For the serious coyote people

[butchlambert]

One of Wyman Meinzer's published papers after graduation from Texas Tech was part of the Univ. of Arizona Journal of Range Managment. I was surprised at some of the findings.

Foodniche of Coyotes in the Rolling Plains of Texas

repository.arizona.edu

Coyote diets were determined from scat and stomach analyses over a two-year period in an area centered in the Rolling Plains region of Texas. Fruit from 9 species of native plants were the most important food for coyotes, making up 46% of the annual diet. Honey mesquite pods alone contributed 15.6% of the annual diet. Rodents contributed 24.5% of the coyote's annual diet, while leporids made up just 10.5%. The foodniche of coyotes varied seasonally as well as annually. The coyote's role as an agent of seed dispersal appears minimal since digestion of some seeds by coyotes significantly reduces percent germination. Late evening and pre-dawn hours seem the normal feeding period for most coyotes, and moon phase did not affect the timing of this activity. In this study there was no evidence of coyote predation on cattle.

After hunting on ranches for many years I found most of the ranchers thought coyotes were a threat to their cattle.

 

[Captain Long John]

I wonder if this is the case in different areas.

 

[Bottom Fodder]

Like most things look for the food source and you will find your critter near by

 

[snert]

Well ain't that the chitz!

 

[jds holler]

Around here, I think the pups eat mostly juniper berries for the first year of life. -- judging from the scat.

In our area, rodents such as moles, voles, mice, 5 different kinds of squirrels, cottontails, jack rabbits, rock chucks, grass hoppers, ground nesting birds, lizards, snakes, frogs, -- are all extremely common. I'd guess that makes up 90% of their diet. During fawn season, (deer and antelope) they undoubtedly snag a few. I imagine also some lambs. I don't really hear the cattlemen bitching too much about them. Wolves now--- jd

 

[Kracken McGraw]

One of Wyman Meinzer's published papers after graduation from Texas Tech was part of the Univ. of Arizona Journal of Range Managment. I was surprised at some of the findings.

Foodniche of Coyotes in the Rolling Plains of Texas

repository.arizona.edu

Coyote diets were determined from scat and stomach analyses over a two-year period in an area centered in the Rolling Plains region of Texas. Fruit from 9 species of native plants were the most important food for coyotes, making up 46% of the annual diet. Honey mesquite pods alone contributed 15.6% of the annual diet. Rodents contributed 24.5% of the coyote's annual diet, while leporids made up just 10.5%. The foodniche of coyotes varied seasonally as well as annually. The coyote's role as an agent of seed dispersal appears minimal since digestion of some seeds by coyotes significantly reduces percent germination. Late evening and pre-dawn hours seem the normal feeding period for most coyotes, and moon phase did not affect the timing of this activity. In this study there was no evidence of coyote predation on cattle.

After hunting on ranches for many years I found most of the ranchers thought coyotes were a threat to their cattle.

Butch, coyotes love to eat the the high colostrum feces from newborn baby calves. I believe this is when most bobtailing of calves occur when coyotes develop a crave for this high protein source of food, and they actually chase the calves to get this because the first milk poops are thick and stick to the calves tail and buttocks. When you get aggressive coyotes that pair up and learn how to kill, especially on first calf heifers calves that aren’t as protective as older cows, you can have a big time problem real quick.
I would love to hear Wyman’s thoughts on this, because I’m sure he has seen it all.

 

[MQ1]

Butch, coyotes love to eat the the high colostrum feces from newborn baby calves. I believe this is when most bobtailing of calves occur when coyotes develop a crave for this high protein source of food, and they actually chase the calves to get this because the first milk poops are thick and stick to the calves tail and buttocks. When you get aggressive coyotes that pair up and learn how to kill, especially on first calf heifers calves that aren’t as protective as older cows, you can have a big time problem real quick.
I would love to hear Wyman’s thoughts on this, because I’m sure he has seen it all.

I have a ranching friend who I know is on this site from time to time. Once we were shooting ground squirrels until the sun started to set. As I was putting my rifle away, my friend spied a coyote on the top of the next hill over, and he was adamant that it needed to be dispatched immediately. He ranged it as I settled in for the shot…had the dope right and sent it, killing the coyote cleanly. It took about 30 minutes to drive the truck to where the coyote was laying, and once we found him…it was a pretty big male…my friend pointed to the bottom of the back side of the hill where the coyote was looking when I shot him. Sure enough…there was a cow in the process of giving birth. According to my friend, it was common to loose a number of calves every year during the birthing process, since the cow can’t really do much to defend or get away. I’m sure most of the time those coyotes will eat whatever is an easy meal…but they sure seem to have the ability to be calf killers as well.

MQ1

 

[Kracken McGraw]

I have a ranching friend who I know is on this site from time to time. Once we were shooting ground squirrels until the sun started to set. As I was putting my rifle away, my friend spied a coyote on the top of the next hill over, and he was adamant that it needed to be dispatched immediately. He ranged it as I settled in for the shot…had the dope right and sent it, killing the coyote cleanly. It took about 30 minutes to drive the truck to where the coyote was laying, and once we found him…it was a pretty big male…my friend pointed to the bottom of the back side of the hill where the coyote was looking when I shot him. Sure enough…there was a cow in the process of giving birth. According to my friend, it was common to loose a number of calves every year during the birthing process, since the cow can’t really do much to defend or get away. I’m sure most of the time those coyotes will eat whatever is an easy meal…but they sure seem to have the ability to be calf killers as well.

