How to tell the difference between coyotes and wolves (acre, calves, cows)
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I'm still waiting for my uncle to set up the trail cam. I too think it looks like a coyote - or rather, since I've never before seen a coyote, it looks like my idea of how a coyote looks. The problem is the size. Anecdotal internet evidence aside, this animal is not border collie sized, as my vet tells me coyotes are. He is taller than my GSD, and that is what makes no sense at all. It is messing with my mind - he looks like a coyote, but his size and paw prints do not measure up to a coyote. And I am sure of what I saw in terms of height.
The paw print - I would like to get another few clear samples of his prints because they were so big, I doubt what I saw. We got a lot of rain overnight and so I hope to get another sample of his prints. But it depends on how far out in the field he is when I next see him and whether the grain, which is up now, hides his prints.
I either actually have the world's biggest coyote, or maybe it is something else. I would think I had hallucinated everything about him but my husband saw him too on the same day when my GSD was close enough to get a size comparison. My husband used to hunt and is familiar with coyotes, and he thinks it is a wolf based on the size.
I require more proof. All I know is I felt very vulnerable when that animal was 25 feet away and I don't scare easily.
I just showed my uncle your photo and he said most likely a big coyote or a small wolf . He is a hunter too . But his consensus is coyote . Yeah he also said to tell you to be very careful since that thing did not scare too easily he might be getting a free meal from one of your neighbors , I would keep my distance and that of any of my animals and please teach yourself how to shoot a riffle , good luck to you and I hope we see better pictures soon .
I live about 45 minutes south of Montreal in the foothills of the Adirondacks and our coyotes are BIG. My husband shot one that weighed over 60 pounds and I can assure you it was big enough to kill any dog. In fact we lost our doberman.rottweiler mix one spring and assume it was to the incredibly large male we saw hanging around. There has been talk among wildlife experts of a hybrid coyote/wolf, but I'm just as convinced these are coyote/dog mixes.
yep as we all know there are some idiot dog owners out there that let their dogs off leash in national parks and never come back and people are forced to leave them and then they breed with the coyotes and wolves and wallah we have coyote /dog mixes . Im sorry Im not trying to offend anyone on here but all of us who have lived in the country know this happens more than we like .. :0 !!!
yep as we all know there are some idiot dog owners out there that let their dogs off leash in national parks and never come back and people are forced to leave them and then they breed with the coyotes and wolves and wallah we have coyote /dog mixes . Im sorry Im not trying to offend anyone on here but all of us who have lived in the country know this happens more than we like .. :0 !!!
Domestic lost or abandoned dogs wouldn't survive the winter here. The only places I know of with wild dogs would be those on the native reserves, as we call reservations here. Wild dog packs there can be dangerous.
Anyway, I do not know how to explain my impression of the size of this animal since standard sizes exist for the reason that they are standard sizes. I don't seriously believe I have an abnormally large coyote here. Maybe I completely miscalculated the size and he is just a normal coyote.
However he killed one of the feral barn cats just at the back of the barn last night, and nearly tore the whole face off another. I spotted him today and for the first time my impression through the binoculars was that he was not happy. When he sees me he instantly lies down. The other times he did this I could always see the shape of his ears and this time he had them flat against his head and they were not visible. He also licked a few times at his side, which gave me the impression that he was hurt.
Then he got up - I walked out a little further and saw a doe in the bush and my impression was he had been stalking the doe when he saw me. Whatever he is, his days are numbered. Killing barn cats 15 feet away from the back barn door is too much.
Domestic lost or abandoned dogs wouldn't survive the winter here. The only places I know of with wild dogs would be those on the native reserves, as we call reservations here. Wild dog packs there can be dangerous.
Anyway, I do not know how to explain my impression of the size of this animal since standard sizes exist for the reason that they are standard sizes. I don't seriously believe I have an abnormally large coyote here. Maybe I completely miscalculated the size and he is just a normal coyote.
However he killed one of the feral barn cats just at the back of the barn last night, and nearly tore the whole face off another. I spotted him today and for the first time my impression through the binoculars was that he was not happy. When he sees me he instantly lies down. The other times he did this I could always see the shape of his ears and this time he had them flat against his head and they were not visible. He also licked a few times at his side, which gave me the impression that he was hurt.
Then he got up - I walked out a little further and saw a doe in the bush and my impression was he had been stalking the doe when he saw me. Whatever he is, his days are numbered. Killing barn cats 15 feet away from the back barn door is too much.
Yes netwit that is too close for comfort and now is the time to do something or it could be you or your dog . The laying down of the ears on the head makes me think he was stalking you or the doe . That is also a sign of agression as well . Get rid of him , I know that he is probably hungry but now he is getting too close for comfort . take care of yourself first and your family .
Have opened and viewed the photo on 400% zoom intently, and still am uncertain. Will cautiously stick with the first impression and say that the animal is either a feral dog, a wolf/coyote hybrid, or a dog/coyote mix. It just is too darn big to be a pure coyote. In addition, the animal does not quite have the sharp facial features that coyotes have, the more narrow pointed nose. Be interesting to see how this turns out, the animal's days seem to be numbered due to it's recent activity. It was mentioned that it may have been injured. Deer have sharp hooves that can deliver very rapid blows, and that doe it was seen stalking may have landed a few solid kicks while defending herself. This time of year she could very likely have a new fawn, and does can be very aggressive in defending them.
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
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Originally Posted by netwit
It's not a dog. I know all the dogs here. This animal has a straight tail, no curl in it. When it is trotting the tail is carried low - the two times I saw it in a full run the tail was straight out behind it. From what I've read, coyotes carry their tails low and wolves can carry it high. But I didn't get from the reading I've done whether a coyote running flat out will still carry it's tail low.
It has a thick ruff around the neck. I've never heard it make a sound. My dog has interacted with it at night.
Googling images of grey wolves, I've come across a couple that resemble most the animal I saw rather than the coyote images I've viewed. Oh, and my dogs are neutered.
Coyotes, wolves and dogs can and do hybridize, which blends the lines a bit, but I doubt you would mistake a coyote for a wolf if you saw the two in a line up. A wolf would make you scared, not curious and wary. Coyotes make you curious and wary.
An anecdote: While playing a morning round of golf about a month ago I found the remains of a cat lying in the middle of the fairway. Two paws, a stripped foreleg with the scapula attached, the tail and the face of the cat were all that remained. There is at least one pair of coyotes that live and hunt on that golf course. They are actually beautiful animals with beautiful coats - well fed by fat, golf-course squirrels (and apparently cats) - not mangy at all and look to be quite similar in size to huskies or shiba inus. Not little 35 pound desert coyotes at all.
The behavior that you described here probably means that the coyote poses some menace to your property; it's probing for opportunity whether that be garbage, unattended dog, new foal, cats, etc. etc. I get the sense that this may not be something you want to do, but I would recommend you shoot that coyote if you see him again or at least shoot at him. You're not doing him any favors if you bolster his confidence around humans.
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- he looks like a coyote, but his size and paw prints do not measure up to a coyote. And I am sure of what I saw in terms of height. 
