Coyotes

[walcat]

Animals preying on deer concerning hunters
Buzz up!By Bob Frye, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, February 28, 2010
About the writer
Bob Frye is the Tribune-Review outdoors editor. He can be reached at 724-838-5148 or via e-mail.

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Coyotes and deer.

The fates of the two species have been increasingly linked in Penn's Woods.

That's not about to change. In fact, if state lawmakers get their way, they'll soon be tied more closely than ever.

Over the last several months, sportsmen concerned about the state's white-tailed deer have been asking the Pennsylvania Game Commission to decrease the number of doe licenses allocated to reflect deer lost to predators in general, and to coyotes in particular.

They've apparently been sharing those thoughts with state lawmakers, too.

State Rep. Ed Staback, the Lackawanna County Democrat who chairs the House Game and Fisheries Committee, said sportsmen believe coyote numbers are increasing even as deer numbers are decreasing.

"They're making a one-to-one correlation," Staback said.

It's true that coyote populations statewide are higher now than they were a decade ago, said Carl Roe, executive director of the commission. But they are not necessarily up everywhere.

In fact, harvest numbers indicate the population may have taken a dip last year, he said.

And, no matter the trend, the commission's deer biologists do factor predation into their deer management plan, he said. Right now, he said, there seems to be no reason for concern.

"When it comes to the harvest, we haven't see a significant change in our fawn-to-doe ratio, which would be an indication of significant predation," Roe said. "We have not seen predation as a determining factor in fawn survival."

The commission studied fawn survival earlier this decade, he said. It could do it again if more money was available, but it's not, he added. The agency's research budget for deer is already allocated to a study of the impact of shortening doe season in four wildlife management units — a study in itself begun in response to concerns from lawmakers that too many deer were being killed in places.

"We're going to keep pushing them on this coyote thing. We're not going to wait for their financial condition to improve," Staback said.

In the meantime, others are looking at coyotes, too.

The Quality Deer Management Association recently released its "Whitetail Report 2010," a look at all things deer related across the country. A section of it focused on the impacts of predators, specifically coyotes.

It noted that in addition to Pennsylvania's fawn-mortality study, research into coyote-deer impacts has recently been done in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. All indicated that coyotes can depress fawn survival, sometimes significantly.

"Collectively, these studies demonstrated the game has clearly changed for deer managers with respect to fawn predation," the QDMA report said. "Geographically and numerically expanding predator populations, in combination with more aggressive antlerless harvest rates, are altering the dynamics of traditional harvest models."

Interestingly, the report noted that coyotes have most regulated deer populations in places with "inherently low deer populations, poor habitats and perpetually severe environments" — all of which might be used to describe parts of Pennsylvania, and northcentral Pennsylvania in particular, where complaints about coyotes from sportsmen are most severe.

That doesn't mean that all coyotes eat is deer. A study of coyote scats done in Illinois, for example, found that deer ranked only third as a food source, behind small rodents and fruit and just ahead of cottontail rabbits and birds.

But the report concluded that coyotes "have successfully invaded all areas of whitetail range and they'll be an annual variable in deer-management programs."

"Their actual impacts will need to be measured and monitored, and deer seasons and bag limits can be adjusted if necessary. The important thing is to realize they are now a player in many deer-management programs, and as managers, we need to acknowledge them as such," the report said.




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[Forager]

Coyotes are THE opportunist scavenger/hunter. If it can find it, and get at least part of it in it's mouth, it WILL eat it.

Coyotes are NOT the biggest problem in the deer woods, but knocking down 'yote numbers whenever and wherever you can is never a bad idea.

[goosedowner]

I agree with Forager on this one. I've been to a bunch on coyote hunting seminars and the real experts claim that coyotes only get sick and old deer and a few fawns. Bear and bob cats are much harder on the fawn population. I personally think the small game population is hit very hard by the coyotes.

[zenrider]

It would seem sane that yotes would attack the young and weak first. But no denying in PA, there are plenty of full size, healthy deer being taken daily by coyotes. Many of these experts are indeed experts at the Western Coyote. Westerns are now known to be a genetically different, smaller and less aggressive. I have seen and heard way to many full grown deer get taken down by these guys. Deer may not be their first choice for an easy meal, but life in the woods isn't always easy. You won't find a deer track in the snow right now in this county that doesn't have a coyote track directly on it or pacing off to the side. I can believe the one to one ratio in a lot of parts around here.

[Forager]

Zen has a point. Coyotes, eastern v. western, are different critters. Western 'yotes are solo or pair hunters, small (35 pounds or less, often much less). Easterns can and do pack up, normally a pair of adults and adolescents. They are larger (35 pounds is a small one), and far more aggressive.

Deer are not a primary food source, as in being keyed on, but honestly, 'yotes don't have a primary food source. They can, will, and do eat anything they can and do find. 3 years in a wildlife science program at one of the best undergrads for the specialization, as well as graduate work in resource management, and on-the-ground conservation work in New England gave me the opportunity to read some very interesting studies on 'yotes. The range of what is commonly discovered in their stomachs is staggering; literally ever vertebrate animal in your geographic region (domestic or wild), garbage (edible and none), trash, rocks... you name it, and it's likely in there. A 'yote is THE most opportunistic, THE most adaptable predator in the Americas (outside of man). They learn and adapt incredibly quickly, can survive and breed in any environment, and thrive on food sources that boggle the mind.