MQ1

Yes Sir they learn to be opportunistic, especially when their belly is hungry in the cold wintertime and other food sources are scarce.

 

[Lonny in ID]

I hunt a number of ranches for coyotes and actual calf kills are rare. All that said, most ranchers have at one point or another lost a calf to what they think was probably done by a coyotes and the game is on. Coyotes do hang around calving areas, and it sure can be a good spot to find them, but again, talking with ranchers its quite rare to lose a calf. But they don't want coyotes getting too comfortable being around newborn calves and don't mind them shot. Sheep, domestic fowl, house cats, or anything smaller than them is at great risk though.

My Dad, from his kitchen table, can watch a huge chunk of pasture from his kitchen table and he would often watch coyotes mouse those grasslands. They are darn effective mouse/vole eaters.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

My Dad, from his kitchen table, can watch a huge chunk of pasture from his kitchen table and he would often watch coyotes mouse those grasslands. They are darn effective mouse/vole eaters.

I bet your Dad has seen this then. One time when I was horseback, I rode up undetected on a coyote playing with a mouse in the sage brush. He would jump up straight in the air and come down with his paws and try to grab that mouse and more or less just play with it to get it tired I guess. This went on for several minutes and of course I was out there doing a job and had to move on. Nature is is always interesting to just watch.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

I shot this pretty young male just a few weeks ago. I had seen him before close to the cows feed grounds before a time or two and didn’t think much about it. This time I was dumping out cubes for the cattle and noticed him come right up by the pickup and cattle while I was feeding them. This little fellow had learned to eat the cake scraps and was making a good living off of them.
I probably should have just let him go, but maybe the good lord has a purpose for me being out there too. I sure don’t disturb them to much anymore.

 

[JSH]

I bet if that study was done into today’s urban areas it would be an eye opener.

I imagine they are as opportunistic as possible, just depends on areas, tough way to make a living.
A city fellow showed up here a little over a year ago. Going to live off the land, yeah right. Started off with free range chicken chickens. What didn’t get smashed on the road the hawks, foxes and coyotes got. That is about 3/8 of a mile from, fox with a chicken went across the backyard last year, lol.
PBS had an interesting program on urban coyotes.

 

[Lonny in ID]

I bet your Dad has seen this then. One time when I was horseback, I rode up undetected on a coyote playing with a mouse in the sage brush. He would jump up straight in the air and come down with his paws and try to grab that mouse and more or less just play with it to get it tired I guess. This went on for several minutes and of course I was out there doing a job and had to move on. Nature is is always interesting to just watch.

Yep, he sure has. He also mentioned they sometimes lose their catch, meaning the mouse gets away as they mess around with it. I kinda think it might be a way of practicing to catch mice, especially for young coyotes? If they were truly hungry, why wouldn't they just gulp it down? Dad also keeps loose statistics of the number of pounces per mouse/vole caught. It's pretty high from what I remember too, like 50%. It was pretty easy for coyotes on high mouse years, to catch 10-15 or so mice in 30 minutes.

One of the more interesting things he witnessed, was watching one of his barn cats as it was making its way back to the barn, from the hayfield, but still about 200 yards from any tree or building though. The barn cat was carrying a ground squirrel it had caught. A coyote obviously watching from the trees came out of the timberline, into the field, and started bee-lining towards the cat. The cat couldn't run at top speed carrying the squirrel so after about 50 yards, it dropped the squirrel and continued its run for safety. The coyote swooped in, gave up chasing the cat, and grabbed the squirrel. Why fight the cat when you can take its meal?

 

[Lonny in ID]

View attachment 1511327I shot this pretty young male just a few weeks ago. I had seen him before close to the cows feed grounds before a time or two and didn’t think much about it. This time I was dumping out cubes for the cattle and noticed him come right up by the pickup and cattle while I was feeding them. This little fellow had learned to eat the cake scraps and was making a good living off of them.
I probably should have just let him go, but maybe the good lord has a purpose for me being out there too. I sure don’t disturb them to much anymore.

Darn nice looking coyote!

 

[Larryh128]

From that study, if you hunt in Texas, try mimicking the sound of a cactus getting chewed on.

 

[jds holler]

That right there is why I can't hardly leave one lay, even if fur prices are next to nothing. Even a first year pup has a beautiful pelt that is prime and pretty. jd

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Around my area I see hair in scat year round. Late summer I see grasshopper legs, also when I see the most road kill coyote(mainly pups). Road ditches and shoulders make good grasshopper hunting spots. Especially the cool nights, when the grasshopper metabolism slows down. Frogs are also on the menu just a bit later in Aug.

 

[Doug Casner]

Dad always watches his cows pretty close when they calve. Coyotes might a newborn calf ounce in a great while. The main culprit is dogs. Where I live everbodys got a yard full and nobody keeps them in a pen. Unless they are hunting dogs them guys dont want their coon hound shot chasing cattle. Doug

 

[Tesoro]

I am not so sure about coyotes being a notable loss factor in the cattle industry but one calf less is one calf less. My step dad was a coyote trapper in Northern California rugged coastal sheep ranches in the glorious 70's and I do know first hand that lambs and coyotes don't mix. Neither do wild hogs and lambs.

 

[North Fork]

wear i live there are not many coyotes left the wolves have killed most of them