It's not quite to this level - I'm not getting "sleeping with the fish" vibes, but it's a message just the same.
Since I live on a farm out in the middle of Nowhereville in FlyOver Country, encounters with wildlife are a way of life. Usually, it's pests like rattlers, skunks, or raccoons that harsh my mellow. Coyotes, while always present and a major factor in pet safety considerations, are rarely confrontational.
While I'm no Professor of Scatology - I do recognize coyote crap when I see it. I've got a couple of little piles about two feet from my bottom step from my front porch. One pile is far fresher than the other, so the coyote in question has taken it upon itself to dump in the same spot twice. Right in my path leaving the house. I could have taken a picture and posted it, but I thought I'd spare y'all that image....
Now, not being a student of coyote psychology, I don't know if this action is equatable to counting coup or just checking to see if the resident house cat might be free for lunch. But dropping a load in the same place twice? Right in my path?
Coincidence my ass.
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3 comments:
Get a hold of Wirecutter over at http://ogdaa.blogspot.com/
He's quite an expert on coyotes!
Being a student of scatology myself here in the wilds of Sonoma, I'm wondering if what you are seeing is, in layman's terms, Fox poo. (Which is usually distinguished from coyote poo by the many berries and grapes in it.) I've noticed the foxes seem to overcompensate for their size with aggressive pooing to mark their territory. The coyotes around here prefer liquid markers. All of it drives the terriers crazy.
While a fox as the culprit is possible, it's not probable around here. They tend to hang around the immediate Arkansas River basin where there is more water - sometimes. I've only actually seen a fox "in the wild" maybe twice or three times? I'd say that included dead on the side of the road, too. I remember the last time I did see a live fox vividly - it was a couple of years ago north of Syracuse KS - within a few miles of the river - about ninety miles west of here.
As for content of said scat - the semi arid desert here just does not support berries or grapes unless they are regularly tended by humans. Pretty scarce, period.
I based my conclusion on the appearance - compared to the "better fed" dog - it looks skinnier, darker, more fibrous and "dry." Frankly, it looks like it might be painful just getting rid of it! I've seen droppings all over the yard over the years - they have no problem getting close to the house, but "in my face" - not so much.
The yard (several acres) is a haven for cottontails, mice, some rats in the out buildings and a few feral cats, so I expect the occasional keen voiced visitor here at the Poor Farm! I get hawks and huge (to me anyways) barn owls as well looking for something to eat. I've heard the death squeaking of many a cottontail in the still of the night. There are plenty of jackrabbits out here as well, but they like more open country.
Another possibility is that it could be a dog. Lord knows there have been plenty of strays wander by over the years - but even if they have gone wild, they usually let themselves be seen. They just aren't as "crafty" as a coyote, and if a dog was that close to the front door, it would probably be pretty interested in becoming re-domesticated (is that a word?)That's how I obtained my last dog - she was wild but let herself be seen for the attention.
Bobcats are rarely seen, too. They tend to hang around the river, but my neighbor, who has a ton of cats in his shed, had one that hung around eating the less nimble of his charges for a while. He walked around the corner one day and about bumped into it - he said the head was shaped wrong for a house cat and it was quite a bit larger - which is what got his attention, because at first he figured it was just one of his cats.
This particular area of Kansas is pretty dry - our hunting sections have no wild turkey season because they are so rare, and other birds like prairie chicken are also scarce. Pheasant, we got. Lots. No antelope, but deer - whitetail and mule - manage to survive.
So, anyhow, that's my reasoning for the speculation. Not evidence, for sure!
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