Coyotes are opportunists. When they are out hunting, they after an easy meal. They prefer deer that are either too small to put up much of a fight, or too sick or injured to put up much of a fight. Remember that for a coyote, an injury such a asa broken jaw or leg can be fatal, and it just takes one kick from an adult deer to deliver such an injury. Fawns and weak or injured deer are much less likely to injure them, so they are taken first.

Snow here is very rare, so winter is notas big a problem here as it is elsewhere. The large wheat fields scattered across the countryside normally provide plenty of forage to get them through the winter in good condition. This year, though, conditions are very dry and the wheat is not going to provide for the deer like it has in the past. This will cause the herds to lose some conditioning, and be more susceptible to disease and depredation.

I have seen 8 coyotes in a pack once, coming across a wheat field on my way to town. Usually, I see singles or doubles, with the occasional pack of three to four. Of course, the smaller the pack size, the less likely they are to try and take on a large animal.

I've seen coyotes chase adult deer on a couple of occasions. I don't think they were serious, just testing the water. Looking to see if the deer showed any signs of fatigue or weakness. Or maybe to see if a fawn would get up and try to run with it.