Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is warning Hoosiers, “Coyotes are coming to town.” Usually, the first indication of their presence is the disappearance of a favored pet cat or small dog. Coyotes are opportunistic and will prey on any small animal they can quickly kill. The change in diet is especially true when they run out of their natural prey species.

Our personal experiences shape our attitudes toward most wildlife, including coyotes. Thoughts range from a worthless varmint needing complete removal from the area, to a beautiful creature deserving of protection. One thing is for sure: Indiana is coyote country.

Coyotes are a native species once limited to the prairie regions of western Indiana. Reports of coyotes in Indiana outside of those areas began to increase in the 1970s.

Coyotes have adjusted to the landscape changes and now are common in all Indiana counties, including many urban areas.

For some Hoosiers, coyote presence is old news. For others, the sight of a coyote is new and little is known about how to live with the species. The DNR has a full list of tips to minimize conflicts with coyotes.

If coyotes can find water and shelter, they will find something to eat. Their natural diet includes berries, birds, vegetation, rabbits, fawns and animal remains, but they mostly eat small mammals such as mice, moles and voles. Reducing the local rodent populations is a landowner benefit often forgotten when talking about coyotes.

Studies have found coyotes in urban areas have the same general needs as coyotes in rural areas. Human-supplied food items such as household garbage and garden vegetables, as well as domestic animals and pet food, have become part of their diet.

When there is plenty of food, coyote populations expand quickly. Coyotes breed in January and February, and pups are born in a den during March or April. A litter can be as small as one pup or exceed 10, with the average around five pups. Small, undisturbed green spaces are all coyotes need for a den site.

A typical den is made underground with a pie-pan-sized entrance opening into a larger area.

Coyotes usually form breeding pairs and raise their pups together. Lone coyotes do occur, especially in the fall when younger animals leave to establish their own territory. Breeding pairs will establish a territory and defend this area from other coyotes.

Occasionally, yearling coyotes will remain with the breeding pair and new pups. When this occurs, it’s called a “group” rather than a “pack.”

Coyote discussions often revolve around conflicts. In rural areas conflicts include loss of livestock and pets, or reaction to a trail camera capturing a coyote hauling off a fawn.

Urban conflicts are focused on attacks on pets, concerns for safety and fear of the unknown.

In rural areas across the United States, removal efforts have used toxicants, trapping, shooting and other techniques to control coyotes, protect livestock and increase populations of other wildlife. The efforts usually have a high cost and short-term results.

In addition, coyotes reproduce quickly, are located throughout the United States and are highly adaptable, which makes curbing their numbers a challenge. Coyote populations can be lowered in small areas with focused efforts, but they can bounce back quickly once the efforts are reduced or stopped. In areas where coyote numbers have been lowered, coyotes will breed at younger ages and have larger litters.

Bounty systems were used in Indiana from the late 1800s through the 1970s.

The programs had a long history, so wildlife managers were able to evaluate them and identify problems. Bounty systems usually covered large areas and didn’t focus on areas of conflict.

Fraud was common, with parts of predators needed to claim rewards being transported from different states or counties. In addition, the bounty system called for constant removal, requiring large cash investments with limited or short-term results.

The DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife manages trapping and hunting seasons for coyotes (Oct. 15-March 15, 2015). The seasons are not meant to remove every animal, but they do provide a good, low-cost way to manage coyotes while giving hunters and trappers opportunities to pursue coyotes.

Coyotes also may be taken outside of the established seasons on private land. Landowners may remove a coyote at any time on land they own, or they can provide written permission for others to take coyotes on their land at any time without a permit. The ruling gives landowners the ability to control what happens on their property, even outside of established hunting and trapping seasons.

Illegal raccoon hunters caught

Indiana Conservation Officer Andrew Harmon is investigating two suspects involved in the illegal taking of raccoons prior to the hunting season in Allen County.

Harmon received information from the TIP (800-TIP-IDNR) hotline that illegal raccoon hunting was taking place in a wooded area of Allen County. In the late night hours of Nov. 4, he waited with night vision in the area and observed a vehicle with two individuals who appeared to be hunting. Checking the vehicle while they were in the woods, he observed signs of previous hunting activity.

When Harmon confronted the two subjects, he found them in possession of a freshly killed raccoon and firearms. Further investigation led to the discovery of additional raccoon carcasses being kept in a home freezer. Charges are currently pending with the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office.

Indiana’s conservation officers urge all Hoosiers to call the TIP Hotline if they encounter a situation of poaching or intentional pollution. TIP works!

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments may contact Jack Spaulding by email at jackspaulding@hughes.net or by writing to him in care of this publication.