My lunch run was interesting yesterday. I am still just building and taking it easy, and decided to hit the real trails for a short loop. Lots of beautiful rain and flooding made for great running. One of the hills is likely a bit steep for my achilles since it forces me up on my toes more at points, but it went ok. Then I hit the wide track on the homestretch and find three coyotes at the top of a short rise. One starts towards me while the others area bit more circumspect. I grab some rocks and cautiously move forward .... they finally disperse after a brief stand-off and I jog on, to find a new barbed wire fence put up where I rejoin the trail coming from "civilization." Luckily a tree had busted a small hole on the fence a hundred yards down or so

Spot the three friends?

The pics of the rain are astounding.  Seems a little too much in too short of a timeframe.

Interesting that there were three coyotes together.  They are by nature solitary animals, not 'pack' animals, though recent work shows some are adopting a pack hunting strategy, which might be what you saw.  Next time,  make sure to leave your toy poodle and chihuahua at home.  No need to bring bait out into the woods with you. 

 

I have almost always seen them alone, but most of what I have read suggests that they often hunt in pairs or small packs.  Some of what I have heard at night would sometimes suggest a pack kill with three or more participating.

I agree. I see them come in pairs fairly often. I get them to leave as a single as often as I can or not at all, if possible. And, like you, when I hear them at night, there usually seems to be quite a few together.

Beautiful woods, how awesome to have that in your life in the middle of the day...there was an article in our paper today asking us to stay off the trails due to the mud...they mentioned my trail I run at lunch but still going to head out on it. 

Interesting that there were three coyotes together.  They are by nature solitary animals, not 'pack' animals, though recent work shows some are adopting a pack hunting strategy, which might be what you saw.  Next time,  make sure to leave your toy poodle and chihuahua at home.  No need to bring bait out into the woods with you. 

During my first trip to the Grand Tetons back in the mid-90s, I watched a pack trying to separate a pronghorn and her calf from the herd in mid-day. At least I assumed they were coyotes and not wolves. They were a lot smaller than the pronghorn. They were pretty far away to see even with binoculars.

Beautiful pics. Here in Southern indiana, I always hear or see at least 3 coyotes together and sometimes if I am lucky I will hear one "pack" or group communicating with another not more than a couple miles away. I haven't personally had any issues with them but a few weeks ago while my dog and I were out running the roads at 4 am, I heard this group getting into it with a dog in a field. Couldn't see them in the dark but they weren't more than a couple hundred feet from us. Made me a little nervous.