Last night as the dogs and I went for our late night walk I got to thinking about dogs and coyotes.
Dogs are pretty good at knowing if there are predators out there…on the edges of where you are working/traveling/going.
Some of the signals a dog will give you are pretty obvious…acting nervous, jumping, or turning around and looking in a certain direction.
The next thing you will know the dogs will be right by you, as close to you as possible—like Fuzzy trying to crawl on me as I was working on the end of the pipe. Dogs have a very good idea of who is there and what they have on their mind. (What I was afraid of was very old dog as supper!–Coyotes are very good at drawing out a dog to attack them.)
Sometimes people have witnessed coyotes and dogs playing together. Usually it is one dog and one coyote playing just like two dogs would play (or two coyotes would play). But for every story of a dog and coyote playing together there are many, many more stories of dogs being attacked and even killed. Usually dragging the dog off to other parts.
Coyotes look like dogs. They can bark like dogs. They can seem as playful as dogs. But one thing you need to remember…they are not pets.
Along towards evening, the coyotes come out and start their day. You can hear them make all sorts of sounds throughout the night. Go here and click on each sound ….the calls of the coyote!
The sound I hate the worst is the the sound of a whole group of them together…sends shivers up and down my spine. Also, makes Fuzzy and Boomer whine and slink really close to me. Or they will sit in the yard, point their noses to the heavens and howl back a very mournful sound. Long and lonely and filled with sadness.
When I hear them in the distance we ALWAYS return home…at a rather fast clip I might add.
When a coyote howls it isn’t in the full of the moon…nope. Right here, where I live, it is always in the dark of the moon. Adds to creepy because it’s harder to see out there in the night.
The coyote yips are usually in great jubilation since they have caught something and are going to have a feast.
I was just sent this clip from Jan. She saw it on the Denver News Station…
Coyote attacks man and dog on campus at Boulder, Colorado. That is on the other side of the Rocky Mountain range from us–on the Eastern Slope. So you see coyotes are everywhere. Please take care if you are in coyote land!
Well, once again I rattled on long enough about coyotes. I guess I write about them so much because…well, they live right here with us. Terry and I have both been warned to stay away from their dens and even stalked until we get into a range they consider acceptable.
One of the good things about the fire we had three years ago was it moved the coyotes out. They had denned up close to the equipment area and at the upper end of the last field making it hard to do our work.
We know they are here, but so far they are at the far reaches of our farm—that is where they need to stay. Or move on. I like the idea of move on!
Your farm friend,
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 