• Caturno, Suzanne L.
  University of Maine Graduate School
  

Seven radio-collared coyotes (Canis Latrans), representing 3 social groups, were monitored in eastern Maine from October 1979 to April 1981. Changes were observed in home range size and shape and in habitat use throughout the coyotes annual reproductive cycle. At least 50% of the relocations for each adult animal were found in a core area representing <25% of its total home range. Coyotes used softwood and mixed wood cover year-round more than expected or in proportion to its availability within their home ranges. Hardwoods and non-forested heaths (bogs) and barrens were used less than expected, except during the summer when blueberry (Vaceiniun angustifolium) barrens were utilized heavily. Scat analyses showed that snowshoe hare (Lepus amaricanus) was a staple food source throughout the year. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) was also commonly found in winter and spring while a shift in diet to small mammals and fruit occurred in the summer and early fall.