The Effectiveness of Selective Removal of Breeding Coyotes in Reducing Sheep Predation

• Published in: The Journal of wildlife management 2002-04, Vol.66 (2), p.451-462
• Main Authors: Blejwas, Karen M., Sacks, Benjamin N., Jaeger, Michael M., McCullough, Dale R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal reproduction; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Breeding; Breeding seasons; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Coyotes; Ewes; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Lambing; Lambs; Medically important nuisances and vectors, pests of stored products and materials: population survey and control; Nuisances; Parks, reserves, wildlife conservation. Endangered species: population survey and restocking; Predation; Predators; Pups; Sheep; Wildlife management
• ISSN: 0022-541X; 1937-2817
• DOI: 10.2307/3803178

We evaluated the effect on sheep losses of selectively removing breeding coyotes (Canis latrans) from territories experiencing depredations. Breeding pairs of coyotes were the primary predators of sheep, and they killed sheep only within or on the periphery of their territories. Removal of either or both members of a breeding pair reduced or eliminated predation in that territory during the subsequent 3-month period. Killing of sheep by coyotes resumed sooner in territories that overlapped lambing pastures than in those that did not. For territories with access to lambs, the average time interval until killing of lambs resumed (43 days) approximated the time for a replacement pair of coyotes to become established. Removals of breeding coyotes during the nonlambing season did not reduce losses during the following lambing season. Although