Coyotes Were Thick

On a recent waterfowl hunting trip in Arkansas, I noticed numerous piles of scat on many of the levees that surrounded rice fields.

The dung was undoubtedly that of coyotes. In most cases, the hair-laden feces was left as territorial markers. I found it especially interesting just how prevalent the markers were, so I asked one of the duck guides about coyotes.

“We have tons of them,” he said. “We see them all of the time.”

The next morning, as we motored in the dark through flooded trees on the way to our duck blind, a pack of coyotes shattered the solitude, wailing and howling to announce their presence to all within earshot.

On the return trip to the lodge, I spied a coyote taking a final nap on the shoulder of the highway. A return trip to Northeast Arkansas might just be in order very soon.