Portland Urban Coyote Project

One of our wonderful Coyote Crew members, Stephanie Sandmeyer, wrote this article about living with coyotes in the Hillsdale neighborhood. Thanks, Stephanie!

Hillsdale: Where Coyotes Thrive [August 20, 2025] What to do when your neighbor's a coyote?

We are thrilled to share this charming and informative zine from Hunter Currey—we are so lucky to have Hunter as a Coyote Crew member!

We recommend printing and folding a paper copy for yourself and for friends—it is easy and fun!

Access a printable and digital version on our blog: portlandcoyote.com/blog

Thank you to Pamela Slaughter from for sharing these photos!

This time of year it can be difficult to differentiate between a habituated coyote you should haze and a coyote parent that is concerned about you (or your dog) near their den (which could already be full of pups). Coyote parents will be extra wary during this time, so try to give them some extra leeway.

While it is appropriate to give coyotes a little extra space and grace this time of year and to keep an extra close eye on pets, it is always okay to discourage a coyote from approaching you by hazing. On the other hand, consider turning around or taking a different route if a coyote seems concerned about your presence and appears hesitant to leave a specific area (especially if you are walking your dog).

In San Francisco, the Presidio National Park takes a proactive approach to pupping season. Since they agree that "Coyotes may also be protective of their young during pupping season," they take the step of "proactively clos[ing] large sections of the Park Trail and the Bay Area Ridge Trail to dog walking from April to October." This practice is thought to get out ahead of potential conflicts.

So far, Portland's coyotes have tended to find hidden spots to den and there aren't major conflicts, so proactive closures aren't necessary. If you suspect there might be a den in your area, please let us know so we can monitor the area and make sure people are aware of the extra care needed.

Above excerpted from our newsletter, read more on our website: portlandcoyote.com/blog