Coyote: The Ultimate Deer Predator?

[megalomaniac]

And wouldn't you know.... back with the rifle and I've seen zero coyotes since Saturday.

I suspect its due to all the half processed deer carcasses dumped everywhere on the backroads and the yoties not having to hunt for food now.

 

[megalomaniac]

Zero coyotes this trip. But a doe hit by a car beside one of my farms was stripped clean the following morning.

 

[megalomaniac]

Only saw one when armed with a rifle this season. It didn't fare well. Still was hearing a pile sounding off at dark all around.

 

[nso123]

I am getting a ton of them on my cameras. I am seeing them come through the same path as the deer within just a few minutes of the deer being there. One thing I have noticed is that these are the same coyotes. A couple of them are huge, not the typical 30-40 pound variety. I am also seeing some young ones. After next weekend I will shift into coyote mode and kill as many as possible. The turkey population on this farm has almost been eliminated.

 

[SES]

Yes.
I have read similar articles several time over the years.
With that said, I don't subscribe to the ridiculous idea that killing coyotes will not equal less coyotes.

Ok, I'll bite....If shooting and trapping them won't reduce their numbers, what will?

Parvo

 

[backyardtndeer]

Parvo

Amazing that heartworms and parvo don't wipe out the coyote populations, wonder why?

 

[Planking]

First few years on my place I had coyotes everywhere. I started trapping and tore them up two years in a row. Now I can't even get a pic. No scat, nothing. They are either gone or avoid my place completely.

This year is the most deer I have ever seen on my place. I could not believe how many fawns i saw. I had six different mature bucks on cam this year. The most ever by far. The only downside I've seen is the groundhogs have came back as well. They tear my fields up or else i wouldn't mind.

My personal study definitely makes me question some other claims about it and what their motives may be. Sure hunting a nocturnal animal during the daytime isn't going to do a thing but trapping and night hunting correctly will impact them.

It stinks for non trappers that we can only hunt hogs at night while this other invasive is protected. It used to burn me up having to let them walk. From what i see yotes are much less wary at night.

They take a toll on our native species and my hats off to those who take them out.

 

[Rockhound]

We just don't have a ton around my place, I've had 2 coyote pics since September, running 6+ cameras. my neighbor killed one and I killed one. We are starting to see a huge uptick in fox numbers the last 2 years though.

 

[backyardtndeer]

We just don't have a ton around my place, I've had 2 coyote pics since September, running 6+ cameras. my neighbor killed one and I killed one. We are starting to see a huge uptick in fox numbers the last 2 years though.

Fox on my place when there are a lot of yotes are near non existent. They seem to rebound when the yote numbers drop.

First few years on my place I had coyotes everywhere. I started trapping and tore them up two years in a row. Now I can't even get a pic. No scat, nothing. They are either gone or avoid my place completely.

This year is the most deer I have ever seen on my place. I could not believe how many fawns i saw. I had six different mature bucks on cam this year. The most ever by far. The only downside I've seen is the groundhogs have came back as well. They tear my fields up or else i wouldn't mind.

My personal study definitely makes me question some other claims about it and what their motives may be. Sure hunting a nocturnal animal during the daytime isn't going to do a thing but trapping and night hunting correctly will impact them.

It stinks for non trappers that we can only hunt hogs at night while this other invasive is protected. It used to burn me up having to let them walk. From what i see yotes are much less wary at night.

They take a toll on our native species and my hats off to those who take them out.

Seems to be a minimum of 6 a year on our small farm to see any difference. When I have killed 6 or more coyotes on our farm over the fall through spring, seems that we see more fawns and more deer.

Killed two this season so far, will be getting some traps out soon.

 

[megalomaniac]

We just don't have a ton around my place, I've had 2 coyote pics since September, running 6+ cameras. my neighbor killed one and I killed one. We are starting to see a huge uptick in fox numbers the last 2 years though.

If you have foxes, you don't have coyotes to amount to anything.

