Coywolf Sighted In Indianapolis

[NVG]

I've heard that coydogs were here in Indiana but I've never heard of coywolf sighting here. This is within 1/4 mile from my work. I'm sure they have been around but why is this just now making news? Here is article:
https://www.theindychannel.com/news...lf-has-been-spotted-in-southwest-indianapolis

 

[Roland of Gilead]

Isn't wolf needed to make a coywolf. Would a wolf pack be more of a concern than a hybrid. I have been told since I was a boy there is no lions, bears or wolves in Indiana.

 

[Tactically Fat]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and HIGHLY suspect that it's an actual "Coywolf". Coydog? Sure. I'd buy that. I've even seen pics of HUGE coyote that've been killed. I'd certainly buy that.

But not a "coywolf".

 

[rimfireOH]

Until I hear the results of some DNA sampling, I'm not sure I buy it (coywolf vs just coyote).

 

[gregkl]

I like the explanation in the video and I would agree with the two guys who prefer to refer to them as Eastern Coyotes. Coywolf to me says a wolf mated with a coyote and according to these guys, it happened generations ago, but not necessarily every time.

If you look a the whitetail deer, there are different subspecies. The Borealis whitetail is generally larger than the Virginianus whitetail. A lot of it has to do with where they live.

I think it this is a similar situation. Though one of my co-workers swears she hears wolves howling at night near her country home and another guy said he saw a vehicle last week with 2 wolves on the hitch rack on the rear of vehicle. "Too big to be coyotes" is what he said.

 

[CampingJosh]

Though one of my co-workers swears she hears wolves howling at night near her country home and another guy said he saw a vehicle last week with 2 wolves on the hitch rack on the rear of vehicle. "Too big to be coyotes" is what he said.

Howling is a bad indicator of the type of animal. My older dog is a husky-lab mix, and about two years ago she started occasionally howling. She has never barked much, so I think it would be easy for neighbors to mistake the sound.

 

[gregkl]

Howling is a bad indicator of the type of animal. My older dog is a husky-lab mix, and about two years ago she started occasionally howling. She has never barked much, so I think it would be easy for neighbors to mistake the sound.

I agree. And these folks I work with are not necessarily outdoors people and/or hunters.

 

[indiucky]

I researched the coywolf thing a couple of years ago when that Canadian folk singer got killed by three...My understanding is the Coyote could not breed with western wolves but could breed with the Eastern wolves that remained in Michigan....That began happening back in the late 1970's...It seems reasonable to me that we can have Coywolves in Indiana....I saw what I believe to be one in Perry County about 5 years ago...


IMHO..


[video=youtube;u7_-_0-1yy0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7_-_0-1yy0[/video]

 

[snapping turtle]

With the laws reguarding large animals (lions, tigers, cougars, bears) in Indiana being rather lax. No permit ect. I could see one of the wolf hybrids being freed.( to much work, food, time, ect) then going semi wild and joining up with a coyote pack.

But a large
coydog
most
likely.

 

[Old Dog]

I have taken down "Coydogs" that were HUGE. Appeared to be crossed with German Shepherds or Malamute/Huskies. 125 lbs and moved differently than real yotes, more like dogs. I await the DNA testing on these new sightings.

 

[K_W]

There are "huge coyotes" here in Carmel that residents have reported being as big a full grown Labradors, running in groups of 4 to 6, and confronting people walking dogs. Not normal for Coyotes... most likely Coydogs.

 

[NVG]

It would be interesting to hear if they do actually trap this one. And to what the actual results are. My son and I have dispatched a few big yotes that I consider coydogs

 

[K_W]

It would be interesting to hear if they do actually trap this one. And to what the actual results are. My son and I have dispatched a few big yotes that I consider coydogs

I recall a study done on Chicago area coyotes a number of years back that found either... 1.) Almost 15% of them were Coy/Dog hybrids -OR- 2.) They as a group had up to 15% dog DNA.

 

[eldirector]

Out of curiosity, I hit wikipedia for coydog and coywolf. They are not exactly rare.

 

[K_W]

Out of curiosity, I hit wikipedia for coydog and coywolf. They are not exactly rare.

No they are not rare... unless there are no wolves nearby. A chance mating of one wolf that interacts with a group of coyotes is quickly diluted when the wolf dies or leaves and the coyote's hybridized offspring breed with other coyotes. The genetic traces linger for many generations but, for argument's sake, even that chance 100% wolf/coyote cross is lost (6.25%) after 5 subsequent generations and gone (margin of error) after 6 or 7. It takes sustained populations to establish, and/or maintain by chance, a genetic hybridization. Humans provide that with an endless supply of unfixed pets.

 

[Leadeye]

We had these a few years back and I collected a lot of pictures on the game cams that I'll have to find. I forwarded them to a dog breeder that I knew and he forwarded them to someone more knowledgeable. The story was that they are a mix of coyote, some sort of Michigan wolf like Indiucky mentioned and dog. One ambush killed a full grown doe while I was out hunting when they were in the area. I haven't seen them is some time, but the following year a farmer on the other side of the HNF from me started seriously raising goats and sheep. Those are probably easier hunting that the deer around me.

 

[indiucky]

[video=youtube;tRGDvPVaTIc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRGDvPVaTIc[/video]


Cryptomundo » Mystery Canids Killed


Biologist: Animals that attacked dog not wolves | PerryCountyNews.com

 

[gregkl]

[video=youtube;tRGDvPVaTIc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRGDvPVaTIc[/video]


Cryptomundo » Mystery Canids Killed


Biologist: Animals that attacked dog not wolves | PerryCountyNews.com

How old is this news piece? Never mind. I just read the link underneath the video.

 

[indiucky]

How old is this news piece? Never mind. I just read the link underneath the video.

Rumor down in the County was these were some wolf hybrids a guy had owned and released to the wild.....Brad69 or johntheplinker may come on to add some more details....They are "full timers" and I am just a "weekender" who is working his way to "full timer" status....


Perry County is the prettiest county in the State IMHO....

 

[gregkl]

When I lived in Virginia, one of my neighbors owned a wolf hybrid. It was a really cool dog. Only thing I didn't like was that it howled...a lot...late at night...and I could hear it from his house into my house..