"I don't hunt coyotes, unless they are a danger, or a nuisance. I've had them walk up to me, unafraid, while hunting, then walk away. I've had them catching mice in the horse barns, and playing in the horse pens, tossing a stick, or piece of vine, around, totally leaving the horses alone, even the foals.
They mostly eat mice, rats, and snakes. They've never been a problem for me, and the ones that were, were eliminated. They have a place in the environment, so why kill them if they aren't a problem?"
I don't doubt your experiences with coyotes. But you are only seeing PART of their daily lives and experiences.
I own a business. Nuisance Wildlife Control. I deal with problem animals daily. Coyotes are smart, and very effective hunters of all kinds of food sources for their consumption.
They may walk up to you to investigate things & walk away. But often, those that do,, have lost a lot of their fear of humans. Yes, they catch mice, rats, snakes, & other things like you mentioned. But they also will catch, kill & eat just about anything else they can get to. I know,, I see it often, as does so many other people who live & work in places with them.
A coyote is an opportunist. They will go after the easiest meal they can as opposed to working hard for one. A horse foal that is already healthy isn't an easy meal. But as noted,, be in an area where birthing is going on, and they can & will try hard to get to the newborn & such.
And as noted above,, in urban & city areas,, pets are often considered an easy target.
I get calls & reports of all sorts of nuisance issues with coyotes. And yes,, this includes humans who've been bitten during some of these encounters. Rabies is a REAL issue & as such,, causes a lot of fear, & expense for humans.
So,, I truly hope you never have to experience the same things I have to deal with. But I can say,, I personally prefer to NOT have coyotes anywhere around people, livestock, or such.
