A few observations

[leper]

Thought I'd share some personal observations. For the young hunters. I'm going on my 48th season hunting predators. Here are a few of my observations.

Red fox on average any given day. Will spend most of their daytime hrs sleeping in a hard shelter. Hard shelter as in, a den hole or culvert tube for example. I have found no rhyme or reason as for the days they prefer to spend the day outside sleeping vs inside a hard shelter sleeping.

Some claim it is due to a warm, Sunny day. I have found that opinion to not hold any water. Because over the yrs I have hunted thousands of sunny days w/o seeing any sign. I have also hunted as many bitter cold days w/o Sunshine & overcast & have seen the Reds.

Coyotes prefer to sleep outside in the elements. In an area that offers them a brake from the prevailing wind. Such as a grassy/brushy slough, down-wind side of a berm/terrace, hillside, ect.

Rarely does a coyote use a hard shelter during the Winter months. A few reasons when they will. Is from being pursued or during harsh Winter weather, such as a blizzard or ice storm.

Neither canine likes blowing snow or pelting ice. Et will seek shelter & hole-up or hunker down in a cover area, whichever. However, they both will hunt/travel in bitter stout Winter winds. Expect them to be on the down-wind areas. As that is where the wind is the least.

[leper]

I hunt open rolling foothills. Which affords me with great viewing(useing binocs & a spotter scope) of the coyotes from long range. While they act naturally in their setting.

When I was young I got right to the killing part. Et didn't care much about observing. But over the following yrs, I thought why not observe & learn from them. So that is what I started doing, observing.

My observations.
An adult pair. Most often, as in almost all of the time. The female will be the lead coyote when the pair is on the move. She will often check-up, if something draws her attention. When she is checked-up. The male will often move up near her or even take the lead. Then he will scan the area up ahead. Sometimes he will advance abit farther, then he will check-up.

Then the female will take the lead once again from him, if all is well. The female dictates where they both go. As the male is the lag coyote. As he resumes his position behind her when on the move.

When they choose to bed down. Once they have scanned the area. The male will most often be the 1st to bed down & relax. Then a short while later, The female will then bed down. The male will soon curl up into a ball to sleep. Although coyotes tend to sleep lightly.

The female, even after bedding down. Will continue to scan the area for a long while, before relaxing & putting her head down.

The female being the most wary & observant of the two.

When I see a pair on the move, hunting/traveling. Even though I haven't I.D'd their sex yet(who's who?). I figure the female is the lead coyote. Until proven otherwise.

[Timber Butte Outdoors]

Very Good Observation! Thank You for sharing!

[leper]

Don't encourage me, Gary Ya know I never learned much from a dead coyote. Met the Son of a landowner yesterday on a gravel road. His Father owns a lot of land along the river. Where a large puma roams. His Father denied me permission.

His Son expressed he wants to take up coyote hunting. I offered him to come along with me. I also asked him to work on his dad to allow me on his land. 2 birds with one stone

Back to looking for puma sign today.