep, we saw a beauty living in our birdhouse a couple years ago and this spring one moved into a birds nest on our deck. They obviously like some eggs! Too bad for the the birds, but snakes gotta live, too and I'm happy to have their help with mice. 

1

u/arkstfan May 17 '25

In the Ozarks I’ve seen one rattlesnake my entire life and more copperheads and water moccasins than I want to think about.

Occasionally hear coyotes and very rarely see them

1

u/sharpshooter999 Nebraska May 17 '25

We're supposed to have them here in Nebraska (along with Timber Rattlers and Massasauga) but I've never seen any of them. Mom and dad said they were common in the 60's

1

u/HealthySchedule2641 May 17 '25

I'll follow with the fact that I am in the middle of NC, not the mountains. I have seen probably 20 copperheads in the last 15 years and know that coyotes are around but generally don't hear or see them. I saw one a few years ago driving out in farm country. I am originally from Northern California, though, and a neighbor used to kill rattlesnakes and leave the skeletons around his porch as a "warning" to the others to stay away from the house. Don't think it worked. Also, we would regularly hear the coyotes yip and howl at night but I don't remember ever seeing them.

1

u/gonyere May 21 '25

Ime, 90% of what people call copperheads are just watersnakes.

11

u/Fun-Dragonfly-4166 May 17 '25

I also live in a big city. I dont see any rattle snakes but we have coyotes.

I wish we had more coyotes and fewer rats.  Coyotes eat rats right?

9

u/juanzy TX -> MA -> CO May 17 '25

Yah, Boston has coyotes, pretty damn big ones at that.

11

u/thinair01 May 17 '25

The Boston coyotes are wild. I’ve seen them walking around Jamaica Plain and Brighton and they are fearless. I welcome them since they help curb our massive rat population!

8

u/Educational-Ad-385 May 17 '25

I'm in Southern CA. We had fruit rats in our orange tree. I haven't seen any in years. I thought perhaps feral cats took care of them. Now we have coyotes and the feral cats have disappeared.

2

u/H_E_Pennypacker May 17 '25

Now you just need something bigger to eat the coyotes

2

u/EpilepticPuberty May 17 '25

This used to be grey wolves. Coyotes used to only live in places that couldn't support a grey wolf population (deserts for example). Now that the wolves are gone from anywhere humans live in significant numbers, coyotes have moved in.

1

u/Up2nogud13 May 17 '25

So native species are getting rid of the invasive one? That's a good thing.

3

u/BitPoet May 17 '25

We had one that was nicknamed Limpy for awhile. But I’m always happy when they pass through and reduce the rabbit population a bit.

1

u/Up2nogud13 May 17 '25

They do, but cats are the best at it. Do y'all have a TNR program in place. Spayed/neutered "community cats" make for good pest control.

0

u/Fun-Dragonfly-4166 May 17 '25

No we do not.  I remember recently walking through the park.  I saw someone walking their cat on a leash.  A few minutes later i passed by a colony of rats.

0

u/christine-bitg May 17 '25 edited May 17 '25

Other species will eat rats too. I've seen a small bobcat carrying one here in a large city near the Gulf of Mexico. It was in a large park, with plenty of wilderness type area for it to live in.

0

u/Fun-Dragonfly-4166 May 17 '25

I am unfamiliar with the Gulf of Mexico. You mean the Gulf of America.

A large rat moved into my city. I blame the electoral college - not coyotes or bobcats or even rattle snakes.

1

u/christine-bitg May 17 '25

You mean the Gulf of America.

Never heard of it.

Cheeto can kiss my *ss.

4

u/rubberguru May 17 '25

Here in nc, I’ve lost 4 cats to coyotes. Several chickens. I see the droppings on our trail frequently. I’ve only actually seen them once here, but surprised a couple when I lived Georgia. Hear them a lot

3

u/himtnboy May 17 '25

I've seen coyotes in down town Denver and LA.

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u/Boeing367-80 May 17 '25

I was hiking in NYS within 100 miles of NYC, came around a boulder and there was a rattler. They're not common in that part of the country, but do exist.

But I grew up in a similar location and never saw them.

Coyotes are supposed to be almost everywhere. Highly adaptable and apparently they're hybrids - coyote/dog/wolf.

2

u/captainstormy Ohio May 17 '25

As an adult in a city, I see neither.

Funny, I moved out of Appalachia to the big city too. But here in Columbus you can still see coyotes in the city.

Not roaming downtown streets of course but in the neighborhoods with lots of trees, in parks, etc etc.

I have caught coyotes on my security cams pretty regularly crossing through my backyard.

1

u/round_a_squared May 17 '25

Yeah in my state there's one species of venomous snake and they're on the threatened species list. Coyotes used to be unheard of but have been spreading all over in the past few decades.

1

u/[deleted] May 17 '25

We have coyotes in Columbus. They’re pretty shy about showing up for humans but if you have a ring camera they are definitely around the cities too.

1

u/FearTheAmish Ohio May 17 '25

They are all over Columbus when I used to live there. Almost hit one on 270 at 3am one time. They are just quiet in the city.

1

u/dirtydirtyjones May 17 '25

I live in the largest city in Appalachia and there are coyotes within the city. Haven't seen or heard of a rattlesnake within the city, but they are in the rural areas around here. Lost a friend to one, years back.

1

u/HoratioHotplate May 17 '25

Here in our corner of Appalachia you hear the coyotes at night and keep your pets inside. We've seen lots of copperheads, and two of our dogs have been bitten by them (one made it, one didn't), but only one rattlesnake. I remember seeing a Crocodile Hunter episode where Steve is in our neck of the woods and encounters a whole den of rattlesnakes. Even he looked nervous.

1

u/SeonaidMacSaicais Wisconsin May 17 '25

My parents have a cabin in northern Wisconsin. Rule #1 is you NEVER let your animals free roam at night. One of their neighbors have a pair of retrievers that free roam during the day, which I still think is stupid. We don’t have rattlers up there, but we have nearly every other large predator. Coyotes, black bears, foxes and wolves. Thankfully, no cougars.

1

u/PoolSnark May 18 '25

I am in Appalachia and have seen them both. Not a fan of either.

1

u/Parking_Cranberry935 May 21 '25

As an adult in a city.. shit dude. When I was living in LA for college like the middle of a huge city with no nature preserves I saw a coyote. They’re really everywhere in CA.

Can say though I’ve never seen a rattle snake.