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Posted: 3/10/2010 7:18:38 AM EDT
Ive been hunting on a farm and have seen a pack of 8-12 coyotes, over the last couple of months i've taken three females. Now i am seeing very few tracks and have only seen two coyotes the last three weekends, have they moved on somewhere else? Would losing three females cause this? Paging Rizzo and his wisdom.....
Link Posted: 3/10/2010 11:51:16 AM EDT
[#1]
I believe Coyote, like most larger game species, have a fairly significant range. I would guess that your dogs may have moved on to greener pastures. Also, I believe natural mortality is significant, so not only are you killing them off, so is mother nature, resulting in less animals to leave tracks.
They do get smart pretty quickly so maybe your predation has chased then off.  Just a thought and F W I W
Link Posted: 3/10/2010 1:15:57 PM EDT
[#2]
I thought that coyotes mate for life, so i thought getting the females might make the widowed males move on, the farmer doesnt hunt them just me. What about the winter coming to an end, would that cause them to move?
Link Posted: 3/11/2010 3:43:56 AM EDT
[#3]
I have been killing a lot of wondering male coyote's lately. If they mate for life they also slip around on the ol'lady too LOL.
Link Posted: 3/11/2010 5:36:45 AM EDT
[#4]
A coyote pair will sometimes mate for 2-3 years in a row, but they do not mate for life. The animals you saw a month ago were doing the group thing - mating season was almost upon them and they were looking for mates and territory. Your killing of 3 females certainly thinned the selection, and may have caused some males to move on, but most likely they would have moved on anyways once the alpha pair was decided in that particular area. Coyotes have a decently sized territory, but it is not uncommon to see multiple animals in that area - some will be passing through, others are there to challenge to alphas, and others are just trying to sneak a meal. Any males or females that are ready to mate will be on the move constantly, though, looking for territory where they can settle down and spread their seed. Once mating and then denning begin, animals are much more cautious and are not as apt to come rushing into the call, or exposing themselves in the open during the day. Denning season often pushes them into nocturnal activity - they have mouths to feed, and they know the risks involved with daytime hunting.

There are still coyotes where you are hunting, but they are not going to come in easily. It's time to try some challenge howls and some female invitational howls. Pup distress may also work, and if you have an e-caller you can try some very different sounding prey distress, like gray fox, pheasant, or housecat. Try to peak their curiosity as well as their hungry stomachs.
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