Coyote den digging

M

medic joe

Well-known member
Over my hunt years. What interested more was observing coyote behaviors vs wanting to kill them all. Most of them I've observed being themselves as a pair or in a family group. Two times, I recall was during the latter period of Winter into early Spring. I watched two pairs of coyotes digging a den hole. From what I could determine between the two pairs. Was the male was doing most of the digging/dirt slinging vs the females. As the female sat idly nearby. I can't prove one way or the other. But I believe it is the female. Who initiates the den site dig. Then the male takes over & does most of the hard work digging.

I never tried my hand at either pair. Both of those den diggings were around or at 1/2 mile away. I was using high power optics as I observed both pairs. I observed them for 1/2 an hour or so & moved on.
 
Can’t dispute what you observed, but seems to go against nature. Can’t think of any species that after conception, the male does anything other than maybe guard or hunt for the future offspring.
 
Spurchaser said:
Can’t dispute what you observed, but seems to go against nature. Can’t think of any species that after conception, the male does anything other than maybe guard or hunt for the future offspring.
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Some things I have observed with a mated pair of coyotes is; Whatever the female decides, the male follows suit. As in when, where, & what they do. As in when, where they decide to bed down. Also when they are on the move, the male is most often the lag coyote. Unless she pauses, then the male may/will take over the lead. For a short ways anyway. Then the female will take over as the lead coyote again while on the move.

I agree with you on what a male's primary duties are. I haven't witnessed that 1st hand, as for rearing his pups. If the female dies when her pups are still young. Then does the male take over her duties rearing those pups? I believe a male coyote will do just that.

I seen with a pair of Red Fox. Her kits were roughly 6 weeks old. When she was killed on a nearby highway. So I wondered if he took over her duties. I observed continual days after she died. He had done just that. Took over her duties rearing his young. I believe a male coyote will do the same with his offspring.
 
Can a trans coyote breast feed pups? LOL I just thought of that when reading about the male rearing his pups. I saw on the news, some trans dude bumbling on the question on breast feeding.
 
The male will hunt and guard as previously stated, so yeah, I’d imagine if the female was killed, he would still fulfill his duties. I just don’t think he’s doing the digging.
 
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