He is a beautiful swift and clever animal. Coyotes have often been known to run in relays with one animal deliberately replacing the original hunted coyote. They also frequently are found in groups which sometimes results in hounds going in several directions at the same time. When this happens whippers-in must stop the split and get hounds onto one coyote. Coyotes are masters at running at various speeds depending on their moods and conditions.
Some hunters say that coyotes run only fast enough to stay ahead of the hounds.
When they want the hunt to end, they often easily accelerate away from the hounds. When the coyote gets tired of the game, he sometimes will enter a den of sorts which could be a hole under a tree or in a dried up creek bed. In some cases a coyote will stop and turn on hounds. In those rare cases hounds that are not accustomed to coyotes will be put off by the size and aggressive nature of the coyote and can be called away. The popularity of foxhunting continues to grow.