Amazing the destruction they have caused of my farms since the late 80s when they showed up. I used to see half dozen foxes each year, none now. Used to have rabbits everywhere, none left except for a handful that live in the yard. Used to have groundhogs, they are all gone. They completely altered or eliminated so many native animals. After running out of traditional prey items, they adapted to hunting adult deer a decade or so ago, and actively starting seeking out turkeys about the same time. The one good thing... they have also wiped out the majority of coons on my farm, so at least I don't have to deal with that nest raider.... but the downside is they take more than their fair share of nesting hens, and it's always better to lose a clutch than the clutch PLUS the mother hen.

 

[DoubleRidge]

I'm not against shooting coyotes in any way....I'd actually like to try hunting them after deer season closes.....but for conversation sake I wanted to share our experience with coyotes......we've had them around our farm for years but I can count on one hand the number of yotes that have been shot..... literally....in the past 30 years I'd guess maybe 3 or 4 have been shot....I'm sure the neighbors have killed a few....but what's interesting is this....some years I'll get pics of coyotes on every 3 to 4 week camera cycle and I'll see them often while hunting.....then other years (like this year) I'll go nearly two months with zero pics or sightings of a single coyote? So in our area their population seems to be naturally cyclical.... nothing scientific to back it up.....just observations over many years.

Again....I'd like to try my hand at calling/hunting them.....but so far the approach we've taken has focused on habitat improvements, improve fawning and nesting ground, etc.

 

[megalomaniac]

I'm not against shooting coyotes in any way....I'd actually like to try hunting them after deer season closes.....but for conversation sake I wanted to share our experience with coyotes......we've had them around our farm for years but I can count on one hand the number of yotes that have been shot..... literally....in the past 30 years I'd guess maybe 3 or 4 have been shot....I'm sure the neighbors have killed a few....but what's interesting is this....some years I'll get pics of coyotes on every 3 to 4 week camera cycle and I'll see them often while hunting.....then other years (like this year) I'll go nearly two months with zero pics or sightings of a single coyote? So in our area their population seems to be naturally cyclical.... nothing scientific to back it up.....just observations over many years.

Again....I'd like to try my hand at calling/hunting them.....but so far the approach we've taken has focused on habitat improvements, improve fawning and nesting ground, etc.

I think every property is different when it comes to coyotes, as well as their impact on native species. Here in MS, we have a few on my lease, I usually kill one every other year or so, a handful of trail cam pics.... but on my farms in TN, the sheer number of them is incredible. Most I've seen at one time was 14 (in a freshly cut hayfield). Back in muzzleloader season, I think I only hunted 1 day without seeing at least one. As you can imagine with that level of coyote saturation, our fawn recruitment is abysmal. We have no rabbits, and surprisingly few squirrels in the hardwoods. Nothing like when I was a kid and could just walk the fencelines with a .410, no dog, and still come back with 3 or 4 rabbits every time.

 

[Rockhound]

I think every property is different when it comes to coyotes, as well as their impact on native species. Here in MS, we have a few on my lease, I usually kill one every other year or so, a handful of trail cam pics.... but on my farms in TN, the sheer number of them is incredible. Most I've seen at one time was 14 (in a freshly cut hayfield). Back in muzzleloader season, I think I only hunted 1 day without seeing at least one. As you can imagine with that level of coyote saturation, our fawn recruitment is abysmal. We have no rabbits, and surprisingly few squirrels in the hardwoods. Nothing like when I was a kid and could just walk the fencelines with a .410, no dog, and still come back with 3 or 4 rabbits every time.

Wow. We actually have a ton of rabbits and squirrels. I don't want your problems but I would absolutely love to try and call a target rich environment like that! Is that indolent tennessee?

 

[Mescalero]

I'm not against shooting coyotes in any way....I'd actually like to try hunting them after deer season closes.....but for conversation sake I wanted to share our experience with coyotes......we've had them around our farm for years but I can count on one hand the number of yotes that have been shot..... literally....in the past 30 years I'd guess maybe 3 or 4 have been shot....I'm sure the neighbors have killed a few....but what's interesting is this....some years I'll get pics of coyotes on every 3 to 4 week camera cycle and I'll see them often while hunting.....then other years (like this year) I'll go nearly two months with zero pics or sightings of a single coyote? So in our area their population seems to be naturally cyclical.... nothing scientific to back it up.....just observations over many years.

