Hunting coyotes may be fueling their population growth

The coyote, one of North America’s most adaptable predators, continues to surprise scientists with its resilience and counterintuitive survival strategies.

Recent findings indicate that coyote populations are flourishing even in regions with active hunting efforts, raising questions about traditional wildlife management practices.

Coyotes thrive in hazard-prone areas

A recent study reveals that coyote populations thrive in regions with active hunting programs, challenging assumptions about the effectiveness of such interventions in controlling their numbers.

Conducted by a wildlife biologist from the University of Utah in collaboration with colleagues across the country, the research highlights how coyotes have adapted to human interventions that typically decimate other species.

As U.S. landscapes have been increasingly altered by urbanization and habitat fragmentation over the past two centuries, many species have declined.

Yet coyotes have expanded their range, filling ecological niches left vacant by the loss of larger predators such as bears, wolves, and cougars.

Study co-author Austin Green is a researcher at the University of Utah. “Coyotes are bold generalists, eating anything from seeds, trash, roadkill, rodents, deer fawn, even pets,” noted Green.

A study rooted in observation and data

The study leveraged data from Snapshot USA, a nationwide initiative using motion-triggered trap cameras to monitor mammal populations.

Over a three-year period, researchers deployed nearly 4,600 cameras across 254 transects in the contiguous United States, including six in Utah.

These sites included City Creek and Red Butte canyons near Salt Lake City, as well as areas near St. George.

Comprehensive picture of coyote distribution

Study lead author Remington Moll is an assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire.

“The impressive Snapshot USA project provides a yearly glimpse into our nation’s wildlife thanks to hundreds of researchers and the coordination by the Smithsonian and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences,” said Moll.

Each transect covered 10 to 15 kilometers, with cameras spaced every 500 meters and mounted about 20 inches off the ground.

The researchers analyzed factors such as urban development, biome type, food sources, competing species, and hunting pressure.

Over 3,100 coyote detections were statistically modeled against 22 covariates, providing a comprehensive picture of their distribution and abundance.

Coyote abundance and hunting pressure

One of the study’s most striking findings is the positive association between coyote abundance and hunting pressure.

At a 100-meter scale, regions with active coyote hunting showed a 97% positive correlation with population growth. This counterintuitive result can be explained by the species’ territorial behavior.

“Because they’re such territorial animals, if you remove the most territorial one, two or three take their place, start breeding, and you lead to actual increases in coyote population,” explained Green.

Unlike other carnivores such as wolves and cougars, which have been eradicated from much of their historical range due to hunting, coyotes appear to benefit from the same pressures.

Loose regulations – including lack of seasonal restrictions, bag limits, or licensing requirements – may contribute to this phenomenon.

In Utah, a state program even pays $50 for every set of coyote ears submitted, resulting in thousands of animals being killed annually.

Implications for wildlife management

The study’s findings challenge traditional wildlife management strategies.

While hunting has historically reduced populations of other species, it seems to have the opposite effect on coyotes, making it an ineffective tool for controlling their numbers.

Furthermore, the adaptability of coyotes – their ability to exploit diverse food sources and colonize new territories – ensures that their populations rebound even in areas where they have been eradicated.

This paradox highlights the need for innovative approaches to coexistence and population management that account for the unique resilience of this species.

North America’s most adaptable predator

As researchers continue to analyze data from Snapshot USA, which has compiled photographic wildlife records for seven years, new insights into coyote behavior and broader wildlife trends are likely to emerge.

These findings not only enhance our understanding of North America’s most adaptable predator but also highlight the complexity of managing wildlife in an era of rapid environmental change.

Such knowledge could inform future conservation strategies, ensuring a balanced coexistence between humans and wildlife in shared environments.

The full study was published in the journal Ecography.

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