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NORTH SALT LAKE — A Davis County woman got a big surprise recently — and a big scare — when she encountered a pack of coyotes while walking her dogs on a popular hiking trail.
It was about 5 p.m. Dec. 19 when Sheryl Allred was hiking along the Bonneville Shoreline in North Salt Lake — something she does frequently, with her two dogs always in view. But this time, another kind of animal caught her eye.
"I've seen coyotes there before," Allred said.
Typically, she sees one or two of the animals, and they'll usually run from her. But during this hike she encountered a pack of eight.
"All of the sudden, coyotes came out of the woodwork," she said.
There were about six to eight coyotes, Allred said; and when her pincher started running, one of the coyotes gave chase. The dog was headed straight for the pack of wild animals.
"I was calling him, and I thought he was dead," Allred said.
The coyotes then moved toward her. "They were following us and kind of surrounding me," she said.
So, Allred did what she had been taught to do: face them and look as big and mean as she possibly could.
"They just kind of dropped off, one by one," she said.
Neither Allred nor her two dogs were harmed.
Seeing pack of coyotes may sound pretty unusual for an area frequented by humans, but coyote expert Kerry Carver said that's not always true.
"They're looking for food," Carver said. "They're strictly trying to pack some calories on them."
In winter, he said, they want an easy target. "They will go after the small pets for certain," Carver said.
Through Utah's Predator Control Program, there is a bounty on coyotes in the state of Utah. For each one trapped and killed, there is a $50 reward. Since September, there have been more than 2,300 bounties rewarded.
