Post by trappnman on Apr 19, 2005 10:20:51 GMT -6
I firmly believe the major player in our dispersal here is the harvest. Our crops here are in most case contoured strips with waterways goijng through them. If the waterways are hayed- they act a conduits- if left brushy-as food draws.
Without the harvest, you get very little movement. Once the fields start to go bare- and thousands of acres of prime habitat literally disappear overnight, the coyotes are in a flux situation. I think they just move as far as they have to to find good habitat- and around here, thats not far.
Most of the range here is farm fields, set asides- bordered by woody coulees and river valleys- as the snow comes, they are forced down into the valleys for food and cover. At this time- you really get them moving to and hanging aound the creeks.
I think coyote are like trout in a way- remove one form prime habitat- and another moves in. Some studies show that up to 60% of coyotes in an area are not territorial. I think these coyotes have a route- and wander as the food goes.
Our study here did show a drift pattern. Coyotes that could be found almost all the time in a certain location- would for no apparent reason move off 10-15 miles away...stay there for a week or so then move back.
No rhyme nor reason for it that I could tell. But I do think it expalins to a degree why you think you have taken all coyotes from an area (not me, but other trappers apaprently get them all...LOL) so you pull up- and 3-4 weeks later coyotes are there again. New or just returned? A key question.
Coyotes are going to live in the most desireable habitat available to them. In large populations, the fringe areas get more coyotes and coyotes seem everywhere... but as the coyotes in the good habitat areas are removed...the fringe coyotes move in.
Perhaps explaining why in some years a farm produces and in other years it doesn't.
Without the harvest, you get very little movement. Once the fields start to go bare- and thousands of acres of prime habitat literally disappear overnight, the coyotes are in a flux situation. I think they just move as far as they have to to find good habitat- and around here, thats not far.
Most of the range here is farm fields, set asides- bordered by woody coulees and river valleys- as the snow comes, they are forced down into the valleys for food and cover. At this time- you really get them moving to and hanging aound the creeks.
I think coyote are like trout in a way- remove one form prime habitat- and another moves in. Some studies show that up to 60% of coyotes in an area are not territorial. I think these coyotes have a route- and wander as the food goes.
Our study here did show a drift pattern. Coyotes that could be found almost all the time in a certain location- would for no apparent reason move off 10-15 miles away...stay there for a week or so then move back.
No rhyme nor reason for it that I could tell. But I do think it expalins to a degree why you think you have taken all coyotes from an area (not me, but other trappers apaprently get them all...LOL) so you pull up- and 3-4 weeks later coyotes are there again. New or just returned? A key question.
Coyotes are going to live in the most desireable habitat available to them. In large populations, the fringe areas get more coyotes and coyotes seem everywhere... but as the coyotes in the good habitat areas are removed...the fringe coyotes move in.
Perhaps explaining why in some years a farm produces and in other years it doesn't.
