Everyone knows how much I enjoy playing with trail cameras. Its not only a past-time, it’s a real passion of mine.
Passionate about trail-cams? Is that even possible?
The use of wildlife surveillance is not only addictive, but is as close to hunting as it gets. The thrill of the catch is there, and knowledge and understanding your quarry is also required for proper trail cam set-ups, just like hunting. And as with hunting, you must have at least some comprehension of wildlife patterns and movements to be a successful trail-camer.
Even after taking (& studying) tens of thousands of trail-cam images over the past 7 years or so, I do occasionally surprise myself by capturing a rarity or some neat occurrence in the outdoors.
For example, I have taken several trailcam images of flying-squirrels which is a real rarity captured on surveillance camera.(At least for me it is) Above all else, I find hunting with trail cameras to be great education and a fabulous tool for learning more about wildlife behaviour and interaction.
This past weekend, I captured a series of photos which, I believe, has helped shed some light on a subject I have often wondered about.
Coyotes versus Raccoon
Do coyotes actively pursue raccoons, and if so, are they successful at it?
Coyote predation on the raccoon is something I had secretly hoped was going-on behind the scenes, it would be the one silver lining in an otherwise dark room with our burgeoning coyote population. If these yotes could help manage the coon population they would, at least, be serving as a biological control for another critter in an apparent population boom.(Much in the same way the red fox helps control squirrel numbers in some areas.)
Well, finally I have some hard evidence on the subject and the results may surprise you!
Here in this first photo, a raccoon is seen on the skidoo trail.
The raccoon walks off the skidoo trail and into some brush on the left.
13-second later a coyote appears on the skidoo trail staring in the direction of the raccoon.
Mr coyote is wondering where the raccoon disappeared to
The coyote sniffs the coon tracks while standing there.
16-seconds later, the raccoon suddenly returns into to view; (see glowing eyes)staring straight at the coyote at a distance of perhaps 20 feet.
A stand-off ensues – neither the coyote nor the raccoon move a muscle.
Coyote and raccoon continue the staring contest
18-seconds later coyote can be seen with its head turned; this time looking down the skidoo trail and away from the raccoon. The coon has now disappeared from view.
Coyote continues looking down skidoo trail and away from the raccoon. There is no real concern or interest in pursuing the coon at this point.
Coyote eventually looks back in the direction of where the raccoon had been, but it is gone.
Now the coyote too disappears from view. It trotted down the skidoo trail without taking a single step towards the raccoon.
Evidentally the coon was not too scared of the coyote either, as if it perceived there to be no real threat. In the early images you can clearly see the coon had disappeared from view and then came back to check-out the coyote.
So, do eastern coyotes hunt raccoons?
According to this photo series, coyotes have no interest what-so-ever in raccoons as prey. (At least this particular coyote didn’t)
Outdoorsguy
Footnote:
To show how brave these raccoons can be, check-out these photos provided by ‘matt’. You have to look closely at what is poking out of the bear’s bait bucket:
That’s one brave little coon!!!