Den Hunting as a Means of Coyote Control

In Short

This technical manual, issued in 1937 by the Bureau of Biological Survey, serves as a practical field guide for managing coyote populations through the destruction of dens and whelps. It details the seasonal habits, denning behaviors, and physical signatures of coyotes, providing systematic methods for locating and neutralizing litters during the spring months. By focusing on the vulnerability of the young, the text outlines a methodology for stock protection that relies on keen observation, precise tracking, and the strategic use of equipment to minimize the necessity for later, more strenuous control efforts.

The Story

The narrative of this work follows the seasonal cycle of the coyote, specifically from the perspective of the predator control agent. It begins in the early spring, when the breeding season concludes and the focus shifts to the denning period, which typically runs from April through mid-June. The argument is established early: because the coyote is a significant threat to lambing bands of sheep, the most efficient way to maintain control is to interrupt the life cycle at its most fragile stage. By destroying the whelps while they are confined to the den, the hunter avoids the difficulty of tracking mature, wary adults across vast, open ranges.

As the text progresses, it details the clandestine nature of the coyote’s denning habits. The animals do not follow a rigid template; they utilize abandoned badger holes, rock bluffs, or even the space beneath human structures like grain bins and railroad tracks. The hunter learns that patience is the primary requirement. He must observe the landscape for "den sign"—tracks, well-worn paths, or excavated dirt—and distinguish these from the activities of smaller burrowing animals. The book emphasizes that a coyote’s behavior changes during this time; they become creatures of habit, traveling on predictable, direct routes to water or hunting grounds, yet displaying extreme caution when they believe their young are threatened.

The middle portion of the text moves into the mechanics of the hunt. It describes the physical labor involved in locating, confirming, and clearing a den. The hunter is advised to use a horse to maintain a vantage point and to minimize the coyote's innate fear of humans. Once a den is identified, the strategy shifts to the extraction of the litter. This might involve simple digging, the use of a small terrier to flush the whelps, or, in more difficult terrain, the use of fumigants like calcium cyanide. The text is precise about the necessity of covering all exits and the importance of professional caution when handling chemicals.

Finally, the narrative addresses the aftermath of the den destruction. It explains how to dispose of the whelps and, crucially, how to attempt to capture the remaining adults. The hunter is instructed on how to set "blind" traps near the den entrance or along established trails to capitalize on the parents' tendency to return to the site. The account concludes by reinforcing the view that these measures are essential to protecting the livestock industry. By systematically removing the young, the hunter effectively breaks the cycle of predation, ensuring that the range remains as secure as possible for the season’s lambing bands.

How It Unfolds

The seasonal mandate The text establishes that spring, specifically April through June, is the critical window for intervention. It argues that addressing the whelps at this time is significantly more efficient than attempting to control adult coyotes later in the year.

Identifying the signs The narrative explains how to read the landscape for "den sign," such as tracks and excavated mounds. It teaches the reader to distinguish between the purposeful, direct travel of a coyote with a den and the random movements of a solitary animal.

Equipping the hunter The manual lists the essential tools of the trade, emphasizing the importance of a horse for mobility and height, as well as the use of a small, trained dog. These tools allow the hunter to cover ground efficiently while remaining less conspicuous to the prey.

The logistics of extraction The text details the physical methods for clearing a den, ranging from digging pits to intercept the pups to using specialized fumigation techniques. It stresses that every effort must be made to block all exits, as the adults often remain nearby, watching the hunter’s progress.

Securing the perimeter The process concludes with tactical advice on trapping the adult coyotes that survive the initial destruction of the den. By utilizing the parents' instinctual return to the site, the hunter completes the control effort, aiming to remove both the breeding pair and their offspring.

The People

The primary figure in this account is the den hunter, a professional role defined by specific character traits: keen observation, persistence, and deep, experiential knowledge of the landscape. He is not a hunter in the traditional sense of pursuit; rather, he is a researcher of habit, wanting only to gain the advantage of location. He views the coyote as a formidable, cunning adversary, and his success depends entirely on his ability to remain unseen and to predict the animal’s movements.

The coyote acts as the opposing force, characterized by its protective instincts toward its young and its ability to adapt to diverse environments. While the manual attributes "cunning" and "nervousness" to the animal, it focuses primarily on the coyote’s biological patterns—its breeding cycle, its territorial routes, and its reliance on the den for the survival of the litter. The coyote’s desire to protect its whelps often becomes its undoing, as the act of feeding the young or defending them leads the hunter directly to the den. The conflict between these two is one of human infrastructure versus natural instinct, with the hunter ultimately prevailing through a combination of superior tools and an understanding of the coyote’s developmental biology.

In Its Own Voice

A little time spent in locating dens in April, May, and June and destroying the whelps will save months of strenuous effort trying to rid the range of the predators after they have reached maturity.

The author justifies the heavy labor of early-season hunting by comparing it to the futility of hunting grown coyotes.

When a female with a den first sees a person, she looks first at him for a moment, then almost invariably toward the den, sometimes turning completely around to do so.

The text illustrates how the animal’s defensive instincts, specifically her focus on the safety of her young, provide the observant hunter with a crucial clue to the den's location.

What It's Really About

This book is a treatise on the application of biological intelligence to the goals of agricultural protection. It posits that the natural world is a resource that must be managed through the systematic observation of animal behavior. The underlying question is one of human dominion over the range: how can the stockman secure his livelihood against a predator that is notoriously resilient and adaptable? By frame-shifting the problem from a hunt for adults to the management of reproductive cycles, the text argues that humans can achieve control only by aligning their efforts with the specific environmental and behavioral patterns of the target species. It is a study in efficiency, emphasizing that true mastery over the landscape requires a granular, scientific understanding of the life processes of the animals that inhabit it.

Why Read It Today

For the modern reader, this book offers a stark, unvarnished window into the mindset of early 20th-century land management. It is a document of its time, reflecting a utilitarian, unsentimental approach to predator control that was standard for the Bureau of Biological Survey in the 1930s. Those interested in the history of American agriculture or the professionalization of wildlife management will find the level of technical detail—down to the specific types of traps and the anatomy of a den—fascinating.

However, the reader should be prepared for the book's singular focus. It is written with the cold, instructional precision of a government manual, and its subject matter is inherently difficult. It does not invite empathy for the coyotes; instead, it invites an appreciation for the methodical, almost clinical application of human strategy against a wild population. The language is plain and utilitarian, devoid of flourish, which makes the reality of the described actions all the more vivid. Readers who enjoy primary source materials or who have a curiosity about how the American West was managed from a state-sponsored perspective will find this a compelling, if challenging, look at a vanished era of environmental policy.