Our study evaluated the diet of a coyote population in southern Texas on a ranch where coyotes are not managed (no predator control). We collected coyote dung from road transects of the East Foundation’s San Antonio Viejo Ranch every month in 2022. We identified 23 prey items in coyote dung. Within all months combined, white-tailed deer were the most common prey (38%) followed by wild pigs (14%). These ungulates were found in coyote dung at a higher rate than in many other studies. This suggests that unmanaged coyote populations, with an older age structure, may select for larger bodied prey compared to managed coyote populations with younger age animals – these young coyote populations often select small mammals (rodents) as prey.
