Sam's Creek 05/24/08

[Flyfishjeep]

Pete,
Glad to hear your son upgraded to a Jeep (wrangler hopefully)!

[PeteCz]

Originally Posted by Flyfishjeep

Glad to hear your son upgraded to a Jeep (wrangler hopefully)!

Jeep yes, Wrangler no...at nearly $4/gallon and a whole lot extra for insurance, we opted for a boring Grand Cherokee Laredo...

I used to have a Wrangler when I was your age...I still miss it!

[mora521]

Another interesting thing I once discovered up around Sams Creek was a fenced in area,never could figure out what it was till I read Chris Camuto's book about the red wolf project.They would pen them up and feed them dead deer hoping to get them acclimated to the area.It did not work,the wolves kept showing up in towns.I miss em they made cool night music.

[Rog 1]

Someone recorded the wolves in Cades Cove and used this as a backdrop on some mood music that was advertised as easy listening....my Dad brought one of these CDs home from a summer in the mountains and when my 2 year old son heard the howling in the background he became visibly upset and asked that the music be turned off....must have touched a little bit of genetic history somewhere.....the wolves were born and raised on a barrier island off the Florida gulf coast before being transplanted into the park.

[mora521]

Them wolves must have had some culture shock issues after growing up in Florida,then being put in the mountains. Coyotes(which I have read that all eastern ones have interbred with red wolves and are different than there western cousins )now provide nocturnes.I have seen coyotes way up near Indian Flats Prong,and even saw one eating from a mcdonalds bag in the gravel pulloff at Hatchers cut near Walland.They have successfully colonized Blount county,I think it is great.Plus coyote stories help keep out the halfbacks.

[BlueRaiderFan]

Just wait...Coyotes can breed with a stinkin Lhasa Opso (sp?). They will be everywhere. If you see one, you can bet there are 20 more you don't see. IMO they should be shot on site.

[Rog 1]

Last coyote I saw in the park was between Elkmont and the Sugarlands...it was heading up the side of the road toward a couple of wild turkeys that were feeding on the shoulder....watched the big fellow amble up the road and veer off into the woods....just wonder if Thanksgiving came early for him.

[jeffnles1]

I've seen several coyotes in the park over the years. When we were there in March, we saw one up by the visitor center in Cades Cove.

I'm not sure about mixing with red wolves, but I have heard most Eastern Coyotes are really Coydogs having cross bred with feral dogs and other strays.

I have seen much larger coyotes in the East than I have out West.

Jeff

[Brian Griffing]

I saw a jet black coyote two years ago while deer hunting near Walland. I hadn't thought about it, but I guess it could have had some dog mixed in for the color.
Anyway, as far as bigger coyotes in the east go, I saw the biggest coyotes I have ever seen while stationed at Camp Pendleton in southern California. Those old boys got huge coming into urban areas and eating trash, small dogs, cats, and everything else they could get their mouths around. I saw one in my headlights at night that I thought was a loose German Shepherd, until I saw him start running. Now, I'm not saying he was as big as a german shepherd, but he was big enough to cause some confusion at a distance of 50 yards.

[Stonefly]

I've had a couple of coyotes come into my yard after my dog, had to run 'em off, and can't let the dog out alone anymore. And Gil Lackey from Nashville got a stealth cam shot of one in his back yard. Sucker's are all over.

sb