Coyote dispersal/scattering of the yearlings

[1oldcoyote]

I believe coyote dispersal takes place. When the alpha female comes in heat. I watched a family group one day on the move amongst the hills. They crossed a gravel road in front of me & continued on into another section. Out around 3/8 mile. They all milled around checking things out then one by one bedded down.

Prior to them bedding down. The male walked up to each yearling. Took them by the throat & pushed their head/upper torso down onto the snow. He held them there for a short while. Then went on & did the same to the other yearlings. The female sat by watching. Then joined him on the last yearling. The following hunt days all of their pups had moved on.

I have never witnessed such behavior(holding yearlings down) only 1x. That same alpha pair the next year. Their yearlings all disappeared around that same exact time.

As for Red Fox kits. The dens I obserbed. The kits all left around 12 weeks of age.

 

[1oldcoyote]

The above alpha pr. I have watched them with their yearlings( some refer to them as yoys/ie; young of the year). I watched them 2 yrs in a row. Each litter consisted of 5 pups. 2x in a row. All of their yearlings scattered during the 3rd wk in December.

 

[1oldcoyote]

Worth noting to me. Of a mated pr. It is the female who is most often. The last one to relax & lay her head down. I believe the female is more wary than the male on average. I have witnessed that many times. When I see enough of the same exact behavior. I average out how many times I have witnessed it. Then base my opinion as more factual rather than theorize. When I witness only (1) rare behavior. I theorize as to what it is I'm witnessing.