What exactly are my Coyotes eating?
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 65
What exactly are my Coyotes eating?
I live in SC and it seems we have a pretty bad Yote problem. Some people I have talked to said they havent even see a single spotted deer this year. Even though I live on my farm and have heard them this is actually the first year I have seen Coyotes. My dad and I have seen 4 this year. I even had one of them walk out not 15 feet from me to check me out when I pulled up to a stand on my 4wheeler. I have also heard them more this year as well, even right behind my house maybe 20 yards away from the sound of them.
But then something else I have seen leads me to believe we dont have any Coyotes at all. I have seen fawns with literally every single doe and even with twins on occasion. I have also seen, and heard a lot more Turkeys this year. Even my Quail population is way up and I was able to call them into the yard and even saw them running across the grass from my bedroom window every now and then.
So what exactly are the Coyotes I see and hear eating? I remember my trapper not getting a single one earlier this year on my land but caught 7 or 8 across the road. So are they just passing through and dont actually stay on my land?
But then something else I have seen leads me to believe we dont have any Coyotes at all. I have seen fawns with literally every single doe and even with twins on occasion. I have also seen, and heard a lot more Turkeys this year. Even my Quail population is way up and I was able to call them into the yard and even saw them running across the grass from my bedroom window every now and then.
So what exactly are the Coyotes I see and hear eating? I remember my trapper not getting a single one earlier this year on my land but caught 7 or 8 across the road. So are they just passing through and dont actually stay on my land?
#2
Coyotes eat a whole lot more than deer and fawns. The bulk of their diet in pretty much the same as fox. Small rodents, mice, voles squirrels, rabbits and pretty much anything they can catch, they also will eat berries and mushrooms, housecats and fox. Remember, the population of predators is directly related to the prey populations.
#3
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 9,230
Coyotes are very adaptable. They will eat just about anything. By the way, where I grew up in CO there were lots of coyotes and the rule of thumb was for every one you saw there were at least 5 more you didn't see.
If I was you I'd get a couple predator calls and do some coyote hunting. Besides being fun you can sell the skins for some pocket change.
If I was you I'd get a couple predator calls and do some coyote hunting. Besides being fun you can sell the skins for some pocket change.
#4
Spike
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 22
Whenever I am bushhogging or planting foodplots, I intentionally leave a significant part of my fields to grow up unchecked in order to promote habitat for small mammals with the intent of providing an alternate food source for coyotes and other predators. We also have bobcats, foxes, feral dogs, hawks, lots of owls. Also provides habitat for rabbits and the occasional covey of quail.
One could say I am attracting coyotes and other predators, but we have always had them, even when we used to completely cut our fields for hay twice a year, so I like to think that I am taking pressure off the deer, even if just a little.
Depending on what your property consists of, they may very well just pass through to hunt or seek out other coyotes. Like beavers, you can kill and trap all the coyotes around and it is only a matter of time before more move in and lay claim to the area.
#5
The simple answer to find out what your coyotes are eating is to grab a stick and go find some scat. You'll find anything from berries and seeds to fibrous plant matter (grass) to rodent bones, fur, feathers, insect carapaces and legs, etc. Dark black scat generally indicates that they're eating more protein, so if you're not finding a lot of small bones or rabbit fur in dark black scat, it usually means they're feeding on larger game (except of course during calving season around cattle herds, where they'll get a steady diet of afterbirth that blackens their scat). If it's dark, yet floats, then they're generally getting a good supply of fatty meats. Berries and some grains can darken it, so don't be mislead by "purple" scat, protein/blood yields blacks, not purples.
#6
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 9,230
Not just deer. They can cause havoc with antelope, elk, nesting birds, small game, turkeys, pets, livestock etc... Like I said, they are very adaptable. it is literally easier to make a list of what they won't eat than it is to make a list of what they will eat.
#9
Spike
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 22
Not to deviate from the OPs question, but to clarify my opinion that coyotes receive more blame than they deserve, at least in the southeastern US relative to whitetails (this is the Whitetail Deer Hunting forum, right?): An equal root cause of decline is from several years ago when many who only partially understood QDM thought it was a great idea to have "doe blast" days where they would literally pile up 10-12 does on a 400 acre piece of property before the rut.
Some local populations can support that and benefit from it, but many whose properties could not were mis-informed about what that was going to do for them. Practices on a 10K acre ranch with year round feeders in Texas don't necessarily translate to a 500 acre property with marginal habitat and food surrounded by equal or smaller parcels with the same.
Some local populations can support that and benefit from it, but many whose properties could not were mis-informed about what that was going to do for them. Practices on a 10K acre ranch with year round feeders in Texas don't necessarily translate to a 500 acre property with marginal habitat and food surrounded by equal or smaller parcels with the same.
#10
Practices on a 10K acre ranch with year round feeders in Texas don't necessarily translate to a 500 acre property with marginal habitat and food surrounded by equal or smaller parcels with the same.