Coyote Yipps

Hi Janet, 

That was a great post about the coyote incident with child. I hope it furthers awareness. It’s really a matter of common sense and safety. Certain cities will have coyote populations. Forever. The sooner people live coyote aware the better for all. Children included.

A different but fascinating account on sheep ranch is something I received this morning.

I usually dont patrol sheep properties. Not a fan and they can be problematic in big areas for our style of checks.

This operation is pretty well run. The owners discovered long ago a 3 prong approach for coyote and sheep ranching. A large pack of LGD is used on rotation in the herds. Allowing conforming (don’t raid sheep) coyote pairs to become established and see off nomadic and less predictable coyote. And in back of property, away from herds, road kill is left. It’s legal here to collect/harvest roadkill. Deer are collected by ranchers family and taken to a consistent spot complete with cameras. The local territorial coyote are well fed on voles and periodic road killed deer. They are very content and don’t raid sheep.

The cameras on property also give them sight into ongoing behaviors. 

Originally…they thought an established coyote was changing into unwanted behavior. These coyote and LGD come to know each other at distance and by scent marks. There is a sort of truce…the coyote know death waits if they come in. But that the dogs won’t chase if they stay back. 

Trail and pasture cams show a male coyote well known coming to dogs and acting agitated. The dogs shouldering up together and slowly getting aroused..then setting off for a round. The coyote fades back to trails and woods and disappears.

But other trails show other developments.

The coyote runs down common sheep and ranch trails…but avoids the wooded hill sections. Literally same time coyote is trotting toward LGD areas, traveling wolves are moving through wooded property. They aren’t staying. They use this land to travel to elk herds and Cascade destinations. But they travel through foothills and ranches and the heart of coyote turf.

When they pass through..its seems a pattern has developed the local coyote vocalize at the wolves..but one male runs to LGD areas in some sort of alarm call. The LGD actually respond…pack up and 4 or 5 of them go to edge of foothills and woods, and mark extensively. It seems the wolves..who were moving anyway..glide away and disappear. So far..the LGD pack holds sway. 

Is it possible that this coyote has tenuously connected his alarm with wolves to alerting LGD? It seems far fetched…until we realize..how many dogs in towns and cities bark in chains of alerts and joining in. 

It is now at point if there are alot of coyote “rackets” and run arounds…the LGD can be seen trotting out..and the woods cams show a wolf…or several..moving through.

I asked if they were going to put coyote on ranch payroll. No comment.

Lou

PS-This Canid Conversation is also under study by a couple of biology students. One Question was…Do the Road kill Deer attract wolves and raise issues? So far…the answer is no. The structure of the spot and lay of land deer kill is left is a funnel shaped area purposely designed for camera shots. They want to see who feeds in this area far from sheep herds. It seems to spook wolves…the funnel and cameras. Coyote have no qualms. Neither do cougar, bobcat, badger, raccoons, weasels, mink, or possums. Bears are an issue only because..they often destroy cameras. Bears have a very specific way they treat cameras. And often the camera don’t survive.

But so far 7 years of pics…not a single wolf has entered to funnel shaped spot. 

Lou