I watched the coyote belly creep slowly, very slowly over the packed snow. He was approaching a flock of wild turkeys that were on the southern exposure of the river bank, apparently enjoying what little warmth the winter sun provided.
Not too long ago such a sight would have been impossible along the Au Sable as coyotes were non-existent or very rare in this valley. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, the prime predator of the family Canidae in the Au Sable watershed was the red fox. In the 1970’s, 1980’s and the 1990’s, the coyote went from non-existent to being the most common wild canid. As the coyotes increased and expanded their range, the red fox population decreased. Coyotes will commonly prey on the smaller fox and where the range of the two species overlap the number of foxes will decrease in proportion to the increase in coyotes. A long time trapper in the area stated that the red fox was his prime target until the middle of the 1970’s when coyotes became dominant. He didn’t particularly like this development as coyotes are much more difficult to trap than foxes. I saw my first coyote in Michigan in the early 1960’s. It was early in the morning on the South Branch just upstream from Downey’s. I was thrilled at what was then a rare sighting. Now, thirty some years later, I probably experience ten to twelve coyote sightings each year.
The coyote is a very intelligent and adaptable animal. Despite decades of hunting, trapping and poisoning and other attacks by humans, he has expanded his range. This is true even with the new threat of urban sprawl. I have read of coyote populations within suburban Los Angeles, Bergen County, N.J., downtown Seattle, and Madison, Wisconsin. Here in Michigan they have become a major problem to sheep farmers in Washtenaw County, just west of Ann Arbor.
With his grizzled or reddish grey coat and bushy tail (which often has a black tip), the coyote resembles a small German shepard dog. He is the best runner among the canids and can reach speeds up to 40 mph over a short distance. Coyotes can be very vocal and their music is extremely varied. You may hear a series of barks and yelps changing into short sharp yaps and whines. I can recall several unseasonably cold nights during the Hex season when I sat with clients waiting in vain for the "Hatch." The disappointment of no Hex and no fish was cushioned by listening to the wild chorus of several coyote clans discussing the night’s hunt.
Now, let’s go back to my view of the coyote stalking the turkeys. The event began when a flock of 30 to 40 wild turkeys walked in single file across the frozen river just downstream from our house. It was a clear, cold winter day with temperatures just above zero. I watched the turkeys settle in on the southern exposed river bank. Shortly thereafter, I spotted a coyote creeping ever so slowly and carefully through the woods towards the unsuspecting turkeys. When the coyote got within thirty yards of the nearest turkey he froze and remained absolutely motionless behind a small balsam fir.
Just as I was wondering what his next move would be, one of the turkeys began looking very alertly down the frozen river. Up the ice, about ten feet out from the shore opposite the stationary turkeys, came another coyote. Coyote No. 2 was trotting along with no effort or concealment. She would stop every few feet and stand. It appeared as though she was oblivious to the turkey dinners on the river bank.
As the coyote got closer and closer the turkeys started to become agitated. Those sitting got to their feet and they all began to mill about with considerable clucks, chirps and other turkey talk.
It was obvious what the coyotes were doing -- the old decoy and ambush ploy. The plan was being executed to perfection. The coyote on the ice stopped across the river from the turkeys. She just stood there, ignoring the turkeys, and gazing upstream. The turkeys began to move slowly into the woods, heading directly toward the first coyote, the ambush.
I had been watching this scene from behind my den door wall. At this point, I tried to move to a better viewpoint. One of the coyotes must have seen my movement because the entire tableau disintegrated and I never got to see if the clever coyotes would have been successful and dined on a turkey dinner.
When I see a coyote crossing the road, or trotting along the edge of a clear cut, I remember the cooperation of that pair of coyotes along the frozen Au Sable. It is interesting to note that reports of cooperative hunting among coyotes are common, but I have never seen nor heard of red foxes cooperating; they appear to be lone hunters.
It may have been noticed that I refer to the coyote in the ambush position as "he" and the decoying coyote on the ice as "she." I can’t prove that this is correct, but experience has shown that the females of most species are the most adept at luring, convincing, and subtly directing. RWOL
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