W. Don Bowen and Ian McTaggart Cowan studied coyotes in Jasper National. The two scent marks most frequently used were urine alone and urine with scratching. The urine was usually deposited on objects to allow for the distribution of the scent. This practice also allows the urine to act as a visual mark. The coyotes left most of their marks on the borders of their territories.
Coyotes react strongly to their own scent marks.
Increased urine-marking also occurs after aggressive encounters with neighbors or transients. Scent marks do seem to dissuade neighboring packs from entering each other's territories, but it does not provide an impenetrable border. Coyotes will cross territorial borders to feed off carcasses that lie near the border. However, they will not mark or eliminate near the carcass. They also react strongly to disturbances, such as birds making noise in a nearby tree.