It's funny...I was just going to make a post pertaining to this topic. This seems to be the popular story this season...seems like everyone has put trail cameras on coyote dens this year. I've heard several stories so far about so and so's cousin or brother capturing coyotes bringing from 20-40 fawns back to the den or of people finding 30+ fawn skulls scattered around a den site. I can't hardly believe the crap some people come up with...before you know it everyone around starts to believe the stories. For example, I think that most everyone on here has seen the trail camera photo of the mountain lion stalking the deer. That very photo has been circulating around my town for the past couple of weeks with claims that the picture was taken in New York. Everyone is just eating the pic. up as solid proof that there are cougars in NY State. You ought to see a few of the looks that I've gotten when I've pointed out the black "mule deer" tail on the deer in the photo and tell them, "not unless we have mule deer running around too." It's just unbelievable how this stories can get out of hand so quickly.

Anyways, I know that coyotes take their fair share of deer every year when the opportunity presents itself (mostly fawns and in the winter adults ithat are in bad shape), but there is no way that they kill as many deer as most people think they do. You gotta stop and think that coyotes are not strictly venison craving carnivores and most of their diet consists of small mammals such as woodchucks, rabbits and lots of mice and carrion that they come across. Besides, I don't know how many times in the past few years that I've been out spotlighting and have seen a coyote or a couple of coyotes out in the middle of a bunch a deer. Most of the time the deer don't seem to be too overly concerned and seem to pay little attention to the coyotes and usually just keep right on feeding. I know that alot of areas (included my area) faced less than great deer hunting this past season and I guess that people need to blame it on something...but I don't believe that it has a whole lot to do with a vast overabunance or deer killing coyotes. Besides, I certainly haven't noticed what I would consider to be huge increase of the coyote pop. here in the western finger lakes region of the NY state over the last 2-3 years. The only realistic things that I can think of that can cause a serious decrease in the deer herd over a large area to such a degree would be a disease (such as EHD or blue tongue) and the harvasting of really large numbers of does by hunters.

Just my thoughts on the issue!!!