ah, my favorite critter: Wile E. Coyote
How can I know if the yote population in my ranch is affecting deer population
coyote's can and will kill deer, but (imo) 'yotes provide a service to the deer population as a whole.... a healthy deer can easily defend itself by outrunning coyotes --- i would imagine most of the deer killed by predators (excluding mountain lions) are either sick, injured, or old. a young fawn may fall victim to a coyote every now and then, but that's just how nature works.
if you are trying to improve the quality and/or quantity of your deer herd, i think coyotes are not a very high priority in the overall scheme of things. don't get me wrong, shoot every 'yote you can ---- it's a lot of fun!
i've hunted coyotes using every method available (calling, snares and traps, dogs, etc.) and i'm telling ya', you cannot kill enough to make a meaningful impact on their overall population in your area --- the 20th century taught us that.
throughout the 1900's, white guys tried to eradicate coyotes in kansas. 'yotes were bountied, poisoned, trapped, shot, etc. w/ limited short-term success and no long-term reduction.
coyotes are the
ultimate survivor! there's nothing you can do that hasn't been tried a hundred times before, they are too resilent.