coyotes
 

I have read and heard that coyotes arent that big of threat to deer as many people think. They mostly eat rabbits, mice, very small animals. Yes they will eat deer but only sick, fawns. I was wondering why are people so against coyotes and think they will eat all the deer. I have a guy that traps on my hunting ground and dont care if he does. I know there are alot of them on my hunting ground.

RE: coyotes
 

Your slightly misled. A pack of coyotes can and will bring down the biggest mature buck if given the chance and opportunity. Coyotes are opportunist, they will take anything they can given the chance including dogs, cats, squirrels, rabbits and adult deer. They are hard on fawn predation as well.

Drury's showed some footage where 2 coyotes pushed a buck into a ravine where a 3rd stood in waiting. When the buck hit the ravine, they tore him apart. It was amazing. Coyotes will pack up to bring down anything they can.

In my tracking dog circle, one lady just lost her elding Wire Haired Dachshund to a coyote as well as many trackers losing dogs to yotes while tracking wounded game.

I watched a single coyote come face to face with a 6 pt, neither one cared for the other. They stood face to face for a moment and then went on their way without concern. That is one deer/ one coyote tho.

And don't forget their predation on the wild turkey population. I've been fortunate to shoot 3 coyotes thus far, one with a bow, one with a shotgun and one with a rifle. The yote that fell to the shotgun busted 2 toms I was calling in.

RE: coyotes
 

How many packs of coyotes have you seen? I hunt Michigan, Idaho, Washington, and Montana and only seen one pack and i have never seen more than 4 together. The Real Threat is Wolves they are the problem Idaho is getting hit Extremley hard right now. my cousin ( who lives in Idaho) knows a game warden there and he said that they have only seen 3% of calves survived last winter and Last winter was fairly mild TONS of wolf kills. he said and he said the numbers they publish are not entirely correct that alot of wolves move from yellowstone to idaho regularly so the numbers are not entirely correct... but it is for sure that the wolves have made themeselves quite at home in the US since they have been planted here from canada.

RE: coyotes
 

I shoot yotes any chance I can. I've had a pack of 4 come in to my fawn in distress call, but missed! The next week I had a pack of 11 come in to the can. I shot a real nice blonde thats at the taxidermist for the full body mount!

RE: coyotes
 

Coyotes are very hard on fawns, an adult coyote takes in around 4lbs of food a day and during the fawn drop they rely on whitetails for as much as 75% of their diet. Without coyotes you would have a lot more deer- no arguments there, that's why most deer hunters hate coyotes so much.

Yes there are a lot of misunderstandings about the impact coyotes have on whitetails and people love to latch onto mythical stories of the yellow eyed demons. For the most part, coyotes have littlesuccess killingmature whitetials. The true threat to whitetails in my region is not wolves or coyotes, but their domesticated cousins that people let run free. A domestic dog will run a deer for hours and hours, until it's heart explodes, where a true predator will not expend any more energy than necessary to make a kill. If you want to preserve the wildlife in your area don't shoot a feral dog... but know someone who does! ;)

RE: coyotes
 

On a given night you can hear several yotes and packs in any given area. It might be different in your area but PA, we have plenty and hear plenty.

RE: coyotes
 

I live in Shenadoah County Virginia and the Coyote population has started to become a problem. The owner of a local hunting supply store sponsored a Coyote expert to come in and talk to the local hunters about them. He explained that a lot of more people need to start hunting them to keep them under control. I didnt get to go to the first meeting but I heard that the amount pups that one mother can have in a year is staggering. I wanting to start hunting and probably will soon. I have heard them but have not yet seen them. They are nice to listen to in the woods.

RE: coyotes
 

As has been stated I believe by Rob,coyotes are opportunistic killers.They will kill deer mature or otherwise if given the chance.I have witnessed a mature doe being killed in deep snow by two coyotes.I didn't have a rifle with me unfortunately.
Likely the only way to seriously effect their population is to trap aggressively,otherwise the females will just self regulate their litters to make up for their declining numbers.

RE: coyotes
 

i live in michigan and we have a real big problem with coyotes. shoot every damn one you see you will not be sorry....

RE: coyotes
 

The guy that traps on my hunting ground has gotten about 5 coyotes a year every since he started a few years ago. where do they come from I only see a few a year.

RE: coyotes
 

I'm glad we don't have any of those damn yotes here in Maryland. You guys can keep em![:-]

RE: coyotes
 

Open Season on them here in WV. The population is increasing day by day and this lady will shoot everyone of the "tricksters" she sees on her acreage. They are a very serious problem for deer...they are scavengers too. However, when they see a fawn, or a larger deer in a pack they are deadly. They have been known to also prey on pets, young children unattended etc..... They are not like Wolves at all.....

