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Coyote
The coyote is a member of the dog family. It's scientific name is canis latrans. There are nineteen
subspecies of the coyote each with small differances in coloring or size. Originally inhabiting the
southwestern region of the American continent, they have expanded their range as far north as Alaska
and as far east as Maine. A true modern day success story. The animal gets slightly larger the further
north it lives. Some of the largest coyotes, weighing in excess of 46 lbs, have been found living in and
around towns and cities and are known to have acheived their size by eating domestic pets such as
small dogs and cats. They will gladly help themselves to any food left outside for someone's pet. They are opportunistic and will eat almost anything.
They will breed with domestic dogs such as the german shepard. The result is known as the coydog.
The coyote's trait's are almost always dominant and this can be clearly seen in the coydog's behavior. It
is suspected that the larger size of northern coyotes results in part from breeding with domestic dogs.
The denning season is between February and June with the female producing anywhere from one to six
pups. The coyote is extreemly intelligent and adaptable and thus known as the cunning trickster.
Outside of the major cities, the coyote thrives, especially around land fills, garbage dumps or wherever
humans live. Although there are few recorded instances of coyotes attacking humans, they have been
known to threaten small children. The coyote communicates by howling. If you are using a predator call
and the coyotes start howling, it usually means they are aware of your presence. Unless you have a coyote howler, you may as well find a new area to hunt.
The gray fox
Gray foxes are common to most of the US, Mexico and Central America. The fur is gray in color with the
underside being a light, rusty brown appearance. The have a black stripe running down the length of the
back and tail. The tip of the tail is black. They are the most common fox found in the southern US. They
have also been called the tree fox as it can climbs trees. To the untrained eye the gray fox is similar in appearance to the kit fox .
Crow
The crow is a black colored bird about 20 inches long. It is abundant and found around the world and
even in Australia. Its numbers have increased along with the human population. They can be found in
great numbers in the numerous garbage dumps and land fills throughout the United States and the world
. They are among the most intelligent of birds. They eat almost anything and prey on other birds, small
mammals and reptiles. They can gather by the thousands and become destructive to many crops. The
raven is in the same family as the crow and its numbers are on the increase as well.
Bobcat
The bobcat is so named because of it's short tail. It is closely related to the lynx and a member of the
cat family, felidae with it's scientific name being lynx rufus. It is an extremely wary animal with most
people never having seen one in the wild. Being nocturnal, they are mostly active at night and in the
early morning. They have short, soft fur light brown to tan in color with dark spots on the underside. They
range from southern Canada to central Mexico and favor rocky terrain. They feed on small animals such
as rabbits, ground squirrels, gophers, mice, birds and lizards, etc. They are excellent climbers and live
in rocky crevices , small caves and hollow trees. At the first sign of danger, they seem to just disappear
as they blend in well with the surrounding terrain. It's the rare hunter who gets a second chance with the
bobcat. Their average weight is around 15lbs with the males occasionally going to 25 or 26 lbs. The male
is slightly larger then the female. The females give birth to 3 or 4 kittens in early summer when the food
supply is most plentiful. The young leave the nest by late summer. Thought to be endangered by animal
rights groups, they are in fact plentiful. Nonetheless there is a scientifically determined and limited take
of this animal. I have seen very few hunters ever fill out their tags. As with any predator, their numbers
will fluctuate according to the available food supply. During years with heavy rains their numbers explode right along with their prey.
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