Coyote Playing on a Tee Area at the Lake Shastina Golf Resort

Yesterday morning around sunrise I looked out my office window. In the foggy mist I saw an animal on the Lake Shastina Golf Course just 200 feet from my house. At first I thought it was a dog out for a walk with its owner. But then I pulled out the binoculars for a closer look. It was the coyote below, tossing around a small dead animal, just playing with it until he was ready to eat it.

 
Coyote on Lake Shastina golf course. Note that it has a critter in its mouth.
(Photo by John Soares)

Sorry the photo quality isn’t the greatest. I shot with the 200mm zoom lens all the way extended, af F6.3 at 1/8 of a second, through my office window, which definitely needs some washing.

We have lots and lots of coyotes near my house. For most of the summer Stephanie and I heard them every night, with the closest ones often only a hundred yards away. I also heard them in the predawn hours, and I wrote last summer about a moonlight walk and hearing coyotes, and owls.

I’ve grown to really appreciate coyotes. This spring I saw coyote pups playing in a nearby meadow just like golden retriever puppies. But I also respect them, and I’m careful to not let my golden Molly wander off alone.

What have been your experiences with coyotes?

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us