Fig. 1.
Coyotes g o t o college. A load of coyotes delivered by Hunt
Captains C..J . Ryder (left) of Arma and Floyd Tewell (right) of Girard
to the author (center) at the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station.
Coyote carcasses brought in from throughout the state constituted the
basis for this report. The hunt club led by Ryder and Tewell regularly
accounted for 1 0 0 or more coyotes a year, mainly from Crawford County.
COYOTES IN KANSAS
By H.T. GIER
Revised December 1968
AGRICULTURAL E X P E R I M E N T STATION
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
O F AGRICULTURE AND A P P L I E D SCIENCE
MANHATTAN
FLOYD W. SMITH, Associate Director
CONTENTS
Page
T h e Study
Introduction
Collecting t h e Information
3
3
6
9
Food of Kansas Coyotes
Specific foods of Kansas coyotes ................................................
15
Economic Considerations ....................................................................... 2 4
Amount of loss t o coyotes ............................................................ 2 4
Analysis of losses ........................................................................... 2 9
Benefits from coyotes
42
Reproduction a n d Growth
44
Parasites a n d Diseases of Kansas Coyotes
58
Coyote Populations a n d t h e Balance of Nature
Data f r o m bounty records
Populations
Intercompensations
Limiting factors f o r populations
64
64
72
84
84
Control of Coyotes
Bounties
Den hunting
Sport h u n t i n g
Traps
p oison baits
Summation of population control .........................
86
86
88
90
95
103
108
Summary
11 3
References ................................................................................................ 116
TABLES
Page
1. Distribution by months and years of coyotes received ..................
2 . Rate of food passage through t h e alimentary canal ......................
3 . Number and monthly distribution of stomachs from which food
studies were made
4. Occurrence of food items found i n 1948 coyote stomachs
5. Losses due t o coyotes
6. Analysis of losses
7 . Comparisons of losses a n d bounties
8 . Comparison of placental scars a n d corpora r u b r a
9 . Bounties paid on coyote pups i n 45 counties
1 0. Calculation of a breeding population
11. Success of coyote drives
1 2. Success of hunting coyotes with dogs
13 . R e s u l t s of t r a p p i n g coyotes with steel t r a p s
1 4. Results of cyanide gun use
.............
....................