Coyotes are tougher than nails

calicokid

New member
Yesterday I went on along atv ride in S Utah, where it is mixed pinon pine, junipers, sage and prickly pear cactus. As I was riding I noticed a red pile of coyote scat and a little farther on another pile, I saw no less than 35 of them in a 2 mile stretch. This was a bright blood red color and I could not figure what these coyotes had been eating. When we took a break I saw what it was, the fruit on a prickly pear cactus, as I picked one off the cactus, hundreds of tiny needles were instantly in my fingers, I cant imagine a coyote ingesting the amount of fruits that I saw without terrible pain in the dogs mouth, throat and whereever else. Anyone else that lives in the desert areas of the west have this same experience? The prickly pear is just now getting ripe where I live.
 
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I was in Arizona this time last year, purple poop everywhere! Coyotes weren't hungry. Got shots every day, but real poor numbers. They were gorging themselves on the fruit of the prickly pear. I ate some, the seeds are hard as pebbles, but it's really tasty.
 
Another local "fruit" they can't resist this time of year, is chiles, which this time of year are also bright red. When they crap red chile turds, you can spot them 50 yards away, they are almost florescent red in color...don't know which woudl be worse, microscopic cactus thorns from pear fruit, or the burning sensation from red chiles?
 
Sgt Sore, now if Foxpro could develop a sound like a ripe prickly pear they would have something indeed, Could call it "prickly pear in estrus"
 
as a kid I ate one right off the plant. I had hundreds of little spines in my mouth! I think hunger will drive animals to eat some painful stuff. Plus I don't think they feel pain the same way humans do.
 
Saw a post on CoyoteGods a while ago, with a photo of a coyote stomach cut open. There was a about an entire porcupine inside it.
Quills and all, of course.
Porky must have tasted good. Maybe a liitle spicy. Ouch.
Coyote was doing fine until someone (JH if I recall correctly) shot it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
PC
 
If you want to eat the fruits you can singe the spines off with a flame or carefully peel them. They are very good and make a great jelly too.
 
In the hills I have found piles of scat full of raspberry seeds. In the summer when shooting prairie dogs, I have found piles of scat that were full of grass hopper parts. They'll eat almost anything they can get in their mouths........Dale
 
I just looked up prickly pear on google,the tiny spines on the fruit are called glochids and the puree of the fruit makes great Margaritas. Sounds like a lyric to me from a song "Wasted away again in coyoteville, looking for my lost 12 gauge shell" or something like that. calico, out
 
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Quote:
Sgt Sore, now if Foxpro could develop a sound like a ripe prickly pear they would have something indeed, Could call it "prickly pear in estrus"



Your post had me laughing my you now what off /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Too funny!!
 
I did some googling too and came up with this. It has some good photos of the prickly pear along with discussions of it as a food source.

http://www.desertusa.com/magoct97/oct_pa/du_prkpear.html

Interesting stuff. We have a cactus here in the well drained sandy soils of the NW Florida Piney Woods that looks exactly like the prickly pear but I've never verified that's what it is.

I know that wearing running shoes in the prickly pear patches can make you wish you'd worn your leather hiking boots instead... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif

$bob$
 
Originally Posted By: Weasel-UTIf you want to eat the fruits you can singe the spines off with a flame or carefully peel them. They are very good and make a great jelly too.

As well as Cocktails....seasoned with generous amounts of Tequila
 
Originally Posted By: PineConeSaw a post on CoyoteGods a while ago, with a photo of a coyote stomach cut open. There was a about an entire porcupine inside it.
Quills and all, of course.
Porky must have tasted good. Maybe a liitle spicy. Ouch.
Coyote was doing fine until someone (JH if I recall correctly) shot it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
PC

I know a guy who studied wildlife biology. Said when dissecting coyotes finding porcupine quills in the throat and stomach was common
 
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