The coyote's range of territory spreads out in a twenty mile diameter. They will eat anything including rabbits, squirrel, rodents and carrion. They are night hunters, traveling in small groups that are scattered out. The coyote depends on every meal it can get, so this hunting style will flush out game. The mating season for the coyotes is in the spring. Vocalizations are more prevalent at this time. Fall is another good time for vocalizations because the offspring are leaving for new territory. It is believed that coyote also have indigenous language for each area they inhabit. They are very vocal with variable octave howls, yips, barks and whines. Rarely heard during the day, most coyote activity is around dusk and after dark. Even though wolves have been thought to be a natural enemy of the coyote, there has been observances of cross breeds of the red wolf and the coyote in East Texas. Creating a larger coyote, this coyote is sometimes mistaken for a young red wolf which are nearly extinct. Studies also suggest that this cross breed will have a unique brand of vocalization, a hybrid sound varying between the two breeds. This does make it difficult sometimes to distinguish between the sounds Giants make and the uncategorized sounds of the hybrid. In the process of my research, I have recorded many coyotes and possible hybrids. I am one of the few researchers that believe that the Giants and coyotes have a working relationship. Where as in some parts of the country, coyotes seem to be a food source for the Giants, it seems that coyotes in East Texas scavenge the remains left by the Giants. Both blend a communication of howls that go largely undetected to rural dwellers.

The audio above was recorded near Lake Sam Rayburn and represents the beautiful musical talent of the East Texas coyote.

One of my research areas is an old tram road. Seventy five years ago, a train used this old railroad bed. Now it has become a rock road that leads to the river. There are large swamps and low lying bottoms on both sides of the tram. These coyotes were recorded on the tram road. Below is a good example of the higher pitched howls of the coyote.These  coyotes were recorded in Nacogdoches County, Texas.

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These coyotes were recorded in Angelina county from the bedroom window. It was a cold night in December, allowing it to be one of the cleanest recordings I have. This audio captures the wide spectrum of coyote sounds.

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Recorded at Harvey Creek, Texas, we found ourselves surrounded by coyote sounds. Please forgive the fumbling sounds but in moving the microphone to achieve the best direction, it did not want to stay on top the vehicle. A small portion was deleted because the microphone actually fell to the ground creating a deafening bang. One of the pitfalls of live research is there are no rehearsals, you get it when you can get it.I wanted to include this audio because there is barred owl interaction and some possible Giant vocals.

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We were researching near Little Cyprus Bayou, Texas. This audio was not recorded with a bionic ear which will exhibit just how close the wolves were to us. The siren sound you hear can also be associated with the Giant's known siren call. Both are very similar. Because of the interaction, it is difficult to make a judgment call on this audio. This could be another case of coyote/giant interaction or rarely recorded red wolves. Regardless, it was an adrenaline charged event.

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In late August of 2004, we all met at Beaver's Bend in Oklahoma. We were always researching but this was more like a vacation than our usual trips. On the first night, Vicki and a few of our other friends were waiting up on friends who were arriving late. The rest of us had already hit the sack after a long day. Vicki was playing soft Native flute music. With the soothing sounds, the night finally cooling down and watching the stars through the netting in the roof of the tent, I drifted into sleep. Suddenly the woods exploded with sound and all the sleepy heads sprang out of their tents and went to grabbing recorders. It was hard to describe the sounds other than boisterous howling and very close. As soon as it began, it ended. A few wolf howls from a young man in our group and the woods came alive again. Even though we are fairly sure that what we recorded that night were coyotes, the initial sound  we missed, was most likely Giants. It was very likely, that they were still present and may have even participated in this audio.

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