Coyotes in Cedar Valley

“In October 1852 a young man by the name of Eli Bennett in search of his dream of finding pasture land for his cattle and a place for a ranch entered what is now called Cedar Valley.” Cedar Valley contains the west side of Eagle Mountain know as Eagle Mountain City Center, Cedar Fort and the Fairfield. “He could hear war drums sounding and coyotes howling. The valley seemed to have outstretched arms waiting for some one to enter and partake of what it had to offer. Is this the place he was looking for? He looked to the east and west, to the towering mountains, and then north and south to the soft prairies. Yes – here indeed was the ideal spot, and so it was – a Cattle Company was organized, and cattle brought into this beautiful valley.” This is one of the first accounts of Coyotes in the Cedar Valley. This account is from the book “Our roots grow Deep – A history of Cedar Valley.” by Margery J. Peterson. Anyone who has lived in the Cedar Valley has heard the howl and yips of coyotes. At times we have been able to sit and listen to their calls coming from all four directions surrounding our property. Coyotes are a common sight in the high desert, which Cedar Valley is a part of. Back in 2014 we were even able to catch one on a trail cam that we were using to monitor a badger den on our property. Coyotes are members of the Canine family. An adult male coyote can weight between 18 and 44 lbs. They are smaller than their close relative the Grey Wolf, and are often mistaken for one. They have a long slender muzzle, bushy tail and triangular ears. Coyotes are mainly nocturnal and hunt at night, but they can on occasion also be spotted hunting during the day. They are usually more vocal during mating (December-February) and pup seasons (April-July). As Eagle Mountain grows, the coyotes and residents will share the same territory. WildAwareUtah.org has a flyer on coyote safety. The flyer gives some good advice on how to keep your pets safe and what to do during an encounter with a coyote. For pets it is suggested that you supervise pets when they are outside, bring pets inside at night, keep dogs leashed, never let your dog chase or “play” with coyotes, and cats should be kept indoors. Other suggestions are to fence your yard with a six-foot high fence, and use electric fencing if needed. Make sure you provide shelter for hobby farm pets, including rabbits, poultry and goats. It is also suggested to use guard animals such as dogs, donkeys or llamas to protect hobby farm pets and livestock. The flyer gives these suggestions for human encounters with coyotes.

If You Encounter a Coyote

• Make noise while hiking to alert wildlife of your presence.
• Do not approach a coyote.
• Pick up small pets, make loud noises, stomp your feet, or throw rocks or sticks if necessary to frighten the coyote away.
• Do not run or turn your back on a coyote that has approached you. Face the coyote, shout at it, be as big and loud as possible, wave your arms and back away slowly.

There have been a lot of stories about coyotes in the Cedar Valley. Peterson’s book contains several instances shared by residents of Cedar Valley. James E Petersen (Feb 20, 1900 – May 16,1979) a lifetime resident of Cedar Fort was know to, “At the end of the school day, and during vacation periods he found time to ride horses, herd cattle, and even to go on a few trapping excursions. His trappings consisted of coyotes, bobcats and badgers.” Owen Ault (May 20, 1899 – Sept 23, 1977) gave this account. “One time pa sent Pharis and I to Fairfield for some sheep that had strayed into Carson’s herd. We got the sheep and started home. It was so hot the sheep wanted to shade up in the brush. Pharis and I wanted to go swimming too. We sure had a good time and forgot the sheep. When the sun went down behind the mountains we suddenly remembered the sheep. The sheep were no where to be found. I took off after them, didn’t stop for my clothes or shoes. Through the greasewood and thistles as hard as I could ran. Pharis followed with my clothes. The coyotes beat us there. They were already feasting on “lamb chops”. What would pa do and say? Well the only thing to do was start home with the sheep. It was almost dark and it was a long way home. We could hear the Hoot Owls calling to each other. The coyotes started to Yip, one on one hill, another would Yip back from another hill. It was real dark now and it was hard to keep track of the sheep. Everything was so still. The stars over us were sparkling ever so fine, the woods ever so mournful and I heard an owl way off “Who-whooing” and coyotes mournful howling to its mate. It made cold shivers run all over me. Pharis was crying and asked if I was scared? I got so scared I did wish I had obeyed. Soon the moon came peeping over the mountains so full and bright. Now we would be able to see but all the moon did was make shadows and it looked like everybody and everything was after us. Finally we arrived home and pa and ma had been worried, they loved and kissed us and had a nice supper waiting. Never has two Little boys been more happy to be home.” Vera Caroline Cook Carson, born on 11 September 1911, had one of her memories shared about their bus driver and coyotes. Ralph Henry Messersmith (13 September 1890 – 9 February 1962), Cedar Fort Ralph or Ralph Smith was the bus driver that drove the kids from Cedar Fort to Lehi High School. “She could remember he would carry a gun, and if they happened to see a coyote he would stop and shoot it.” She is not the only one to talk about Ralph Smith. Lucile Chamberlain Christofferson, born 5 September 1922, had this to say about Ralph Smith. “Our driver was Mr. Ralph Smith and was a good driver and a lot of fun. When he would kill a coyote, he would sell the hide and buy peanuts. We would than have a good old fashioned peanut bust. This happened several times.” Do you have a coyote story that occurred in the Cedar Valley? If so, leave it in the comments.

Additional Resources

Wild Aware Utah – Coyote Info Wikipedia – Coyote