The coyote is adept at chasing, while a badger can easily dig underground should its prey head into a burrow. Coyotes and badgers tend to work in tandem to hunt prairie dogs and ground squirrels.

On a recent drive back from Denver International Airport, I saw a coyote running through a prairie-dog town. It was the fifth coyote I saw that morning between Estes Park and Denver, but this one ...