‘Tis the season in Bucks County to be on the lookout for a certain peril, warns the Pennsylvania Game Commission. “Coyotes,” said Matthew S. Johnson, Game Warden Group Supervisor. “They are throughout Bucks County, as they are in every county in the state.” Winter is the time when coyotes circulate in many areas searching for food and readying for the cold season, he said, adding coyotes are more active at night and after sunset though they can be seen during the day. Sometimes other animals also are spotted, like a Wolfdog recently in Bristol Borough. Said Johnson: “Coyotes do tend to move in a larger area this time of year because their prey, which is mainly small mammals, is becoming more scare as the winter goes on. So, they need to have a larger hunting circuit to find their food. They also may extend their hunting hours outside their normal nocturnal hours.” Coyotes can be found in suburban and urban areas because they adapt well to manmade landscapes, but tend not to be aggressive. “They tend to be elusive and avoid human,” said Johnson. “Their typical reaction to seeing/hearing/smelling humans is to flee. They can, however, be a potential threat to pets and livestock, particularly poultry.” Johnson said coyotes co not typically prefer cats or dogs as prey. “But when their food sources dwindle in the winter, it’s possible for them to pursue them,” he said. How best to protect pets from coyotes? “The best precaution people can take is just commonsense measures,” he said. “Don’t allow smaller pets to go outside unaccompanied, especially at night or dawn/dusk hours. Protect chickens or other livestock with physical structures at night. And don’t feed any wildlife. Many people put out corn to feed deer in the winter. This attracts all sorts of critters that that eat corn, and their predators, which could include coyotes.” Other tips include: Don’t approach a coyote, just keep a safe distance; use lights and noise to scare away coyotes, and remove potential food sources like trash and pet food.