Again....I'd like to try my hand at calling/hunting them.....but so far the approach we've taken has focused on habitat improvements, improve fawning and nesting ground, etc.

Interesting observation.

I've killed coyotes while hunting deer. This might be viewed as heresy, but I sometimes wonder about how effective killing coyotes really is. I remember some MeatEater podcasts with Dan Flores, a mentor of Rinella's. Flores has studied and written about coyotes. Said they respond to "persecution" different than wolves. A Wolf pack sticks together and can be eliminated easily. Coyotes disperse and become "settlers" of new territory. If the breeding female coyote is killed, the pack has a population explosion as the alpha male breeds all available females until an alpha female emerges.


Probably the way to best manage is a persistent, annual trapping program over a period of years,
but should kills of convenience while hunting be reconsidered?

 

[DoubleRidge]

Interesting observation.

I've killed coyotes while hunting deer. This might be viewed as heresy, but I sometimes wonder about how effective killing coyotes really is. I remember some MeatEater podcasts with Dan Flores, a mentor of Rinella's. Flores has studied and written about coyotes. Said they respond to "persecution" different than wolves. A Wolf pack sticks together and can be eliminated easily. Coyotes disperse and become "settlers" of new territory. If the breeding female coyote is killed, the pack has a population explosion as the alpha male breeds all available females until an alpha female emerges.


Probably the way to best manage is a persistent, annual trapping program over a period of years,
but should kills of convenience while hunting be reconsidered?

I'm certainly no expert but have read some of the same type studies about how coyotes can repopulate.

I do agree that an aggressive trapping program would likely have the most impact...but dedicating the amount of time required is difficult for most land owners.

I've always read and have been told the best time to shoot coyotes is just before fawning and nesting periods....while it may not provide a long term permanent solution...dead coyotes don't eat fawns or poults.

In addition to the steps mentioned above we can't forget one of the biggest things we can do is to improve fawning and nesting habitat.

 

[backyardtndeer]

dead coyotes don't eat fawns or poults.

Simple as this. The one I kill today or tomorrow won't be eating any little ones this spring, or potentially going after my calves. The more I kill now, the better the odds for several other animals to have a better chance to make it. I don't mind killing females at their pupping times either.

 

[megalomaniac]

My inderstanding is that if you kill one of those in the Alpha pair, it completely disrupts breeding for a period of time until a new Alpha pair is established.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I'm certainly no expert but have read some of the same type studies about how coyotes can repopulate.

I do agree that an aggressive trapping program would likely have the most impact...but dedicating the amount of time required is difficult for most land owners.

I've always read and have been told the best time to shoot coyotes is just before fawning and nesting periods....while it may not provide a long term permanent solution...dead coyotes don't eat fawns or poults.

In addition to the steps mentioned above we can't forget one of the biggest things we can do is to improve fawning and nesting habitat.

Spot on, DR! Number one is to focus on quality habitat. Number two is extensive trapping before and during fawning and nesting times. Trapping and hunting coyotes can have limited success and takes a skill set I wish I was better at. Hence, no guarantees to success. On the other hand, while creating quality habitat is an art and somewhat complicated, you essentially just need sunlight to hit the ground (in Layman's Terms) and most folks can make that happen.

 

[BigAl]

I'm sure we have plenty of coyotes on our place. See plenty, hear them, and get pics of them. But I see/get-pics of more local dogs chasing deer than coyotes chasing them.

 

[Wrangler95]

Nothing. You wouldn't believe how many studies have been done across the Southeast concerning coyote population reduction, and every study comes to the same conclusion, you can't eradicate them. In fact, you can hardly make a dent in their population. They are here to stay.

The only studies that found some benefits from coyote population reduction were those that focused on hammering the coyotes just before fawning time. This reduced predation of newborn fawns, but did not eliminate it.

Parvo will eradicate them in a given area where it is taking place!It will kill all canines that come into contact with parvo.