COYOTE VISITATIONS TO EXPERIMENTALLY-PLACED DEER CARRION

Because coyotes (Canis latrans) have been reported to be more vulnerab le to capture and to engage in more investigative behavior in low-use areas of their home range, we monitored eight radio-collared coyotes o n the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Adams Co., Colorado to determine if a la rge clumped food resource, deer (Odocoileus spp.) carrion, increased c oyote visitations to low-use areas within their home ranges. We used a vehicle-mounted null-peak antenna system (VMA) and a remote radio tel emetry receiver with an attached data logger computer (DL) to monitor coyotes around five carcass sites. Coyote visitations to VMA carcass s ites varied among pre-treatment, treatment, and post-treatment periods , but the number of 24-h periods that coyotes visited DL sires did not differ among periods when carcasses were present or absent. Deer carr ion was effective in attracting and keeping coyotes in less familiar a reas of their home ranges; seven of eight (88%) coyotes visited deer c arrion for average durations of 110 min at VMA sites and 115 min at DL sites. No coyotes visited carcasses outside of their home ranges. Bec ause coyotes visited carcass sites in unfamiliar areas of their home r anges for extended time periods, carrion may enhance visitations to sc ent stations, capture, and delivery of baits to coyotes.