Free Coyote Safety Tools
By CoyoteBytes Editorial TeamChecked by CoyoteBytes Editorial TeamReview date First published Filed under Tools
CoyoteBytes tools are free, plain, printable aids for living near urban coyotes in Arizona. Each one turns Arizona Game and Fish Department and CDC guidance into a short checklist or flier you can use at home. Nothing you enter is stored, and no tool replaces calling AZGFD, animal control, a vet or a doctor when an animal is injured, aggressive or has contacted a pet.
This is general information, not veterinary, medical or legal advice. For an injured or aggressive animal, a bite, a pet attack or a suspected rabies exposure, call your doctor, your vet, local animal control, or the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD).
Every tool here is a free helper for people living near urban coyotes in Green Valley, Pima County and across Arizona. The tools turn guidance from the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) and the CDC into something you can use quickly: a checklist for the moment you see a coyote, and a printable flier for your street. Reviewed by the editorial desk against the cited sources; the desk holds no wildlife-biology, veterinary or medical credential (see our editorial policy).
Tools available now
Coyote encounter checklist
Pick the situation you are in and see the agency-sourced steps and who to call. The step-by-step sighting checklist also has a plain-text list to print or keep on your phone. It covers a coyote at a distance, a coyote that is following you, a coyote near your pet, a coyote at your door, a coyote that looks sick and pups seen near a home.
Coyote safety flier
The one-page safety flier is a one-page printable summary for neighbors. It replaces the half-page flier from the original CoyoteBytes site.
Tools planned
We are preparing three more tools: a yard attractant audit, a pet safety by season guide, and an encounter report builder. They will be linked here when they are published. We will only publish seasonal risk notes if AZGFD or extension sources state a seasonal pattern.
How the tools work
Each tool page has three parts: a short explanation, instructions for using it, and a printable plain-text version. The interactive part, where there is one, runs in your browser and does not store your answers. If the interactive part does not load, the plain-text version contains the same steps.
What no tool can do
A tool cannot judge whether a particular animal is sick, dangerous or protecting pups. If a coyote looks sick, cornered or is near pups or a den, keep your distance and call AZGFD or animal control; do not try to chase it away. These steps follow the CDC advice never to approach animals that appear injured or sick. For rules about what residents may and may not do, check with AZGFD; our guide pages show the date we last checked each rule.
Related guides
All Tools And Policies guides
- Coyote Safety Flier: Printable Tips for Neighbors
A one-page printable coyote safety flier for Arizona neighbors: remove food, protect pets, supervise children, and what to do if a coyote approaches.
Frequently asked questions
Are these tools a substitute for calling the authorities?
No. The tools are general information built from agency guidance. For an injured or aggressive animal, a bite or scratch, a pet attack or a suspected rabies exposure, call your doctor, your vet, local animal control or the Arizona Game and Fish Department. In an emergency, call 911. Our local authorities page lists the agencies.
Do the tools store anything I enter?
The tools are designed to run in your browser without saving your answers, and the printable text versions need nothing entered at all. We do not collect reports through this site. If you want to report a coyote encounter, our report page lists the agencies that take reports and how to contact them.
Where does the advice in the tools come from?
Only from agency pages we opened and cite on each tool: the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the CDC, the Arizona statute on feeding wildlife, and similar government or university extension sources. If the agencies do not say something, the tools do not say it. The editorial desk reviews each tool against those sources.
Why do the tools not include trapping or removal steps?
Because this site does not advise trapping, relocating, poisoning or harming wildlife. AZGFD's brochure notes that coyotes can only be captured or killed by someone with a proper license from the department or in defense of a person. Questions about removal or the law should go to AZGFD directly.
How do I get a printable copy?
Open the tool page and use your browser's print command. Each tool has a plain-text printable section with no images so it fits on one page. You can also save the page as a PDF from the print dialog and share it with neighbors.
Sources
- AZGFD, Living with Coyotes brochure (2015) (s3.amazonaws.com)
- CDC, Rabies Prevention and Control (cdc.gov)
Related guides
- Coyote Safety Flier: Printable Tips for Neighbors
A one-page printable coyote safety flier for Arizona neighbors: remove food, protect pets, supervise children, and what to do if a coyote approaches.
- Coyote Encounter Report Builder
Organize the details of a coyote sighting or encounter into a ready-to-send summary for AZGFD or Pima County, with a plain-text template to copy or print.
- Pet Safety by Season Guide
Seasonal pet safety for Arizona coyote areas: only the timing patterns agencies state, with printable steps and honest gaps where sources are silent.
- Yard Attractant Audit
A printable checklist to audit your Arizona yard for food, water, garbage, pet food, cover and fencing that draw coyotes, from AZGFD and extension advice.