We all talk about and try to mimic coyotes burying food in dirt holes. Here a coyote covers a chunk of deer liver I put out with just leaves while using his snout. I have videos of bear doing that with a carcass but never seen it done by a coyote.
https://youtu.be/dLanm28PoH4

A little later it's mate comes over, urinates on it and then does a classic kick back.
https://youtu.be/JBCj3LGZL_Q

I should add that they had gorged on the two livers I put out there and apparently couldn't eat it all.

https://youtu.be/GGmyjNo3jqo

Thanks for sharing! Love watching coyote behavior play out in front of a camera?

Good videos but by urinating on its food cache some people's feelings are going to get hurt....

Yes sir, it was almost “emphatically” stated they DO NOT do that.

As someone else stated, when it comes to coyotes, never say never.

Ha...I was just reading that particular thread today!

Do you think urinating on/near it was a way of saying "if I can't eat it neither will you"?

I would be curious to see if they returned and ate it or what happened to it

No doubt one covered something up and the other one urinated on it though

Game camera pics and videos sure are educational

If the camera wouldn't have timed out on the first video I wouldn't have been surprised if the coyote that buried it didn't pee on it too.
I don't think them urinating on or near will stop them or any other K9 from eating it.

Ha! I knew it!
I always did better at dirt holes with bait and pee, not just bait. Went against everything I had read but my catches said differently. I just couldn’t figure out if they were interested in the bait or the pee but the combo seems to tip the odds favorably.
Thank you so much for sharing this!
Jim

Point of interest urination marking in relation to a food source, or for future reference as to location of the food source:

Urination behavior carries different signal purposes and meanings for the coyote or other predators. Who was last here, who is associated with this area, should I dare investigate further or leave the location responses. There are many details we have yet to really understand fully.

Trail cams and videos sure help us to fit some of the pieces together.

Marking urination, I would think would be interpreted as to where and how it may have been used.

This behavior is likely to relay a point of interest interpretation to another predator as to its meaning when it was encountered.

Just my thoughts on urination in general in relation to food marking. I think most coyotes and other predators constantly mark objects and specific areas for their own reasons.

Time of year, weather patterns, large and small baits, territorial marking all play an important role in their life cycle.

I do know coyotes and fox frequently mark their territory after a good rain fall. This reestablishes their territory and signals their presence to others.

Thanks Bob.
Jim

Good points, Bob. It is interesting that the coyote urinated on the left over liver after he covered it with leaves. Covering would indicate he was hiding it or caching it for later yet urinating would obviously be sending a signal to other coyotes. Territorial? Warning? Making a claim?

They were simply salt curing that leftover liver.

I think we sometimes overthink why a coyote does what it does.

Sometimes I wonder if even the coyote knows why it’s doing what it does.

Good point. Sometimes I don’t even know why I do what I do!