All About Coyotes

[Coffee Coyote]

The Coyote


The coyote, or "little wolf" as the Native Americans call
it, is a member of the dog family. It is the topic of many Native
American folklore tales. Its name comes from the Aztec word
"coyotl." Its scientific name is "canis latrans" which means
"barking dog."
The coyote, usually associated with the open lands of the
west, is now found throughout the United States. Coyotes' good sense of smell, hearing and vision, along with being sly, enable them to even live in some urban areas.
The coyote has the appearance of a medium-sized dog or a
small German Shepherd. Coyotes are about one and a half to two
feet tall and between forty-one and fifty-three inches long.
Weight ranges from twenty to fifty pounds. They have a bushy
tail that is tipped with black. Most are grey, but some show
rust or brown coloration. Coyote tracks are more elongated than
dog tracks.
This nocturnal animal is most active at night, but if not
threatened by man they will hunt during the day. The coyote is
omnivorous. They will eat fruits, grasses, and vegetables along
with small mammals - and even freepers. The coyote has a
bad reputation for killing sheeple and other livestock, but studies show that livestock accounts for only 14 percent of the coyotes' diet.
Coyotes mate for life. Between January and March is the
breeding period. Most do not breed until they are two years old.
The female selects and maintains the den. They usually dig their
own dens but sometimes they use an old badger hole or fix up a
natural hole. Dens are usually hidden from view.
Females carry their young for over two months. One to
twelve pups are born in either April or May. Pups are born blind
and helpless.
Both parents hunt and feed the young. At three weeks old
the pups leave the den under close watch of their parents. Once
the pups are eight to twelve weeks old they are taught to hunt.
Families stay together through the summer but the young break
apart to find their own territories by fall. They usually
relocate within ten miles. Between 50 and 70 percent of the
young coyotes die before adulthood. Of the young that die, 80
percent is the result of human trapping, shooting, poisons, or
other control methods.
The coyote is capable of producing fertile offspring with
many other animals from the dog family. It occasionally breeds
with the domestic dog, wild dogs, and wolves. This mixed
offspring has created great confusion about whether a real coyote
has been seen. The only way to tell the difference is by
examination of the skull. The coyotes' skull is narrower and
more elongated than the domestic dog.
More often you will hear a coyote rather than see one. Its
howl can be very deceiving. Due to the way the sound carries, it
seems as though it is in one place, where the coyote is really
some place else. Coyotes have two howling seasons. The first is
in January and February. During this time they are trying to
find a mate by howling. The second season is in September and
October. During this period the female is calling to her
offspring. The young then call back in unison.
After the move westward by settlers, coyotes thrived on
ranchers' cattle and sheep. In response, the ranchers
aggressively tried to eliminate the coyote, and almost succeeded.
However, due to its intelligence and ability to adapt to changes
in its environment, it has not only survived but flourished.

http://www.bright.net/~swopejak/coyote.htm

[chaumont58]

1. Neat Posting

I live in a remote, rural, area in the low Sierra Foothills in california and many nights I have been awaken by coyotes expressing interest in something. I hear them a lot, but rarely see them. I have been in this area for about 6 years and have seen coyotes only a handfull of times. Good post, with plenty of information. Thank you.

[roguevalley]

2. I love them.

beautiful animals and much maligned. too bad. they are
sort of the soul of the West.

[Skittles]

3. alas, we've got one visting the farm we will have to kill

he snacks on chickens and cats. And he's not shy at all - he has been seen cavorting near the pond, very close to the house, in broad daylight.

[LWolf]

4. The trickster is a familiar neighbor here in the sw.

Good fences are a must to protect dogs & cats.

I see them regularly when I ride my horse; they thrive in the cattle pastures and national forest. Last spring I spent 30 productive minutes watching a pair of ravens play games with a pair of coyotes. The ravens were winning.

My mare is a self-appointed coyote chaser. From her early years on 35 acres of pasture in oregon, to these days. While the coyotes are generally non-aggressive, that changes if you have a dog along on the ride. We sometimes do group rides with folks that bring their dogs along. Then my mare and I are the herd guards. We ride scout and move the coyotes off before they move in on the dog/s. She loves it. She works them just like they were cattle. Except that coyotes are quicker and smarter than cattle. Once recently we had to move one about a mile off of the group before he finally gave up and headed in a different direction.

While I take precautions to protect the dogs and cats, I welcome the coyotes in the neighborhood. I'm glad to have a trickster prowling DU!

[KadeCarrion]

5. I see coyotes walking down the street from time to time

Poor things are so skinny - with yet another drought this summer, food is short, and critters of all types are forced to come into people-infested areas to find what food they can.

Thanks for the great post CC! :hi:

[Coffee Coyote]

6. hehe

I wonder if anyone noticed where I edited the piece in a place or two? ;-)

:hi:

[LWolf]

7. Have you been feeding on

freepers & sheeples again CoyoteZ?

