Re: Deer & Coyotes
You're going to love this answer...I have no idea.
There are so many variables unique to each property that there is no way to predict the percentage of fawns that will be preyed upon in any given year. In fact, all things being equal habitat-wise, you can see tremendous variations temporally (from one year to the next).
The only thing I can tell you that can be of any use is this...habitat, habitat, habitat. If you provide excellent habitat, there is no way coyote predation can wipe out all the fawns. Now keep this in mind, the more one becomes a wildlife manager, and less of a deer manager, the more successful one will become at managing deer. All too often hunters/managers focus on deer and deer alone. They invest hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, to put in food plots to benefit deer but could probably make better use of their money elsewhere or even save that money all together. Instead of planting food plots, they may need/want to manage old fields. Not only will this provide food and cover for deer, but it will also bode well for the small game animals on their property. These animals (rabbits and birds) may provide an alternate food source for the coyotes which may in essence reduce the predation on fawns. If you manage your property well and shoot for high habitat diversity, I don't believe predation will ever be a problem in your area.
