{"id":1767,"date":"2026-06-17T22:08:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T22:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1767"},"modified":"2026-06-17T22:08:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T22:08:09","slug":"coyotes-are-all-over-nc-including-downtown-charlotte-how-to-scare-them-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1767","title":{"rendered":"Coyotes are all over NC, including downtown Charlotte. How to scare them off"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

Coyotes live in every county of North Carolina \u2014 odds are, if you haven\u2019t come across one, someone you know has.<\/p>\n

Read more Panthers\u2019 David Tepper, Steve Smith honored by North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein<\/a><\/p>\n

The predator weighs 20-45 pounds and feeds opportunistically, The Charlotte Observer previously reported<\/a>. While the coyote prefers meat, it also eats fruit, pet food and remains.<\/p>\n

According to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission<\/a>, coyotes:<\/p>\n

Falyn Owens, a wildlife biologist with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, said while you may mistake a coyote for a wolf, it almost definitely isn\u2019t. The wolf population in North Carolina is small and heavily monitored.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do not have wolves roaming the entire state, and all of the red wolves<\/a> have bright orange GPS collars on them, because they are very closely tracked by the US Fish and Wildlife Service,\u201d Owens said. \u201cIf you see a wild canid wandering around and it looks like it could be a coyote or a wolf, if it doesn\u2019t have a bright orange collar on it, you can almost always guarantee that it is going to be a coyote, or maybe a coyote-like dog.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coyotes are in all 100 North Carolinia counties, and they thrive wherever they can get enough food \u2014 including the suburbs and even downtowns.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoyotes are ubiquitous here in North Carolina, including downtown Charlotte. You can always assume that coyotes are around and live in your area, no matter where you live in the state,\u201d Owens said. \u201cThey\u2019re really good at not being noticed by humans for the most part, so just because you\u2019ve never seen one, doesn\u2019t mean that there isn\u2019t one living in your area.\u201d<\/p>\n

The coyotes first appeared in North Carolina in the 1980s, and have spread across the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe actually see the highest number of reports of coyotes in places like Mecklenburg County and Wake County, not because there are more coyotes in those areas, but there are more people who are interested in and willing to report the sightings,\u201d Owens said.<\/p>\n

Read more 3 things to know about CMS superintendent Crystal Hill amid reports of departure<\/a><\/p>\n

Coyotes may want to eat pet food, but they may also want to eat small pets. They very rarely act aggressively towards adult people or children.<\/p>\n

\u201cThankfully they\u2019re not interested in interacting with humans, they want to leave us alone for the most part,\u201d Owens said. \u201cThey can see small outdoor pets, that are roughly the size of maybe a rabbit or a little bit larger than that, as maybe an easy meal when those animals are not supervised.\u201d<\/p>\n

To keep your pet safe, the NC Wildlife Resources Commission recommends<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be intimidated by a coyote. Maintain its wariness of people by throwing a small object at it, making a loud noise or spraying it with a hose<\/b>. Let it know it is unwelcome.<\/p>\n

Other steps can also help keep coyotes away from you and your pets and your property, according to the NC Wildlife Resources Commission:<\/p>\n

Owens is doing a workshop in Mecklenburg County<\/a> on June 27 at 10 a.m. at Quest Nature Center to answer coyote questions in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not going to be the answer people want to hear, that the city is going to trap all the coyotes and get rid of them,\u201d Melissa Knicely, the communications and outreach manager of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control said. \u201cThey\u2019re part of our natural landscape now, and they\u2019re going to be there, even if we trap them and remove them, they\u2019re going to move back in, and so it\u2019s more about how you deal with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Questions about life in North Carolina? Or have a tip or story idea you\u2019d like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you.<\/p>\n

Read more The first tropical storm of 2026 arrives. How could NC be affected?<\/a><\/p>\n

You can submit your question by filling out this form<\/a><\/b>. <\/p>\n

This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 4:11 PM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Coyotes thrive in Charlotte and statewide. Why they rarely attack people, and easy prevention measures to keep pets safe and deter coyotes from your yard.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1766,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nCoyotes are all over NC, including downtown Charlotte. 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