Discover 6 Smells That Coyotes Absolutely Hate

Coyotes are wily. But if you know the smells that coyotes hate, you have a good chance of keeping these cunning creatures away from your property.

Smaller than a wolf, as big as a medium-sized dog, coyotes are found all over North America, and we have only ourselves to blame for that. The species (Canis latrans) were once confined to the central and western parts of the continent. But the expansion of the U.S. population created more open habitats and eliminated coyote competitors like wolves and cougars. Their versatility and adaptability enabled coyotes to spread north, east, and south. They’re on the verge of moving to South America. They’ve even adapted to living in cities.

Coyotes are generally fearful of humans, but they’re opportunistic feeders who eat almost anything, including garbage, pet food, and even the melons in your garden. They’re also known to prey on pets and livestock. Encountering a coyote in an urban or suburban setting is a rare event, even in places where there are large numbers of coyotes. But if you’re concerned about coyotes in your area coming too close for comfort, there are steps you can take. And because they have such a powerful sense of smell, you can use smells that coyotes absolutely hate to encourage them to take their business elsewhere.

Coyote Discouragement 101

Whatever tactics you choose to discourage coyotes, there are a few basic tenets you should know about human-coyote relations:

Never feed coyotes. This is Rule 1 for humans and coyotes to peacefully co-exist. Feeding coyotes can lead the animals to lose their fear of humans. And that makes a coyote attack more likely (though it’s still a very rare event).

Get rid of smells that they like. If you don’t want area coyotes visiting your property, remove any potential food sources so their powerful noses don’t smell something delicious. This means keeping trash in tight-fitting containers, and not putting it outside until the morning it’s collected. Don’t feed pets outside or leave pet food outdoors. Clean up fallen fruit. Clean up after cookouts and remove grills. Keep compost bins enclosed and don’t compost meat or fish scraps. Remove bird feeders; they attract rodents which in turn attract coyotes.

Understand normal coyote behavior. A coyote that runs away from humans doesn’t need to be hassled. Fear of humans is normal for coyotes. But if the animal doesn’t exhibit this, it could be that the coyote has become habituated to people. The coyote’s natural feat of humans can be reinstalled by so-called “hazing” tactics. This means, basically, scaring it into leaving the area. You might spray it with water, or squirt it with an unpleasant scent like vinegar water or pepper spray, or make loud noises with pots and pans. Or just wave your arms and shout “Go away!” Continue until the animal leaves the area. One or two encounters like this are usually enough to keep the coyote from coming back.

Smell # 1 You

Once you’ve eliminated the smells that coyotes like, you can tag your area with the scents that they absolutely hate. And don’t take it personally, but coyotes generally don’t like the smells of humans. And they associate man-made smells like colognes and deodorants with the smell of people. So homeowners in coyote territory will sometimes rub a deodorant stick on trees, posts, or other objects in the landscape. The idea is that coyotes will think there’s a person nearby, and move along. As with all smell-based repellant tactics, you’ll need to reapply to keep the scent fresh, especially after it rains.

Smell # 2 Ammonia

Ever used an ammonia-based cleaner in your bathroom and then had to open a window to air out the room? For a coyote’s sensitive nose, that pungent ammonia aroma is even more off-putting. So spraying ammonia around your property, or strategically placing some ammonia-soaked rages, could be just the thing for creating a no-coyote zone. Cayenne pepper or vinegar mixed with water are also worth a try.

Smell # 3 Their Own Predators

If you’re looking to up your anti-coyote game, a number of commercial products are on the market which claim to deliver smells that coyotes hate. It’s hard to know how well these things work, so you may want to talk to neighbors and see if they have any success stories. One example that sounds good in theory: Pee Mart wolf urine, intended to repel coyotes with the scent of their natural predator. The granular form is given high marks by K9ofMine.com.

Smells # 4-6 Home-Brewed Anti-Coyote Kitchen Combos

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, you can brew up your own homemade concoction of different anti-coyote smells to spray in outdoor areas.

Caliente concoction: Chop up a Spanish onion and jalapeno pepper, and mix together with a tablespoon of cayenne pepper. Boil in two quarts of water for twenty minutes and strain into a container to spray.

Soapy spray: Combine 8 oz dish soap and 8 oz castor oil with one gallon of water and mix thoroughly.

Spicy solution: Mix one bottle of vinegar with one bottle of Tabasco sauce. Mix well and spray, or place rags soaked in the mixture.

Don’t Depend Soley on the Smells They Hate to Get Rid of Coyotes

Given how adaptable and clever coyotes are, it’s a good idea to use multiple approaches to keep them away. Consider fencing in your property, and using other deterrents like motion-activated lights and speakers, to make sure coyotes get the message.

Summary of the 6 Smells That Coyotes Hate

Here are the 6 Smells That Coyotes Hate: