Quick Question

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Tim Anderson
coyotehunter
Posts: 1275
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 11:48 am
Location: Minn

Re: Quick Question

Post by Tim Anderson »

Coyotes terr. and how to determin its size...
First off a coyotes terr. is'nt some square drawn on a map with a dot in the middle, it can be in all kinds of shapes and sizes depending on food availabilty, water, cover and how the land lays, along with man made structures like fence lines and roads or even a two track..

In a agg. area that has limited cover a coyotes terr. will be located mostly where there is cover such as along creeks, rivers. lakes. and sloughs and depending on how much prey is available a coyotes terr. may only be 1-2 miles as the creek runs and a half mile to a mile pararell on both sides, each coyote is different and also the amount of the food source from one area to the next.
If you have two creeks running close by through a area a coyotes terr. may fall in between these two creeks with the creek being the terr. line.
Coyotes that hang around a lake will favor the side of the lake that gets less snow or more cover from the wind and also has a good food source and its terr. willbe in this general area with a mile or two buffer going out and away from the lake.. County drainage ditches that run for many miles can be a coyotes terr. with a 1/2 mile to a mile buffer on both sides give or take another mile or two depending again on prey source..

A big 2 by 3 mile section can also be its terr. and the coyote may stay in this area year round other than mateing time.

In the area I call in S.D. there is less food so the coyotes have to travel farther in some areas so a terr. line maybe from one drainage to the next or maybe the center of the drainage with a buffer going a mile or two on both sides and running parrarell for 3-5 miles depending on food and if there is another group that has established a terr. line farther along it.
I had some coyotes in a area were the terr. line ran on both sides of a main road with a mile buffer on both sides...
A fence that devides three pastures may be the boundry line with one group close to the road and another at the far end of the pasture..
How do you determin a coyotes terr. size??? Best way I found is by locateing or actual siteings of coyotes and also by looking for and reading sign such as scat or tracks in the snow which is a dead givaway.
By locateing at different times of the year you can get a pretty good picture of the coyotes core area as you will find them in the same spot from month to month. You've located a pair so now you need to stop and look around and see whats there that could be a terr. line that has been mentioned above. Check roads and two tracks for scat or tracks pay attension to what direction the tracks come from and where they go. Just because a coyote took a dump on the road dose'nt mean thats the terr. line, it just means he was there and had to go.. If you have fences devideing pastures you can look for hair caught on the wire from where they crossed or check by gates for tracks..
You get a better picture of how your coyotes move and a understanding of structure it will make calling them that much easier..

I see this remark on a few sites a dozen times every year " There are tracks and scat everywhere but no coyotes come in to my calling, must not be hungry".....
I've had coyotes come in in the mourning that fed on dead cattle most of the nite so I'd say thats not it..
In the S.D. area I call in its been getting alot of pressure from other hunters or callers and with some I find that different sounds are needed or a stand in back and away from the two tracks or ranchers driveway.. The other percentage I've found that they have moved back to the farthest point of there terr. and hang out there dureing the day and then come back into the area at nite to hunt...
Stop look around, read the structer and have a general understanding of how the coyotes react to some pressure and you can find them and call them in..
Nothing I've written here is etched in stone, just some of my observations I've exsperianced from being out and about or gleaned from other callers..
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