Summer food habits and population density of Coyotes, Canis latrans, in boreal forests of southeastern Quebec

The Coyote (Canis latrans) arrived on the Gaspe peninsula in the mid 1970s. The population increased through 1990 followed by a general decline. We compared summer food habits of the Coyote in 1988 and 1991 in central Gaspe peninsula, a forested area dominated by conifers. We analyzed 231 seats in 1988 and 435 seats in 1991 to determine Coyote food habits. In 1991, we also marked seven Coyotes with radio-collars and a radioactive isotope (Zn-65) to estimate population density in the study area. The density estimate of 0.2 - 0.3 Coyote/10 km(2) (+/- 35 - 36%) was among the lowest ever recorded. Woodchuck (Marmota monax) and White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) dominated the diet in May-June 1988 but were replaced by Moose (Alces alces), Snowshoe Hares (Lepus americanus) and Beavers (Castor canadensis) in 1991. Berries were preferred in mid-summer and comprised 56% and 80% of the volume of seats in August of 1988 and 1991, respectively. The use of small mammals remained relatively constant during both years; i.e., 9 - 19% of seat volume. Results are related to levels of prey abundance on the Gaspe peninsula.