Montgomery County’s handling of coyotes upsets some Woodlands’ residents

For years, Edward and Linda Estrada could hear coyotes howling into the night from their backyard in The Woodlands.

Linda Estrada love that her home on Red Sable Drive in The Woodlands is so close to nature. She said she's saddened by recent efforts to trap and remove coyotes after other neighbors complained about missing cats. — Linda Estrada love that her home on Red Sable Drive in The Woodlands is so close to nature. She said she’s saddened by recent efforts to trap and remove coyotes after other neighbors complained about missing cats.

But it’s now oddly quiet among the gnarled oaks and tall pines, and they are finding no comfort in the silence. That’s because they and neighbors fear the coyotes have been wiped out by trappers hired by Montgomery County in response to a resident’s complaints about missing cats.

“There are still all kinds of animals back there, and I love seeing them,” said Linda Estrada, whose unfenced property fades into the wilderness along Spring Creek. “But the coyotes are just gone.”

The aggressive sweep, which county officials said involved trapping 16 coyotes, has roiled a wealthy enclave with street names like Tranquil Path and Pastoral Pond. While some residents want authorities to wage battle against the wily predators that stray into the neighborhood, others are pushing for a coyote-friendly approach that trains people how to avoid confrontations.