Eastern Coyotes of the White Mountains

The dominant canine of the region is an adaptable predator, well suited to both our mountain forests and the populated edges of the Whites.

Words by Matt Maloney, Tin Mountain Conservation Center.

Photography by John Rondeau, Fern Hill Originals

Anyone who ventures out in the snowy woods of winter will, probably sooner than later, stumble upon wild dog tracks. Many, if not most, of these tracks are made by the eastern coyote. If we forward the season to summer, the snow is now long gone, leaving the forest without that impressionable sheet of white that serves as the canvass betraying the coyote’s presence. But the coyote is still here with us throughout the year, of course—an apex or top-of-the-food-chain predator, a creature of great stamina that travels long distances in pursuit of prey and other sustenance

The eastern coyote is approximately two times as large as the western coyote, weighing between 30 to 50 pounds and measuring 48 to 60 inches long. Coyotes have long prowled the open prairies and plains of the vast western states, but have only more recently migrated into the eastern states. There wasn’t even a verified account of an eastern coyote in New Hampshire until 1944 in Grafton County.

The coyotes that live in this area have a fascinating story. Aspects of this story involve wolves, extirpation, migration, and a bit of interbreeding.

All these facets are behind the presence today of the eastern coyote in the Mt. Washington Valley and White Mountain Region. A coyote may expose its presence to you through a quick glimpse in the glow of car headlights at night or even be seen with a quick and fortunate glance at midday. However, for all of their abundance in these woods and valleys of our region, for the most part, coyotes stay well hidden from the eyes of humans. 

One of this author’s best looks at a coyote in full daylight was while in trail-less woods atop a small ledge. Looking down from my perch, an unsuspecting coyote, moving with great directness sauntered underneath my gaze, perhaps on the subtle scent of potential prey. The first thing that caught my attention, and a great distinguishing feature of coyotes in general, is the big bushy, black-tipped tail. Along with a pointy nose, and direct and purposeful movement, all of these features can help identify the coyote, although it should be mentioned that all wild dogs (as opposed to more playful and curious domestic dogs) tend to move with a directness that affirms their continual pursuit of prey scents to follow.

The original alpha canine of the White Mountains and New Hampshire was the wolf. Wolves lived throughout the United States, with different subspecies in different regions of the country that developed from years of breeding pools within these regions. Eastern wolves are now recognized as distinct subspecies, and these are the wolves that have contributed some DNA to the eastern coyote over time. Coyotes moved into the east to replace wolves after they were extirpated from eastern states due to hunting and persecution. The current eastern wolf subspecies probably gets most of its DNA from the red wolf. Red wolves can mate with coyotes, forming “coywolves,” which have developed into our larger subspecies of eastern coyotes. Red wolves, as a subspecies of wolves, are identified as being distinct from other wolves in that they have coyote DNA in their genetics. (NY Times, Carl Zimmer, 6-27-2016). A small percentage of coyote DNA sometimes contains some domestic dog genetics as well. Though the vast majority of coyote DNA is contributed from other coyotes, the larger size of eastern coyotes is probably due, in part, to the small percentage of wolf DNA found in eastern coyotes that had ancestors who mated with wolves in Canada as they migrated east to replace the extirpated wolfs. 

If one is used to seeing the smaller coyotes that roam the large open expanses of the west, a sighting of one of our local coyotes can make one think they are seeing a wolf. To this author, having seen coyotes in South Dakota before, it does seem our eastern coyotes are quite broad and stout in comparison to the smaller western coyotes. Like wolves, coyotes are social creatures and will often travel with, or associate with, packs. Perhaps the most fascinating way to experience firsthand this social interaction is through the communal howling that coyotes will engage in—and that can eerily fill the air during a night of camping in the White Mountain National Forest, or anywhere for that matter, within the wilder areas of the Mt. Washington Valley. Most sides of a mountain or areas along creek drainage have a resident coyote territory nearby, and on certain nights, often with a bright full moon above, coyote howling will fill the air for short intervals. The howls come suddenly and unexpectedly and usually start with one coyote yipping or yapping before breaking into a full guttural howl. Soon another coyote joins, and then another … until the whole pack of coyotes is wailing and howling, a wild sound if ever there was one! 

I have often heard coyotes while camping in the area and have some specific recollections of times when there has been dead silence at my tent site only for the still air to suddenly be pierced with the nearby howl of a coyote, where before, I never would have guessed the creature was so close to me. Humans need not fear coyotes though, as they don’t see us as prey. So one can enjoy their sounds and appreciate the wildness it represents without fear.

Another source of the coyote howling in unison is a kill site. Many a time I’ve come upon the carcass of a deer that has been killed by coyotes. Carcasses become the source of a communal meal, with howls and rabid appetites sated. Wild creatures live by both their instincts and physical prowess, and the social cohesiveness of coyotes is yet another way of surviving and defending territory from other coyotes and predators. If you see a bone-picked carcass of a deer or other creature in the forest, coyotes are often behind it.

Coyotes will eat just about anything, though, from mice, rabbits, birds, frogs, snakes, fruits, nuts, human foods, right up to deer. Here in New England, I once talked with a long-time animal tracker who told of following coyote tracks in the winter to the sight of a frozen water snake on the snow surface, apparently dug out from its hibernating place! They’re also known to prey on rattlesnakes in extreme western Vermont, something I saw for myself in Florida once when I saw a road-killed coyote with a large rattlesnake still in its jaws.

There are no rattlesnakes here in the White Mountains, but coyotes clearly are adaptable in what they can eat, and thus, the habitats they can inhabit. One could see a coyote deep in the wild Pemigewasset Wilderness and hear the howling of many on a star-lit night of backcountry camping, or even see one wandering through North Conway. (Coyotes have been known to wander streets in Boston and New York.) Anything is possible when these wide-ranging predators search for sustenance on our local landscape.

As mentioned earlier, wolves were the pre-eminent canine predator before coyotes. They can often reach 150 pounds, more than double the weight of a coyote. (NH Wildlife News) As the vast forest of the Mt. Washington Valley and White Mountains were cleared for farmland, wolves gained a reputation as predators of livestock, and thus, were often shot on sight. Populations declined greatly as bounties were paid out for dead wolves. The last bounties paid on record were for two wolves killed in 1895. (NH Wildlife News, 2022, Eric P. Orff) By the 1940s and 50s, coyotes gradually filled in a missing niche in our local ecosystem, taking on the role of a large predator, an efficient hunter at the top of the food chain, helping keep wildlife populations, from deer to rabbits, in check. 

Other wild canines besides the coyote that reside in this region include the red fox and grey fox, and we also have one common wild feline, the bobcat. Of these canines and felines, coyotes seem to be the dominant creature when it comes to holding a particular territory. If a coyote roams a territory on a regular basis, it will usually deter these other predators from its hunting territory. Coyotes will even kill a fox if they can in order to protect their all-important hunting and foraging grounds. The same is true of bobcat and coyote interactions. Coyotes truly are a dominant predator, as they are larger than the foxes and bobcats—and fierce defenders of their territories.

The eastern coyote, in a sense, is the new wolf for our region, the alpha predator of the White Mountains and the surrounding valleys. An adaptable and successful predator that has persevered, migrated long distances, incorporated wolf DNA in the process, and fiercely defends its territory.

This creature’s presence on our landscape should give us pause to contemplate all that wild creatures must do to survive and thrive. Remember as you enjoy the local wildlife to also admire and respect what all that is wild represents.