CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME 33 



RANGE OF COYOTES AND BOBCATS 



In refuge 3B in San Benito County during the first three months 

 of the year, most of the coyotes were taken between 1200 and 1500 feet 

 elevation, and during' the next seven months at about the 2000-foot level. 

 In November and December they were back down to the 1700-foot 

 level. 



In refuge 1-0 in El Dorado County from January to May most 

 of the coyotes were taken near the 4000-foot line. During June and 

 July they had moved up to about -1500 feet. November and December, 

 before the heavy storms, found most of them at the 6000-foot level. 



In refuge IJ in Amador County, during the month of October, 

 all coyotes were taken between 5300 and 6500 feet altitude. 



During the months of August and September in refuge l-I in 

 Placer County, coyotes were taken near the 5000-foot contour. 



On refuge IG in Tehama County few coyotes were caught possibly 

 on account of heavy trapping in the foothills to the west by private 

 trappers. 



On refuge 2A in Lake, Mendocino and Glenn counties there was 

 little shifting of the coyote population. Few were taken above the 

 3500-foot contour. 



One interesting thing pertaining to the range of coyotes was 

 noted in 1-0 in El Dorado County. On Big Silver Creek and its middle 

 fork, 23 miles of trap line was run for a considerable period of time 

 when deer were plentiful in the area without a single coyote being- 

 caught. They did not come into the area during the entire summer. 



Certain refuges appear to be in the concentration areas of coyotes. 

 Refuges IF in Lassen and 3B in San Benito are so situated. Both 

 of these refuges are in sheep grazing areas. In IF the coyotes left 

 when the sheep were driven out, which was about a month before the 

 deer went to their wintering ground. In 3B there were plenty of 

 coyotes throughout the year but the sheep remained also. Other 

 refuges, although well supplied with game and other food but harbor- 

 ing no sheep, did not have coyotes in such numbers. 



The area over which a resident coyote will range is not as large 

 as might be supposed. It is a circuit covered at intervals of several 

 days, each day covering an area about five miles square. The female 

 coyote during the pupping time has a short range ; at other times it 

 is about the same as the male. 



I have only two definite records where coyotes were seen killing 

 deer. In El Dorado County, in snow about 3^ feet deep, a deer was 

 killed by a coyote and in San Benito County three coyotes had killed a 

 doe. In the last instance one coyote was ham stringing the doe while 

 the other two were working from the sides near the head. They all 

 came down a steep slope together and finished her in the creek bed. 



Bobcats range below 5000 feet, which is the approximate upper 

 limit of the heavy brush region. A few are found in the timber area. 

 These are mostly wandering males. They were caught at all seasons 

 and elevations m 3B. In 1-0, IJ and l-I they were scarce as most 

 of these refuges are above the average bobcat range. 



In refuge IG few bobcats were found in the refuge, but just out- 

 side its western boundary at a lower elevation they were fairly 



.3—9030 



