Was Minnesota canine a wolf, coyote, or both?

2 thoughts on “Was Minnesota canine a wolf, coyote, or both?”

1. 

   Floyd Jares

   November 8, 2024 at 9:28 am

   45 years ago, I used to coyote hunt in the winter with my 2 buddies for the pelts and to do damage control for the parents and uncles who owned turkey farms on about 4,000 acres with a large swamp between our 480 acres. We covered 6 square miles of open, swamp and wooded land. The turkey farms were prime pickings for coyotes and it was a constant battle to control their #s. We used hounds to pick up the fresh track scents and then set posters on the open areas waiting for coyote to come out. Wolves and coyotes have a definitively pointed footprint, quite distinguishable from a dog’s footprint which is more rounded. In rural areas, most people have dogs. AND most don’t spay or neuter! As years passed, it became more difficult to get our hounds to want to “pick up” the scent and be willing to chase, even though it was a “hot” (fresh) track. As well, some of the tracks were getting larger and less pointed, ( not a wolf’s). Some of the pelts were getting strange color shades, not consistent with the norm. CONCLUSION: mixed dog/coyote! Hounds will not pick up if smelling dog! A coyote bitch will stand for a domestic dog stud if she can’t find or the domestic can fend off the coyote stud! Yes that happens. Also coyotes being smaller, rarely will attempt a full grown deer kill, as they don’t pack up as much and are more adept to just pairs, especially in our area as we controlled their #s. We had very few wolves. BUT when Noone would believe in our coyote/dog mixing theories, the evidence finally came. A full grown Whitetail deer killed by a few coyotes running with a larger domestic wild dog! ( Our 6 square miles was adjacent to a main hwy only an hour away from the metropolitan area.) Easy drop-off for people not wanting or able to keep their critters, (yeah, disgusting but true!) I would say the pictured “coyote?” could easily be part dog, but the MN DNR or related officials will never admit it.!!!

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2. 

   sr.klings40

   November 8, 2024 at 3:06 pm

   I drive truck a lot in central and northern North Dakota. Looks a lot like a northern North Dakota coyote!

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