Coyotes Attack! Oh, nevermind.

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Deer, herd, feeding, doe, buck

The deer herd feeding in the hay field.

Something caught my attention, while cruising around the North end of the log decks.  Lots of animals were running in the hay field.  The mill property has a couple hundred acres of hay fields  and ponds on the North end of the log yard.  Each afternoon a large herd of deer comes into the fields to graze.  This morning, they were already in the field and running all over the place.  This is odd behavior for the deer because they weren’t leaving.  They usually wander randomly around the field feeding.  If anyone gets too close they just leave the field for the cover of the nearby Valley Oaks.  This time they were running helter skelter around the field, but not leaving.  I was about a quarter mile away and could not discern what was going on.  I pulled out my camera and zoomed in on the action.  Then I saw the three coyotes.  This is what happened next.

Deer, herd, feeding, doe, buck

Enjoying the sunny morning, the deer placidly graze.  They seem unconcerned  about anything going on around them.

Coyote, Stalking, hunting, deer

Moving in on the deer herd, this coyote was intent on having venison for breafast.

Coyote, hunting, stalking, prey

The coyotes non-chalantly move closer and closer to the herd.

Deer, herd, feeding, doe, buck

The big buck spots the sneaky coyotes.

buck, doe, deer, black-tail deer, prey, predator

Two does and the big buck aren’t going to tolerate the coyotes stalking the herd.

Coyote, doe, deer, buck, stalking, hunting, feeding

This brave doe takes the lead in dealing with the interlopers.

Coyote, doe, deer, buck, stalking, hunting, feeding

The two does surround the lead coyote. The coyote was not expecting this.

coyote, deer, doe, predator, prey, fight back, retreat

The second coyote decides not to stick around. No loyalty amoung coyotes.

Coyote, doe, deer, buck, stalking, hunting, feeding

The coyote is having second thoughts and a venison meal.

Coyote, hunting, stalking, prey

Deciding it isn’t worth it the coyotes back off.

Coyote, hunting, stalking, prey

No venison today for this coyote.

Coyote, hunting, stalking, prey

Perhaps a nice field mouse would be good instead.

Deer, herd, feeding, black-tail deer

With the threat dealt with, the herd goes back to a leisurely breakfast.

50 thoughts on “Coyotes Attack! Oh, nevermind.”

  1. wow, i love this post! thanks so much for having your camera ready! the images are beautiful, and the story a great one! those sly coyotes – their late-night howling often sounded like demons when i lived in the dry rain forest of costa rica! z

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  16. Great sequence you’ve captured! Deer are tough, I found a coyote skull that had a perfect cloven heart-shaped hole punched through the forehead; and realized how Wily had been dispatched to happier hunting grounds.

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  20. What a great sequence. The only time I got a good look at a coyote was in suburban NYC, and let me tell you, that little guy looked terrible compared to these. It was scrawny & mangy. Now that I’m in Western Washington and I get into the real wild a bit more easily, maybe I’ll see a healthy one. Oh, and we had deer within NYC limits, too. Good thing you had your camera and weren’t in the middle of something critical!

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    • I don’t think of Coyotes and Cape Cod in the same sentence, but after learning about Coyotes in suburban NYC from Lynn at Bluebrightly, I guess they are very versatile. They do hunts in Northern California also.

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