I have followed coyotes for many years. In fact, almost every single day that there was snow on the ground for over ten years in a row. Never one of those days could I have made a statement like the one above. I don't believe this for an instant. I am in the woods almost every single day of the year as a wildlife photographer and I have never seen devestation as you describe. As for the 4pt and 7pt bucks, I will bet that the coyotes were not the cause of death. Coyotes almost always kill fawns unless there is something wrong with an adult deer.All those years I do not remember a coyote killing a singleadult buck. On five seperate occasions I have seen coyotes walk within 35 yards of turkeys and not even spook them or try to catch them. I think it is nearly impossible for a coyote to actually kill one (it's hard for us and we have turkey calls and guns). I guess I can only speak for the area where I live and we have our share of coyotes too.

the problem with that is that if you wipe out half the coyote population, they will breed alot more. If the population is cut in half, the survivors will eat better and in turn reproduce even more, offsetting the harvesting of them. Im not sure about the actual percentages.

Dont get me wrong, it hink if they are overpopulated then hunting them is the best way to decrease their numbers, im jsut not sure how helpful it really will be.

i know we have less of them now where i hunt in 6G then we did about 5 years ago. We have a pack of thema round ym house but i have only seen one and that was years ago. Im not saying that they arent overpopulated, but it is on an area by area basis.
I like hearing them at night though, kinda cool to sit by the fire camping and listening to them

Your tatoo story isno more credible than your swamp land for sale. Both are bogus! Good for a laugh though, thanks!

From what I have read coyote breed one time a year period - regardless of numbers. True the population will be healthier with lower numbers but I would rather have fewer but healthy yotes around instead of an excessive number of yotes half being mangy or even just hungry - animals of any species start to get a little bolder when they get hungry

Also - the statement that coyotes almost always kill fawns and seldom adult deer besides ones that are lame is partially true - I have seen the coyotes around me pack up at certain times of the year - not big backs but like 3 - 5 running together - I have seen that they will really get after the deer when the snow gets deep - like 3' or more - they pretty much run over top of the snow and the deer have a little bit more trouble getting away. They aren't picky once they get the deer down either - if you ever find a fresh kill in the woods it is a mess. But this is like I said an exception and seems to happen only after to snow gets deep and after a period of time where food might be a little more scarce.

jhoffman, Like I said ALMOST always. I also agree that when the snow is deep they will kill more deer, but still it is almost always a fawn. I am not talking about anyone specific, but there are so many out there that think they know so much about coyotes and have never spent one day in the woods other than deer hunting season. For over 25 years I have never ever seen another human track out there in the dead of winter, I will ski between three and six miles in a day in different areas. Never once did I see another human being, so how did they all come to know so much about coyotes? Sure, you can go out a few times and find a dead deer and come to any conclusion that you want. Like I said before, I can only speak for my area.

What is the proof the DEC stocked them?? What is the motivation to do it?

mlo.....it must have been the foxes that killed all the rabbits, squirrels and deer. There was fur and blood over the top of freshly fallen snow. I dont believe that my eyes where playing tricks on me that day that my freind and I went out in the woods, I know what we seen. maybe in your woods you never seen it, this doesnt mean that it can't happen elsewere. I had never seen it before eitherof ever seen it since. SoI suprised me when I did see it.

Another thing, You dont think a group of coyotes will bring down an adult male deer? How bout this, I seen about6 or 7 coyotes bring down an(adult bull elk) on tv. They showed a documentary on coyotes in areas where there was elk present. And guess what, the elk were getting brought down aloteasier than I thaught they would have.So seeing this , nothing is impossible.

MAYBE THE RABBIT FUR AND BLOOD ALL OVER WAS A RABBIT FIGHT THAT WENT WRONG.
NEXT TIME THIS HAPPENS IN MY WOODS, GIVE ME YOUR PHONE NUMBER AND I WILL HAVE YOU COME TAKE A LOOK.

IM NO FOOL, (SOMETHING KILLED THESE ANIMALS)...AND IT WASNT LIME DISEASE. BUT, IT COULD HAVE BEEN ONE HELL OF A FLESH EATING DISEASE.

In my experience, coyotes are a factor on fawns and adult deer in dire situations (starvation, deep crust-topped snow, wounded, etc..)

A few things to note though.

Finding a deer torn apart from coyotes does not confirm a coyote kill. The deer may have died for various reasons and where found by the yotes, or the yotes finished the job. Certainly happens during hunting seasons and on roadkills. I am not saying its impossible for deer to be killed by yotes, but a carcas w/ yote prints around it is not proof that a yote killed the deer.

Also, Deer are not 100%defenceless to coyotes. Ionce saw areal angry doerun off a coyote mother and three pups that found her fawn. Granted that was not in winter conditions.

I'd like to see that. Do you know the name of that show?? The western Yote is reported to be much smaller than the eastern version and much less likely to take down big game.Was it a wolf maybe??