In recent weeks, several islanders have had much closer encounters with local coyotes than normal leading to the question —has the coyote population increased?

In a recent phone interview, Shannon Sudduth, an islander who lives in Burton near 99th Ave SW, described coyotes as “regular customers” to the area — in particular, a large field near her home.

Sudduth also said that two neighbors have lost cats to coyotes, and she’s seen an increase in coyotes in the area near her home between the last four to six months.

Doug Kane, who lives south of Burton on Pillsbury Rd SW, has also dealt with increased coyote activity near his and his neighbors’ homes.

A few weeks ago, Kane was out walking his dog, Lily, and was on the steep driveway at his home when he saw a coyote walking toward him.

The coyote did not seem nervous and only turned away when Kane raised his arms and waved them in order to scare off the coyote.

According to Kane, there has been a “substantial increase” in coyotes in this area of the island, as he has noticed coyotes on the beach near his home, and also up above the hill from his house. He added that in the four years that he has lived in this home, only in the last two years has he seen so many coyotes.

However, Bianca Perla, the Director of Vashon Nature Center (VNC), an organization that closely tracks coyotes’ presence on Vashon, said that there are multiple factors that have led to islanders seeing more coyotes. For instance, she said, she and her partners across the region have noted a perception of increased coyote activity since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

“What we all think may be happening all across the region is that people are home more,” said Perla via email. “It’s highly likely that coyote activity hasn’t increased in the last two years, we are just around more to see it.”

Perla added that the addition of people being around their homes more and recreating closer to home in the spaces of local coyotes “may have shifted coyote behavior and perceptions of us a bit.”

“Through our camera network, we noticed initially that coyotes started leaving some areas and showing up in others, possibly trying to avoid areas where human use has increased,” said Perla.

Perla added that while coyotes become more accustomed to seeing people, they may watch people from a distance instead of running away, as they may have done in the past.

VNC is currently working to determine an accurate population number of both coyotes and deer on Vashon. In partnership with Panthera, Olympic Cougar Project and five different tribes on the Peninsula, VNC is also participating in a wildlife trapping grid.

Using a wildlife camera capture grid and a new statistical modeling technique, VNC will have population estimates for both species for the very first time. These results will be published in 2023.

Coyotes have been present on the island since at least 1960, when a sighting and photo was published in The Beachcomber. VNC has evidence of breeding pairs since about 2000, and annual howling surveys done by VNC show a slow increase over the last 20 years.

If you should come across a coyote at a distance, Perla advises that there is nothing to do except secure pets so they don’t run at the coyote. In fact, Perla says you can “feel lucky that you saw one.”

If a coyote does come too close, Perla says to “act big, bad, and loud and keep it up until the coyote leaves.” It is also vital to secure pets, as they “can be the easiest gateway to conflict with coyotes,” said Perla.

“Coyotes will defend themselves and their young if they feel uncomfortable,” she said.

The Vashon Nature Center has published a wildlife information packet that is available for download and gives additional information on how to act around coyotes, bears and cougars. You can access this information at: bit.ly/3ERb8HS

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has also released a guide on preventing conflict with coyotes, which can be accessed on their website at: bit.ly/3ykSBkJ