Home Range, Habitat Use and Survival of Coyotes in Western South Carolina (Report‪)‬

INTRODUCTION Coyotes (Canis latrans) are historically associated with western North America. However, during the last 50 y, they have expanded their range into the southeastern United States, aided largely by humans (Hill et al., 1987). Moreover, coyote harvests have increased dramatically in Georgia and South Carolina in recent years (GADNR, SCDNR unpublished data). Coyote ecology has been intensively studied throughout much of its North American range, and this research has indicated a high degree of behavioral plasticity (Bekoff, 1977; Holzman et al., 1992) which has been related to prey characteristics (Bowen, 1981) and habitat variables (Gese et al., 1988). Because Southeastern ecosystems are inherently different than Southwestern ecosystems in availability of food items and habitat, additional study is necessary to understand differential coyote habits in these novel environments. We chose the Savannah River Site in west central South Carolina to study coyote survivorship, home range size and habitat use. Our objectives were to establish baseline numbers for similar coyote populations in the region and to provide information on coyote habits to aid in wildlife and habitat management decisions.