TAHOE • STORIES
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The Prairie Wolf
n any given early or late evening hour you might hear them‌the excited yips of a pack of coyotes, sounding as if they are celebrating a kill in your back yard. You don’t have to live here in the mountains or in a lonely prairie town, your home could be in urban Los Angeles or Detroit. These members of the canine family once only lived in open prairies and deserts but have adapted to all habitats in North America, because they can eat almost anything to survive and their population has exploded.
Coyotes as omnivores have a wide menu to choose from. They love rabbits, rodents and deer, but will happily eat frogs, fish, insects, snakes, fruit, grass and carrion. They came to be hunted extensively by farmers and ranchers because they killed and ate livestock such as lambs, calves and chickens. Around here, we lose many of our beloved pet cats and small dogs to the pack. continues on page 3
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These mysterious mammals form strong family groups. When coyotes are about two years old, they select a mate and stay with that mate for life. The female bears one litter of 3 to 9 puppies a year, usually in April or May when food is abundant. The gestation period is from 63 to 65 days, but only 5-20 percent of coyote pups survive their first year. The pups stay in the den with mom until they are about ten weeks old. Both parents feed and protect their young and their territory. The family gradually disbands and within a year, all the pups have gone their own way, hunting alone. The coyote life span is that of a dog, about 14 years. Coyotes are smaller than wolves and are sometimes called prairie or bush wolves. They communicate using 11 different sounds as well as body language, like ear movement and scent. The most well known sounds are: Howling—communication with others in the area, kind of an announcement that says, “I am here and this is my area”. It tells other males to stay away and invites females to follow. It is an encouragement to answer in an effort to avoid any unwanted conflicts. Yelping—a celebration or criticism within a small group of coyotes. Often heard during play among pups. Barking—the scientific name for coyote means “barking dog,” Canis latrans. The bark is thought to be a threat display when a coyote is protecting a den or a kill. Huffing—is usually used for calling pups without making a great deal of noise.
Communication by scent is very important as coyotes use their urine to mark their territory, which only ranges from 10 to 12 square miles. As long as they can smell the urine, hunting area conflicts are nonexistent. This cousin to the dog is formidable in the field, where it has a keen vision and a strong sense of smell. The coyote can run up to 40 miles an hour. In the mountains, the pack will enjoy a summer territory and move to lower elevations for a winter territory, once the snow and cold weather have arrived. Believe it or not, they are very good swimmers when the need arises. Coyotes have been one of the most controversial of all non-game animals. For over a century, agricultural interests have urged coyote control so that livestock losses may be eliminated. Just since 1981, when the first governmental programs aimed at control were begun in California, nearly half a million coyotes have been destroyed. Alternately, the U.S. Humane Society reports that killing coyotes to control their population does not work. Research suggests that coyotes can increase their reproductive rate by breeding at an earlier age, having larger litters and a higher survival rate among young. This allows coyote populations to quickly bounce back, even when as much as 70 percent of their numbers are removed; a sort of natural fail safe. Sadly, along with the population thinning for agriculture, there still exists a controversy in our country between environmentalists and sportsmen. The
first group believes strongly that coyotes preserve the balance of nature by keeping the rodent population in check and spreading plant seeds through scat, while hunters f eel that coyotes are causing a severe decline in game species and have taken to hunting them. The status of coyote hunting varies depending on state and local laws. In some states, including most western states, coyotes are classified as predators and can be killed throughout the year whether or not they are causing damage to livestock. In other states, coyotes may be taken only during specific seasons and often only by specific methods, such as trapping. Some state laws allow only state or federal agents to use certain methods (such as snares) to take coyotes. Some states have a provision for allowing the taking of protected coyotes (usually by special permit) when it has been documented that they are preying on livestock. In some instances farmers and ranchers can apply control methods, and in others, control must be managed by a federal or state agent. Some eastern states consider the coyote a game animal, a furbearer, (mammals that are trapped or hunted for their fur alone) or a protected species.