Any coyote experts?

[FrankS]

I was visiting with my parents the last few days at their place out in the country. Last night I was awakened for my sleep by what I can only describe as a cacophony of coyote yelping. A group of coyotes, which must have been within 50 yards/meters of the farmhouse suddenly began yipping and yelping for 1 to 2 minutes, then suddenly were silent again. Anyone know what was going on?

 

[Pete B]

I think they're all just keeping in touch either within the same pack or between packs. We had exactly the same experience whilst camping in Yosemite, and also Mammoth hot springs. Wonderful!
Pete

 

[Bobbo]

I was visiting with my parents the last few days at their place out in the country. Last night I was awakened for my sleep by what I can only describe as a cacophony of coyote yelping. A group of coyotes, which must have been within 50 yards/meters of the farmhouse suddenly began yipping and yelping for 1 to 2 minutes, then suddenly were silent again. Anyone know what was going on?

Either a fight or it was... well, when a boy coyote and a girl coyote fall in love... pretty much a fight 🙂

If they become a problem, the best way to deal with a coyote is putting some crying bunny sounds on your iPod (Google "Varmint Al"), plug in an external speaker and grab a .22 Win Mag rifle at Wal-Mart for $200. Aim for the lower front chest, not the head (harder to hit accurately). that will do for 100-125 yards. For longer than that, a .223 Remington will do (a cheap bolt, or a fancy AR-15... doesn't really matter all that much). I'd also suggest a small game hunting license and a table of open seasons.

 

[Ken Smith]

Anyone know what was going on?

Yes - it's called nature - a natural type of ecosystem usually found outside of steel and concrete artificial ecosystems that are created by man. We have an abundance of nature here in Montana. We even have animals out here that will eat you when given half a chance.

 

[ferider]

A pack-member who had left returning, Frank.

 

[gns]

You hear that pretty often in the deserts and mountains of California.
Sometimes the calls can sound quite strange and go on for a while.
Just heard some a couple of weeks ago in the backcountry of Yosemite and woke up the next morning to see a couple of them across the lake.

 

[FrankS]

Thank you for the mostly helpful replies. I've heard coyotes calling over a distance between packs, those are more howling, but this wasn't about calling to another pack. Definitely some sort of intra pack commotion. Ive also heard a pack travelling/hunting where you can hear the location changing. This was stationary and what's interesting was the sudden onset and ending with a consistent highly animated middle part.

 

[crawdiddy]

I'm not a coyote linguist, or even behaviorist. But I've noticed that packs of coyotes seem to vocalize a short period after moonrise. Kind of like-- "Let's go out there and find some nocturnal critters to munch on! You in, or out?"

 

[johannielscom]

The Coyote kind of Noct, cool! 😎

 

[SciAggie]

The sound you mention is a daily ritual as the animals gather to hunt. If you are out and about well before sunrise, you will hear it again as they prepare to separate. These are daily sounds here where I live. And as a side note, they generally are not as close as they sound. Even if they are, coyotes are effectively harmless toward humans. Wild dogs are an entirely different proposition.

 

[nikon_sam]

We hear that every so often here...I've heard people say they do that in packs when they catch something to eat...
One on one they will try to avoid you...we see them in our neighborhood here and there...if you chase them they will run just enough to feel safe...if you continue chasing them they will run again...we don't normally see them in packs but I'd be careful if I did...
Smart animals, they can jump pretty high, squeeze through areas you wouldn't think they could, mostly hunt at night...they will go after small pets...I've seen them with cats and small dogs...a few years ago two came all the way up to our back door...turn on a light and they run...
If you can...enjoy the sound...not too many people have heard them...

 

[Landshark]

republican straw poll?

 

[FrankS]

Thanks. !

Kind of off topic, eh.

 

[f16sunshine]

We hear this all the time on the farm near boulder where I lived. It's excitement that you are hearing. Usually it goes on for only a few minutes. Maybe it's natures way of giving the smart animals a chance. They get a sort of warning before the hunt begins.

Bobbo, Hope you eat what you kill....

 

[David Murphy]

They are pretty fearless animals. They will eat pets and have been known to attack small children, so keep them away from Coyotes. Other than that, keep your distance and you will be fine.

 

[sepiareverb]

One was badmouthing his M8, another chimed in about the M9- then they all got going about Leica lens prices. Have you tried making a living on sheepskins these days?

 

[Field]

Great pyrenees... Best guard dog for live stock there happens to be. They just patrol the perimeter. More effective than a rifle (even though I love them).

Yelping? Probably got stuck in-between something trying to get to a chicken or something. Typical canine behavior.

 

[Keith]

I've heard Dingo packs doing this also ... very similar creatures to the Coyote by the sounds of it.