Wonder why coyotes are not responding?

Old man

New member
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 agree with most of what you've read & remarked about. Odd to me is why anyone/[Biologist] would call a group of coyotes a "pack" Their not wolves after all.

From what I've seen over the yrs. Their old den site area is frequented the most, any given day. Whether their useing it @ the time or not.

Most local coyotes will either be found in that area. Or within a mile or so, most days. Most often when I shoot & miss a local. That is where they run to.

Not only are territoral pairs protective of their den site area[active or not]. But are also protective of their marked territory through out.

I've watched tresspasser coyotes run away. When they seen a local coyote eyeing them from a far or moving towards them.
 
Kirby
Pack was the reference the University studies used, that maybe a good question to ask them! Think they are the expert in the field, not me, are you? This was just a summary of a few studies I read and thought other may benefit.
 
Interesting information... Thanks for posting it...

Kirby, I've always been told that a group of more than two canines was a "Pack", as in a pack of feral dogs, etc...with and Alpha male and female, etc..with their own pecking order..
 
I've used the word "pack" loosely myself in the past. I do however, expect more from a professional. But the term "pack"
is not true with coyotes as it is in a "wolf pack". Because a pr of coyotes will scatter their yearlings in Winter time. Prior to breeding time.

No I'm not an expert either, on anything I might add.

Coyotes run in family groups. OR groups of singles finding their way or looking for a mate.
 
Here is part of a family group of seven. I've seen this local pr with their yearlings a couple different times over a 5yr span.

When together they were either in this one mile section or the next one over. All out on the open hills. What was interesting[to me anyway]. Was the local pr would scatter their yearlings every time during the 3rd wk in December. Mostly around the 18th of that month. I suspect that was due to the alpha female coming in heat about that time. Why else, huh?

Another interesting point. Is that alpha female only had 5 pups each time I seen them together over the yrs. The other part of the group is out of the pic off to the right. Day of these pics, I watched them all for about 45 minutes. During that time, the old male walked up to each pup. Grabbed them by the neck & pushed them down in the snow & held them there. The old female only assisted, doing the same with the only female yearling. I found that interesting.
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Alpha female sitting up high on the hill. Alpha male off to the right heading up the hill.
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Alpha female never laid her head down[while I was there]. While the rest of the group balled-up & napped. She was most wary, scanning left to right the whole while.
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Outstanding! Great photos and explanation! I got 2 out a group of four, I then got 2 more and another later, so 5 out of one family group. I think there are 1-2 left there.
 
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Kirby
I do have a biology degree, which really helps me know where to look for information, but Biology is a large field with few openings in any one area. So, my main interest is in hunting and fishing but my expertize is in Lake Management and Drinking Water treatment. Nice pictures.
 
Nothing agin you Old Man. Thanks, for your post.

But, I do have a problem believing what some "experts" remark. As per their own studie. As IF one accurate study is a catch-all for all that is true in the animal World.

Take my own experiences for example. Everything I've ever witnessed. Is but a grain of sand of the total truth. Et I've put in a boatload of field time over my yrs.

Some people develope a pretty accurate study. Then believe it holds true for every animal in that specie. Well, if that is what they are trying to sell. Then I ain't buying it.

Later
 
Twernt long ago, I was told by someone [out standing in their field, er sumpin]. That a coyote won't use an old abandoned den hole in Winter. Really? now I sez.

Same guy? also told me a coyote would not try to yank out or feed on a live calf as it was being born[still partially inside it's mother] ya know.

I reckon when it comes to a truth/reality. That someone has not had the same or a similar experience. Then it must not be possible? or but a fable. Interesting.

Oh yeah, aaaaAAAAAAAHOOooooOOOOoooo
 
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I like the sounds of these findings. I'm going to be interested going back to a spot where I called one this past season. Heard them howling during deer/hog season and they were still in that area 3 months later. I'll be interested to see this season if they are still maintaining that same general area this year which would support the biologists' findings.

Raptor
 
A territorial pr of coyotes will hold the same territory yrs in a row. A few variables may change that. Such as,

1.One of the pr is killed or dies from other/natural causes.

2.Neighboring territory is vacated for various reasons. Thus they may expand their old territory into the vacated territory.

I'm of the opinion. IF the breeding female dies or gets killed. The male will travel other areas/territorys. Until he finds a receptive female. Then that female chooses where she wants to live.

Old addage, males seek out & follow females. Especially one that is in heat. Sounds familiar? LOL!

Some yrs back there was a coydog pr'd up with a coyote in my old hunt area. Coydog was quite large & routinely tresspassed[with it's mate] onto neighboring coyotes territory. Why is that you ask? I suspect because he could.

The 800 lb gorilla go's wherever he wants.
 
Good stuff, Kirby. I'm anticipating that family group to be there again this year.

If so, I'm hoping to get that male. His scat puts his size somewhere in the neighborhood of 40+lbs when comparing it to my own 48lb dog's scat.

Raptor
 
I must say CR, you made me grin when I read that. Stool diameter is an indicator of animal size? Speaking of size. A coyote's paw print is a more accurate indicator.

Say for the sake of argument. An animal typically pass's 2" diameter stools. Then say that same animal gets bound up for a wk. You suppose that same animal might then pass a mail box, when the dam breaks?

Paw size however doesn't change once a animal has matured. Stool size[diameter] can vary.
 
BTW, coydog I mentioned previously. It's print was pushing 4" long. I seen that canine a handfull of times over a 7yr span. I [est] it's weight 60-65 lbs. Of course I never did tag him, so who can say what he/she actually weighed.

Speaking of breeding pr's. I've seen & watched local pr's for yrs in a row. They were always on their territory. Like clock work. Could they've tresspassed elsewhere? Maybe so, but I never witnessed them doing so.

A farm yard dog, can typically be found on it's farm yard.
 
LOL, Kirby. Well, he "patterned" it pretty well for me.
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This particular fella had marked every corner of a 4-way firebreak multiple times over a period of days and let EVERYONE know this was his wood and make no mistake about it.

If it had been a one-off I might not have been as confident in guessing an estimated size, but since I had multiple samples in a small given area and knowing my own dogs relative scat output compared to her size, I made an educated guess.

Note I said 40+ - not 45+.
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Anyway, you brought up another question with your reply. How accurately can coyote size be determined by footprint? Is it relative to length or width? And what is the range of weight one could deduce from the size of a coyote footprint?

Our sandy soil is great in helping to see the local "traffic" and I do get to see quite a few coyote prints. I'm interested.

Raptor
 
Related to the family group thing, when they were howling last fall, it sounded like at least like 4-5 individual animals. There is certainly plenty of game to support a larger pack where they are located.

I did call one of them January, just didn't know it until I stood up. I went to move to my next stand and there it was just standing behind me about 15 feet away. My shotgun of course had already been slung.
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