The Daily Coyote

by Shreve Stockton

Photographer Shreve Stockton was instantly taken with the landscape when driving through Wyoming, so she promptly moved there. Found a place to live, met local folks, learned how to adjust- from city living to very rural. Became friends with a guy who kept fifty cattle, and their relationship developed. Her boyfriend's dayjob was shooting coyotes to protect livestock. He did this very well, specifically targeting the animals that were actually a threat to ranchers' livelihoods. One day on a whim he brought home a baby coyote from a den he was annihilating, and gave it to Shreve.

She raised it in her little cabin, alongside her grown cat. The interaction between the cat and the coyote, and its changing interactions with Shreve herself as it grew up, are fascinating to read about. She had to make a lot of difficult decisions: let the coyote roam or keep it tied up? castrate him or not? how to manage its aggressive behavior as it matured and began to challenge her dominance. Very clear that this was a wild animal- many times it suddenly turned to attack her and she was carrying around shed deer/elk antlers for a while to use as defense. It took her a while to figure out what was causing the attacks and also how to alter her own behavior to stop them. Very subtle cues the animal picked up on. (Also made shockingly clear how efficiently coyotes prey on cats- a few times in play the coyote would open his jaws over her cat's head- coyotes have a very wide gape- and completely engulf it. Good thing that cat was dominant to the coyote!) Shreve also had to work hard to keep her coyote safe and hidden from her neighbors- anyone in that ranching community would have shot the coyote on sight and thought they were doing her a favor.

I thought I would like this book less because it is as much a memoir of this period in the author's life, as it is a story about the coyote. But the depth of her introspection and honesty in describing things, make the personal aspects of the book just as good. Her photographs are stunning. She started sharing her photos with friends and family via email which evolved into a blog, and eventually this book. Her struggles with the sudden flood of criticism via online comments is a modern issue lots of writers have to deal with when they make their lives public- I sympathized. I was a bit skeptical at times- not always agreeing the author's reasoning- but overall found this an intriguing read.

Borrowed from the public library.

Rating: 4/5       293 pages, 2008

more opinions:
This Book and I Could Be Friends
Bibliophile by the Sea