13 replies to this topic

[Frank]

In the (latest) August 2012 American Hunter Magazine, on page 26, there is a short "Wildlife News" article on what percentage of West Virginia's coyotes feed on Whitetail deer.

This study lasted over 20 months and more than 900 coyote stomach samples. The results concluded that approx 60 percent of the coyotes fed on the deer, with only about 4 percent feeding on birds &/or their eggs, with most of these being Turkey or Grouse.

I know there have been similar studies in the past in other states, but I still found this interesting, having always felt that coyotes take a bigger toll on deer than some folks or agencies believe or realize.

Anyway, this was one of several articles from several recent magazines, Predator Extreme & Varmint Hunter etc, and thought I would mention.

[Loopdog]

Are they feeding on deer killed by cats or are the coyotes killing the deer??? i dont know if WV has cats... just popped in my head to ask..

[Frank]

Good question...

The article did not say anything about that... My hunch is, a cat killed deer would mostly likely be completely consumed by a cat. In other words, it would take one very hungry or brazen coyote to mess with a mtn lion's groceries. lol And cannot imagine that happening too often. But hey???

[Loopdog]

Hummm i though i had heard or read something about how fresh the kill stays has something do to do whit how much the cat will eat...No worries.. I know the coyotes will kill calves... so if they can kill a calf then they should be able to kill a fawn.. i say tip the coyotes over.

[dabob]

When I can see more coyotes than deer in good deer country that is all the study I need to know that coyotes are killing deer. In some of the A Zone areas I use to hunt deer back in the middle 60s to early 70s we very seldom saw a coyote and we saw lots of deer.



The above Trail Camera picture shows a coyote chasing a fawn on one of the ranches I get to hunt on. We are getting some pictures of Does on our trail cameras and only one of the Does has a fawn with her.

[ShooterJohn]

They are killing the young deer. The cats are killing the grown ones.

[Thumper Dunker]

They are killing the young deer. The cats are killing the grown ones.

And the rest are starving.

[modoc squeek shooter]

Cats don't consume the whole deer after a kill, usually they will sorta bury it and come back to it. I am sure coyotes being the scavengers they are will find a kill and consume it. Coyote will kill calves, but it's a sorry cow that lets them. I have been around livestock my whole life. They have to be pretty damn hungry to fight a cow for her calf. Sheep or goats are a different story. I am sure that they, coyotes, consume a lot of deer fawns and I have seen where they have caught and ate elk calves. they also et a lot of mice, squirrels etc. I am sure that they play a large roll in California's decline in the deer population, but think lions play a bigger roll. A lion will kill one deer or large animal a week. So one cat will kill 52 deer or like size animals a year. If a coyote eats his kill before the week is out then he has to kill another. So logic says coyotes contribute to the decline in the deer population,. maybe second hand. Ed

[Bennie]

I think they kill a lot of young fawns.

[modoc squeek shooter]

They do Bennie, but added what they take from the lions. Weather first hand or second, they and the cats have really played hell on the deer. Ed

[Frank]

Yeah, I am sure fawns, calves & young would be at the highest risk. I just read where a coyote will tear off the nose & tongue of a calf (being born(?) & come back later to eat the calf, since momma cow will be long gone, not being able to care for her calf.

Anyway, if you do a "coyote attack" search on Youtube (where else?) & then click on the fine print that says; "more videos for coyote attacks on deer" (usually found towards the middle or bottom of the first page), it will bring up dozens, if not hundreds of coyote attacks... on adult deer, including one HUGE whitetail buck taken down by a pair of scrawny coyotes.

Then consider the low percentage of coyote kills that are actually caught on film, and one might see the great potential for many adult deer that are killed by coyotes than suspected or realized. Mtn lions are the obvious killer of many deer, where as coyotes seem to be the less obvious or recognized.

OH, here's a true story. A few years ago, I actually had one F&G person tell me that coyotes do not kill antelope. What does that tell us?

[Bennie]

While fishing on the Sacramento River with Raith one time. We heard something crashing through one of the jungles on the bank next to the river. A fawn, out of its spots and pretty good sized, came crashing out of the jungle and ran right past us on the sand bar, between the jungle and the river. It had been running for a long time and was sweating and foaming at the mouth. Then a single coyote came out chasing it. We hollered at the coyote and made him run back in to the jungle. I think if we would not have been there, the coyote would have run that fawn to death. I seen this with my own eyes. Raith was never a coyote hunter before! He now kills every one he sees.

I have seen dead fawn remains on a big ranch I hunt next to a no climb fence they have to keep the pigs out. I believe that the coyotes are running these fawns in to the no climb fence and killing them. I have never seen a coyote actually kill a deer but have seen pictures of it and vidieos. I really think they kill a lot more deer than people think they do.







I also believe this sheep was killed by coyotes on a ranch I hunt on.

[Frank]

I really think they kill a lot more deer than people think they do.

Yep, me too, Bennie, me too... A Lot more! And AWESOME pics too. Thanks for sharing!

dabob's excellent post (above) pretty much says it all too

[Toxic Shot]

If I could ever figure out how to use photobucket on my iPad I'd show some pictures of a fawn I got this year that had a flap of skin hanging off of her neck. We thought it had to be coyotes.
As far as lion kills, coyotes absolutely follow the lions around and scavenge their kills. When it's hot and meat spoils fast, lions may only feed on a kill once or twice. All they will eat is the heart/ liver and some other stuff, practically everything else is left for the yotes and buzzards. To support this we have a ranch with lots of brush, we have a few coyotes but mostly fox/bobcat type of country. Whenever we get pictures of lions the coyotes are usually 2-3 hours behind, I've actually had pictures of coyotes with their nose to the ground scent trailing, exactly where the cats walked. The infestation of cougars (the four legged kind) in this state has decimated the deer herd, and given the yotes another huge food source.