In any given moment of danger, humans are wired for fight or flight. For Roxboro’s James Pulliam, it was a fight. What began as a quiet evening smoke turned into a showdown against an aggressive beast. Face to face with a wild coyote, Roxboro explains how he managed to come out alive.
“I felt something watching me,” Pulliam said. “I just felt like he was hunting me or something.”
A coyote had emerged from the trees. Pulliam picked up a few rocks and threw them in an attempt to scare the animal off, but the effort backfired — he tripped while throwing and the coyote lunged.
“He jumped on me and I caught him in the air,” Pulliam recalled. “He was biting me, and when I threw him down and tried to slide away, he just kept coming.”
Despite being bitten, Pulliam managed to hold the coyote down until it stopped moving. With one hand injured, he called for help. By the time emergency crews arrived, the animal was dead.
Pulliam was treated at a nearby hospital, where he received X-rays and a full course of rabies shots as a precaution. The coyote’s body was sent to Person County Animal Services for testing.
Though recovering, Pulliam is still processing the incident — and dealing with the disbelief from others. “People aren’t going to believe it. They’re going to think I’m lying,” he said. “I was afraid, don’t get me wrong, but it’s either me or him.”
While rare, coyote attacks do happen — especially when animals become comfortable around people or associate humans with food. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission advises residents to haze coyotes by making loud noises, spraying them with water, or tossing small objects like tennis balls to keep them wary and away from populated areas.
As for Pulliam, he’s back home, healing — and more alert than ever.
“I felt something watching me,” Pulliam said. “I just felt like he was hunting me or something.”
A coyote had emerged from the trees. Pulliam picked up a few rocks and threw them in an attempt to scare the animal off, but the effort backfired — he tripped while throwing and the coyote lunged.
“He jumped on me and I caught him in the air,” Pulliam recalled. “He was biting me, and when I threw him down and tried to slide away, he just kept coming.”
Pulliam shouted at the animal, but that only seemed to make it more aggressive. He responded with pure instinct. “I just grabbed him by the throat,” he said. “I was on top of him and put my knee in his throat. I didn’t let go.”“It was either him or me” — Roxboro man forced to strangle coyote with his bare hands after it followed him and attacked him in his neighborhood #coyote @ABC11_WTVD pic.twitter.com/tNCkyBJbH7
— Tom George (@TheTomGeorge) May 18, 2025
Despite being bitten, Pulliam managed to hold the coyote down until it stopped moving. With one hand injured, he called for help. By the time emergency crews arrived, the animal was dead.
Pulliam was treated at a nearby hospital, where he received X-rays and a full course of rabies shots as a precaution. The coyote’s body was sent to Person County Animal Services for testing.
Though recovering, Pulliam is still processing the incident — and dealing with the disbelief from others. “People aren’t going to believe it. They’re going to think I’m lying,” he said. “I was afraid, don’t get me wrong, but it’s either me or him.”
While rare, coyote attacks do happen — especially when animals become comfortable around people or associate humans with food. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission advises residents to haze coyotes by making loud noises, spraying them with water, or tossing small objects like tennis balls to keep them wary and away from populated areas.
As for Pulliam, he’s back home, healing — and more alert than ever.
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