34 CALll'UKXIA I'l.Sii AND UAME 



plentiful. Ill refuge 2A tlie avorap:e elevation of capture was 3100 

 feet. 



Squirrels and rabbits are the i)riiieipal food of: the coyote while 

 the wood rat is the mainstay of the bobcat. Both animals eat carrion 

 but the bobcat does so to a much less degree. Coyotes gnaw on carcasses 

 fi-oni the time they are fresh until nothing but hide and bones remain. 



In the San IJenito County refuge and vicinity dvu'ing the hunting 

 season for deer and the month following, 7 coyotes had eaten deer. 

 During the other 15 months the trapper was operating, only 11 had 

 eaten deer. Thirty-nine per cent of the coyotes tliat had eaten deer 

 did so in one-sixth of the time the trapper was working. This would 

 indicate that the liunter is of considerable help to the coyote. Wounded 

 deer, hides, legs, heads and other remains thrown away by the hunter 

 are very acceptable to the hungry coyote. 



In refuges in the northern Sierras where heavy winter conditions 

 prevail, the findings are not the same as in the Coast Range. Only 

 three coyote stomachs of those trapped in the hunting season con- 

 tained deer remains. However, during the two winters the trapper 

 was operating, there was a heavy loss of deer on account of deep snows. 

 When the carcasses of these deer were available in the late winter and 

 .spring, deer remains showed up in almost all the stomachs. Heavy 

 winters are good for the coyote but hard on deer. 



Of the 537 stomachs examined, 240 contained food and of that 

 luimber 100 or 41f per cent contained deer meat, bones, hair or other 

 l)arts; 27 per cent of the 100 were taken during and in the month 

 following deer season; 30 per cent of the 100 were taken in the winter 

 deer kill area, leaving 43 per cent for other times of the year. It is 

 possible that the first kill is made by some other agency (mountain 

 lions kill over 30,000 deer a year in California) and that the coyote, 

 at this time of the year, is a second feeder. Only two coyote stomachs 

 contained hair of young fawns during the time spots were present. 

 These were both taken in San Benito County. 



SUMMARY 



In San Benito County it required 18,500 miles of trap line and 

 16,872 sets to take 175 coyotes in 17 months. An average of 105.7 

 miles of trap line and 94.6 sets for each animal. 



In Lake County coyotes were not so numerous. In 18 months time 

 only 26 coyotes were taken on a trap line of 9932 miles with 13,675 

 sets. An average of 382 miles and 526 sets per animal. 



In El Dorado County in 18 months time with 6412 miles of trap 

 line and 13,263 sets, 68 coyotes were taken. An average of 94.4 miles 

 and 195 sets per animal. 



In San Diego County in 7 months time, by running 2592 miles of 

 trap line and 2297 sets, 17 coyotes were caught. An average of 152.5 

 miles and 136.1 sets per animal. 



In Lassen County in three months with 2585 miles of trap line 

 and 1272 sets, 51 coyotes were taken. An average of 50 miles and 25 

 sets per animal. 



In Kern County during 10 months, with 8604 miles of trap line 

 and 7414 sets, 52 coyotes were taken. An average of 165.6 miles and 

 142.5 sets per animal. 



