384 UNIVERSITY OP CALIPORNIA — EXPERIMENT STATION 



Digging out dem containing young is a most effective method of 

 reducing the coyote population where conditions permit of finding 

 the dens. 



Shooting can be resorted to advantageously where the destruction 

 of some certain "wise" coyote is sought. 



The best season to destroy coj'otes depends upon the damage being 

 done, whether or not the coyote's pelt is considered of value, and the 

 available food supply. A coyote that is killing stock must be disposed 

 of in the quickest way possible. However, if the coyote is doing but 

 little damag-e why kill him at a time of year when his hide is worth- 

 less ? "Why not wait until his pelt is prime and will bring a good price, 

 and thus secure adequate return for the small amount of damage the 

 animal may be doing in the meantime? 



TRAPPING 



The senses of sight and hearing are both very acute in the coyote, 

 yet both of these are inferior to the sense of smell. This highly devel- 

 oped sense of smell combined with unusual cunning is the coyote's 

 chief protection against traps and poison. From the trapper's view- 

 point, coyotes may be roughly divided into three classes. First, there 

 is the young unsophisticated coyote, short in experience and long on 

 appetite. Such animals are readily attracted by almost any bait or 

 scent and are easily trapped even by the amateur. The second class 

 is composed of ordinary adults which are usually wary but hungry 

 enough to secure food even at some risk of being caught. The third 

 class consists of wise "educated" coj^otes. Most of the killing of 

 sheep, calves, pigs and other domestic stock is done by these old 

 reprobates, which having become "killers," hang around flocks and 

 herds, and secure their meat with little effort. Many such coyotes 

 have lost a toe or foot in a trap at some time or other, and some of 

 them will keep even an experienced trapper working for weeks before 

 the}' are captured. Of sixteen coyotes taken by a trapper in Scott 

 Valley, Siskiyou County, during the winter of 1917, five showed signs 

 of having been previously caiaght. Three of the five had one foot 

 entireh' gone and two had lost part of a foot. 



KIND OF TRAP TO USE 



There is a decided preference among experienced coyote trappers 

 for the number 3 "Newhouse" double-spring type of steel trap (see 

 front page) . The best trap is the cheapest in the long run, both because 

 there is less danger of the animal escaping, and because of the long 

 service it is capable of giving. 



