Mountain Coyotes
Watercolor
19" x 27"
This painting is the result of an experience I had in rocky mountain national park. Early one morning I drove up to try and get pictures of elk which turned out to be scarce that day, but for some reason every time I turned around I found coyotes. A group of three where hanging out in a meadow ringed with willows close to timberline. Coyotes are always a nervous bunch but today they seemed more nervous than usual, one in particular kept venturing off into the trees and then reappearing, hunting I assumed. However, as if all on cue, they jumped up and trotted off the edge of the mountain. I drove on around the corner only to find an even larger pack coming down the mountain toward the meadow where I and the other pack had just been.
Early in the morning the wind travels down the mountain so apparently the meadow pack had been receiving the timberline pack's calling card and decided to avoid the greeting. As this new pack worked their way through the trees two of them were right on the side of the road. I was able to push in the clutch and roll backwards down the road while talking pictures out the window of my truck till the closest coyote turned and snarled at me letting me know he'd had enough.
Mountain coyotes are really pretty dogs. Larger than their prairie cousins, with lots of red and silver in their coats. They can be quite hard to find in the mountains, except for RMNP where if you get there early enough, there is a pretty good chance of seeing one or two.
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