Talk about quick thinking.
Coyotes can be some of the most dangerous creatures in all of the wild, especially if they have a partner. Not known to hunt in packs like wolves, coyotes generally keep it much smaller, like their immediate family.
Most of the time they hunt solo, but can work together, making it much more difficult for their prey to escape.
A mule deer found itself being chased down by one of these coyotes in Yellowstone National Park.
Of course, deer typically feed off vegetation, acorns, and things of that nature and when they’re young, they are the perfect prey for coyotes.
In the footage, you see the deer frantically running away, but luckily enough, there’s a herd of bison nearby.
In a desperate attempt, the deer runs to the group of stampeding bison, and quickly gets lost in the large number of the creatures.
You can see the coyote trying to figure out where the deer disappeared to.
The videographer shared in the caption:
“Up Slough Creek, in Yellowstone National Park, on Saturday, October 15, 2022 (the day the East Entrance Road reopened after June flood damage) the bison were stampeding off and on, so I was taking some phone video when a mule deer sprinted into the frame, pursued by a coyote.
Genius-level survival strategy on the part of the deer- run into the bison herd. Coyote abandoned the pursuit.”
Needless to say, I can imagine the relief the mule deer was feeling once it found its way into safety inside the herd of bison.