What's with this coyote?

[slavenoid]

Switched to mushroom mode on a turkey hunt. Saw a coyote stop and stare at me for an unusual amount of time before jogging off. Couple hundred yards later I turned around and the coyote was following my track. It was maybe 20 yards at most matching every step I took. It eventually flanked me and popped out right in front of me cutting me off.

I have never had a coyote encounter ever result in anything other than tucking tail and running immediately. Is this a thing that happens normally? What could it be doing?

[Southpole]

I had a coyote years ago do that to me while I was hiking around. I figured it was a female trying to distract from her den is all I could figure.

[Okanagan]

VERY odd.  Am curious if anyone has any idea what was going on with this coyote.

On two occasions I've had a coyote seemingly ignore me at close range, (8 feet one time, 15 feet the other) but I stood still, and each one soon walked away, apparently unspooked.  Very different from your experience.

[slavenoid]

I had a coyote years ago do that to me while I was hiking around. I figured it was a female trying to distract from her den is all I could figure.

Could be something to that. It didn't seem like it wanted to do me harm or anything but more like it had a duty to do it.

[emac]

My biggest? Is why didn't you shoot it.  If it was 20 yards from you with a Turkey load.

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[slavenoid]

My biggest? Is why didn't you shoot it.  If it was 20 yards from you with a Turkey load.

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Shotgun was strapped to pack. I was committed to picking mushrooms at this point.

[Timberstalker]

One major thing that’s wrong is that it’s not dead.

[hunter399]

I have let a young yote go before.
We where eating lunch, little young guy came out on the road and just stood there.
I grabbed a 22 mag rifle I had in the truck,I started to walk up to it. Got as close as a dog being on a leash. That little sucker walked right up the road right in front of me like it was my dog or something. I could of shot it in the back of the head at any time.
Anyway it was a puppy,it was the middle of summer,it was hot out, and it looked like it wasn't doing well.
After it walked up the road in front of me for a 100 yards or more,and just the way it looked,and it wasn't really hunting shooting it in the back of the head.
I decided I let God figure it out,and I let him go.
It looked strange anyway that it had no fear of me,looked sucked up,I figured that wasn't my choice to make.

[GWP]

Hope it was not rabid or infectious with something. Sometimes being ‘compassionate’ is not the best course of action.
Perhaps God lined you two up so the situation could be resolved? Hard to say.

[hunter399]

Hope it was not rabid or infectious with something. Sometimes being ‘compassionate’ is not the best course of action.
Perhaps God lined you two up so the situation could be resolved? Hard to say.

Yup can't go back on it.
I'll never know if I made the right choice.
I'm sure my co-worker that was back at the truck was waiting for the gun shot.

[bkaech]

There is a reason dogs became domesticated. They can be curious creatures, not all, but a few of them. Some have the propensity to be curious and behave this way. These days most of those dogs get shot. At least that is what comes to my head when I hear this type of behavior.

[idaho guy]

One major thing that’s wrong is that it’s not dead.

   

[Flaming Antler Outdoors]

It's a female with pups near.  They just had litters

[LDennis24]

Yeah it's a female with pups and she was distracting you. Some have pups that are out already exploring the world. Probably not rabid. You should have shot it anyways. I have some pics from last year on May 21 of some pups I was working by playing in the field and hiding in the culvert. They were about the size of an average house cat this time last year.