Record Details
Seasonal properties of the coyote scent station index
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Seasonal properties of the coyote scent station index |
| Names |
Griffith, Dennis Bradley
(creator) Wight, Howard M. (advisor) Meslow, E. Charles (advisor) Overton, W. Scott (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 1976-05-20 (iso8601) |
| Note | Graduation date: 1977 |
| Abstract | Six standard coyote scent station index lines and one scentless control line were repeatedly sampled from May through October, 1974, on a 400 square mile study area in Central Oregon. The scent station index remained relatively constant at a mean value of 0.025 from May through mid-August; increased to a mean value of 0.043 in September; then decreased to a mean of 0.038 in October. Reduced scent effectiveness due to weathering was not evident. Between-line and within-line variability of the index remained relatively constant throughout the study period. Between-line variability accounted for more of the total variation in indices than between-month variability. Up to four-fold, statistically significant, differences in index values between lines were evident throughout the study. The mean percent of coyotes that scored at a scent station, once they were on a segment of the road surface that extended 30 feet on each side of a scent post, was 28.8 percent over all lines and periods. There was statistically significant variation in the percent scoring between lines and this variation partially explained the between-line differences for the scent station index. The percent scoring did not change significantly between months, however. An alternate index in which the stations read were 60 foot long segments of the road surface at 0.3 mile intervals was found to give an approximate four-fold increase in mean indices and a significant reduction in coefficient of variation compared to the standard scent station index. The relative merits of these two indices were compared. A functional relationship between coyote numbers, coyote activity and index values was proposed and evaluated in terms of observed index values. Seasonal capabilities of the index as a research tool were evaluated in terms of seasonal variability and the pattern of mean indices obtained throughout the study. |
| Genre | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Topic | Coyotes |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/22326 |
