Coyote
This is an old webpage carried forward to our new site. Please note that some of the information might be out of date and we probably have newer footage.
Coyote
Coyotes are one of the symbols of the west. The “yip” of the ki-ote is a classic image of the desert, wide open plains, and rugged badlands topograhy and has topped off many a night for the backcountry camper (coyotes actually have several different types of calls including alarm calls and territorial calls).
Like many canids, coyotes have fairly strong family bonds. Both adults care in the raising of the young. Once the litter – usually about 3-4 pups (but we filmed one pack with a litter of 11 pups)- is old enough to travel they accompany the adults on the hunt. Everything is fair game from mice and voles up to deer and antelope. Although for coyotes to bring down the larger animals they usually need something to tip the balance in their favor, such as deep snows with a crust, or an injured prey animal.
Like the family dog, coyotes are extremely social animals with a strong family bond. Parents and young can often be seen playing and wrestling. Even adults will pick up a stick and make a toy out of it.
Filming Coyote Stock Video Footage
There’s two kinds of coyotes; those that are in national parks and other large protected areas, and those that are not. By that I mean that coyotes in national parks such as Yellowstone are quite tolerant of people, sometimes even approaching a videographer (but don’t feed them; it’s bad for them and can even be bad for you!). But coyotes outside of protected areas are wary and elusive. In the case of the latter you will have to spend lots of time waiting, but you can increase your odds by finding a large carcass they are feeding on, a den, or using a predator call. (As with all wildlife filming use good judgement and ethics, especially when filming near dens and using calls.)
Filming the call of the coyote takes a bit of luck, but you can increase your odds by being in the field at certain times of the day (obviously, night-time is best, but difficult for the film maker). Coyotes often seem to sing about an hour or so after sunrise. While this is I don’t know, but its as if they’ve had a long night hunting and they’re getting ready to rest so they want to communicate with both their family members and potential intruders.