Newbie question on Coyote scat

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Mitchell CPA

New member
Great forum. I am a long time bow hunter but new to coyote calling. I live in MS.

This morning I found some scat that looked like Coyote (two pieces and long tubular) and was very fresh, but had kernels of corn in it and was yellow looking.

Do coyotes eat corn? There is not corn field real close, but obviously one somewhere. I have permission on less than 200 acres at that spot. I have numerous pictures of scat from DVDs and books that look similar, but no mention of eating corn or being yellow. There was no hair either.

Is this more likely fox? And how can I distinguish coon scat?

Sorry for the elementary questions. Thanks for the help.
 
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Coyotes will eat ANYTHING! It would not surprise me to see corn or any other fruit or vegetable in coyote scat.
 
Well, I did google coon scat and fox scat. It was real round and firm looking, so I am thinking that makes it more like coyote?

Duh, I had my phone. I should have taken a picture.
 
+1 on the coyotes eating anything. Around here right now the coyote scat is 100 percent cray fish shells. Ouch!. Size will play a big part in identifying the scat. Location will also tell you something. A coyote will always poo right in the middle of a road, trail, or on a flat rock...... Never in the brush, or out of the way area. Not so much with other critters.
 
Originally Posted By: Jesse lackey A coyote will always poo right in the middle of a road, trail, or on a flat rock...... Never in the brush, or out of the way area.

The guess the dumb coyotes around here didn't read that book.
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Originally Posted By: doggin coyotesOriginally Posted By: Jesse lackey A coyote will always poo right in the middle of a road, trail, or on a flat rock...... Never in the brush, or out of the way area.

The guess the dumb coyotes around here didn't read that book.
smile.gif

They dump all over around here. Coyotes dont read....thats true.
 
So your saying that your coyotes stop what they are doing, and go find some bushes to poo in?

Of course a coyote isn't going to travel 20 miles in search of a road to poo in, but that's not quite what I was saying. The point I was trying to make is that a coyote won't go out of his way to do his business. It will be done wherever he happens to be when mother nature calls. Since coyotes are opportunistic critters, they will use natural paths to travel easier: roads, dry river beds, running/biking trails....

So, when a coyote has to poo, he isn't going to leave the trail in search of a concealed place to relieve himself, unlike a domestic dog, and lots of other critters.

I didn't think at first that I had to wright my own book illustrating the poo'ing rituals of coyotes in order to get my point across, but it would appear as though I do to appease certain individuals.
 
Coyotes like to show off thier scat. They use it to let other canines know this is my area. They will deposit it where ever they are when they get the urge. 99% of the time that will be on a trail of some sort since a coyote will be on some sort of a trail 99% of the time. This can be a paved farm to market road, a dirt road, an atv or vehicle trail through a pasture or a cattle trail or game trail.

The coyote scat appearance is going to depend on its diet.
If meat has been scarce it will more closely resemble that of a well fed house dog. Mid Winter, I have seen some that was almost all juniper berries. It had a different consistency and color then one full off critter hair. The high protien of the critter will darken it up a bit as well.

Here is some I discovered on a trail that passed under a fence a few hundred yards from a den site.

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It was full of critter hair, in this area it could easily be stray cats.
I took the pic because of the larger size! (Reference is a 12ga 2 3/4" shell)
I was hoping it would indicate a monster coyote! So far, on this property I haven't seen anything on the GIGANTIC side.

The coyote is an omnivore, meaning it will eat anything and everything so corn would not be that odd.
I have one hunting area that has several corn feeders for the deer. The trails are covered(hundreds of piles) with coyote scat & it never has any of the corn in it. It is a thick wooded area & there may be enough critters to feed on. If they are given a choice between a salad or steak they will choose a steak every time.
A large boar coon's scat can resemble that of a small dog. The little bit of experience I have with coons tells me they will tend to leave thier scat by the base of trees not in the middle of trails. Your description doesn't really sound like coon but who knows.
All in all, with out pics your guess is as good as ours!
 
