Coyote and Fox

It’s common for coyotes to pack up and a fox to run alone. A fox family often sticks together through the spring and summer. They care for their young, who might spend a good deal of time in and around their den. When you see a lone fox you are probably seeing one of the parents out hunting for the family food.

Coyotes often hunt larger animals including deer, and often travel in pairs or more. Last winter I tracked down three coyotes that attacked a bedded deer and completely devoured it within that morning. I’m not sure how they do it, but somehow they completely skin a deer. They were sleeping off their fill like a Thanksgiving Dinner when I got there and dispersed. I tracked one of them for another hour but never got a visual. 

The coyote's chorus is a frequent occurrence while camping. Their howls can be erie, and give the impression that there’s a hundred of them. Sometimes at night by the fire I’ve had them yipping and howling at what sounded like less than 100 feet away, but even with a bright flashlight I usually can’t  see them. 

They mate in the late winter often out on open ice. If you look out over a snowy lake you’ll often catch a glimpse of some coyotes way out out there doing their thing. I have no idea why they go out on the ice like that, but I suppose it’s their equivalent of a hot spot pick up bar.