for those wanting to talk coyotes

[trappnman]

in PMS, and talking to a few folks- the consensus is this: while there are of course multiple "spots", what we are looking for is overlapping range locations, and then finding the spots on them to set up.

that's the point I'm at now- how to determine those overlapping areas.

right now, its hit and miss- and I'm relying on the 3 cow vs 30 cow principle, that where the attraction is big enough, you are going to have use by overlapping groups.

true and not true as I am finding out.

now keep in mind, that the importance of finding such spots is more important, if the management of the line is such to be in and out quickly.

one key, an obvious one I guess, is that the more rare the attraction for that area, the more use its going to get. but it gets harder in pics like bogio and i posted, where one has almost continuous habitat, every farm having a few cows, a few good "spots"-

you can make analogy's to about anything similar- for example, 1 bar in town is going to have everyone that likes to go out and have a beer, come in- whereas if a town is made up of bars (small town WI/MN) they could go to any of them.

so, just like Friday night- we are looking for the 1 spot (due to rarity) or looking for THE spot, that in a multitude of other possibilities, becomes the main attraction (band playing at one, everyone is there to continue the bar analogy)

I see a lot of individual litters (sign) going from area to area and farm to farm gopher trapping, so while not being exactly denning sites, for sure its denning areas, and I see where they are venturing out of the denning habitat.

but as we all know, what occurs in summer doesn't always occur in the fall. They move, they have different needs and thus different habits.

so back to- what the heck, makes a place one of overlapping range?

some things that might or might not be true in deciding that:

big attraction point

travel routes vis a vis wind direction, placement to the attraction point

located at the fringe areas of denning sites

human activity (not meaning people around, but harassing actions)

livestock present, and how- pasture, feedlots, enclosed buildings

coyote density overall

---------------

any one wanting to jump in , and see if we can aid each other, is more than welcome

[foxman]

I'm so ignorant to coyote behavior I'm not sure what I could possibly add tman. The subject is intriguing and I have the desire to become a better coyote trapper. Being such a hands on learner and a visual one the pictures seem to help me understand quite a bit more than a 6 paragraph post. I think I'm at the point I need to just pay for instructions and spend more time in the field. This season I didn't set one coyote trap. Many reasons to that. Things are now in my favor and next season I will be able to and would like to set up a coyote line and try for the 50 or 60 mark. Not impressive by any accounts. This morning while checking beaver traps I thought... I want to be a high percentage trapper. So finding "the spot" and setting less traps to catch more yotes and being more profitable is important to me as I work 45 to 50 hours a week. Thankfully today I work a second shift and tomorrow I have off cus they want to cut my overtime. So help me become a high percentage coyote trapper. I'm willin to listen and take notes and add what knowledge I do have though it is very limited. Less than 200 yotes under my belt as of today. -matt

[foxman]

Ive noticed snaring has become a new habit of mine as well. Its simple and affective. I'd like to know more about and become a high percentage snarer to. Anything to put yotes in the truck. So please. School me on coyote behavior. When reading those coyote studies half the time I dont understand the information given well enough to apply it directly to my line. I'm hoping mr 1080 zagman tc others and yourself will jump in. Let's make this informative and not a pissing match and the let's go toe to toe with gappa kinda post.

[trappnman]

heres an interesting tidbit- note its for the gestation period only, but interesting to me nonetheless

Of the 1,246 coyote locations obtained during gestation
and used in this analysis, 378 were classified as
predatory, 431 as laying and 437 as travelling.

predatory meant killing ,eating ,etc)

[trappnman]

the study- www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/nwdp/Publications/07pubs/Atwood%20et%20a.%202007.pdf

long and difficult reading for me, to much math- but nuggets here and there, such as-

The OZ (overlapping zone) , as a focal attractor, offers the additional benefit of
concentrating spatial interaction between adjacent groups in a relatively small area. Presumably, OZs are attractors because they are resource rich. If the primary resource is carrion subsidies from winter- or hunter-killed white-tailed deer, then the potential for spatial interaction between adjacent coyote groups should be great (Gese et al. 1996, Wilmers et al.2003, Atwood 2006).

[trappnman]

the link to the "3 cow study"

ojs.lib.byu.edu/ojs/index.php/wnan/article/viewFile/1235/1092

[braveheart]

I have to find the spots way back in the field or by buddy coyote hunters steal or shoot everything I get.I look for long travel ways and keep building up the bait piles.And keep 5 miles between sets they just keep moving in.

[trappincoyotes39]

good plan Marty! In winter and snow those snares are real easy to maintain and coal shale and waxed dirt makes trapping easier, but in real windy areas give me the snares for ease of maintenece.

[rionueces]

I spoke about overlapping range locations a few years ago on here but never got a response. My problem is that I don't have the time to do the pre-scouting that is necessary to find these areas. The ones that I have found over the years have been gold mines, usually marked by numerous turds in a road or intersection. A friend of mine had a deer blind near one of these places, and observed coyotes fighting and displaying aggressive behavior.

