Nice post mate,when you got back to camp did you have a nice plate of beans waiting(like in all the best westerns).Are those coyotes common over most of the states or just in certain areas,read quite a few good articles lately about coyote hunting with dogs.I would of thought being quite a large predator and everyman seems to be after them,shooting aswell as dogging.They are under quite a bit of pressure or are there plenty to go round.
Hope everything works out well for you on the digging side.Perhaps one day the USA will be the last stronghold of working dogs,truely the land of the free.