What's the relationship between Elk and Coyotes?

[Poser]

I would assume that outside of calving season, coyotes aren't much of a threat to healthy elk who are herded up. Around here, coyotes don't seem to exist in large packs in the mountains and I have seen and heard both animals occupying the same small basins at the same time in the Summer and Fall.

More than one occasion, I've ripped a bugle into elk country only to have coyotes respond in an extremely agitated and territorial manner. This morning, I let out a location bugle while it was dark and had a lone coyote immediately start barking and yipping back. This went on nonstop for 20+ minutes. A follow up bugle had the coyote moving closer to our location and continuing to bark, seemingly straight at us. This animal would not shut up and was just raising as much hell as a lone coyote can. Finally, my buddy ripped out the gnarliest, most aggressive bugle he could muster up pointed straight at the coyote and it shut up which was a bit hilarious. We didn't hear anything else out of it.

So, what's the deal with coyotes and elk? Do coyotes hate elk because they are generally too big to be prey and too loud?
Some of the coyote responses to elk calls I've experienced seem to suggest "Get the hell out of here!", though, I'm far from an expert in coyote sounds. As for elk, I take it they'll tolerate coyotes around up to a point, but will eventually get fed up and move out of an area if there are coyotes around.

What's the deal?

 

[hereinaz]

Heard coyotes in the evening start after a bugle as well. Nothing to your extent, but coyotes will respond to a siren. Maybe it is just a reflex?

 

[TaperPin]

Coyotes love to howl - I never associated elk sounds with coyotes, but it wouldn’t be a big surprise. It’s always been fun to wake up in the mountains and get the coyotes going. Backpacking with city kids it’s especially fun the first time they set off a good howling session.

 

[jgilber5]

This past season we had elk bugling back at the coyotes pretty consistently. Made locating quite a bit easier. Didn't seem to mind eachother at all.

 

[insanelupus]

Might be a K9 thing. If wolves are around a bugle often can get them going also.

 

[Erict]

It would not surprise me if coyotes can differentiate between an elk and an someone making elk sound. In such situations, they may simply be "sounding the alarm".

 

[LongWayAround]

I heard them seemingly going back and forth with each other last month also. It could be that there just happened to be a lot of both coyotes and elk in my area.

One morning, we had a bull responded regularly and getting closer. The coyotes fired up, he got quiet and disappeared but cut the distance again after awhile.

Last November, I was trying to get my girlfriend a shot on a herd of cows. We had bumped them out of the timber and they were on a sage finger ridge, about 12 animals. A single coyote charged out of a small aspen pocket and chased that herd.