DEN HUNTING AS A MEANS OF COYOTE CONTROL
By Stanley P. Young, principal biologist and chief of division, and Harold W.Dobyns, assistant leader, Section of Predator and Rodent Control, Division ofGame Management, Bureau of Biological Survey
Issued October 1937
| Page | |
| Importance of den hunting | 2 |
| Qualifications and equipment of the den hunter | 2 |
| Breeding habits and number of young | 3 |
| Denning sites and habits | 3 |
| Methods of den hunting | 5 |
| Activities of whelps | 7 |
| Removing whelps from dens | 7 |
| Trapping and shooting adults | 8 |
There is perhaps no better method of keeping down the increaseof coyotes than to destroy the newly born whelps before they abandonthe dens to shift for themselves. A little time spent in locating densin April, May, and June and destroying the whelps will save monthsof strenuous effort trying to rid the range of the predators after theyhave reached maturity.
Coyotes are particularly destructive during the denning season becauseof the need of extra food both for themselves and their young.Lambing bands of sheep on open ranges suffer the heaviest losses.Coyotes that kill lambs during April and May generally have dens,and when the dens are located and the whelps destroyed, the sheepkilling usually stops. Some coyotes show great cunning in refrainingfrom killing lambs near their dens and will pass by a band of sheepthat is herded right over a den only to raid another several milesdistant. They have been known to carry leg of lamb a distance of 8miles to their young in the den. Contrary to the belief of stockmenand others, the male coyote is as destructive as the female, and specialattention to fresh kills at lambing time has shown that the tracks ofmale coyotes are more in evidence than those of the females.
Qualifications and Equipment of the Den Hunter
The most essential qualifications of a den hunter are keen observation,persistence, and familiarity with the habits of coyotes. He canprobably become more skilled in den hunting than in any otherphase of coyote control. The denning habits of coyotes are similarin most sections, and the same general methods of den hunting can beapplied to humid mountainous sections and to semiarid deserts.
“Den sign” means indications of denning activity and should alwaysbe watched for. It may consist of tracks,