I am wondering if adult coyote use the dens after the pups are off on their own? Are they taking shelter in there come fall and winter?

I doubt that coyotes spend much time at all under ground. They wouldn't hesitate to take shelter in one if they were wounded or pursued by a natural enemy, but are far more likely to stay above ground the rest of the time. They bed down in some pretty thick stuff at times, but even then they can usually see the areas that present threats to them. I've seen them sunning on some of the most bitter cold days you could ever ask for. They do try to get out of the wind as much as they can for a variety of reasons.

We have a lot of open ground here. I have seen heavily used dens in winter. I have also seen coyotes come out of the ground while on a stand in fall. Quite surprising.

I tracked some coyotes in the snow last year until their prints disparaged into a hole in the rimrock. In a similar location, the same year, I saw muddy prints in the snow that lead back to another hole in some rimrock. Both holes were at the top of the rim and facing east, if that matters.

I live in central virginia and I remember my grandpa telling me about 7 years ago that one if his friends found a coyote den on his farm and dug it up. I'm assuming with a tractor or backhoe. But either way. He said that they found a mix of 13 dog and cat collars from local pets that had gone missing. So I'm guessing that coyotes will eat in their dens.

Really. Thats amazing.i heard od someonf placing a trail cam at a den then going bacl after a few months to get it and had over 50 fawns on camera being brought to the den.

Interesting possumal, pretty much my sentiments.

One Winter day. Early morning after a blizzard had passed I was out hunting. I was in my old hunt area & knew it like my back yard. I stopped on a high hill, got out & glassed the hills. As I scanned 360. It was brutal cold out during that blizzard & the following day I hunted. Well below zero wind chill.

Anyway as I'm slowly turning 360 glassing. Up popped a coyote's head out of the hard crust now. It looked so funny just seeing a head. That coyote pivoted a little bit under that hard crust. Then slowly crawled out & started traveling. I have seen one other time. Where 3 coyotes were completely covered by hard blown snow. Only way I seen that was. I shot at one on top of the snow. Not far away from the 3 buried ones.

When I shot. The 3 buried coyotes. Busted up out of the hard snow & hauled a** away from where I was. They are a remarkable critter.

if they were buried under the snow, how did they know where the shot came from and which way to run when they came up?

things that make you go, hmmmm

I suspect they still could hear under the thin layer of firm snow. Both ears being able to triangulate a noise & it's direction. Frankly they never stuck around long enough for me to ask. haha

There were times while laying prone I spent time after zooming in on a bedded coyote through my rifle scope. I would lay there for awhile watching it's ears. While the coyote was still curled up. I could see it's ear rotate towards a distant noise. I'm talking just 1 ear, then both ears. If the noise peaked their interest. They would then raise their head for a look. Not until I first seen a coyote rotate it's ears independently. I was not aware they did that.