2 CIRCULAR 7, FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



"Den signs" are indications of denning activity and the den hunter 

 should always watch for them. They may consist of tracks, a well 

 worn path leading to and from a den, or holes freshly cleaned out. 

 Holes made by coyotes in digging out squirrels or rabbits should not 

 be confused, however, with those prepared for dens. A good hunter 

 will overlook no likely place and will investigate every hint, for dens 

 are often found where least expected. He should look for den signs 

 in every locality where animals are frequently seen. He should keep 

 in mind the places used by pairs of coyotes and visit all old dens 

 known, as signs may often be discovered there at whelping time. 

 Holes may be cleaned out in one canyon and the den be just over the 

 hill in another. Sheep herders on a range usually can give information 

 concerning locations of dens. 



The equipment of a den hunter should include at least two gentle 

 saddle horses, a small shovel, a pair of field glasses, a rifle of not less 

 than .25 caliber, and a dog. Coyotes are not so much afraid of a man 

 on horseback as of one on foot. A rider, therefore, can get many 

 good shots, and in heavy sagebrush he can more easily see and track 

 coyotes from his vantage seat upon a horse. 



BREEDING HABITS AND NUMBER OF YOUNG 



In the mating season coj^otes may be heard j^elping much more than 

 usual, and packs of three to a dozen animals may be seen. Later the 

 breeding animals pair off. Some pairs may remain together for a 

 number of years, but as a rule coyotes do not mate for life. 



The whelping season varies with latitude. In general, according to 

 studies of a large number of embryos by G. W. D. Hamlett, of the 

 Bureau of Biological Survey (now the Fish and Wildlife Service), the 

 season in the northern tier of States seems somewhat earlier than far- 

 ther south; in Montana, for example, breeding begins about February 

 1 and lasts throughout the month, the height of the season being 

 about February 15. In Texas, breeding apparently begins somewhat 

 later, although data are inadequate for definite conclusions. In some 

 States, as in Oregon and Arizona, Hamlett found a variation of at 

 least 2 months in the time of breeding, probably because of great 

 diversity in altitude and other environmental factors. 



Coyote pups are born 60 to 63 days after breeding of the parents. 

 Their eyes open when they are 9 to 14 days old. The average nmnber 

 of young in a litter is 7. Although there may be smaller litters when 

 food is scarce, at other times it is not uncommon to find litters of 9 to 

 12 (fig. 1, A), and some females have been known to have as many 

 as 19 young at one time. The only thing provided in the nature of a 

 nest is an enlarged section of the den, and some dens do not have 

 even this. The pups lie in the dry dust on the floor. 



Deus often contain two litters, one of young with eyes not yet open 

 and the other of pups about a month old. One litter may be large 

 and the other small, the latter probably belonging to a young female 

 that, apparently at a loss for a place to den, had taken up quarters 

 with her mother. Young females usually whelp about 10 days to 2 

 weeks later than the older ones. Occasionally a den may harbor three 

 litters. At a den where two litters are found there is usually only one 

 male, which would suggest polygamy. 



Under normal conditions a pair of coyotes is found with every den, 

 unless one parent has been killed. If the female is killed and the pups 



