Llamas, Anyone?
by Robert Langley

The Deer and the Coyote

By John and Anne Olden

During the summer of 2006 we paddled in Wyoming and Montana. Much of this was whitewater, but one evening we paddled the quiet Oxbow section of the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park. This is the time of day to see wildlife, and we were treated to three juvenile bald eagles gathered at the river’s edge, sandhill cranes and many beaver slapping their tails in protest at our intrusion. The most surprising and amusing sight that night was watching an encounter between a doe and a coyote. First we saw the doe running through the grass along the shore. Then we spotted the coyote she was chasing. We speculated that the coyote may have gotten too close to her fawn. She seemed to be determined but not distressed at the intrusion. Abruptly, the coyote stopped and lifted his tail. The doe stopped, too, waiting for the coyote to finish. Then the chase resumed, and they disappeared into the brush. You may be able to see this scene in the picture – the doe looking at the coyote; the coyote with tail raised looks back at her.