,transcriber ,notes ,text emphasis denoted as ,italics4 ,den ,hunting as a ,means of ,coyote ,control ,illustration3 ,,leaflet ,no4 #acb ,,den ,,hunting ,,as ,a ,,means ,,of ,,coyote ,,control ,by ,stanley ,p4 ,young1 principal biologist and chief of division1 and ,harold ,w4 ,dobyns1 assistant leader1 ,section of ,predator and ,rodent ,control1 ,division of ,game ,management1 ,bureau of ,biological ,survey ,issued ,october #aicg ,,contents ,page ,importance of den hunting #b ,qualifications and equipment of the den hunter #b ,breeding habits and number of young #c ,denning sites and habits #c ,methods of den hunting #e ,activities of whelps #g ,removing whelps from dens #g ,trapping and shooting adults #h ,importance of ,den ,hunting ,there is perhaps no better method of keeping down the increase of coyotes than to destroy the newly born whelps before they abandon the dens to shift for themselves4 ,a little time spent in locating dens in ,april1 ,may1 and ,june and destroying the whelps will save months of strenuous effort trying to rid the range of the predators after they have reached maturity4 ,coyotes are particularly destructive during the denning season because of the need of extra food both for themselves and their young4 ,lambing bands of sheep on open ranges suffer the heaviest losses4 ,coyotes that kill lambs during ,april and ,may generally have dens1 and when the dens are located and the whelps destroyed1 the sheep killing usually stops4 ,some coyotes show great cunning in refraining from killing lambs near their dens and will pass by a band of sheep that is herded right over a den only to raid another several miles distant4 ,they have been known to carry leg of lamb a distance of #h miles to their young in the den4 ,contrary to the belief of stockmen and others1 the male coyote is as destructive as the female1 and special attention to fresh kills at lambing time has shown that the tracks of male coyotes are more in evidence than those of the females4 ,qualifications and ,equipment of the ,den ,hunter ,the most essential qualifications of a den hunter are keen observation1 persistence1 and familiarity with the habits of coyotes4 ,he can probably become more skilled in den hunting than in any other phase of coyote control4 ,the denning habits of coyotes are similar in most sections1 and the same general methods of den hunting can be applied to humid mountainous sections and to semiarid deserts4 ,den sign means indications of denning activity and should always be watched for4 ,it may consist of tracks1 a well-worn path leading to and from a den1 or holes freshly cleaned out4 ,holes made by the coyotes in digging out squirrels or rabbits should not be confused1 however1 with those prepared for dens4 ,a good hunter will overlook no likely place and should take advantage of every hint1 for dens are often found where least expected4 ,he should look for den sign in every locality where animals are frequently seen4 ,he should keep in mind the places used by pairs of coyotes and visit all old dens known1 as sign may often be discovered there at whelping time4 ,holes may be cleaned out in one canyon and the den be just over the hill in another4 ,sheep herders on a range usually can give valuable information as to locations of dens4 ,the equipment of a den hunter should include at least two good1 gentle saddle horses1 a small shovel1 a pair of good field glasses1 a rifle of not less than 4#be caliber1 and a dog4 ,coyotes are not so much afraid of a man on horseback as of one on foot4 ,a rider1 therefore1 can get many good shots1 and in heavy sagebrush he can more easily see and track coyotes from his vantage seat upon a horse4 ,breeding ,habits and ,number of ,young ,in the mating season coyotes may be heard yelping much more than usual1 and packs of three to a dozen animals may be seen4 ,later the breeding animals pair off4 ,some pairs may remain together for a number of years1 but as a rule coyotes do not mate for life4 ,the whelping season varies with latitude4 ,in general1 according to studies of a large number of embryos by ,g4 ,w4 ,d4 ,hamlett1 of the ,biological ,survey1 the season in the northern tier of ,states seems somewhat earlier than farther south2 in ,montana1 for example1 breeding begins about ,february #a and lasts throughout the month1 the average date being ,february #ae4 ,in ,texas1 breeding seems to begin somewhat later1 although data are inadequate for definite conclusions4 ,in some ,states1 as in ,oregon and ,arizona1 ,hamlett found a variation of at least #b months in the time of breeding1 probably because of great diversity in habitat4 ,a study on the spot1 with due attention to altitude and other environmental factors1 would probably explain any unusual variation4 ,coyote pups are born #fj to #fc days after breeding4 ,their eyes open when they are #i to #ad days old4 ,the average number of young to the litter is normally #g4 ,although there may be smaller litters when food is scarce1 it is not uncommon to find litters of #i to #ab 7fig4 #a1 ,a71 and some females have been known to have as many as #ag young4 ,the only thing provided in the nature of a nest is an enlarged section of the den1 and some dens do not have even this4 ,the pups lie in the dry dust on the floor4 ,dens are often found to contain two litters1 one consisting of young with eyes not yet open and the other of pups about a month old4 ,one litter may be large and the other small1 the latter probably belonging to a young female that1 apparently at a loss for a place to den1 had taken up quarters with her mother4 ,young females usually whelp about #aj days to #b weeks later than the older ones4 ,an occasional den may harbor three litters4 ,at a den where two litters are found there is usually only one male1 which would suggest polygamy4 ,under normal conditions a pair of coyotes is found with every den unless one parent has been killed4 ,if this happens to be the female and the pups are young1 they die4 ,if they are old enough to eat meat1 the male parent cares for them1 as he does his part in providing food4 ,denning ,sites and ,habits ,coyotes do not select denning sites according to any recognizable rule1 but many of them return to the same general locality year after year1 even though dens are regularly dug out and the pups killed by den hunters4 ,if the female is killed1 the male may bring his new mate to the same den the next season4 ,a dug out den that has not been badly damaged in removing coyotes may remain unoccupied for two or three seasons and then be used again1 as was the case with the den in ,conejos ,county1 ,colo41 shown on the title page4 ,illustration3 ,b#bghgd2 ,b#dhdg;,a ,figure #a4--;,a1 ,coyote and a litter of #aj taken from a den in ,san ,luis ,valley1 ,colo41 in cooperative predator-control operations2 ,b1 coyote den 7directly beneath hunter7 in a hillside thicket in rugged country1 ,lance ,creek1 ,wyo4 ,dens may be found in a canyon1 wash-out1 or coulee1 on a bank or hillside 7fig4 #a1 ,b71 in a rock bluff1 or even in level ground1 as in a wheatfield1 stubblefield1 or plowed field4 ,they have been discovered under deserted homestead shacks in the desert1 under grain bins1 in a drainage pipe1 under a railroad1 in a hollow log1 in a thicket1 and under a clump of thistles that had blown into a canyon4 ,as a rule1 instead of digging all new dens1 coyotes will enlarge abandoned badger or rabbit holes or use deserted porcupine dens in rocky promontories or canyon walls4 ,usually they start cleaning out the holes several weeks prior to whelping4 ,they generally claw out the dirt in one direction from the mouth of the den1 where it piles up into a mound1 although some dens have no such mound 7fig4 #b1 ,a74 ,the female continues digging and cleaning out den holes1 sometimes a dozen or more1 until the young are born4 ,then1 if one den is disturbed the family moves to another4 ,sometimes the animals move only a few hundred yards1 apparently just to have a cleaner home1 leaving many fleas behind4 ,occasionally a female that has lost her whelps will clean out several holes before becoming reconciled to her loss4 ,barren females sometimes clean out holes1 but they are not found traveling with a mate4 ,male coyotes also work at many holes in spring but generally to dig out dead rabbits4 ,the tracks of the male will usually be seen at these freshly dug holes1 which have a different appearance from those cleaned out for dens1 and dried-up rabbit carcasses will generally be found nearby4 ,illustration3 ,b#cdgdh2 ,b#cjgeg ,figure #b4--;,a1 ,entrance to a coyote den in a dry creek bank1 ,morrow ,county1 ,oreg42 ,b1 a former ,biological ,survey predator-control leader at the mouth of the coyote den dug out near ,cokeville1 ,wyo4 7,remains of three lambs in foreground1 including two skulls out of which the brains had been lapped by coyotes47 ,when entering the den1 the coyotes almost always go around1 not over1 the mound1 if one is present4 ,dens may have one or several entrances in use1 and several passages may branch from the main one4 ,after the pups are born1 small balls of rolled fur and hair from the mother's belly may be found in the dry dirt in the mouth of the den4 ,parent coyotes have no set time for being at home and may be found near the den at any hour4 ,although they do most of their killing early in the morning1 they sometimes visit the den only at night4 ,they are clean about their dens2 so there is little refuse or odor4 ,methods of ,den ,hunting ,the proper time for hunting coyote dens is from ,april #e to ,june #ae4 ,if one starts too early1 before some of the coyotes have whelped1 the territory will have to be covered again4 ,where signs indicate a late den1 however1 it should be sought in a follow-up visit4 ,the coyote den is usually made in rougher surroundings than are dens of small burrowing rodents and is normally within reach of water4 ,contrary to general supposition1 however1 coyotes do not always have their dens near water4 ,in hilly areas they usually do1 but on the large deserts of eastern ,oregon the dens are often found as far as #f miles from water4 ,coyotes do not go to water regularly unless the weather is warm1 and pups do not need water until they are several months