Over a 13-day period in mid-October, I recorded sound of the local group of coyotes as they gathered and vocalized. I made these recordings from my bedroom window, typically between 8 and 10 p.m.; the coyotes were often very close but I never saw them. You may have heard the sound of coyotes howling – these group sounds are nothing like that.
Coyotes 2012 October 8-20 by American Nacre
We believe that this group, which seems to have arrived in the neighborhood in late summer, is responsible for the vastly reduced numbers of game birds and other small wildlife since that time. We have made the difficult decision to hunt the coyotes and kill them.
Why do they make so much noise? What's the purpose? Does it scare up game? Or is it to notify neighboring packs?
ReplyDelete-Bill Mc
I don't know. I've only ever seen single animals and once a group of three, but the recordings seem to be of a much larger group. Usually they start up all at once and go silent just as suddenly. They must have a pretty large range so maybe they gather up to share information and then disperse again.
DeleteWhat's the hunting strategy?
ReplyDeleteI would suspect there is a unlimited pool of replacements available to move in. That's certainly true of racoons.
-Bill
For the past couple of mornings, I've camoflaged myself and headed out to select vantages well before dawn, where I settle in, listen, and watch. I've got a call, but I doubt I'm fooling anything with it at this point.
ReplyDeleteAs I haven't heard any large howlings, my guess is that they're holed up somewhere downstream, or that they've heard me coming and snigger in my general direction from twenty feet away.
I may give evenings a try, and might switch to a larger caliber (30-30), which should work better in the heavy brush than the. 223, and would save me about four pounds of barrel mass.