Coyote Foods in a Coniferous Forest in Oregon

Abstract

The dominant food items in 844 coyote (Canis latrans) scats from Oregon's Cascade Range were fruit, rodents, large ungulates, and hares. Diets changed by season in response to prey availability. Black- tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and showshoe hares (Lepus americanus) dominated the winter diet. Rodents and hares, fruit and rodents, and black-tailed deer and rodents, dominated spring, summer, and fall diets, respectively. Many coyote food items were species associated with clearcut areas. The variety of animal prey used by coyotes was lowest in fall and winter and highest in the spring. Mean size of animal prey consumed by coyotes was smallest during summer and largest during fall and winter.