The department didn’t do predator control, and ADC work certainly wasn’t part of my job description. I got a call one March morning from an irate rancher who had lost 20 lambs to coyotes. For several years following, predation on big game and livestock was far higher throughout the region, I believe due to the simple fact that the coyotes had fine-tuned the art of killing big animals during that bad year. Thank goodness there were no wolves at that time.Įvery coyote, from young-of-the-year pup to alpha dog, ended that winter killing easy prey. ![]() The mule deer and elk moved down to the valley bottoms, and by early March, most were barely surviving. Females are heavy with young and less able to outmaneuver relentless predators, critters that are fully intent on maintaining peak condition for their own whelping season.īack in 1969, when I was a conservation officer with the Colorado Division of Wildlife, an extremely tough winter hit the mountains with early snow and sub-zero cold. They have survived the toughest part of the year, but their reserves are at a low ebb. However, truth be told, early spring is when these animals are hardest hit by coyotes and other predators. ![]() ![]() Deep snow and cold make the animals vulnerable as deer yard-up in small areas across the North and elk concentrate on their winter grounds in Western states. All Rights Reserved.Most hunters believe winter is the deadliest season for coyote predation on big game. More information on the eastern coyote is available from MassWildlife.Ĭopyright 2019 Weston, Mass. This quirky video describes what coyote hazing is - it's not anything like "Animal House" - and how to properly execute it (if you can get your dog or cat off your couch, you can haze a coyote). It's important to remember when hazing to continue it for a little while longer after the coyote goes away. If the coyote is acting aggressively, make yourself look big and slowly back away. More detail on the songs of the coyote is provided in this Urban Coyote Initiative article.Īvoiding Conflict - Coyote HazingIf you see a coyote it is important to remain calm and know that you are scary to them and they rather not be around you. If the howling is interspersed with barking, it's usually indicative of a disturbance or agitation, such as a perceived threat due to an intrusion on marked territory. Once one group of coyotes starts howling, chances are that any other mating pairs nearby will respond with chorus after chorus of group yip-howls - all saying "Hey! How are you?" and "Stay over there." If you listen closely, you might hear the yip-howling coming from different directions however, don't feel as though you are surrounded by hundreds of coyotes. It's an auditory illusion known as the "beau geste" effect, and is due to the variety of sounds produced by a male and female coyote and the way sound gets distorted as it passes through the environment. Basically, two coyotes can sound like seven or eight animals. The group howling can start with the parents while the pups from this season and previous seasons may join in if they are nearby or respond with howls of their own. OK? Cool." It's a type of bonding within the family group while also serving as a territorial display - like an auditory fence around its space. The yip-howling that can be heard now is the communication between the animals that is basically saying, "Hey Fam, what's up? I'm gonna set up camp over here and you can stay where you are. Understanding the howls of the " song dogs" and the animal's natural cycle, as well as knowing how to prevent conflict, will help you better appreciate the wildlife all around us.Īpproximately from September through November, the pups that were born in the spring are now ready to disperse and find new territory and packs. At night, you can listen for group yip-howls of coyotes: short howls that often rise and fall in pitch, punctuated with staccato yips, yaps, and barks.īut there's no need for alarm if you hear or see a coyote. With foliage dropping as nature prepares herself for her winter nap, it's not uncommon to see - and hear - coyotes more often.
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