Coyote color variances

[Ethan Givan]

I live in Kentucky, and me, my brother and my cousin have been hunting coyotes for a couple of years. we have managed to call in several and have shot a couple. Every coyote we have called in though has had a dark or red color to their fur. Im curious, why do the coyotes in this area have darker reddish fur and the ones out west have more of a lighter gray color?

[rhine16]

First of all, let me say that i dont know that this is true. My guess though, would be that they've just adapted to the different environments. Much like human skin color adapts to the area. I may be way off, but thats my guess. Imagine someone else can give you a good answer

[Tominator]

I have no idea, but I suppose it's tied to genetics.

I had one hanging around here a couple years ago that looked almost as black as a black lab.

[wtnhunt]

Think Chris is right about genetics, and probably also has some to do with where they are. There do seem to be a pretty broad variation in the colors though. One I killed over this past weekend had really dark tints in his coat, usually they are lighter in color around here.

[Outdoor_Guy]

I have seen different coyotes with golden buff like a retriever or a dark brown/black like a lab. They will have the body and head of a coyote but are crossbreeds, coydogs. Shot a 45 lb classic coyote in Ohio last week that was traveling with a buff/golden colored female. Wish I couls have gotten the *****. But the mail will be hangin on my wall after the hide is tanned.

[sureshot]

I have heard it will take 3 generations to change colors to adapt, in the farmland we mainly get what they call tawny or yellowy,its becouse of the stubble fields and there blending in, in the bush a darker color, and near huge lakes or rivers they run alot that is were we find our nice pale color ones,a guy trapped and snared a area of bush out a few years back, took well over 250 coyotes out of a 10 square mile area of bush in the farmland, all the coyotes used to be really dark, the lighter coyotes moved in from the farmland,the past few years I have been getting nice colored yotes from that area, this year all dark and course again,this is just what i have heard not sure if biologists believe it but I know were I find certain colored coyotes, my buyer can tell 90% of the time were I ahve been hunting by my colors, I believe it!

[stevebeilgard]

don't know why different areas produce different colored yotes. ours here are all light colored.

[Adjam5]

The most common I've seen in the so zone of NY is more or less the blond or dirty blonde.

[Guest WY Hunter]

I dont know if its true, but it has been said that when coyotes first moved into the midwest and east, they crossed with the red wolf until the wolves were wiped out. Some of the coyotes that I saw and shot back in Missouri were as red as could be, and they were much larger in body size than the ones I now shoot out here in Wyoming.

[wtnhunt]

I dont know if its true, but it has been said that when coyotes first moved into the midwest and east, they crossed with the red wolf until the wolves were wiped out. Some of the coyotes that I saw and shot back in Missouri were as red as could be, and they were much larger in body size than the ones I now shoot out here in Wyoming.

Have heard this too.