Coywolves?

[cosermann]

Was talking with a friend of mine this week that lives in central rural Owen County. He was telling me he hasn't seen a "regular" coyote in some time, but rather animals that appear a fair bit larger/huskier than the coyotes we've been accustomed to seeing over the years. Also told me he's seen them running in groups/packs.

Coywolves or some other kind of coyote hybrid perhaps?

If they're encroaching on the Chicago area [1] and moving west, there are undoubtedly some in Indiana, but I had not heard of significant possible sightings until now.

[1] - Hybrid wolves in Chicago? | Sun Times National

 

[bartonmd]

Interestingly enough, the coyote that I watched all morning from my stand last Sunday (in Owen County) was a fair bit bigger than some other other full-grown coyotes that I've seen around the farm. I wondered if it was a coywolf, but didn't think they had gotten down here, yet.

Mike

 

[Sailor]

I though all the Eastern yotes had some wolf in them vs their western counterparts?

 

[singlestacksig]

Eastern Coyote & Northern red wolf..

Video: Meet the Coywolf | Watch Nature Online | PBS Video

 

[ghitch75]

i used to hunt the Flatwoods back in the 80's east of Spencer and there was coyote's out there the size of a German shepherd's........there one big male had been shot at so may times that when he would see anyone he would drop down and belly crawl and disappear......

so yes i believe what your saying....

 

[indiucky]

I posted this one time on here and will post it again...A neat documentary and a story I followed closely as it unfolded...The first recorded case of a coyote killing an adult...Very tragic, the young lady was a beautiful up and an coming folk singer in Canada...It goes into detail of the attack..At first they expected something to be "wrong" with the three coyotes but all three were healthy and well....Most of the coyotes we see in Perry County seem to have that strain of wolf DNA...This story is one reason I keep a handgun close by even while working around the yard out there...

[video=youtube;5g6SsyRajNg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g6SsyRajNg[/video]

 

[Leadeye]

See these things on the game cameras.

 

[churchmouse]

We have seen some good sized Yotes out west by the state line.
The ones we have popped up north of Clearwater you would swear hey were wolves by the size of them. Been a couple of years ago.

 

[dak109]

See these things on the game cameras.

Beautiful, I would love to have that mounted.

 

[Zoub]

K

We have seen some good sized Yotes out west by the state line.
The ones we have popped up north of Clearwater you would swear hey were wolves by the size of them. Been a couple of years ago.

Only until you see large wolves.

 

[singlestacksig]

Coywolves? You'd think the dnr would mention something about this being truw

IIRC they are legally coyote so it does not matter to the DNR.. Hunting is the same, fur restrictions are the same..

 

[Vamptepes]

Dnr admitting something? We are talking about the people who refuse to acknowledge we had a confirmed case of a mountain lion. Or wilds pigs south. Or even in some cases the armadillos further south. Dnr does there job but they refuse to hit on the hottopics most of the time.

 

[ru44mag]

See these things on the game cameras.

These pics blow me away! I have known for years about wolf DNA in coyotes east of the Mississippi, but these pics are freaky. I have been trying to trap coyotes for the past 2 years, with no luck. Keep catching possums and cats. Every time I find a tripped, broke or missing trap, I think that was a coyote. Any suggestions on how big a trap I need for one of these critters?

 

[Who Dares Wins]

I might have seen some of these SW of Mooresville 3 weeks ago! We haven't seen as many deer as usual nearby, so this could explain it! The bigger one was dark/more hairy than I have seen coyotes before, but I have not seen many more than ~6 or so in the wild through the years.


Full Story:

I was up a tree SW of Mooresville on opening day for shotgun deer season and heard coyote howling in the dark around 6AM or so. At 7AM I saw a large dark coyote come walking up angled towards me and it passed by about 30 yds away to the NE without sensing me. Two minutes later two more passed by about 60 - 70 yds to the SW all heading in the same direction and it looked like they were operating as a pack to me. I didn't shoot, as I didn't want to scare any deer away by having a dead coyote nearby.

Now deer stopped by around 9AM acting alert and they stayed the far side of the SW coyote scent trail, but were heading in the same general direction as the coyotes towards their bedding area. The deer came running back about 30 mins later and a small doe was barking even which I had never seen before. They stayed the far side of the coyote scent trail and seemed to be hassled, so I wondered if they had come across the coyotes or maybe it was a buck chasing them who stayed out of my sight.

I am wondering now if the coyotes were actually coy-wolves and this would explain why we have seen less deer in the area this year!!

 

[Leadeye]

Found some more pics on the hard drive. Evil looking varmints.

 

[Who Dares Wins]

Found some more pics on the hard drive. Evil looking varmints.

The color of the LHS on is what I saw and maybe a little darker. It was not as dark as the picture on the right.

 

[Who Dares Wins]

Eastern Coyote & Northern red wolf..

Video: Meet the Coywolf | Watch Nature Online | PBS Video

So watching this video, it is saying that the "Coywolf" is really a cross breed between Western Coyotes and Eastern Wolves and is basically also known as the "Eastern Coyote". Less of a mystery, as they have been around for a while now, but an interesting video! Maybe I haven't seen enough of them in the wild yet, or maybe I should shoot some for a closer look!

 

[AtTheMurph]

Much more likely is a cross between a coyote and some sort of feral dog.

 

[Who Dares Wins]

The plot thickens!

 

[Leadeye]

During deer season 2012 I was in a stand that covers the clearing where the last pictures were taken. A full grown doe walked out of the clearing into the woods south of the stand down a trail that dog legs to the south east. Rather than watch her, I was watching the woods on the north side of the clearing looking for a trailing buck. I heard a terrific commotion down the trail, crashes and deer noises, thought maybe it was a buck fight over the doe. A little later curiosity got the best of me and I climbed down out of the stand to check it out. The doe was laying dead in the middle of the trail and one of these critters was eating the hindquarters, it ran as soon as we both saw one another.

I inspected the carcass and noticed that the neck was bloody and torn, probably how it was killed. The hindquarter facing up had been partially eaten along with some of the viscera around the anus. Went back to the house and brought the wife out to show her and remind her never to venture out without a handgun. Next morning the carcass was gone. Lesson learned.