Animal scat question

[AMF]

On a hike out to Gertrude’s Nose in the ‘Gunks last weekend I came across a LOT of unusual animal scat on the trails (should have take a picture!). At first glance I thought it was owl pellets (lots of fur & bits of bone), but they were too numerous and large. Bobcats came to mind, as it looked a bit like the hairball stuff that cats hurk up. Definitely not bear. Coyotes perhaps, and I have seen them in the area, but always have seen them in open farm habitat and never in heavy woodland. Wondered if anyone may be able to shed any light on this.

 

[Chip]

piles, dog-like in appearance, full of fur are coyote.
Owl pellets are compact, uniform and dense, the size of an appetizer egg roll.
You might find a lot of pellets in the same area, but they're normally well hidden, like under an evergreen and it'd be apparent they weren't produced at the same time.
Coyote seem to like to go right in the middle of the trail.

 

[SAR-EMT40]

I agree. Coyote. Coyote will have hair and small pieces of bones sometimes with tapered ends on the scat. Fox will have fur with little pieces of bone or none at all. Wolf will have large pieces of bones. They have the power to crack large bones and get at the marrow which is like hitting the food lottery.

Keith

 

[Chip]

coyote scat, probably a few days old;

 

[MattC]

I see the stuff all the time in the Gunks and agree that it is most likely coyote dung, and that it's usually right on the trail as Chip states. I always see it along the ridgelines (Millbrook Ridge, High Peterskill Trail, Gertrude's Nose, Old Minnewaska Trail etc.) but never down in the cloves. One time on the High Peterskill Trail I saw a bunch of scat w/ bones on the trail. Near this was quite a lot of light brownish-blondish fur, probably about enough to make a wig. The fur was on the trail and scattered about from the trail to about 10 feet into the adjacent blueberry patch. Obviously something had been killed and/or eaten there, but I'm not sure what. Cottontail? Small fawn? Definitely plenty of Eastern (or are they New England?) Cottontails running around down here in the Wallkill Valley. I'm not sure about up on the Ridge.

Matt

 

[ripple]

I found a coyote scat, with the bottom section of a turkey foot. Skin, toes, nails all intact. Passing that must have made that animal howl. ouch!

 

[AMF]

Coyote it must be... right on the trails, as was noted. I knew they were in the area, but had no idea how prevalent they must be judging from the amount of scat seen.