The largest coyote taken in New York was by hunter Shawn Orchard that weighed 81 lbs. up in Ontario, Wayne Co. during deer season some years back.
Webster man hits 81-pound, 62-inch male
By JIM CASTOR, STAFF WRITER
A Webster hunter has shot and killed what is believed to be the largest Eastern coyote recorded in New York.
An 81-pound male coyote was shot by Shawn Orchard last week while he was hunting deer with friends on private property in Ontario, Wayne County.
"Two female deer were being pursued by a pack of three coyotes," Orchard said. "We heard them crashing through the brush, physically hunting the deer down. I saw two smaller ones about 15 yards behind the deer, then the big one came into view behind them. I was up in a treestand. The shot was from about 90 yards."
Orchard said he took the coyote home and weighed it on his bathroom scales, after weighing himself to check the scales' accuracy. "It may have been off a pound or two, but that's all," Orchard said.
Orchard then drove to the state Department of Environmental Conservation's Region 8 headquarters in Avon, where wildlife technician Ron Newell confirmed the species.
When taxidermist Rick Streeter of Williamson prepares the hide for mounting, tissue samples from the animal's muscles and tongue will be sent to a wildlife biologist in Syracuse for study. It is possible it's a crossbreed between a wolf and coyote. Wolves, however, are rarely seen in New York.
Robert Chambers, a wildlife ecologist with SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, said it is "by far, the largest coyote I've heard of in New York."