old4 ,den hunting should be systematic and thorough4 ,where the soil is sandy the movements of coyotes can be readily ascertained by means of tracks and other signs characteristic of the whelping season4 ,the general location of a den may occasionally be learned by hearing the howling of the coyotes1 but other means must be employed to actually find it4 ,it may be located by tracking1 by watching the movements of old coyotes1 or by riding the range looking for holes1 but systematic tracking insures the best results4 ,a good time to hunt dens by tracking is just after a rain4 ,another good time is the day after a severe windstorm1 as storms restrict the activity of the coyotes4 ,water holes and springs in the desert are excellent places from which to start in locating dens4 ,it is best to circle the water hole1 noting the direction of the tracks and giving special attention to those of pairs and to their relative freshness1 for when fresh tracks of a pair are noted they are generally close to the den4 ,when sign is found1 it should be back-tracked to a point where there are tracks going both ways2 the tracks begin to form a trail within a quarter of a mile from the dens4 ,near the den1 unless the ground is too hard1 many tracks will be found going and coming in every direction4 ,finding the den is then an easy matter4 ,sometimes1 however1 tracks lead to a den from only one direction4 ,loose hairs and distinctive tracks are often to be found in the mouth of a used coyote den4 ,the coyote track is elongated1 and not nearly so rounded as a dog track1 and the coyote side-toe track is longer than that of a dog of the same size4 ,the tracks of young coyotes1 barren females1 and those that have lost their pups can be distinguished from those of denning pairs1 as the latter generally travel by a direct route1 the tracks of the female usually being smaller and more pointed than those of the male4 ,when the female leaves the den for water she almost always travels on a direct line1 probably not deviating over a hundred yards from it in a distance of several miles4 ,coyotes do not always water at the same place each time1 however1 nor return to their den direct from the watering place unless the den is a long distance from water4 ,sometimes the male will remain near the den while the female is away1 but more often the two travel together1 the female holding a little more to a true course than the male4 ,the tracks often indicate that they travel side by side for some distance1 the male then wandering away several hundred yards but later returning to his mate4 ,coyotes with dens have regular hunting grounds to which they usually travel on a nearly straight course1 whether near or several miles distant1 but they do not travel back to the den on a direct line again until after they have made their kills4 ,when the den is in danger of being discovered coyotes act in a nervous manner4 ,some will circle about it at a distance when the hunter is near2 the old female may be seen in one direction and1 after disappearing1 may later be seen peering over a hill in another quarter4 ,when a female with a den first sees a person1 she looks first at him for a moment1 then almost invariably toward the den1 sometimes turning completely around to do so4 ,a den is usually located within a radius of approximately a mile of freshly cleaned out holes4 ,an experienced hunter can tell by the appearance of a den and by signs nearby whether it is occupied1 without dismounting from his horse4 ,when a den is located1 if the whelps are roaming a considerable distance away1 the searcher should circle it1 making plenty of noise to stimulate their return4 ,they should not be rushed1 however1 as they will then scatter and run into any accessible hole1 where extra effort in digging them out will be required4 ,as a rule1 one will not find many living rabbits near a den1 so that in a rabbit-infested district a scarcity of rabbits may be a clue to a nearby den4 ,activities of ,whelps ,inexperienced hunters often dig out dens that contain no young4 ,if the searcher listens at the mouth of the den he can usually hear any whelps inside1 especially when they are quite young1 as they are then seldom quiet4 ,if a nursing whelp loses hold of a teat1 it is rather noisy until it regains its hold4 ,the whelps emerge when about #c weeks old1 and then their tracks and other sign are easily noted4 ,at this age1 they do not whine as young pups do but can be heard moving around when in the den1 where1 if crowded1 they sometimes growl4 ,curiosity to see what is going on outside will drive some to the entrance4 ,when the burrow is steep they are unable to clamber out at as early an age as when it is nearly level4 ,little scratches made in their attempt to crawl out will often be noted on the side walls and floor of the den4 ,when the whelps are about #h to #aj weeks old the dens are abandoned and the entire family roves about1 remaining together until early fall4 ,removing ,whelps from ,dens ,the digging necessary to capture pups depends largely on the nature of the soil and the location of the den 7fig4 #b1 ,b74 ,some dens are so shallow that little digging is required2 others cannot be dug out2 and some burrows lead straight into a bank or under a hardpan ledge4 ,much work can be avoided by running a shovel handle or long stick as far as possible into the hole to ascertain its direction and then digging a pit down to the den instead of following the burrow4 ,where digging is extremely difficult1 the animals may be disturbed and induced to move1 frequently to a den from which they can be more readily taken4 ,usually they move from a quarter of a mile to a mile away and can easily be tracked4 ,if pups can be seen back in a den but cannot be reached in digging1 a forked stick or a wire so twisted as to catch in their fur has been employed to save labor2 but if the den or burrow branches and turns1 such an instrument is never wholly satisfactory1 as some of the whelps are likely to be missed4 ,before digging is begun1 the den entrance should be blocked to prevent the escape of the mother coyote1 should she be inside the den4 ,when the pups are of suckling age she is often in the den with them1 but when they are old enough to play and be fed outside she seldom goes into it4 ,it is difficult to tell her whereabouts by her tracks1 as she backs out of the den unless disturbed and the tracks all appear as if made in entering4 ,pups are wobbly on their legs when only #b or #c weeks old1 so that if a pit #ah inches deep is dug just outside the mouth of the den they fall into it when they attempt to crawl out and are easily captured4 ,smoking the young out of the den is not satisfactory as a rule but is sometimes successful4 ,a good smoker can be made by soldering a half-inch hose coupling to the spout of a bellows-operated bee smoker and using sulphur and pieces of burlap as fuel4 ,a piece of garden hose about #aj feet long can be attached and worked down into the den close to the pups1 preferably behind them4 ,the operator should stand back from the mouth of the den1 armed with a good club to dispatch the pups as they come out4 ,throwing a handful of calcium cyanide into a den and stopping the hole with dirt is an effective method of fumigation1 but this chemical must be handled with extreme care--as a rule by experienced workers only--as it is also dangerous to man4 ,a small dog trained to go into dens and bring out the whelps is useful4 ,such dogs are scarce1 but with careful handling1 the proper breed 7wire-haired fox terrier or other terrier7 soon learns and enjoys this work4 ,any dog1 however1 is a great help1 as the parent coyotes become much alarmed if it nears their den and often set up a howl or series of barks and yelps1 thus betraying the fact that a den is near4 ,a dog that runs rabbits and hunts several hundred yards from the hunter is better than one that follows at the horse's heels4 ,a small dog is preferable4 ,coyotes are likely to give wide berth to a large one1 but will sometimes fight and chase a small dog1 thus presenting a good target for shots1 particularly when they go some distance from the den to fight the intruder4 ,for several days after the den has been destroyed females that have lost their whelps frequently fight or chase any dog that comes near4 ,a #ab-;gage pump shotgun loaded with ,,bb shot is good for hunting pups that have left the dens but are still together4 ,they may be found lying under sagebrush or among the rocks and are more easily hit with a shotgun than with a rifle when they start to scatter4 ,trapping and ,shooting ,adults ,a hunter should leave as few traces as possible of his visit to a den4 ,he should carry several traps1 with which to try to capture the old coyotes4 ,it is well to set a few traps blind--that is1 without bait or scent--in the trails leading to the den1 although some coyotes never return to a den after a hunter has visited it4 ,a good set can be made by burying a dead whelp1 leaving one foot exposed1 and setting traps nearby4 ,holes that have been cleaned out for dens make excellent places for trap sets1 particularly for catching females as they go in or out before whelping4 ,in such a situation1 two traps should be set blind1 one on each side of the entrance or mound4 ,other favorable sites are the beds where old coyotes lie1 presumably on guard4 ,these beds may be close to the den or on a hillside or canyon rim half a mile away4 ,directions for trapping coyotes are given in ,department of ,agriculture ,leaflet ,no4 #ei4 ,when coyotes are sighted near their dens they are usually quiet1 and some good shots may be possible4 ,a hunter should never dismount from his horse when a coyote stops to watch him1 but should wait until it starts moving and then dismount on some high spot and be ready to shoot the instant it stops again4 ,if it does not stop of its own accord1 a low whistle will often bait it long enough to offer the hunter a good target4 99 99 99 99 99 ,u4 ,s4 ,,government ,,printing ,,office3 #aicg ,for sale by the ,superintendent of ,documents1 ,washington1 ,d4 ,c4 ,price #e cents 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber ,notes ,illustrations were moved so as to not split paragraphs4