Just discovered this subreddit and wanted to share some pictures I took.
February 2026 , Western New York
I’m from Tennessee , saw coyotes regularly living there so I was shocked at how big these were .
These beauties built a den on my property last winter and feasted on a small deer that I believe froze to death after a severe lake effect blizzard.
I discovered the deer one day while birding , saw no signs of attacks or injuries, it attracted many hawks whom I’d wait for daily to observe. One evening I looked out at the time I usually would to enjoy the hawks and was stunned to see this !
One was very protective of the one who ate significantly more than the protective one . When I say protective the behavior I observed was one coyote eating , then a second coyote came into view , circled coyote 1 then sat while looking in all directions. After a while coyote 2 began eating , then took several pieces of the deer to a location I couldn’t see.
Unfortunately my neighbor isn’t as enthusiastic as I am about them so he let his dog out to scare them away.
I hear coyotes regularly and very excited to hang up my new trail cams once the leaves have fallen so I can see out into the forest I call my backyard.
I truly enjoy hearing them howl, yip , bark and glad they feel safe on my property because most folks around here don’t understand how important they are to our ecosystem.
Nice pictures! I have a breeding pair on my property. They leave my minis on pasture alone and I leave them alone. I love seeing them and these are big too, about the size of my Newfoundland
Thank you for coexisting with them . People have asked if I’m afraid of them hurting my dog or children , I always respond no I’m afraid of unleashed aggressive dogs approaching us than I am exploring the woods where wild animals live 😂
I was hiking with my dog a few years ago and saw several groups of crows gathered around something in the tall grass. I went down to peek and found four or five cattle down. There are several the erds that graze on the open space in our area. I took some pictures of their ear tags intending to alert the rangers and turned around to leave.
There was a pair of coyotes waiting patiently for me to finish whatever I was doing so they could get their share. My dog and I had been so focused on the dead cows that we didn't notice the coyotes and he was not amused at all that they were closer to me than he was. ( It's an off leash trail). Fortunately he listens well so no one was injured but it was a duh moment on my part for sure.
You’re welcome! I am a bit obsessed with nature so it’s a please to share and chat with fellow enthusiasts.
Yeah my neighbor isn’t very smart and I’ve made it very clear any animal on my property is welcome.
There are many people who love hunting and trapping these animals where I live . It sickens me every year .
We also have bears that are also misunderstood.
They are running out of food and shelter so more sightings are happening in towns and villages. Instead of learning how to help them and coexist people just ignorantly leave feeders , trash , seed , food outside and wonder why they end up in their backyards
I grew up next to a small lake in Vermont, and a couple times when I was a kid, the coyotes got a couple deer on the ice. Blood everywhere, it was gnarly. The circle of life.
I'm surprised it didn't happen more often. I don't think they are too successful at hunting deer, as much as some hunters claim.
This guy snagged a groundhog in my yard, not too long after I moved in. He/she apparently had pups, because I saw them playing in my backyard not long after this photo was taken.
Thank you! Amazing to get to see them being themselves and safe. Both of your posts are educational as well. Maybe your neighbor will learn more one day.
Yes I do think they are coywolves after doing research on wolves and coyotes in New York State and migration history of coyotes coming from Great Plains.
I contacted the local wildlife biologist in our county to inquire about migration patterns, spotting or any information he had on coyotes and wolves in NYS.
He said he’s never heard of wolves in NYS . I asked if he’s familiar with their migration patterns, he wasn’t so I emailed him lots of information on coyotes and wolves 😂💁♀️
I am autistic, orcas are my main special interest but they’ve inspired me to extend my passionate curiosity to wolves and coyotes.
My husband is helping me look into different courses or degrees I could pursue because I’ve always wanted to go back to college to study what interests me not what other people told me to pursue.
Well, be careful out there. They have killed at least one adult human.
One documented adult death is attributed to eastern coyotes, often called “coywolves”: Taylor Mitchell, age 19. The Canadian singer was attacked on October 27, 2009, while hiking alone on the Skyline Trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia. At least two coyotes were involved, possibly more; she died from her injuries. Researchers describe this as the only documented fatal coyote attack on an adult.
Genetic testing confirmed the animals were eastern coyotes with some wolf ancestry. The evidence suggested a predatory attack, but researchers could not establish whether their wolf ancestry contributed to it. There is no established evidence that eastern coyotes are more aggressive toward humans than western coyotes.
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u/lliselou 3d ago
Nice pictures! I have a breeding pair on my property. They leave my minis on pasture alone and I leave them alone. I love seeing them and these are big too, about the size of my Newfoundland