Troy, the problem I see with the "migrated from TX" theory is that a 60 lb coyote is unheard of in TX and common in AL. How did they get so much bigger on their trip?
I maintain that the AL coyote is not the same critter as the one in TX and other western states. They are all crossed up with dogs, and much bigger and meaner.
pcp in my area, the coyotes were bigger when they first started being seen in the early 80's. The longer they have stayed here, the more normal sized (and color) they have become. I've killed a bunch of them and I've weighed a bunch of them over the years. I figure when the population was lower they bred with dogs more regularly, and those genes are now getting diluted which is responsible for the size getting more normal. I rarely see a "big" coyote and I also rarely see an off colored coyote. Both were common here 20 years ago.
