by Rick Brockway, The Daily Star, link to original article
The other night, when temperatures were well below zero and the moon was full, I stood in my backyard while our old yellow lab, Tucker, did his nightly thing.
Off in the distance, I heard the beautiful sound of coyotes singing and yodeling as they hunted for their nightly meals. As they barked and howled, I thought about the first time I came face-to-face with one of these big, wild dogs.
I had been hunting deer in the Adirondacks back in the woods near Rock Pond 20-some years ago. It was a great day to just wander the mountains and vast swamps for a good buck. With a slight drizzle, you could sneak along silently and not have to worry about your scent scaring off the game.
Later in the afternoon, the light rain turned to a steady, heavy downpour. It got so bad that it wasn’t fit for man or beast to be outside, but I had a 3-mile hike to get back to camp. I pulled the collar of my old, green-plaid, wool coat up around my neck and yanked my hat down over my ears before setting off down the trail.
The weather was absolutely miserable as my coat got heavier and my boots got wetter. I suddenly stopped after about a half-hour on the narrow path. Not 100 feet in front of me, a big coyote came trudging up the trail in my direction. His head was down and he certainly felt the same way I did about the weather; you could just tell.
He stopped and we stared each other straight in the eyes for a very brief moment before he turned to run off.
Today, coyotes are everywhere. They live in family groups in every county of the state including New York City. These eastern coyotes are much larger that their western cousins. Having crossed with the gray wolf, it’s not uncommon to find our coyotes in the 60- to 70-pound range. They moved into New York, filled a niche and are here to stay.
After deer season is over, many outdoorsmen hunt these sly and very elusive animals. The most common method today is to run them with hounds. A group of guys get together during the winter months and spend hours listening to the dogs run. A large number of coyotes can be taken in any given area, yet it has had no effect whatsoever on the population of wild dogs in that area.
Coyotes are amazing animals. They have the ability to maintain their numbers no matter what. If food is plentiful and their numbers are down, the females will have larger litters. But if their numbers are up and food is scarce, they will produce fewer pups. There is nothing man can do. We can hunt them or trap them and they’ll still be here feeding on our deer, turkeys and domesticated animals.
Even though many of us seldom see a coyote, there are large numbers of these great predators right in our backyards. I saw one crossing a nearby meadow the other morning. It was the first one in a couple of years, yet I can hear them most any night. I stopped the car and watched him feed for a few moments. It was a very enjoyable time.
I only wish I could see one of those mountain lions that so many people tell me about.
I saw two not too long ago. Great to see them back.
I literally crossed paths with two coyotes a while back while on a walk in the woods behind my home in Endicott, NY. My path was heading north and their’s was heading east. They were about 70 feet in front of me walking single file about 20 feet apart. Each one stopped, sniffed the ground where our paths crossed, looked up at me and continued walking down their path, seemingly uninhibited by my presence. Seeing those coyotes and acknowleding each other in such a peaceful manner was an experience I’ll cherish as long as I live.