Coyotes in NW New Jersey............

[Broadhead88]

I was out this AM in Zone 2 and saw a total of 9 does/buttons/etc. In each case the deer were extremely nervous to the point that I thought a buck was chasing them or something. However, at about 8.30am, 3 does came running over the brook with 3 HUGE coyotes in tow. These animals were absolutely huge with large frames and bushy gray tails. The colorings were more like German Shepherds than the traditional coyotes that I have seen over the last several years. I was thinking about trying to get off a shot but they never came close enough. On the way back to the cabin, my buddy said he saw 5 similar animals chasing deer.

I was told that a cross breed coyote has been making its' way down from NYS but these were definitely not pure coyotes nor a pack of dogs.

Just when the deer population is declining due to the unlimited hunting in NJ we get this!

Looking at the world from 15 feet up.

[jerseyjoe]

You better start hunting them 88....They have probably already killed a few since they are chasing them! The yotes are bad where I hunt in Maine....We have shot a few up there.

[md_hunter]

I saw 2 coyotes in West Virginia late Saturday.

Man, they were some big suckers too.

They came 20 yards from my stand but I couldn't get a shot off. They came and went in 10 seconds.......and I spent 5 of those seconds just figuring out what the heck was running towards me.

I hear there's a bounty on coyotes in my county (Hardy County). That'll make me try harder to get these things.

[Rodsmith]

We have a good sized animal up in the Dacks that the locals refer to as CoyDogs, as mentioned a hybred cross of domestic dog and the yote, 60 lbs is not uncommon. I have seen tracks in the snow of a pack hunting and they were all about 30-40 yards apart driving the deer, very organized.

[SnowyOwl]

Broadhead,

Most of the coyotes on our property are that color, except for one which is blond. We thought maybe the blond one was offspring of our dog (<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>), but I can't believe they're all crosses, so I searched for some info about it and found this:

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
How can I identify an eastern coyote?

The eastern coyote is larger than its western cousin - typically attributed to wolf-coyote hybridization - and usually has one of four pelt colorations: tri-color (German shepherd-like), red, blond and dark brown (appears black at a distance). Adult males weigh 45 to 55 pounds; females, 35 to 40 pounds. When seeing one for the first time, many people mistake eastern coyotes for dogs. Look for black lines running up and down the front of the front legs, yellow eyes and a cylindrical-shaped, low-hanging tail. Adult coyotes are much larger than foxes, and they tend to travel trails, dirt roads and habitat edges.

What is a &quot;coydog?&quot;

The word coydog is used to describe a coyote-domestic dog hybrid. Coydogs were once believed to be found in good numbers in Pennsylvania, especially when our once-expanding coyote population was thought to be having difficulty finding same-species mates. Truth is, most of these so-called coydogs were probably coyotes or feral dogs, since the breeding cycles of dogs and coyotes are not synchronized. Studies have confirmed coyote-dog interbreeding rarely happens. If it was occurring regularly, it stands to reason that we'd be seeing coyotes with domestic dog-like characteristics such as spots, curly tails and floppy ears. In addition, it's likely that red and blond coyotes were mistakenly identified as coydogs in the past simply because their coats were not of the more common tri-color pelage. <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>

From here:
http://sites.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/PGC...coyoteknow.htm

It's an interesting article, but I disagree with their theory that coyotes aren't affecting the deer population. (At least, I've seen evidence to the contrary on our property.)

[Broadhead88]

Snowyowl,

Thanks alot for the info! We are still trying to figure this one out as we have seen a steady increase in coyotes over the last 4 years. However, these were all big animals and were acting as a pack. The coyotes that we have seen in the past were smaller and usually alone. I agree that these animals will adversely affect the deer population.

THanks again,

Bob

Looking at the world from 15 feet up.

[SnowyOwl]

Bob,

You're welcome.

It is weird for them to be hunting in a pack like that in the fall.