I can remember when I lived in Western Kansas, a friend and I were hunting in the Finney County Wildlife area. At one time it had been a lake but was dry.
We both had deer tags, me a doe tag and he anything including fawns which we would not have shot. We watched a bunch of coyotes for nearly an hour. They were just walking around not paying attention to us or anything else that we could tell.
Now I am back home in the Florida woods. Last year I was standing at my bathroom window looking out at my pear tree. There were a few on the ground. Suddenly a flash, a pear gone and the flash went back in the bushes.
It took me a few seconds to realize what had happened. A coyote had darted from the bush, grabbed a pear then disappeared all within a second.
I could not have shot him even if I had a gun ready and already aimed. I hear them sometimes but seeing them is almost impossible.
I have seen them at night crossing the road tho.
I pheasant hunted around Logan KS a few times. Every time we spotted a coyote it was after it had spotted us and high tailing it out of the area. Watched one run full speed for about a half mile before it stopped and turned around to look at us then took off running again......
The farmer who would let us hunt his property hunts coyotes with greyhounds
Interesting that you observed one just dart in and out to grab a pear. I had two coyotes linger for quite a while under my persimmon tree to munch up anything left behind by the deer. They also spent some time marking the territory with urine to keep the deer away from “their” persimmons.
Cammo, stillness, downwind, and on their known freeway will give you a shot.
Here lately I’ve seen two or three carcasses on I-10 between Spanish Fort, AL and Pensacola FL. Never seen that many before.