I caught my first coyote when I was 10. I was running a trapline just above the Rabbit Creek flats in Anchorage. There weren't any houses there back then. At that time I had never seen a coyote in the wild, just photographs and the Road Runner cartoon. I was pretty psyched to catch such a big, unknown animal. After all, there weren't many coyotes in the area in the 1960s.
Coyotes were first noted in Alaska about 100 years ago. The population peaked in the 1940s before being nearly eradicated by poisons used by the Alaska Game Commission, which referred to them as "obnoxious animals."
The coyote population has since rebounded and maintained relatively normal fluctuations based on cycles of their prey, primarily snowshoe hares and voles. When these animals are scarce, coyotes will eat a variety of things. Carrion from wolf kills ranks high. Porcupines are also a favorite during periods of low hare numbers.
Eating porcupines
Most coyotes I have trapped over the years have a porcupine quill or two in them. There are numerous accounts of coyotes dying from quills in the stomach. A study by Laura Prugh of the University of British Columbia and Steve Arthur of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game found that one pair of coyotes fed their young with a diet that was 40 percent porcupine. However, the female was found dead that fall with a stomach punctured by quills.
Coyotes don't necessarily mate for life, though they tend to stay together unless one dies. Mates are then replaced fairly quickly. Breeding takes place in February and March. Like dogs, the gestation period is eight weeks. The young stay with the parents through August and sometimes into early winter. Packs usually break up fairly quickly. Wolves, a major coyote predator, easily target a pack of the smaller animals.
Coyote populations are increasing in areas of Alaska where wolf control programs operate. When wolves decline, coyotes flourish. And coyotes compete with fox, lynx and marten, animals whose populations drop when coyotes increase.
Other animals are affected too. Ravens that depend heavily on wolf kills during the winter may be forced to find other food. In many instances, this means moving closer to towns. Coyotes require more food than smaller animals, so they need a larger prey base in Alaska, typically 20-square-miles. In fact, a 35-pound coyote may need 15-20 voles a day to survive, while a 2-pound marten needs far less!
Not highly valued fur
One can see why trappers dislike coyotes on their lines. A $40 coyote is a poor replacement for a half-dozen marten, which may be worth $50 or $60 apiece. Coyotes are also more susceptible to mite infestation than other canines. One typically sees a few coyotes with minimal fur on their sides and a hairless tail. These animals seem to be otherwise healthy, but they have no value to a trapper.
Until fairly recently, military winter gear had coyote ruffs on some parkas. Cabela's still uses coyote extensively. Good quality coyote fur is used as decorative trim.
Alaska coyotes are not as sought after by industry as those from Eastern Oregon or Montana. Our animals have a bit too much under-fur for many applications. Coyotes from the Montana plains are silkier.
I have used Montana coyotes for my fur ruffs but much prefer the shorter, heavier pelts of our local animals.
Last week I had a very nice male coyote visit the edge of the dog yard. He has become the new trim on my wife's mushing parka.
Perhaps our local coyotes aren't worth much on the fur market, but for home use, they are tough to beat.
John Schandelmeier is a lifelong Alaskan who lives with his family near Paxson. He is a Bristol Bay commercial fisherman and two-time winner of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race.