02/26/05
Coyotes here to stay, and probably howl, too
OUTDOORS COLUMN
The howls and yelps could be heard for miles.
They were just up over the hill, barking and singing in the darkness. Were they calling others? Were they on the trail of another deer? The coyotes were ever-present in the cold, dark night.
I had heard that the word coyote comes from the Spanish for "be quiet or shut up." Early Spanish travelers would hear the small, wild dogs howling in the moonlight — keeping them awake all night — so they would yell, "Coyote, coyote!"
Actually, the word comes from an Indian term, which means God’s dog. To native Americans, the coyote was sacred — an animal to be admired. These cunning hunters are highly adaptable creatures.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]Today, coyotes can be found in every state in America. They live in the big forests, farm lands and even in towns and cities.
Contrary to popular belief, the state had nothing to do with the introduction of the coyote to New York. I’ve heard rumors that people had seen the Department of Environmental Conservation releasing these dogs many years ago to control the deer population. It’s just not true.
The eastern coyote, which lives here today, is a distant relative and an entirely different species than the ones from the west. Our dogs are much larger than those. A large male, eastern coyote can weigh as much as 70 pounds, where his western cousin only tips the scales at about 35 pounds on a good day.
The eastern coyote is probably a cross with the timberwolf that has dispersed across Canada into the eastern U.S. They have evolved over several decades and filled a niche in the environment and ecosystems.
I saw my first coyote around 1972 in the Adirondacks. While camping in the back country, it was a rare treat to hear them howling in the darkness of night. Today, they are everywhere. On any given night, they can be heard, barking and yelping their melodious songs on all the surrounding hills.
I had earlier suggested that the coyote has been decimating our deer herds, running down the deer and killing many of the fawns. They probably do, and there’s nothing that we can do about it. No other animal in North America has withstood more intense efforts of man to wipe them out than coyotes.
The wolf was easy, but the coyote has been poisoned, trapped, shot and hunted with helicopters and dogs. Still his numbers are far more than they were 50 years ago.
How can that happen? Open seasons and bounties have had no effect on controlling these animals whatsoever. We just have to face it. The coyote is here to stay.
These animals are so adaptable that a friend of mine watched a big coyote wait for the traffic light to change in a populated section of Westchester County before going out into the street to pick up a dead squirrel. Heck, we can’t even train some of our kids to watch for cars.
When coyote numbers are low and food is readily available, the number of pups in a litter is large. However, when their numbers are sufficient to maintain the pack, their litters are small. No matter how many we kill, there will be just as many the following year. As I said, the coyote is here to stay.
Will the coyote have a detrimental effect on our deer herd? Sure. If a we don’t find a wounded deer before dark, there’s a good chance the coyotes will.
Will they kill fawns in the spring? Yes. Coyotes are opportunistic creatures. They not only clean up roadkill, but they remove weaker animals from the herd.
We’re just going to have to live with it.
An Introduction to Fly Fishing Course will be held at the Chase Physical Education Building on the Oneonta State campus from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 12. Classroom instruction will include entomology, fishing knots and a basic knowledge of fly fishing, interspersed with practical, hands-on casting instruction. Bring a lunch and your own equipment if you have it. Loaner equipment is available. Cost is $25. For more information, call Bob Turrell at 607-432-2240.
