A Study of Coyote Relationships on Cattle Range

Abstract

Experimental Range with the idea of making regular monthly collections of those subsequently deposited. Adherence to this program was prevented by changes and reductions in available personnel; the collections were irregular and often of uncertain date. All scats coll ed were found on roads or trails, which were known to be travel-ways of coyotes. Many of them were associated with racks of coyotes, or were collected at the places, along ridges and their saddles, where they were accustomed to linger leaving droppings nd scent. Other seats were tentatively identified as those of coyote on the basis of size and general appearance, and the fact that they were on regularly used travel-ways. Other carnivores inhabiting the area, were the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), raccoon (Procyon lotor), bobcat (Lynx rufus) and badger (Taxidea taxus), and their seats may have been included occasionally. In all, 1,173 scats tentatively identified as those of coyote were collected, with the following numbers in different months. In 1939: May, 1, August, 5, September, 23, October, 299, November, 237, December, 20; in 1940: January, 164, February, 26, March, 22, April, 3, May, 94, June, 32, July, 1, August, 3, September, 79, October, 26, November, 53, December, 1; in 1941: January, 20, and May, 64. In all there were 2,250 identifications of probable food items: 1,924 of vertebrate prey, 30 of large domestic mammals (as carrion in most or all instances), 254 of arthropods, 1 snail, and 42 of plant material. These items, classified according to several major groupings, are listed below in order of frequency of occurrence. MAMMALS: 414 ground squirrels (Citellus beecheyi); 377 cottontails (Syl1 The writer is indebted to Kenneth A. Wagnon for field observations on coyotecattle relationships at the time when coyotes were present in abundance on the area. The Madera County Agricultural Commissioner furnished data on numbers of coyote taken by state and Federal trappers. Scats were collected mainly by Frank Ahern, Oscar Hornback, Richard Loughery, Fenimore Ramley, and the writer, and were analyzed by Howard Twining, Daniel F. Tillotson, and John E. Chattin.