View Full Version : Coyote/Wolf/Wild Dog?
puddingboy
03-09-2009, 19:32
We were hiking back to our car on friday at Yellow River State Forest, Iowa and saw a large black coyote/wolf right behind our car that quickly scurried into the woods. I seemed to big to be a coyote and I don't think coyotes are ever black but I know that wolves can be. The nearest wolf population is in Wisconsin not to far away. Do you think it could have been a wolf? I think it was a wolf because it was to big to be a coyote, and the fact that I have never seen or heard of a black coyote.
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/mammals/wolf/wolf_map.htm
The place we were at bordered the SW side of Wisconsin on the Mississpi River. There are lots of small islands on the mississipi in this area so I think it would have been possible for a wolf to cross the mississipi.
Feral Bill
03-09-2009, 20:01
Maybe a wolf, maybe a wolfish dog. Some coyotes do come large, but I've never heard of a black one either.
If you thought it was too (notice the second "o". "to" is used in going "to" somewhere -end of English lesson :)) big to be a coyote, and there are wolves nearby, it was probably a wolf or a "coydog" (wild coyote mated with a feral dog).
The Weasel
03-09-2009, 20:16
I'm from Michigan, and have studied the Northern Michigan/Wisconsin/Minnesota wolf issues for a long time, and even come close to them on Isle Royale. It would be very, very unusual for a wolf to be in a human-habitated area like a parking lot, given their (prudent) fear of humans. Not saying impossible, but I'd vote for coyote. I've learned out here in CA that coyote can be larger than people realise.
TW
puddingboy
03-09-2009, 22:31
I'm from Michigan, and have studied the Northern Michigan/Wisconsin/Minnesota wolf issues for a long time, and even come close to them on Isle Royale. It would be very, very unusual for a wolf to be in a human-habitated area like a parking lot, given their (prudent) fear of humans. Not saying impossible, but I'd vote for coyote. I've learned out here in CA that coyote can be larger than people realise.
TW
I forgot to add that this was at about 10:30 at night and it is probably the wildest place in Iowa. We also didnt see any one the whole day on our hike and heard several howls.
Shutterbug
03-10-2009, 17:34
I forgot to add that this was at about 10:30 at night and it is probably the wildest place in Iowa. We also didnt see any one the whole day on our hike and heard several howls.
It was probably a coyote. I have seen some that were almost black.
That being said, it could have been a wolf. I just saw a news report that a pack of wolves has been photographed in Washington State this winter. They are first wolves seen here since the 1930's. The reporter speculated that they have migrated from Canada. Here is a link to the story: http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_030909ENB-winthrop-wolves-SW.1b4588ea.html?rss
My point is simply that wolves migrate. It is possible that a wolf could have migrated into Iowa.
leeki pole
03-10-2009, 18:00
I would guess coyote if you heard howls. Food is kind of scarce this time of year due to the lack of game and I hear them on the back 40 a lot. They can get bigger than you think. And yes, they do come in a shade of dark gray/black. I've seen them in that color scheme.
puddingboy
03-10-2009, 19:44
I think it was a wolf because it just seemed to big to be a coyote. This animal wasn't dark gray it was black and part of me secretly wants it to be a wolf.
puddingboy
03-10-2009, 19:48
It was probably a coyote. I have seen some that were almost black.
That being said, it could have been a wolf. I just saw a news report that a pack of wolves has been photographed in Washington State this winter. They are first wolves seen here since the 1930's. The reporter speculated that they have migrated from Canada. Here is a link to the story: http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_030909ENB-winthrop-wolves-SW.1b4588ea.html?rss
My point is simply that wolves migrate. It is possible that a wolf could have migrated into Iowa.
Wow, that story is very interesting and it makes me happy. In yellowstone I think they let a pack free and its grown substantially. This could lead to an even bigger population of wolves if their is enough territory.
Many Walks
03-10-2009, 19:59
I know mountain lions have moved into the western part of Iowa and I believe it's entirely possible that wolves could easily move down the Mississippi to Yellow River. Like you said it's probably the wildest part of Iowa and nothing but timber stretching to Minnesota and Canada where wolves are abundant. I still have some property south of there and while camping we had a pack of coyotes chasing each other VERY close to us in the night. Sounded like the pack caught a stray or the Alpha Male was being replaced. It was a nasty fight. I've seen lots of coyotes in the day and none were black or wolf size. I'm going with wolf, especially since it was all black and bigger than a coyote.
Hope you had a great time in the Yellow River area, it's pretty in there.
puddingboy
03-10-2009, 20:04
I know mountain lions have moved into the western part of Iowa and I believe it's entirely possible that wolves could easily move down the Mississippi to Yellow River. Like you said it's probably the wildest part of Iowa and nothing but timber stretching to Minnesota and Canada where wolves are abundant. I still have some property south of there and while camping we had a pack of coyotes chasing each other VERY close to us in the night. Sounded like the pack caught a stray or the Alpha Male was being replaced. It was a nasty fight. I've seen lots of coyotes in the day and none were black or wolf size. I'm going with wolf, especially since it was all black and bigger than a coyote.
Hope you had a great time in the Yellow River area, it's pretty in there.
I believe you on the the mountain lions, I heard that 3 "wild" mountain lions have been killed in Iowa since like 2000. It was my first trip to Yellow River and I'm definetly going to go back.
puddingboy
03-10-2009, 20:07
Heres the mountain lion link.
http://www.cougarnet.org/cougarconfim.html
I was about 8 miles North of the Hudson River last March, a VERY LARGE "dog", if it was a Coyote is was a really big one. Of all the pictures I have looked at, appears to be more of a Wolf than a Coyote. I had a big Siberian Husky when I was young, this was bigger.
only one way to find out. go back to that location w/ your camera and stay hidden until it reappears :D
rockdawg69
03-10-2009, 22:43
Coyotes have a distinctive trot/run. Once you see one moving that way, there is no question what it is.
We had a solid black one on our farm in south GA about 10 years ago. Thought it was a big dog until it got up and started trotting away. Shiny as a piece of hard coal. And then there are all the gray and burnished ones still in the area today. Have not seen another black - yet. Must be a gene thing, sort of like albino - once in a while.
Tennessee Viking
03-11-2009, 02:03
We were hiking back to our car on friday at Yellow River State Forest, Iowa and saw a large black coyote/wolf right behind our car that quickly scurried into the woods. I seemed to big to be a coyote and I don't think coyotes are ever black but I know that wolves can be. The nearest wolf population is in Wisconsin not to far away. Do you think it could have been a wolf? I think it was a wolf because it was to big to be a coyote, and the fact that I have never seen or heard of a black coyote.
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/mammals/wolf/wolf_map.htm
The place we were at bordered the SW side of Wisconsin on the Mississpi River. There are lots of small islands on the mississipi in this area so I think it would have been possible for a wolf to cross the mississipi.When I used to work KWWL in Waterloo, I remember hearing something similiar.
Then with the recent Cedar River flooding, I would be surprised that some of the wolf population got pushed down into Iowa.
A friend of mine had a bobcat attack her house cat and climbed up her tree in downtown Waterloo.
Incahiker
03-11-2009, 09:04
There are a lot of hunters who have shot and killed black coyotes. There is actually a thread dedicated to black coyotes on the GON forum, which is like a hunting forum down here in georgia.