To Coy or not to Wolf

To Coy or not to Wolf - That is the Question.

I'll cut to the chase. In New Jersey my home state that's not a coyote you're seeing, or more likely hearing, out there. It's a canid, yes, but one that is 10% domestic dog, 35% timber wolf, and 55% coyote. Here's a link that'll elucidate with more detail:

https://lnkd.in/gn-tM_fz

Almost always solitary, they're good, not bad, to have in within our mist. They're proficient rodent predators, that by itself, far outweighs the very rare small dog attack, or even rarer, a bite to a human.

I was at friends house recently who resides at the base of the Kittatinny Mountains in northwest New Jersey, where at dusk we were marinated in coywolf howls just as the last rays of sunlight slipped beneath the mountain. To say it was a spiritual moment doesn't quite express it - more like crossing a transom into the otherworldly.

The image I shot below was in a suburban/rural setting. (Note: patch of fir missing on its back and flank - yes, you guessed it -mange)