Growin' them thar coyotes big around here this year

[woodmort]

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OK, I'm really interested (intrigued?) by coyotes especially the Eastern variety and have done a lot of reading and some observation. If you live in the Greater NorthEast from the Mississippi east and down the Appalachian chain your resident coyotes are probably of this subspecies. They tend to be about half again to twice the size of their Western cousins. This is because--according to DNA studies--some of them contain wolf, not as is so often though dog, genes. Coyotes will only hybridize with dogs at the edge of their range and this hasn't happened in well over two or three decades. (There are other reasons such as breeding periods and pup care that make survival rates of coydogs very low.) Because of this wolf gene, the Eastern coyotes will run in "packs", generally parents and a few of the previous year's litter. I've seen groups of 4 but there are reports of at least half a dozen. Finally, coyotes do not tolerate other canine species in their hunting territories, especially near their dens and will hunt and kill dogs and foxes if they feel threatened. They will also drive off other coyotes so the NYS DEC recommends not eliminating those in one's territory unless they are bothering livestock lest others move in that will. Finally, coyotes are smart and will go to where they can find food. They have learned that one of these places is around human habitat and, once they lose their fear of humans, can pose a safety problem. One of the best ways to instill this fear is to hunt them or at least scare them off. Otherwise, by making garbage, pets and domestic stock hard or impossible to get to will assure they won't develop a taste for it.

Additionally, there are places were there are packs of feral dogs in some area although often these are not really "wild" but packs of family pets that are allowed to run free. They will join together to hunt, especially if their is an alpha dog that will lead them. You're right in that they can be more dangerous due to their lack of any fear for humans.

 

[Newbie in Screamer Al]

Get a game camera. ou can find them for under 100.00, and they let you know what you have. I have many of them on my property for hunting purposes, and you would be surprissed what all you will see. We have some big male coyotes that would have that size track too. good luck

 

[TeriS]

We, too, have coyotes in our area- they have not bothered our chicken coop; however we do have part of our backyard fenced in and our dogs are in the fenced in area, which is about 15 feet from the door of our coop. I have seen an albino coyote that looks very much like a scrawny white german shepard, but most in our area are the 30-40 lb. brownish coyotes. I keep looking for tracks in the snow around our coop, but I believe our 2 dogs are barking at night and scaring them off. Last fall they were eating pears off the ground under our neighbors tree- 4 cubs at a time. Glad the dogs kept them away from the chicken coop!

 

[Davaroo]

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Very interesting - thanks!

We have coyotes right in behind our neighborhood; I've seen their tracks outside my fences. Occasionally, they raid people's trash and get the locals worked up. Usually it's much ado about nothing.Now, I'm talking about "Dixie coyotes," which are said to have migrated back from out west. At one time this was part of their range, but human habitation drove them out.
Since we have decided, as a society at large, that it is "mean" to hunt or trap these animals, they have returned. Biologists refer to it as a "lack of pressure."
And since they adapt well to the proximity of humans, it is a natural for them to return.

Obviously, I'm not expert on coyotes. But we DO have a never ending issue with feral dogs.
Many are just canines out for a good time... "Dogs Gone Wild," if you like.
But this is farm country and many have become indigenous, similar to the feral hog phenomenon. I know people who live way out and have a genuine issue with feral dogs, as opposed to the coyotes which hardly seem to show themselves.

SO, I'm wondering if the two animals, our coyotes and feral dogs, go to fighting, well... which will win? I can see a hybridized 'Wolfyote' beating down a common breed dog, but the coyotes we have are kinda wormy little things. My guess is they would get the short end.

 

[WillieBoy]

Farmerlor, its a fact that their are coydogs, your right.This discussion came up in another post here awhile back.I posted documented photos of a number of coydogs in the USA.The upstate ny expert is wrong.Anyone who does a google or yahoo search will find that there are indeed coydogs.

 

[woodmort]

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Not in the wild there aren't. This is not to say they won't cross and certainly there are people who are domestically breeding them--also they are doing the same thing with wolves--but as far as their running rampant in the woods is concerned this is one of those urban myths that just won't die no matter how much scientific forensic evidence is used. Do some real research where DNA and skulls have been studied not anecdotal reports by people that have seen large coyotes and assumed they were coyote/dog hybrids. For one thing, coyotes would rather kill than mate with a dog. For another they prefer other coyotes to dog since coyotes only come into season in late fall so the pups are born in the spring. It is only at the leading edge of their range where the number of mates are few that they will cross in the wild. http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/9359.html

 

[chickortreat]

I had a dog several years ago that came up missing. My dad's uncle later told my dad that he saw my dog running with a pack of coyotes. He was a mix of some sort, but his coloring was such that the likelihood of mistaking another dog for him would be unikely.

 

[sourland]

When dealing with animals you can rest assured that there will be exceptions to every "rule" or "study." Coyotes are extremely adaptive. This is why they have become so successful. Sometimes with the help of a little dog "influence."

 

[Davaroo]

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Aint it the truth.

 

[woodmort]

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I find this interesting on two levels. First being that coyotes don't generally run in packs--family groups of 4 animals maybe but only briefly until the young are expelled. Second, coyote family wouldn't normally tolerate a stranger, either nonrelated coyote or dog, around their offspring. Are you sure your dad's uncle didn't see a pack of dogs and just assume them to be coyotes?