They are not welcome here!

RE: coyotes
 

Hammy,

The DNR says that we have coyotes in EVERY county. I have never seen one but there are lots of reports of sightings every deer season.

Steve

RE: coyotes
 

I live the great state of Missouri and we have penty of coyotes but I have to say I have never seen or came across a kill sight of a deer from a yote. I know they kill fawns here but a muture deer ??? I use to trap alot but now its just for fun, from that I learned that they love baby cats , bluejays, rabbit, quail and any other bird or small animals in the woods. Sure they eat the deer found dead ,I would have to see it to believe they could bring down a muture buck or doe. I have yet to see more then two or three to a pack . We use to kill 20 or so a year now its just 10 to 15.I do shoot all of them I get a chance to.

RE: coyotes
 

I have a different level of respect for predators than for prey, and frankly, I wouldn't want to shoot a dog, wild or not, unless it was a threat to my safety.

But, if coyotes were depleting game animals as a ridiculous rate or attacking livestock or pets, I would do what needs to be done. Just wouldn't enjoy it.

RE: coyotes
 

If you see a few coyotes each season then you probably have a very healthy population. Coyotes are very elusive and primarily nocturnal, if you are seeeing a few that means you have a lot. I don't know anything about the property you are hunting but a trapper taking 5 coyotes isn't hurting the population any! I have taken as many as 21 off one property in a season and still see coyotes there regularly. Coyotes travel very large ranges, in ourregion (I see you are also from Indiana) that means anywhere from 1-4 square miles.Coyotes in Southern Indiana live in tighter quarters than they do up north... because of the terrain and cover that is available.

A lot of people think they have a coyote "problem" but that is simply not the case. I'm not familiar with any documented widespread "problems" by the USDA or otherwise east of the Mississippi. There are several situations in the west and southwest wheregovernment programs aretrying to impede booming coyote populations. Here in the midwest; folks just misunderstand the role a coyote plays in the food chain and exaggerate their numbers. As they say, hate is usually brewed by ignorance.

RE: coyotes
 

Every year we shoot about 4 Coyotes off our property.

RE: coyotes
 

I shoot every coyote I see. If it was legal I would poison the SOB's. If you have ever seen a new born calf (bovine) half eaten you would feel the same. If I lived in Idaho I would shoot every wolf that I saw. Shoot, Shovel, & Shutup! The Wolves are out of control,sometimes the smart people are so friggin stupid.

RE: coyotes
 

In my area i don't have a major problem with them taking deer we have too many of them anyways, i see it as more of a managment aspect. However they take a large number of grouse as well as cause major headaches for us cattle farmers. They will lurk around the pastures and wait for the mother to go to feed or get away from the calf then grab it by the stomach and rip. I love grouse hunting and grew up on a cattle farm so any yote i see gets the business. They tend to get very brave here at times wandering into farmyards attacking family dogs, or else luring the dogs out of the yard where there are 3 others waiting to attack. Heck i have had them eating out of a dumpster at the back of the house.

RE: coyotes
 

Coyotes are overrated as a predator, IMHO. They are more of an opportunist. I hunt coyotes year round, and the stomachs of most contain mostly small critters and insects. Near highways orwheatpastures, theytend to have a little more meat in them, but thatis probably more from roadkills and dead yearlings. They go after easy meals, because a kick from a healthy animal to the jaw or leg could result in a fatal injury. They would much prefer something young or sick that is too weak to put up much of a fight.

They will occaisionally take livestock, but only under certain conditions. If a cow lays down to calve by a fence, sometimes coyotes will grab the calf and drag it under the fence so the cow can't get them. Every now and then, if they get a cow and calf isolated, they will work as a pack trying to get the cow to fighting them. They will try to run the cow back and forth past the calf. In the confusion, sometimes the cow will knock over and trample the calf. But most calves coyotes get credit for killing probably were either stillborn, died shortly after birth from birth defects, or the cow simply did not recognize them as hers and walked away.

It doesn't snow much here, so healthy deer have little to nothing to fear from coyotes. Coyotes will run them a little every now and then to check for weaknesses. If they do get after one, it is because they have detected some form of weakness. It can range from something major to something as minor as vision problems in one eye or a foot infection.

RE: coyotes
 

where in michigan do you live? I live in livingston county i hear alot and see tracks but dont see them too often

RE: coyotes
 

Here in South Dakota they are rampant, every winter hundreds are taken in a small area around my hometown when it snows and it doesn't seem to make a dent. Most around here are more worried about what they do to the pheasant population than anything else. There is good money in paid pheasant hunting!