Home ranges of coyotes (Canis latrans) in the Flint Hills of Kansas and predation on pronghorn fawns.

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to determine the movements of coyotes (Canis latrans) in the Flint Hills, Chase Co., Kansas, and to determine if the coyotes affected the pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) herd found in this region. A total of nine coyotes (five males, four females) were captured using padded leg-hold traps and radio collars were attached. Their movements were monitored from February 1991 to September 1991. Home ranges varied from 6 km2 to 257 km2, with males (X = 107 km2) having larger home ranges than females (X = 62 km2), however the difference on home ranges between sexes was not statistically different. Females tended to be found in riparian habitat more than males. No changes in movement or home ranges of coyotes were detected visually in response to pronghorn fawning. An analysis of scats that were collected during the spring and summer indicated that coyotes did not eat pronghorn, either as a prey or as carrion. These results indicated that the pronghorn were not a major food source of coyotes in the Flint Hills, however they may still have an effect on pronghorn fawns during their critical period.