SANTA FE, N.M. — A hiker in the Gila National Forest was bitten by a coyote that tested positive for rabies, according to the New Mexico Department of Health. The hiker didn’t require hospitalization.

On a cold late winter night, a sudden chorus of high-pitched howls can haunt a quiet neighborhood. Those sounds often mean local coyotes are in the middle of mating season, a short period when they ...