First Coydog

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IBgunner

New member
I think I saw my first "Coydog" in almost 30 years of coyote hunting. I was out last weekend and glassed a large black coyote eating on carrion at 250 yards or so. He was larger than most coyotes but no larger than a large mature male. His head almost looked like a German Shepard and I held off shooting because I was concerned it was some farmer's dog but when he took off, he moved like a coyote and his tail certainly said "coyote." Didn't get a round into him but I'm going back out to that area and try again. Between the unusually dark coloration, the dog like head, but with the movements and general shape of a coyote, I'd like to get another, better look at him. Is this typical of what a coydog looks like?
 
Quote:
Is this typical of what a coydog looks like?




Don't know. I have never seen one.

I don't think I could make that decision at 250 yards. Short of DNA, I don't know how you can make a case for a coydog.
 
Well, I have no physical proof , but...... A few years ago I was out night calling with BroncoGlenn. We cam upon what apreaed to be a coydog, but i chose to use my 10-22 and the dog was never recovered (Rookie ....use enough gun)

Now to today. I was returning to Vegas after visiting an out lying town for work. As I was driving down the desert highway and leaving another small town in the middle of no where, I noticed 2 dogs walking on the shoulder of the road. I pulled over and observed what apeared to be a coyote/mix (Dark color with some odd colored markings but physically and maneristicly apeared to be a coyote) that was being closely followed by a collie mix domestic dog who had it's nose tucked close to nd following the rear of the other "coydog" closely. They turned immediatly when I stopped and headed into the desert. This was not more than 35-40 yrds from me. Like I said, no DNA or proof. But If I would have been calling , it would have died.
 
Thanks. Yeah, that's why I didn't try a shot. Too many uncertainties and too long a distance to be certain of exactly what it was.
 
Not sure if it's a coydog or not, but here is one that I shot around Thanksgiving, last year. I personally believe it is one. Looks like a cross between a coyote and a sheltie (miniature collie). It had very short legs, elongated head, "weaselie" eyes, white feet and tail tip. It's coat was vibrant colors, but was very coarse (almost crunchy) feeling.

I honestly believe the coyote/dog hybrids do happen. Moreso in areas where coyotes and farmdogs coexist, like the Midwest. I've seen coyotes that have all kinds of unique colorations and size. One that I was pursuing all season, a couple years ago, had a 4"-5" white band like a collie and had to weigh over 60 lbs, estimated. Just my opinion.


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Tony
 
I've taken coyotes with those markings before and more white than that. I live in Dodge City and we have long faced coyotes and short faced coyotes... red coats, mottled coats, and dark coats.... varied like people I guess. And then again, this was just after dawn. The coyote's angle to me and the distance might have distorted his appearance. Who knows? This is the first time I've even been suspicious. And no, I don't see flying saucers... nor bigfoot either. This coyote you have pictured would tend to raise a guy's suspicions.
 
IMO, there out there, just pretty rare. As I've posted on here before, over 42 yrs of hunting predators. I've seen some that were not all coyote. The head, is what was remarkable mostly. All the ones I've seen were very large. None of them were exactly the same.

Just early this last Winter. Mahamari & I seen one close up, while out coyote spotting. It was kicked out of the middle of a mile section, from along a fenceline [by a farm tractor]. Looked to both of us. To be 1/2 coyote & 1/2 Long Haired Collie [the head looked all coyote]. But had very long flowing hair like a Collie.

Spoke with 2 old brother's [both farmers]. Told them of this sighting. They said to me another guy [a coyote hunter/trapper] seen it as well, & thought the hybrid. Was the same as what we thought, go figure.
 
