Coyotes live in the meadows. Look for one along the edge of a meadow, grassland, sage or oak woodland between 16:00 and 09:00, in late-afternoon and morning light. It watches you, slips away once you come within about 22 m, and bolts if it is struck. It walks, trots, canters and gallops on a canine skeleton, with its feet planted instead of sliding.
Its amber eyes are real eyes seated in the head. A hurt or dying coyote yelps. A dead one can be butchered like a deer, for a pelt and a little meat, and one left to rot goes down to a dog-family skeleton with a long narrow skull, canines and a long tail, where it used to leave a sheep’s. Wolves do the same.
Coyotes arrived with seasons for animals: a species can now be out only in its own months, so an animal that dens or hibernates can be gone for the winter. Coyotes and deer stay all year.
Still open: the yelp has not been listened to in the game yet, and the rotted skeleton was last seen standing on its legs. A change that lays it on its side has landed but has not been seen in the game.
