Coyote Warning

https://pixabay.com/photos/coyote-snow-winter-wildlife-nature-938482/
Skeeze. “Coyote in Snow.” Pixabay.com, 15 Sept. 15AD, https://pixabay.com/photos/coyote-snow-winter-wildlife-nature-938482/.

The Auburn Police Dept. has issued a coyote warning.
Want to hear the coyote howl? Click on this Romping and Rolling in the Rockies game camera video.

I've never gotten a photo of a coyote, but I have photographed their scat in the woods behind our house.

Coyote scat is different from domestic dog scat as it is firmer, ropy in shape, and filled with prey hair and bones. The hair in this scat is deer hair.

http://www.wildlifelandtrust.org/wildlife/diy-activities/how-to-identify-coyote-tracks.html
Vermont Ed. “Dog vs. Coyote Track Comparison.” Flickr, 18 Jan. 13AD, http://www.wildlifelandtrust.org/wildlife/diy-activities/how-to-identify-coyote-tracks.html.

Here is a comparison between a domestic dog track (left) and a coyote track (right) taken by a park ranger. Here is what he says about the tracks:

Dog vs. Coyote Track Comparison
Many clues differentiate the domestic dogs track from a wild coyote track. You don't often get tracks as perfect as these two, but in general, here is what to look out for: Domestic Dog track (on left): Important note - some domestic dogs can leave very convincing looking wild canid tracks. Your best bet is often to look at the overall trail pattern (if possible) which I explain below. 

Dog Track (on left) Overall roundish shape, blunt claws from walking on pavement/ indoors, toes 2 and 3 sit relatively low and close to heel pad, toes 1 and 4 point outwards. It would be difficult to draw an "X" in the middle of the track that would only touch the negative spaces (spaces between toes and pad). Also , the trail will usually be that of an animal that obviously was having fun and using lots of energy - not concerned about where its next meal is coming from. Not a lot of straight lines.  

Coyote Track (on right) Overall oval shape, very sharp and pointy claws from infrequent contact w/pavement/hard surfaces, toes 2 and 3 sit almost on top of 1 and 4, all claws point relatively inward (even in this quite splayed print), much more negative space between toes 2-3 and the heel pad. Lastly, an "X" would be relatively easy to draw in the middle of this print while staying completely within the negative space.  

When in doubt the overall trail pattern is often more important than any individual track. For the most part, coyotes (and most other wild animals save some species in the weasel family) take a much more business like approach to travel, mostly keeping to relatively straight paths and steady gaits while traversing their territories. A pet dog's exuberance is often very discernible in the fact that they run, zig-zag, and explore more than do their wild cousins in the dog family.