![\"coyote](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/coyote-8778-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\u00a01\/640, f\/8, ISO 640, Canon 7D, 100-400 @ 210 mm, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Two mornings ago we came across this coyote hunting along the north side of the Antelope Island causeway as it headed east.\u00a0 It was completely unconcerned about the close presence of my pickup but it seemed to be\u00a0worried about\u00a0something back toward the island as it was constantly stopping and looking in that direction.\u00a0 It was walking fast as it sniffed and investigated potential prey under the thin layer of snow.\u00a0 It was a cloudy morning so the light was poor but I thought the behavior I photographed\u00a0was interesting (despite the fact that I got very little eye contact).<\/p>\n Here it found a spot with some potential.\u00a0 I\u00a0believe it could smell the rodent\u00a0under the snow, probably at the entrance to its burrow.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a01\/640, f\/8, ISO 640, Canon 7D, 100-400 @ 220 mm, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0It poked around the spot for a few seconds and then removed a stick that was in the way.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a01\/500, f\/7.1, ISO 640, Canon 7D, 100-400 @ 220 mm, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Then the coyote started to dig in earnest.\u00a0 The temps were below freezing and I expected the soil\u00a0to be frozen under the thin snow layer\u00a0but it wasn’t and the coyote\u00a0moved quite a bit\u00a0of dirt as you can see by the eventual depth of the hole.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/500, f\/7.1, ISO 640, Canon 7D, 100-400 @ 220 mm, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n When it pulled its head out of the hole it had its furry\u00a0prize.\u00a0 I believe the rodent to be a mouse rather than a vole due to the length of the tail and the almost white ventral surface (that you can only see in the second to the last shot).<\/p>\n From\u00a0the way the\u00a0coyote handled the mouse I could\u00a0 tell it\u00a0was very aware of the possibility of being bitten.\u00a0 Here the mouse is being grasped at the rear end and the mouse might very easily twist around and bite the coyote’s nose so…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/500, f\/7.1, ISO 640, Canon 7D, 100-400 @ 220 mm, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0it deliberately dropped the mouse to get a safer hold (this shot isn’t very sharp for some reason).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/500, f\/7.1, ISO 640, Canon 7D, 100-400 @ 220 mm, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n When it picked the mouse up again it was being held by the incisors between the canine teeth.\u00a0 That was a mistake because it allowed the mouse to bite (which it did)…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/500, f\/7.1, ISO 640, Canon 7D, 100-400 @ 220 mm, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0so the coyote dropped the mouse and immediately…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/500, f\/7.1, ISO 640, Canon 7D, 100-400 @ 220 mm, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0grimaced in pain.\u00a0 I have several more shots of the coyote reacting to the bite and I believe it was bitten on the end of its tongue.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/500, f\/7.1, ISO 640, Canon 7D, 100-400 @ 220 mm, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n But eventually the coyote got its revenge as it chomped down on the\u00a0mouse (you can see the white underside here)…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n