Evaluating Lethal Coyote Management in the Chicago Metropolitan Area Using a Conflict Recurrence Metric

Authors

• Jeffrey T. Schultz, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research CenterFollow
• Scott Beckerman, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, Eastern RegionFollow
• Robert Erickson, Scientific Wildlife Management
• Danielle Montgomery, Denver, Colorado, USAFollow
• Stewart W. Breck, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research CenterFollow

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Abstract

Human–coyote (Canis latrans) conflict in urban environments is prevalent in cities throughout the United States. Urban areas commonly use nonlethal techniques to mitigate coyote-caused conflicts but will also incorporate selective removal of individual coyotes when conflicts persist. However, little research has evaluated these management strategies. This study analyzed coyote removal efforts conducted in the Chicago Metropolitan Area from 2010 to 2020. To evaluate the management actions, we used “time without incidence”—the time elapsing from an initial conflict until either a subsequent conflict occurred in the same area, or when the data collection period ended—as an index of effectiveness. We summarized the 11-year dataset and applied time-to-event modeling to explore categorical factors that best explained conflict recurrence. Sixty-five incidents documented the removal of 195 coyotes (105 adult males, 50 adult females, and 40 juveniles). The mean number of incidents recorded was 5.9 per year (range: 0–13), and the mean number of coyotes removed was 17.7 per year (range: 0–55). An average of 3.0 individuals were removed per incident (range: 1–13). Time without incidence averaged 897.7 days (SE = 91.3), with recurring conflicts accounting for 42% of incidents. Cox survival models indicated that “number of coyotes removed per conflict” (1, 2, or >2) was the leading factor in predicting time without incidence (χ²₂ = 5.99, P = 0.05). Specifically, time without incidence was longest after 2 coyotes were removed (β = -1.64, SE = 0.79, P = 0.04). Our evaluation provides urban wildlife managers with a benchmark of effectiveness of an urban coyote management plan that integrated targeted removal of conflict individuals. Results from this study provide guidance toward the goal of maximizing the effectiveness of human–coyote conflict mitigation while minimizing ecological impacts to the urban coyote population.

Recommended Citation

Schultz, Jeffrey T.; Beckerman, Scott; Erickson, Robert; Montgomery, Danielle; and Breck, Stewart W. (2025) "Evaluating Lethal Coyote Management in the Chicago Metropolitan Area Using a Conflict Recurrence Metric," Human–Wildlife Interactions: Vol. 19: Iss. 1, Article 7.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/hwi/vol19/iss1/7