I had a similar experience with wolves. My parents in retirement lived on 60 acres in Northern MN. When my dad died my mother couldn't live out in the country alone, so moved back to Minneapolis. Family members would go up on some weekends, but since the 600' driveway didn't get plowed we had to snowshoe in. One lucky day i got to the yard area in front of the house as three wolves were walking past,no more than 40' away. One, I assume the male leader, stopped and looked right into my eyes that were looking at him. Just a couple of seconds, then he turned and lead them away. They apparently had gotten used to no one around so no longer avoided the house.
What a cool essay! I always love hearing coyotes when I’m out with the telescope at night. The magnificent views I’ve had of wildlife stay with me through the decades.
Beautiful story , Sue. The photos are excellent. We have lots of coyotes here where I live, loping between Arana Gulch and Leona Gulch, but they are thin and scraggly and always look like they could use a good meal, a good brushing. I have never seen them in full winter fur. Gorgeous!
When they live in cooler, high altitudes, they begin to look like wolves, even in summer. There are subtle differences between the two species, especially looking at the heads. Coyotes' heads are a bit narrower, the snout pointier. They are thinner in body until they get a good coat on them. And when you see coyotes and wolves up close, the wolves are taller ... just plain bigger than the coyotes. Coyotes will take on large dogs and even wolf dogs if they are in a pack. The equestrian barn where we lived had a wolf dog that was attacked by a pack. He was three-quarters wolf but still got pretty chewed up by the coyotes.
Very interesting, Sue. Our coyotes here look like thin, mangey dogs. They are quite bold. I had one walk right past me out at the mailbox, he just gave me a quick, dismissive glance. He had places to go. We hear them yip-yip-yipping late into the night.
I had a similar experience with wolves. My parents in retirement lived on 60 acres in Northern MN. When my dad died my mother couldn't live out in the country alone, so moved back to Minneapolis. Family members would go up on some weekends, but since the 600' driveway didn't get plowed we had to snowshoe in. One lucky day i got to the yard area in front of the house as three wolves were walking past,no more than 40' away. One, I assume the male leader, stopped and looked right into my eyes that were looking at him. Just a couple of seconds, then he turned and lead them away. They apparently had gotten used to no one around so no longer avoided the house.
He got the message that you were the new alpha male in the neighborhood.
What a cool essay! I always love hearing coyotes when I’m out with the telescope at night. The magnificent views I’ve had of wildlife stay with me through the decades.
I agree, Joe, it's worth hanging out there on those frigid nights.
Beautiful story , Sue. The photos are excellent. We have lots of coyotes here where I live, loping between Arana Gulch and Leona Gulch, but they are thin and scraggly and always look like they could use a good meal, a good brushing. I have never seen them in full winter fur. Gorgeous!
When they live in cooler, high altitudes, they begin to look like wolves, even in summer. There are subtle differences between the two species, especially looking at the heads. Coyotes' heads are a bit narrower, the snout pointier. They are thinner in body until they get a good coat on them. And when you see coyotes and wolves up close, the wolves are taller ... just plain bigger than the coyotes. Coyotes will take on large dogs and even wolf dogs if they are in a pack. The equestrian barn where we lived had a wolf dog that was attacked by a pack. He was three-quarters wolf but still got pretty chewed up by the coyotes.
Very interesting, Sue. Our coyotes here look like thin, mangey dogs. They are quite bold. I had one walk right past me out at the mailbox, he just gave me a quick, dismissive glance. He had places to go. We hear them yip-yip-yipping late into the night.
This is a great encounter with the wild. The coyotes sound amazing.
Thank you, Jeffrey. They do. And I just recently learned that coyotes actually do scream when they're in distress.