Raleigh couple spot coyote during neighborhood stroll

The coyote can be heard howling a distinct sound that let Rachel and her husband know what exactly they were seeing.

"We knew it was a coyote right away," McCarty said. "We just stopped and watched. It was reacting to the sirens from the nearby fire station. It was so cool to see him throw his head back and howl! We felt pretty lucky to get to see that."

"They can be very good at not being seen. Hearing or seeing one is no cause for surprise or alarm,” said Falyn Owens, the agency’s extension biologist. “Coyotes usually try to avoid people as much as possible.”

Still, some may be unsettled by seeing a coyote near home. The NCWRC says coyotes "may wander long distances, upward of 300 miles, before settling down somewhere that’s not already occupied by an established coyote pair."