Night eyes

[PaulieD]

My sheep all reflect yellow-green I think, and more telling - they are all together and not moving at night and will all look at the light. The Great Pyrenees will put itself between the light source and the sheep most of the time and will keep glancing at the light, but not stare.

I was camping once and a coyote came through. I heard the pat-pat-pat of something trotting through the forest before I saw it. It stared at me for as long as possible while going by. It wasn't afraid of me, and I had yet to learn that I should have thrown stuff at it and generally tried to put a little healthy fear in it.

The yellow eyes that I have associated with deer over the past few weeks, stared at the light for long periods of time. But, the green eyes that I saw this weekend wouldn't make continual eye contact; they would look at the light, look away and then look back (sometimes from a different location). I'm thinking the green eye belong to a neighbors dog, or coyote.

I need to get close enough to see the animal, not just the eyes. Then I might be able to identify the animal by their night light behavior patterns as you and texasjohn suggest in your responses. Unfortunately, I only get to live in the mountains 30 - 35 weekends a year, the rest of the time I live in the suburbs. I should get back up north in a weekend or two and try to focus on the behavior patterns instead of the eye color.

 

[woodchuckie]

.here's the "official" answer from the Department of Veternary Medicine at the University of Wyoming .

"Different species have different kinds of a tapetum, which is the reflective layer under the retinal pigment epithelium. In some species (cats and dogs) it is in cells with zinc-rich rods that are spaced (from memory) half a wavelength of light apart. Cats have a big tapetum since they are nocturnal, and dogs a small one. Other species (sheep, cattle and horses) have an extracellular tapetum composed of collagen laid in orthogonal arrays. This gives rise to different reflective hues. Any disease in the overlying sensory or nonsensory retina will have an effect on the reflectivity of the tapetum. Increased reflectivity is one of the standard criteria for retinal atrophy in domestic animals.

 

[texasjohn]

If it is a dog, I don't think that it would keep looking away and then back...tO me that is coyote behaviour.

Coyotes I see keep moving at a trot... if your eyes keep moving across the terrain, then likely a coyote. You can get an idea of the size of the animal by how fast it can change location.... big animals can cover ground faster than smaller ones.

You already think it is a cannine... something in its behaviour is telling you that... By the way... dogs when distressed or chased go to their home... coyotes simply leave the country.... watch where the critter heads to... if always he goes in the same direction... likely dog... else, coyote, IMHO.

 

[PaulieD]

I don't have much experience with Coyotes. Last year a beauty appeared through a small clump of hemlocks early one morning while I was waiting for a whitetail. As soon as he saw me he exploded in the opposite direction. I didn't feel threatened, for that matter, I didn't even have time to get my rifle shouldered.

So my question is, if I try to walk up within recognition range at night, should I carry a firearm or will my flashlight and walking stick be enough? The only one I've encountered was easily spooked?

 

[VABlue]

Walk up? Why not acquire a 1-3 million candlelight spot and light up the field? That would give you a perspective on its body before either of you was close enough to worry about having a gun. Also makes it easier to keep track of your dogs... (Just be careful to keep it out of your eyes!)

 

[texasjohn]

Approaching a healthy coyote, day or night, that realizes you are there ISN'T going to happen.

When a coyote realizes you are there, they simply vanish... amazingly quickly.

Your experience is very typical... you see him, he sees you, you are looking at where he was wondering if he was really there.

I'd suggest that the only way you will figure out what it is... if you really care and want to spend the considerable time, is to get an animal call, electronic is best since you are likely inexperienced, set up a blind, let it set there for a while(days at least) then try calling at night and use a red colored headlight... this doesn't seem to spook them as much... and see what you call up. Dogs are much less likely to come to the call than a fox or coyote. This approach will cost you at least $100 for call/blind/headlight and several nights... with, I predict, a 20% chance of calling the coyote up.

Your hunting experience may vary.. that's why they call it hunting, not shooting

 

[gordon21]

Roy Jackson has a brand faithful dog. Green and yellow eyes.

Good dog!!!

 

[RoyJackson]

Roy Jackson has a brand faithful dog. Green and yellow eyes.

Good dog!!!

Woof Woof!