A question about coyote behavior

Fla Gal · #1 01/12/08, 01:20 AM

Since taking this job in July I've heard the coyotes at least five times. The first time it was dark and not long before daylight. The other times they've sounded off in the middle of the night.

I haven't heard any of them howl. It's always a group yip and yowl session that lasts for a minute or less. They did this again just a few minutes ago.

The noise always comes from the same area of the woods. Do they do this impromptu or is it because they've hunted and found food to share with the group? Any ideas on why they do this?

Spinner · #2 01/12/08, 02:09 AM

A pack of them used to come set at my fence about 50 feet from my bedroom window and howl every night. I hadn't given any thought as to why they did it, but now I'm wondering if they were claiming it as their territory. It happened for a few months right after we bought this place and moved out here. They've not done it since, but I have dogs that patrol the property now.

I still hear them real often, but it's usually off in the distance. The closest I've heard them this year is probably at least 1/4 mile or more away.

canfossi · #3 01/12/08, 05:08 AM

I am not sure why they yipe and howl like that, that's exactly how I hear them as well. I haven't heard them for a few nights now, I do see them walking along the road during the day sometimes. Chris

**fordson major** · #4 01/12/08, 05:46 AM

our coyotes here tend to sing just to catch up on the neighborhood gossip! if they sang when they took down a sheep/lamb then we would have a chance to get some lead heading their way (we lost 30 animals last year alone). have had bylaw phoned on us by a cityit, bylaw came at 2 am and was as annoyed with the neighbor as we were when our "dogs" howling turned out to be a coyote pack she was feeding! keep the critters close and well penned when you are not around, have seen then bold as brass in the middle of the day!

Maura · #5 01/12/08, 05:20 PM

They are telegraphing their where abouts to each other.

Ravenlost · #6 01/12/08, 05:37 PM

They yip and yowl almost every night here. Our dogs go out and bark and howl back.

Fla Gal · #7 01/12/08, 07:40 PM

When I began this job I was working at the poultry houses, between batches of chicks, getting the buildings ready for the next batch of chicks.

I got here at 4:30am and for some reason kept feeling like I was being watched. I kept looking through the big open doors toward the east to make sure I was alone. It was a gut feeling that I was being watched. Before 6:30am got here I couldn't take it anymore. I went to my truck, got in and just sat there watching and waiting. Within 15 minutes I heard the yipping and yowling. It somewhat spooked me. I'm not worried about the coyotes, but, I am worried about one of them being rabid and going after me. Is this fear unfounded?

Thanks to all of you for your responses. I need to learn more about my new environment and the critters within.

ford major, that's a big hit on the livestock and then to learn the neighbor called in a complaint on you! I worry about my rabbits being free game for the coyotes.

I'm about in the middle of nowhere. I like that a lot but there have been no critters here the coyotes could or would go after until I moved here with my rabbits. So far I haven't had to have a dog but I'm thinking I may have to get one in the near future. I do worry about the coyotes being brazen.

fishhead · #8 01/12/08, 08:09 PM

People have been bitten by rabid coyotes.

KS wife · #9 01/12/08, 08:31 PM

I think we've got the Coyote Tabernacle Choir living in our area. If anyone wants them, I'd be happy to send them on tour.

rider · #10 01/12/08, 08:41 PM

remember unless you see tha actual animals one coyote can sound like 3 the ypping in am told is a hunting tatic around buildings trying to lure the family dog out for a fight not sure this is true or not as i keep mine tied at night so he cant go out and play he is too big for them to kill but here they all have mange and its a pain to treat so better safe then sorry

**ladycat** · #11 01/12/08, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravenlost

They yip and yowl almost every night here. Our dogs go out and bark and howl back.

Same here. They sing and yip almost every night, and it sets off every dog in the area.

Quint · #12 01/13/08, 12:24 AM

They start that here and then you can hear others answering at various locations. They were back in the timber tonight making a racket and you could hear others in 2 separate locations answering.

Every so often they'll start that right next to the house. If you have the windows open it definitely will wake you from a sound sleep.

Alice In TX/MO · #13 01/13/08, 04:15 AM

Vocalization
The coyote is one of the few wild animals whose vocalizations are commonly heard. At night coyotes both howl (a high quavering cry) and emit a series of short, high-pitched yips. Howls are used to keep in touch with other coyotes in the area. Sometimes, when it is first heard, the listener may experience a tingling fear of primitive danger, but to the seasoned outdoorsman, the howl of the coyote is truly a song of the West.

* Howling - communication with others in the area. Also, an announcement that “I am here and this is my area. Other males are invited to stay away but females are welcome to follow the sound of my voice. Please answer and let me know where you are so we don't have any unwanted conflicts.”
* Yelping - a celebration or criticism within a small group of coyotes. Often heard during play among pups or young animals.
* Bark - The scientific name for coyotes means "Barking dog," Canis latrans. The bark is thought to be a threat display when a coyote is protecting a den or a kill.
* Huffing - is usually used for calling pups without making a great deal of noise.

* * * *

From a quick web search, there aren't many rabies cases in coyotes each year. FAR more in racoons.... like THOUSANDS!

meanwhile · #14 01/13/08, 07:23 AM

You can read up about the coyote online - just "google" in coyote / or hunting coyote / or your state name and coyote / and read away!