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+1 on coyotes eating anything. A bit of the public land I work in season are former orange groves. The coyote poop in November in these areas is orange or yellow and furry! They're eating rabbits, mice, and oranges and grapefruit.

I find scat and prints all the time on the WMAs, but it's only because our WMAs have large networks of trails and big firebreaks with sandy soil. It makes it easier to see the scat and our local coyotes make sure it's right in the MIDDLE of the trail or firebreak. They're advertising for trespassers, I imagine.

At one 4-way firebreak, what I assume is the big alpha male laid a pile right in the middle of each of the 4 roads almost within sight of each other. He was letting EVERYONE know this was his territory and don't you forget it.
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He's the one I want come season as his scat is as big as my little shepherd mix and she's about 48lbs.

Raptor
 
Welcome Mitchell good to see you on the forum! I am sure what you saw was coyote scat as I have watched coyotes eat corn in the sendero's while pig hunting here in Texas.
I watched a coyote in New Mexico catch grasshoppers for an hour while I was glassing for Elk and my buddy in east Texas see's watermelon seeds in their scat so yes they will eat a lot of stuff.
Looks like I am headed back to Mississippi on July 18th for a couple of days of work so I will bring you all these DVD's.... most I have never watched so once you watch them you can tell me what I am doing wrong.
 
They are eating thier share of grasshoppers here right now! Saturday morning I went out to scout some new hunting grounds! I came across some scat that went along with two points being made in this thread, location & contents!
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This is the county road in front of the property. Smack dab in the middle of the road is a fresh pile of grasshopper leg laced coyote scat! It also contained some large seeds, either melon or persimmon. I found a few other similar piles on the property! Sorry for the terrible cell phone pic!
 
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Originally Posted By: venaticA Grasshopper would starve around here with the drought we are in.


I know brother! I've been calling a couple times this summer and only seen one coyote, he came to cotton tail distress and never offered a shot. They're livin off of something, just don't know what. Probably raiding hay barns for rats.


Chupa
 
I went to another site Saturday, and had my best morning calling so far. No dogs, but three cats.

I did find several scat piles though, and found another one with whole corn in it. It was darker in color and also had hair.

Thanks for all the helpful response. I am really enjoying the calling. Now I find myself riding down the road saying......that looks like a good calling spot. This is as bad as bow hunting deer.

Thanks especially to Venatic for all the jump start.
 
Venatic I live in Hill County and today (thurs.)I seen the first grasshoppers in my yard this year. I been working out of town most of this summer but I don't have anything in my yard left that I would think a grasshopper could chew.This part of the state lloks like a blow torch come across it.Let's pray for RAIN!!!!!!!!!!!
Richard Payne
 
Originally Posted By: 5spdOriginally Posted By: doggin coyotesOriginally Posted By: Jesse lackey A coyote will always poo right in the middle of a road, trail, or on a flat rock...... Never in the brush, or out of the way area.

The guess the dumb coyotes around here didn't read that book.
smile.gif

They dump all over around here. Coyotes dont read....thats true.
Coyotes don't read?! I blame the Public School system.lol
 
Originally Posted By: venatic...my buddy in east Texas see's watermelon seeds in their scat ...


Yotes are notorious for eating watermelons in North Florida. One farmer we pollinate for claims he'll lose 50 melons to the field, per week. These are 200 - 300 acre fields, but still 50 - 100 melons per field is a lot of melons out of the pocket, when you consider he has 10 - 12 fields. Best case scenario that's 500 melons, worst case close to 1200 melons a week, with prime harvest season 4 - 8 weeks long. And, dependent upon market to the north us, that can last upwards of 12 - 16 weeks. If he only makes a $1 a melon, that gets real expensive, real quick!!

Corn would not surprise me in the least. Bears in our area will tear down a feeder in a heartbeat. Can't pile it up as they'll roll around in the pile, urinate and deficate in it to mark their territory. So, a lot of the hunters scatter it down the roads. Several bears in the area have got to where they will walk 4 - 5 miles of road in a night searching for corn, and the critters that eat it, and then walk back a night or so later.

I wouldn't hesitate a second to say a yote would do the same.
 
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