As Kansas' coyote population booms, farmers and ranchers look for ways to decrease those numbers

Coyotes are on the prowl in Kansas, but mainly in rural areas.

“When we look at abundance trends, the population of coyotes has increased three-fold since the fur market crashed in the late 1980s,” Drew Ricketts, a wildlife management specialist with K-State Research and Extension, said in a release. 

Coyotes reside throughout the continental U.S. and Alaska. In Kansas, more than 150,000 of these creatures roam the countryside with populations increasing to about 300,000 during parts of the year.

Although coyotes usually shy away from urban areas, said Justine Henderson – a  livestock production agent at Salina K-State Research and Extension – if you see a coyote, they are probably running away from you. However, they were spotted in Chicago, Portland and Denver, Ricketts stated. 

Researchers in Chicago, Richmond and other cities have spotted coyotes on video.

“They were waiting until lights turned green before crossing the street,” Ricketts stated. “They have learned to navigate an urban landscape.” 

“One of the things that has allowed coyotes to be so successful is that they are so adaptable,” Ricketts stated. “We typically think of coyotes as predators, whereas they are really omnivores (an animal that eats plant and animal food). They eat a lot of insect matter, fruits and vegetables; they eat a lot of animal matter, too, but they are also good at capitalizing on human by-products, like trash. So in cities they are able to make a living.” 

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Catching coyotes 

Although hunting is legal, many landowners rely on traps.

“Trapping is more likely to take care of those problem animals,” Ricketts said. “Traps are working 24 hours a day.” 

Kansas State has a series of videos and fact sheets related to trapping, calling and understanding this animal.

Snares and foothold traps are the most common ways to catch a coyote that is preying on farm livestock, according to Ricketts. While snares are effective, they are also more dangerous to sheep, goats and guardian dogs. 

These animals usually weigh from 25 to 35 pounds and are on the hunt for smaller animals, including goats, sheep and calves. 

"But mama cows are pretty protective," Henderson said. "So, as long as she is with her calf, the coyotes usually stay away."

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Henderson said specific animals keep coyotes away from livestock. Many sheep dogs are raised with the pack.

"They (coyotes) are lower on the food chain," Henderson said.

And, at least in Saline County, she said, the donkeys, llamas and guardian dogs seem to keep them away.