[trappnman]

pre scouting is the key without a doubt, and I too need to do more of it

the reason to find overlaps, is to stop checking empty traps- thats the trouble with waiting for them to come to you- you need to be there for longer periods

and you are back to empty traps, while waiting

rioneuces- why are those gold mines, gold mines?

[rionueces]

The locations continue to be good because coyotes continue to come back to test the limits of their range. I believe they sense a void by the lack of barking and howling from the ones that have been removed. I have caught as many as 10 coyotes in one location over a period of three weeks with one trap. Maybe these spots are good for some other reason, but it sure seems like they are just testing their range by going back to a location that his been a meeting place for years. Once a number of these animals are removed then the whole pecking order is upset and the territories are redefined.

[trappnman]

heres a complex study, hard to udnerstand let alone judge its worth- but the discussion has some interesting reading

www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/nwrc/publications/08pubs/shivik082.pdf


basic stuff, but as a refresher-


Coyotes are considered less social than wolves (but see Gese
et al. 1996b, c). The basic social unit is the adult, heterosexual pair, referred to as the alpha pair. Coyotes form heterosexual
pair bonds that may persist for several years, but not
necessarily for life. Coyotes may maintain pair bonds and
whelp or sire pups up to 10–12 years of age. Associate
animals may remain in the pack and possibly inherit or
displace members of the breeding pair and become alphas
themselves. Associates participate in territorial maintenance
and pup rearing, but not to the extent of the alpha pair.
Other coyotes exist outside of the resident packs as transient
or nomadic individuals. Transients travel alone over larger
areas and do not breed, but will move into territories when
vacancies occur.

One factor that may affect coyote sociality is prey size or
prey biomass. In populations where rodents are the major
prey, coyotes tend to be in pairs or trios (Bekoff and Wells
1986). In populations where elk and deer are available, large
packs of up to 10 individuals may form (Bekoff and Wells
1986; Gese et al. 1996b, c).

Coyotes are territorial with a dominance hierarchy within each resident pack (Bekoff 1982; Bekoff and Gese 2003, and
references therein). In captivity, coyotes show early
development of aggressive behaviour and engage in
dominance fights when 19–24 days old (Bekoff et al. 1981).
The early development of hierarchical ranks within litters
appears to last up to 4.5 months (Bekoff 1977). Territoriality
mediates the regulation of coyote numbers as packs space
themselves across the landscape in relation to available food
and habitat (Knowlton et al. 1999). The dominance hierarchy
influences access to food resources within the pack (Gese et
al. 1996b, c).

Home-range size varies geographically (Laundré and
Keller 1984), and among residents, varies with energetic
requirements, physiographic makeup, habitat, and food
distribution (Laundré and Keller 1984). Home-range size is
influenced by social organisation, with transients using
larger areas, and residents occupying distinct territories
(Andelt 1985; Bekoff and Wells 1986). Resident coyotes
actively defend territories with direct confrontation, and
indirectly with scent marking and howling (Camenzind
1978; Bekoff and Wells 1986). Only packs (2–10 animals)
maintain and defend territories (Bekoff and Wells 1986).
Fidelity to the home range area is high and may persist for
many years (Kitchen et al. 2000b). Shifts in territorial
boundaries may occur in response to loss of one or both of
the alpha pair (Camenzind 1978).Dispersal of coyotes from the natal site may be into a vacant or occupied territory in an adjacent area, or they may disperse long distances. Generally, pups, yearlings, and non-breeding adults of lower social rank disperse (Gese et al. 1996c). Dispersal seems to be voluntary as social and nutritional pressures intensify during winter when food
becomes limited (Gese et al. 1996c). There seems to be no
consistent pattern in dispersal distance or direction. Dispersal
by juveniles usually occurs during autumn and early winter.
Pre-dispersal forays may occur prior to dispersal.

Coyotes communicate using auditory, visual, olfactory,
and tactile cues. Studies have identified different types of
vocalisations, seasonal and diel patterns, and the influence
of social status on vocalisation rates (Bekoff and Gese
2003; and references therein). Howling plays a role in
territorial maintenance and pack spacing by advertising
territorial boundaries and signalling the presence of alpha
animals which will confront intruders and defend the
territory. Studies on scent marking have shown that alpha
coyotes perform most scent marking, scent marking varies
seasonally, and scent marks contribute to territory
maintenance (Bekoff and Gese 2003; and references therein).
Scent marking may also be a mechanism for sex recognition
and an indicator of sexual condition, maturity, or synchrony
(Bekoff and Gese 2003; and references therein).

heres a interestng link- its long, and not real detailed, but it compliles a lot of different study abstracts and some discussion, conclusions in one document.

A tidbit from it: Coyotes exhibit large home range overlap but coyote groups exhibit minimal territory overlap based on seasonal ranges. Core areas also had minimal overlap. This social system appears to be related to the acquisition of food.

the link- www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/nwrc/publications/12pubs/Mastro122.pdf

[trappnman]

www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/nwrc/publications/12pubs/gese124.pdf

hint: for those not wanting to read the entire study, heres the cliff notes version-

read the abstract- that tells you the objectives of the study

read the discussion at the end- that sums up the data, and possible conclusions.