Do I need to send my mare out to guard the pasture?

:evilgrin:

[Coffee Coyote]

8. As long as it's a day mare!

And not a night mare! :evilgrin:

:hi: Woof!

[LWolf]

9. She can be either. You never can tell.

Mostly a daymare, but the nightmare shows up when least expected. I have a large dent on the back of my skull to prove it.

You never can tell with mares.

:hi:

[Jack Rabbit]

10. Coyote and the Monster

From Native American Triskster Tales

A long, long time ago, people did not yet inhabit the earth. A monster walked upon the land, eating all the animals--except Coyote. Coyote was angry that his friends were gone. He climbed the tallest mountain and attached himself to the top. Coyote called upon the monster, challenging it to try to eat him. The monster sucked in the air, hoping to pull in Coyote with its powerful breath, but the ropes were too strong. The monster tried many other ways to blow Coyote off the mountain, but it was no use.
Realizing that Coyote was sly and clever, the monster thought of a new plan. It would befriend Coyote and invite him to stay in its home. Before the visit began, Coyote said that he wanted to visit his friends and asked if he could enter the monster's stomach to see them. The monster allowed this, and Coyote cut out its heart and set fire to its insides. His friends were freed.
Then Coyote decided to make a new animal. He flung pieces of the monster in the four directions; wherever the pieces landed, a new tribe of Indians emerged. He ran out of body parts before he could create a new human animal on the site where the monster had lain. He used the monster's blood, which was still on his hands, to create the Nez Percé, who would be strong and good.

[Coffee Coyote]

11. Thanks Jack!

A great tale! *urp* :-)

[SOteric]

12. In Navajo religion

and many offshoots amoung the Native Americans of the Southwest, Coyote (Ma'i) is the trickster. Ma'i is the bringer of disorder, the clever spirit who fools the white man.

[Coffee Coyote]

13. excellent

I chose my new moniker well. My favorite white people to trick are Republicans. :-)

:hi: SO!

[SOteric]

14. True 'nuff.

:hi: Woof!

[Jack Rabbit]

15. A tale of Coyote

Adapted by Jack Rabbit from Erdoes and Ortiz, American Indian Myths and Legends (Pantheon Books, New York, 1984), p. 342 and Parades, Folktales of Mexico (University of Chicago Press, 1970), pp. 155-57.

With some of my own embellishments.

A white trader boasted that he could cheat anybody. He said he was even better at cheating in business than Ken Lay. He was better at lying than G. W. Bush. Of course, one such as he could only be a Republican. He said that he was a Republican because Republicans only cared if somebody was smart. If someone was smart and crooked, that was okay. He said Republicans let him keep the money he cheated out of other people because he was smarter than they were and deserved it more than they did.

This trader said nobody was better at cheating than he.

Then one day some one told him that Coyote was trickier than he. This really hurt the white trader’s ego. “Show me this Coyote,” he demanded. “We’ll see who’s better at cheating.”

“Coyote told me to tell you to look over there, on that mountain” the trader was told. So the trader went to the mountain where he could find Coyote.

“They say you can outsmart me,” said the trader. “Let’s see you try.”

“Okay,” said Coyote, “but first I have my cheating medicine.”

“Okay, go get it,” said the white trader.

“It’s some ways from here,” said Coyote. “I keep it in a safe place where no white man can find it.”

“Go get it,” said the white trader impatiently.

“Okay, but I have no horse. Will you lend me your best horse?”

“Okay,” said the trader, “But hurry up.”

A minute later Coyote returned. “Your horse is afraid of me. If you give me your clothes, he will think that I am you. Then I can ride him to get my cheating medicine.”

The trader agreed and stripped to his underwear. He was wearing fine clothes. The trader enjoyed dressing fancy. His shirt had fancy embroidery and he wore a big, ten-gallon hat. Coyote liked the trader clothes. After he put them on, he looked proudly at himself in the mirror. He thought he was once good-looking Coyote.

“Now, I will go get my cheating medicine,” said Coyote.

“Wait a minute,” said the white trader. “How do I know your going to come back?”

“I will give you something of mine to keep,” said Coyote. “It is something very valuable and there is one like it in the world. I will give you a mule that shits gold coins.”

“A mule that shits gold coins?” said the trader.

“Yes, indeed,” said Coyote. “If I do not come back, you can keep the mule. Just be sure to feed him right and he will shit lots of gold for you.”

“Where is this mule?” demanded the trader.

“Follow me,” said Coyote. “He’s in my barn.” Coyote and the trader went to the barn. There was an ordinary-looking mule there.

“This mule shits gold coins?” said the trader.

“That’s right,” said Coyote. “But only if you feed him right. I take him to the canyon just beyond the bluff and let him feed there every morning. Then he shits gold coins. I give the coins to my wife and she spends it all. Have you ever seen my wife? She’s the best dressed woman in these parts. A real knock out. Of course, you can guess that a mule that shits gold coins is a real chick magnet. That’s why I got the best-looking woman in these parts. And let me tell you, friend, she keeps me happy every night.”

