Here at Red Bird Ranch, we are almost 3000 feet elevation. And because we live quite a ways out from the general population, we get all sorts of fauna that either live here or pass through our acreage continually. Not long after we took the photo of the young buck, we noticed a canine creature underneath a jojoba bush in the backyard. I say canine creature because, although he would be described as a coyote, these guys are much larger than the coyotes that we are used to in other parts of the desert. They seem to be heavier and taller than the skinny, scrawny coyotes that we’ve seen for many years.

Are they a hybrid of a wolf and coyote or do they just get fed much better out here, where the jackrabbits and cottontails are so plentiful? I don’t know the answer, but I’m always a bit shocked at their size when they casually stroll across our patio, as if they really do own the place. They consider it a shortcut with a bit of shade, I’m sure, but never seem too concerned with a human structure or our human awareness of them.

I’m not sure if one of those coywolves could take down a small buck, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they would consider a new fawn to be potential prey. We hear the phrase, “It’s a jungle out there..” Maybe here in Arizona we should say, “It’s a desert out there...” with the very same awareness of potential danger!