Hi I'am a new guy here, from Louisiana. A few years ago I had my son and a friend of his (both about 14-15) out camping and hunting on a few hundred acres of cut over and fields we hunted. Got them tired boys bedded down for the night and was enjoying a fire , full moon and a cigar areoud 10:30 pm. I heard a group of what I believed to be coyotes giving chase to something, I think it was a deer, ,you could tell by the yelping it was moving fast.As they crossed a powerline to my left at about 150 yds, I thought thet were going to run through my campsite. They turnes north through a bottom and up a big hill. The group was a lot of yelpers and what sounded like a couple of "lead"dogs that was very deep and gutteral and mean, sounded very big to me. What ever it was they caught up to it and they shut up. My point is: several farmers and local people have used the term coy dogs. They all commonly believe they interbreed and or run together. I have popped a few coyotes in the past and hear them vocalize in the late evening. These sounded much larger. I do not believe it was any hunting dogs on a chase. My point is, they are around and maybe more common, based on what I hear around here.
Thanks
 
Luckydog, my guess would be they were dogs chasing deer, I've seen it in the daytime bowhunting for deer 25 years ago. Wanted to shoot the trash, but too far away.
I have seen and shot red coyotes that if not for the size it would be difficult to tell the difference from a red fox at 30 ft or farther. I saw one by Ft. Dodge that was so black I too thought it was a dog, it was near the farm I worked at. I could have shot it if I hadn't hesitated.
I caught a female near Emmetsburg that was so dark I thought she had mud on her, in the snow. She wasn't dirty.
Some have posted all black coyotes on this site or the trapperman site.T.20
 
Perhaps we could get a coyote and dog to appear on Jerry Springer and he could drop the DNA bombshell in front of a live national audience. There could be weeping and the coyote could run off backstage for Jerry to pursue with a candid interview. It wasn't the German Shepard afterall. It would be a great show.
 


I believe it has been proven time and again a coyote will breed with a dog. Many members of the dog family can interbreed to produce fertile offspring.
Molecular analysis indicates 4 divisions of canids:
Wolf-like canids including the domestic dog, gray wolves, coyotes, and jackals.
The wolf, coyote, jackal, and domestic dog (including the dingo) all have 78 chromosomes arranged in 39 pairs. This allows them to hybridise freely (barring size or behavioural constraints) and produce fertile offspring. A coydog, or dogote as they are sometimes called, is the hybrid offspring of a coyote (Canis latrans) and a dog (Canis lupus familiaris). Together they are genetically capable of producing fertile young. The Coydog is the result of breeding any domesticated female dog with a male Coyote. The Dogote is the result of breeding a male domestic dog with a female Coyote.
 
Naw, Smoker. I wasn't dissing you. Just my warped mind carrying an idea to the extreme. If anything I was dissing Jerry Springer and those stupid people who bare their dirty laundry on national television. I do know that a dog will breed a [beeep] in heat if he can no matter what the size difference. So, why not a coyote/dog union? In my area where conditions tend toward isolation we don't see coydogs or dogyotes but where they would have a chance to co-mingle on a regular basis, I'd imagine the chances would be greater. I've seen many half wolves and wolf blends in domestic dogs... or at least the owners thought that way. One in particular was Husky with wolf heritage. Frankly I thought he was a little nuts and bore watching. I thought he had the worst qualities of both lines. I wonder if a coydog or dogyote is more or less aggressive?
 
Smoker,

Way back in beginning biology, we are taught to analyze all angles of a problem/situation/question and only use empirical evidence to form our conclusions. This is the nature of biology. We cannot use conjecture or hearsay to form a conclusion, otherwise we would quickly become laughing stocks of the scientific community.

For example, if you were to go to the doctor and say, "doc, I get dizzy and short of breath easily, and just yesterday my arm wouldn't move very well", I bet everything I own he wouldn't say, "hey, I hear there's a bug going around, it's nothing, go home and take a nap and you'll be fine". The doctor would immediately form a hypothesis in his mind of what may be your problem, then he would draw blood, listen to your heart and maybe even hook you up to an elektrocardiogram. All to prove his hypothesis. That's how he was trained. Form and opinion the go about proving or disproving your opinion.

Your coydog question was easy. It's already been proven. You guessed it, by emperical evidence.

Now, if you were to tell me you believe in the tooth fairy, and swore up and down they exist, I probably wouldn't debate the issue with you. I also wouldn't listen to you long. On the other hand, if you told me you had evidence the tooth fairy existed, I would look at the evidence myself and form my own opinion. If the evidence was conclusive, I would publish a paper for all of my peers to review. They would form their own conclusion and if the evidence withstood their efforts to debunk our evidence, you and I would be famous for discovering the tooth fairy!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

That's the nature of the biological world. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-006.gif
 


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