“Okay,” said the trader. “You go get your cheating medicine. I’ll wait for you here. But remember, if you don’t come back, I’m gonna take you mule.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll come back. I can’t part with that mule. Friend, if I loise that mule, my wife will leave me. And she makes me too happy for that. Just so happy every night, you know what I mean?”

“Yeah, I not what you mean.”

So Coyote went off on the trader’s best horse wearing the trader’s fine clothes. Night fell and Coyote had not come back to the mountain. The night grew cold, and Coyote had not come back to the mountain. The sun rose in the east, and Coyote had not returned.

The trader began to think that he was had. But he still had Coyote’s mule that shit gold coins. However, the mule hadn’t shit all night long. So the trader took the mule out to the canyon like Coyote said. The trader didn’t mind that all he had on was his underwear. He had a mule that shit gold coins. The trader didn’t mind that it was going to be a hot day in the desert and that he had no hat to keep the sun off his face. He had a mule that shit gold coins.

So the trader said, “Com’on, mule. Let’s go to the Canyon.” Mules being mules, this one didn’t go too fast or very willingly. The trader really became exasperated with the mule, but he was going to have his gold coins. He had to kick the mule every so often and began wondering if it would all be worth it. But he thought of his gold coins. He really worked up a hot sweat getting the mule to the canyon. The trader was so hot and sweaty that he could hardly stand the smell of himself. His face even started to become sunburned because he had no hat.

The trader and Coyote’s mule got to the Canyon. The trader drew a sigh of relief and stepped away from the mule. It was a beautiful canyon full of beautiful white flowers.

“Okay, mule, eat!” The mule wouldn’t eat.

“Eat, mule.”

The mule wouldn’t eat.

“Dammit, you dumb ass, eat!” The trader was so angry by now that grabbed a handful of white flowers and forced it into the mule’s mouth. The mule tried to spit it out. This made the trader ever angrier. So he grabbed another handful of flowers. Then he grabbed another and another, forcing into the mule’s mouth until the mule swallowed. The trader kept force-feeding the mule.

But the mule did not shit gold coins. The mule just shit. Then the mule let out a long, loud and painful bray. Then the mule laid down and died.

What the white trader didn’t know is that the only thing growing in the canyon was Jimson weed. He had to walk back to town in his underwear and with the sun burning his face.

Meanwhile, Coyote rode the trader’s horse to a far away place, where with the trader’s fine clothes and his own witty humor he attracted the love of many beautiful women.

[Coffee Coyote]

16. perfect!

I love that story. :-)

[solinvictus]

17. Coyote problem

If you know someone with a wolf or wolf hybrid, get the scat and urine and place it in areas around the perimeter and most of the time the coyotes will avoid it. Wolves kill them in the wild.

[Wcross]

18. Target

We call them targets around here. They will kill livestock and pets. I have no use for them.

[Coffee Coyote]

19. that's the vagaries of the food chain

I am sure the feeling is mutual for the coyotes. ;-)

[Wcross]

20. Not really

They love me. They come around my home and eat my chickens, have made attempts on my dogs and have killed numerous goats on a nieghbors farm (25+). It seems they love what humans provide, how can you imply they would rather I not provide a buffet for them?
Yes they are part of the food chain, but the chain ends when they cross the line. It is obvious to me that you have some idea that the coyote is some noble creature. What if a copperhead was living under your front steps? What if the copperhead was feeding on your pets? The copperhead is just as wild as a coyote. Would you kill the snake or live with the damage it does to your property?
I would guess from your attachment to the coyote, you have never had to rush your loyal pet dog to the vet to get stitched up in the middle of the night. I have no use for them- they sure seem to use me.

[Coffee Coyote]

22. relax lol

I am not romanticizing the coyote. I think the original post makes their preferences well known. You can be assured I will never harm you, your land, or your dogs. :evilgrin:

I was having fun re-introducing my old friends on here to my new name.

I keep my pets indoors, thanks. ;-) Arroooooo!!!!!!!!!!

[Wcross]

24. Sorry Coffee Coyote!

I get worked up about those things. I keep the dogs outside for security reasons and to protect my chickens. I have already determined I need mo-better dogs after the last run in. I assure you I don't seek them out,and if they take a deer or rabbit on my land, they are welcome to it. Get near the livestock and I am sorry.

[curse10]

21. Damnit when coyotes act like coyotes!

:eyes:

[Coffee Coyote]

23. from now on I am going to be soft and sweet!!!

:loveya: O8):loveya: O8):loveya: O8):loveya: O8):loveya: O8):loveya: O8):loveya: O8):loveya: O8)
:loveya: O8):loveya: O8):loveya: O8):loveya: O8):loveya: O8):loveya: O8):loveya: O8):loveya: O8)

:D