Responses of free-ranging coyotes to lures and their modifications

Abstract

Several chemical modifications of a synthetic fermented egg (SFE) lure were field tested on free-ranging coyotes (Canis latrans) to determine the effects of odor intensity and quality on their behavioral responses. SFE was modified for testing by (1) enhancing one of the four basic odor components (fruity, sulfurous, sweaty, or fishy), (2) deleting one of the basic components, (3) individually testing an odor component, and (4) addition of aldehydes and indoles to SFE. Most behavioral responses, especially visitation, increased with odor intensity. Widely different odors elicited similar visitation. Specific odor quality influenced response rates such as urinating, defecating, digging, scratching, rolling, and pulling.

Evaluation of attractants and bait preferences of captive red foxes (Vulpes vulpes)

“…The procedures for evaluating the attractiveness of chemical compounds to coyotes have been the subject of extensive research (Bullard et al 1983;Fagre et al 1983;Phillips et al 1990). These involve recording behavioural responses and/or measuring the extent to which an individual displays interest towards each test compound.…”

“…There are also a growing number of synthetic food flavourings that can initiate gustatory responses. Extensive evaluations of these compounds have been conducted to enhance coyote (Canis latrans) control programs in North America (Bullard et al 1983;Martin and Fagre 1988;Phillips et al 1990) on the basis that volatile molecules of intense lures are diffused over great distances, thus increasing the potential for detection and response (Turkowski et al 1983).…”

Effect of a synthetic lure on site visitation and bait uptake by foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and wild dogs (Canis lupus dingo, Canis lupus familiaris)

“…To examine the effect of a lure to attract canids, bait stations comprising 50 cm × 50 cm of sifted earth and bricklayers' sand were constructed at 500-m intervals (Turkowski et al 1979;Bullard et al 1983;Jolly and Jolly 1992;Mitchell and Kelly 1992) along the Currango and Namadgi 20-km transects, giving a total of 40 stations per transect. Bait stations were located within 2 m of the trail edge and offset from sandplots by at least 250 m along the transect.…”

“…In the United States the effective use of organic and synthetic scents to lure coyotes (Canis latrans) to control points has been well documented (Linhart et al 1977;Bullard et al 1978Bullard et al , 1983Roughton and Bowden 1979;Phillips et al 1990;Kimball et al 2000), with similar work in Australia and the UK identifying the potential use of synthetic scent lures for canids (Jolly and Jolly 1992;Mitchell and Kelly 1992;Saunders and Harris 2000). The three latter studies all identified synthetic fermented egg (SFE) as having potential as a wild dog and/or fox lure.…”

Responses of captive and wild possums to lures used in poison baiting

“…For example, highly attractive extracts were isolated from seeds preferred by deer mice (Record et al 1976) and from rice strains preferred by rats (Bullard & Shumake 1977). "Synthetic Fermented Egg" (SFE) was attractive to ferrets (Clapperton et al 1989), coyotes (Bullard et al 1983), and dingos (Jolly & Jolly 1992). The volatile fatty acids contained in SFE are found in gland secretions of many animals (reviewed by Bullard et al 1978) and are used to communicate sexual and individual identity (Gorman 1976;Clapperton et al 1988).…”