Reader Jill W. passed along this shot of a coyote doing his business next to the General Store on the Presidio Golf Course (aka the snack shack). Rumor has it that the store’s proprietor sometimes leaves scraps for the hounds, so they’re frequent visitors.
Seeing coyotes in those parts is not at all uncommon, and a sign prohibiting dogs has been posted on the adjoining Park Trail / golf course road road for several weeks due to an active coyote den nearby.
Sarah B.
I am happy to co-exist with the coyotes but because the people from the food shack are feeding them, instead of setting up a den, raising their pups and moving on, they will now make this a permanent home which means people with dogs will no longer be able to use that pass through to the Presidio. If the writer knows for a fact that this is happening, then may I suggest that someone report the behavior of the employees to the golf course. I was walking by there a few days ago and saw one hanging out outside. When I asked the woman working behind the counter if they hang out a lot, she said they do. I didn’t ask if she fed them but next time will.
If he feels comfortable enough to take a crap right there, he’s halfway tame already. Next thing you know he’ll be setting up roadrunner traps and ordering stuff from ACME.
First of all, I WORK at the Course, and I can tell you 1000% that they do NOT “leave any scraps” for the coyotes. They are GOOD friends with many of the dog walkers whi frequent that trail/store…
Just so you people “in the know”, know!!!
ive lived in the presdio for 15 yrs. i am still walking my dog on that course. Weve had probably 15-20 coyote encounters over the past 5 years, and they actually approach and sniff each other. i think all the coyotes in presidio now know my dog. hes a border collie and fast as heck, so can certainly outrun coyotes if necessary, but they seem to have a symbiotic relationship. In my 15 yrs in presidio, ive never once had my dog on a leash
Jimbo – Be careful. Maybe you’ve been lucky, or maybe it’s because the coyote population hasn’t gotten big enough or formed a group, but friends in Tahoe have had their off-leash dogs lured away by younger coyotes acting like they wanted to play, only to be jumped by a group.
10 yrs ago my husband was walking there with our Labrador, who was always off leash, and came upon a coyote. The two were playing and chasing each other around. He thought it was cute, but the Vet that I worked for said not a good idea, as they can turn any time. We’ve come across coyotes many times in the presidio as well, more than 10 years ago with our dog, so coyotes have been here awhile. We used to come across red foxes at the golf course too. Don’t know if they’re still there, as we don’t walk there anymore.
Probably best to keep your dog on the leash when in this area, it sounds like.
I am in awe of these animals. I have a dog. It got nipped by a coyote (my dog poked his head in a bush where the coyote was hiding and it nipped my dog as a warning. I took her to the vet and all was fine. This was the next morning after the big GGB 75th celebration where there were tons of people milling all over the area– so I think the coyote was extra spooked the next day. I take full responsibility for the encounter although I’m not sure how I could have prevented it EVEN IF MY DOG WAS ON LEASH. It could have easily happened if she was on-leash. It was probably better she was not so I would have NOT been so close and she COULD get her distance easily and diffuse the dog-coyote interaction). I’m just dreading the day when some high powered big mouthed jackass complains and when there will be more patrols and leash tickets and some coyotes get destroyed.
Guess it answers the age old question about what the Coyote does on the golf course ;-).
when eventually some kid or old person is killed by coyotes in SF I hope all you clowns & idiots who say roaming packs of wild predators (probably goddamned Coywolves genetically by now) in the most densely populated urban environment in the USA is fine realize that you are complicit morons
MRFEROX,
Doubt coyotes are going to be taking down humans, but people with off-leash dogs or outdoor cats, yes. They don’t have any natural predators and seem to be very adaptive to S.F., so numbers will do nothing but climb until more dogs or cats are killed and S.F. is forced to do something. Sick of hearing people think it’s so cute and natural, and we should just let them live here because they were here before S.F. was a city.
A loud firetruck of a helluvalot that pass hourly on fulton sparked an orchestrated aural outrage by a large group of coyotes near bunny meadow. Dog-type animals don’t like sirens as much as humans do, but coyotes love bunnies. If you’re a bunny, don’t hop around bunny meadow, presidio, or anywhere else the k9s are, unless you want to be take-out.