[Elarson]

Question for the coyote experts. We have packs that run the tree lines around our place. Usually at least once every night a pack will start yipping, howling and making a big commotion for a couple minutes and then go silent. What's happening? Celebrating a kill? Chasing off another pack? Something else?

Curious,
Eric

[MCronkGTO]

I have lived in Florida all my life and until just a few years ago never heard or saw a coyote around here. Growing up we fished most of the freshwater lakes around Central Florida and I was into riding dirt bikes in the woods. A few years ago I was driving a rural road I have all my life and saw what I thought at first was a fox or dog. On closer look it was neither. I did some asking and was told Coyotes had migrated to our area and were widespread. A short while after I was riding with a friend in a large off road park and we came up on a pack of coyotes about 6 to 7. We stopped about 50 yards away and watched them and they did not seem to care much about our presence. We eventually continued on. Recently a coworker claims to have seen one on the beach side in a very populated area not near any woods. She grew up in a very rural area around here and is familiar with the wildlife. Surprisingly the only access to the beach side area is over a very busy bridge. Amazingly I have seen pictures of good sized bobcats catching small sharks in the surf around Sebastian Inlet. Pretty amazing how animals can adapt sometimes.

[Bruce Meyer]

Originally Posted by Elarson

Question for the coyote experts. We have packs that run the tree lines around our place. Usually at least once every night a pack will start yipping, howling and making a big commotion for a couple minutes and then go silent. What's happening? Celebrating a kill? Chasing off another pack? Something else?

Curious,
Eric

Celebrating a kill.

[johnta1]

In Illinois, they would yip (very loudly) all over the place it seemed.
But they are a pack animal.
They would have some yip to make the prey run in a certain direction where others were waiting.
(silently)
Then they would attack them.

Hard to hold off 5 or more of them at once.

[dataway]

Originally Posted by Elarson

Question for the coyote experts. We have packs that run the tree lines around our place. Usually at least once every night a pack will start yipping, howling and making a big commotion for a couple minutes and then go silent. What's happening? Celebrating a kill? Chasing off another pack? Something else?

Curious,
Eric

What you are hearing is the standard welcome greeting to the alpha male. Coyotes do not celebrate a kill because it would draw other predators. Coyotes do not run in packs, they are a family unit. A "pack" is all the same family, single alpha male, female, youngsters and pups. The two or three minute series of yelps is the greeting to the alpha male regardless of kill or not. Last thing coyotes want to do is advertise a kill and invite other family units to contest the kill.

Typically you'll hear it more in the winter months, Dec-Feb as it's mating season and the males are wandering a bit.

If you own any dogs, and you notice that when you come downstairs after a nap and they do a short series of greeting barks/howls ... same thing. They are greeting you, the alpha male back into the group. If you have more than one dog it will usually be the beta male/older dog that will start the greeting and the younger dog(s) will join in.

Coyotes are extremely vocal predators .... probably the only thing they don't vocalize is a kill. Not a good evolutionary trait to advertise a kill and invite every other group of coyotes/wolves/pumas to come steal it.

They will also vocalize to alert the family unit to interlopers, other predators, large animals, and sometimes just to advertise their dominance over a certain area. And also just to announce they are a well knit family unit. Typically 90% of the yipping you will hear is the alpha male greeting. Extended howls are usually a lone animal calling to the family unit for one reason or another.

[MUSLCAH]

Originally Posted by dataway

What you are hearing is the standard welcome greeting to the alpha male. Coyotes do not celebrate a kill because it would draw other predators. Coyotes do not run in packs, they are a family unit. A "pack" is all the same family, single alpha male, female, youngsters and pups. The two or three minute series of yelps is the greeting to the alpha male regardless of kill or not. Last thing coyotes want to do is advertise a kill and invite other family units to contest the kill.

Typically you'll hear it more in the winter months, Dec-Feb as it's mating season and the males are wandering a bit.

If you own any dogs, and you notice that when you come downstairs after a nap and they do a short series of greeting barks/howls ... same thing. They are greeting you, the alpha male back into the group. If you have more than one dog it will usually be the beta male/older dog that will start the greeting and the younger dog(s) will join in.

Coyotes are extremely vocal predators .... probably the only thing they don't vocalize is a kill. Not a good evolutionary trait to advertise a kill and invite every other group of coyotes/wolves/pumas to come steal it.

They will also vocalize to alert the family unit to interlopers, other predators, large animals, and sometimes just to advertise their dominance over a certain area. And also just to announce they are a well knit family unit. Typically 90% of the yipping you will hear is the alpha male greeting. Extended howls are usually a lone animal calling to the family unit for one reason or another.

What foot hold trap is your go to trap...I prefer running snares in this deep snow....with a nice bait pile....the tracks in the snow tell you where to hang the snares....we have to nun a deer stop on our snares here in NH...how about you guys ?

[beemergary]

In Michigan upper peninsula they will usually do a little howling just at daylight Figured they were just letting their buddies know where sleeping for the day. Where I live in the lower lots of people don't know there around. Last week with a full moon just at dark they where going crazy yipping-howling-barking. I' ve heard wolves before but not as creepy as coyotes.

[dataway]

Originally Posted by MUSLCAH

What foot hold trap is your go to trap...I prefer running snares in this deep snow....with a nice bait pile....the tracks in the snow tell you where to hang the snares....we have to nun a deer stop on our snares here in NH...how about you guys ?

I've never done any trapping .... have a few friends that do. I've watched trapping turn a few of my friends into .. well, kind of mountain men Once you get used to the routine required by trapping ... it changes you. Lots of time in the woods.