While reading posts in this forum I have noticed there are so many people asking why a person has so many setups that never yield any coyotes being called in to a set. All of these comments got me thinking about a coyote’s range and territory, so I did an internet search for University Studies on this subject. If interested you can find the same details by searching “Coyote range and territory” and look for someone’s published research at a State University .
I read as many as five or more research projects from different areas of the country and this is the simple summation of what I found. A coyote has an average home range of 5 to 15 square miles, but can be up to 60 square miles. A lot depended on the abundance of the available food supply. Home ranges are smaller when they are in an agricultural area in comparison to a forested area. In addition, most or the researchers noted the home range of the coyotes to be larger in the forested Eastern US and they assumed it was due to the larger body size of the coyotes in the East. Which was a surprise to me, since a person would think the dry arid West would require a larger hunting areas? But the researchers had the studies to back this up. It was also noted that in the NE area of the US , like New York there were only 15 to 30 coyotes in a 100 square mile area. So it shows the population density was really low per square mile and most of the studies noted coyotes only run in packs on the average of four or less.
On further investigating, I found a radio collar study that shows how much time a coyotes spends in different areas of their home range and territory. Coyotes usually have a set home range they scent mark and only have random packs or individuals that may cross into their home range enter just once and in a while. The interesting fact they noted in this coyote study was those radio collared coyotes spent 90% of their time in only 7% of their home range. So if their home range is 15 square miles, they spend 90% of their time in just a little over 1 square mile. This 7% of the home range noted as their “territory” is the only area they actively protect and guard from other packs. This was found to be their main food source, breeding area or female den/pup areas in the spring.
Just think with the coyote populations of only 15 to 30 in a 100 sq. mi. area and home ranges being this large, plus coyotes spending so much time in just one small area, a person would have to make numerous sets before you would even be close enough to make the calls they would respond too.
I read as many as five or more research projects from different areas of the country and this is the simple summation of what I found. A coyote has an average home range of 5 to 15 square miles, but can be up to 60 square miles. A lot depended on the abundance of the available food supply. Home ranges are smaller when they are in an agricultural area in comparison to a forested area. In addition, most or the researchers noted the home range of the coyotes to be larger in the forested Eastern US and they assumed it was due to the larger body size of the coyotes in the East. Which was a surprise to me, since a person would think the dry arid West would require a larger hunting areas? But the researchers had the studies to back this up. It was also noted that in the NE area of the US , like New York there were only 15 to 30 coyotes in a 100 square mile area. So it shows the population density was really low per square mile and most of the studies noted coyotes only run in packs on the average of four or less.
On further investigating, I found a radio collar study that shows how much time a coyotes spends in different areas of their home range and territory. Coyotes usually have a set home range they scent mark and only have random packs or individuals that may cross into their home range enter just once and in a while. The interesting fact they noted in this coyote study was those radio collared coyotes spent 90% of their time in only 7% of their home range. So if their home range is 15 square miles, they spend 90% of their time in just a little over 1 square mile. This 7% of the home range noted as their “territory” is the only area they actively protect and guard from other packs. This was found to be their main food source, breeding area or female den/pup areas in the spring.
Just think with the coyote populations of only 15 to 30 in a 100 sq. mi. area and home ranges being this large, plus coyotes spending so much time in just one small area, a person would have to make numerous sets before you would even be close enough to make the calls they would respond too.