We have heard a lot of the yelping here this year and local people tell us it is two groups of new pups that have made our property their area. We are using human boy/man urine to try to mark our own territory and so far it is seemed to work. The boys and my husband (and any other male who comes around and we ask - some think we are just crazy and won't participate but most think it is funny and go along) just "go" outside along a line we set (it is an old logging road and a path line) as "our boundary" and so far the coyote have not come over that line.

We are tracking them and watching for their scat (Poo poo). You can find it and see what they have been eating. Last week, sadly, we found coyote scat that had part of a dog or cat collar in it. Look for the scat along fence lines, alone road lines and paths. We find it here boldly dumped in the main road down into the woods, along our "creek path" and along beside our Main Gate. You can also "google" coyote scat and find a picture so you know what you are looking for.

Rose - we must not have become too "seasoned " here yet since the coyote howls and yips still bring the "tingling fear of primitive danger" to us - even after 6 years of hearing them! They have gotten worse around here in the last two years and I fear they will come closer! But it is quite a wonder to hear!

Good luck - I suggest reading up all you can about them. Information and Knowledge helps take away Fears of all kinds.

celadon · #15 01/13/08, 08:23 AM

I have a coyete/shepard mix. He can sing the prettiest song Ihave ever heard. When he sings the other dogs start in also They just howl. Don't know why though. Maybe they just enjoy singing.

fixer1958 · #16 01/13/08, 08:42 AM

I hear them nearly every night for the last 20 years.
At first when we didn't have dogs they would come right up to the house and start singing. Talk about a spine chill.
Now the dogs keep them at bay. They even sounds like them now.
I haven't had any losses because of the dogs as they patrol all night.
My best GD sleeps/stays where ever there is a disturbance.
I find her in the mornings sometimes in the middle of the drive or out in the shed or by the tree line.

I would suggest getting a couple of big dogs. They work better in pairs or more. I have 3. One of them is always alert.

MTplainsman · #17 01/13/08, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rose

Vocalization
The coyote is one of the few wild animals whose vocalizations are commonly heard. At night coyotes both howl (a high quavering cry) and emit a series of short, high-pitched yips. Howls are used to keep in touch with other coyotes in the area. Sometimes, when it is first heard, the listener may experience a tingling fear of primitive danger, but to the seasoned outdoorsman, the howl of the coyote is truly a song of the West.

* Howling - communication with others in the area. Also, an announcement that “I am here and this is my area. Other males are invited to stay away but females are welcome to follow the sound of my voice. Please answer and let me know where you are so we don't have any unwanted conflicts.”
* Yelping - a celebration or criticism within a small group of coyotes. Often heard during play among pups or young animals.
* Bark - The scientific name for coyotes means "Barking dog," Canis latrans. The bark is thought to be a threat display when a coyote is protecting a den or a kill.
* Huffing - is usually used for calling pups without making a great deal of noise.

* * * *

From a quick web search, there aren't many rabies cases in coyotes each year. FAR more in racoons.... like THOUSANDS!

Coyotes are one of my specialties! I call and trap them for management and fur. I pursued coyotes professionaly for three years. Over time, I have came to know alot of in depth secrets of the coyote. Not sure where Rose pulled up this bit of info, but I will say for the most part, that it is accurite. Coyotes use a mess of howls, barks, yips, wines, etc. Thats how they speak. When your hearing the howling and then the yips and yodeling start pouring in, you are usually hearing a mature (usually mother) dog starting the session, with the pack mates (usually pups) filling in with all the crazy yips and yaps. A mother and two pups can sound like 7! Howling in the evening or at night, is nothing more than a territory check. A pack is always looking to extend thier hunting range, and therefore call out to see where voids may be. If they discover a distant pack not checking in for several nights, they than may head out the next day to check it out, though they do this with as many pack members as they have in case of a confrontation. Remember, another pack may be coming to scope out a void too! In short, young dogs yip more than howl and the elder and/or dominant dogs howl more than yip. What you are hearing is a territory check in, not a kill call.

Also Rose is correct... coyotes are not huge carriers of rabies... coons, skunks, feral cats, etc. are two to three times more likely to be roaming about with the disease.

Spinner · #18 01/13/08, 02:09 PM

I don't remember ever feeling the spine tingling chill when hearing them howl. I guess it was cause I grew up hearing them so the sound is normal to me. When I was a kid we used to hear them at night and we'd look out the bedroom window and see them setting on the bank of the pond in the moonlight. It was pretty to watch them howl at the moon.

When they used to set outside my fence close to the bedroom window I would wake up and look out the window to see them. It was disappointing that it was too dark to see them. I liked listening to them as I fell asleep.

pancho · #19 01/13/08, 02:14 PM

Same here, I enjoy listening to them.

jd4020 · #20 01/13/08, 03:00 PM

In our area, we have some. I love hearing them and often will howl back at them, and they usually answer. The only problem we've ever had with them is they did get a little calf down and chewed off her tail. Poor thing.

She lived though.
There was a study done with wolves, (I don't know how recent) trying to see if the farmer could play a tape of woves howling to see if the real wolves would then stay off the farm. It was an effort to keep the livestock safe. As another poster said, a territorial check. It was said on the program, that there was some success and they didn't have to despose of the wolves in the area. Maybe the same thing would work with the coyotes?
They are bold tricksters though. One night our little dog was barking up a storm and when we looked outside, there were two coyotes eating the scraps we had dumped in the garden. They were just ignoring her, (probably thought she,d make a good snack later on) so I stuck my head out the door and started barking at them and they cleared out pretty fast.