RE: Pa hunter numbers, is doomsday really here?
Cornelius,two or threeyears ago we got a heavy snow squall on the first saturday of the MOSQUITO CREEK HUNT.After hunting one spot in the morning with no luck,we checked out an area that we knew had yotes inthe past few weeks.There were no tracks in the fresh snow.I went back the next morning.Walked the same logging roads and instantlly found tracks.I also found a fresh deaddoe that wasn't there the daybefore.Coyote tracks were all over it so I'll assume that was a coyote kill.The only one I ever ran into.Coyotes no doubt take some fawns but it's more of an issue in poor habitat.I've watched coyotes on several occassion enter a field with deer in it and the mature deer hardly paid them any attention.That isn't to say,when the planets all align properly,some yotes won't take a mature deer/I'm sure it happens on occassion.It realy doesn't matter to me.I like having them around.
Rich,I've hunted all over this year and I've only seen one coyote track in the snow.Sign is way down for me.There absolutely,positively has not been an explosion in the coyote population over the last 10 years,at least not around here.