If you see a dog-like creature with a slender face it may be a coyote. If so, it is a coyote. Howling is one of the social things that coyotes do in a pack or in pairs. It starts with a small bark or yelp then a long yell. Coyotes howl to show their territory.
Coyotes eat two to three pounds of food a day.
They hunt on cool nights and cool evenings in groups of two or three. They don't just eat meat. They enjoy fruit too. They could make a mess of a melon patch in a hurry. Pups get food from their parents until they are old enough to go out of the den.