Deer of all ages and sizes can and will be killed and eaten by 'yotes, if they see an opportunity. That includes, obviously, the fawns, injured, sick, and old, but also full grown, healthy deer that are weakened from the rut, winter conditions, snow stranded, or just unlucky or inattentive enough to get caught in a compromised situation.

That doesn't just go for deer; 'yotes do the same with livestock, domestic animals, and we're starting to see the same behavior in places in regard to humans.

Simply put, any 'yote I see is in extreme jeopardy of having rounds sent in it's direction, and there has to be a VERY good reason for me not to do so.

[zenrider]

They have to be the sneakiest thing in the forest. Some places you see so many tracks and fresh ones too, seems like you should be able to just look up and count them like cattle in a field. I really should hunt them more, but I just have too many activities already. Still, I don't go into the forest without a gun and a hope to plant one someday. Or and entire pack. The guys that do best on Easterns around here are now using dogs. That seems to be more productive than calling at a set up. The dogs don't act like the ones you see on all the cool videos. They don't come running to the call and the camera around here.

[craven]

Yes, my house cat only eats the weak and sick mice in the house and that keeps the herd stronger. Where do people come up that crap? The coyotes are opportunists like every other predator. If theres deep snow, and they can stay on top of it, they win. They chase deer out on the ice and when they fall, the pack has a feast. Fawns? not a chance. How many piles of Coyote Scat have you seen that didn't have deer hair in it? Wake up.

[carl milks]

Fawns? not a chance. How many piles of Coyote Scat have you seen that didn't have deer hair in it? Wake up.

Fawns are key prey for the yotes & bears alike. Piles of scat from both prove this. So many times the past few years we have been seeing does with only one or no fawns. Trail cams are proving this theory- start out with does with 2 or 3 fawns with them, then a week later, down to 1, then another week-no fawns. Then later, say in archery, we've been seeing a majority of does with no fawns!!!! With no little ones to grow, we won't (& don't) have any big ones either!!!! Also noticed a huge decline of rabbits in my area- coincidence? I think not- happened same time frame as yote population increased. They're eating machines and cleaning everything out they can get their grubby paws on. I don't hunt them, but of all the time I spend in the woods, seeing one or more everytime out, I've only killed 2 of them. Called several in while spring gobbler hunting- damn they're hard to see!!!! Mostly come in from behind. Wiley little critters they are. The 2 I have gotten were both males, one weighed 55 lbs and the other went 35. Oughta start hunting them on purpose- the only good yote is a dead one!!!!

[hunterdeneugene]

I heard a coyote ate my ex-wife......just hoping. She be fitting in a pile of skat.....

[zenrider]

Next time I am digging through skat, I will look for signs of her purse.

[870Boy]

Guys have been hunntin' yotes hard core around here with dogs for the past month. Everytime I stop to talk with one of them they have always shot at least one yote that day.

[fishinjohn]

They are a plague to the turkey and deer population!!!!!!!

[zenrider]

Took an extened trek today to check out some rocks and looking for legendary Cornplanter's Cave. Found where the very few deer in the system are holed up for the winter. Probably only two to four deer maximum in that few square miles. I only cut one coyote track all day. I think that was mostly because a big Bobcat pretty much rules the area. Saw no fox tracks, quite a few squirrel and chipmonk tracks. Saw zero signs of turkey anywhere around and we travelled quite a few dirt roads after the hike. I would say there are not a lot of coyotes in that particular area in spite of the fact there are rodents and deer available. I think that Bobcat pretty much keeps them out of the area. We followed the cat tracks for miles through the rock crevaces. I will post some pics soon on another thread of our quest for the cave. Snow is over the knees most places, we were totally soaked and burnt when we got back.

[Limbhanger]

I just want throw my two cents in on the subject, Throughout out my work this winter I have noticed a few things about 'yotes. If there is a plowed woods road, 'yotes are running them, if there are no deer tracks there are very few 'yote tracks, if there are bobcat tracks, very fe 'yote tracks, if there is grouse, and bunny tracks, lots of 'yote tracks. Some of the guys I work with came across a deer carcass that the 'yotes had been feeding on. No doubt that 'yotes kill and eat deer, but they also eat small game, turkeys, rats, mice, chippys, songbirds, toy poodles and house cats. For me 'yotes are not all bad. I love having the oppurtunity of hunting them. In some areas in PA I have noticed that the number tracks has decreased over recent years, in the same area that deer numbers are down.

[treestandtimmy]

and to believe NY State closes season at the end of this month...they don't see them as a problem

[hunterdeneugene]

Mar 28 to be exact....

[tunadawg]

Read an article awhile back on a study they did on coyotes and fawn mortality. In a nut shell it pretty much stated that yotes really play hell on the fawn population, more so than bears and bobcats. Don't remember where they did the study, but it was an interesting read.

[zenrider]

Unfortunately, only one yote was harvested at the March contest out of Corridon Firehall. But thanks guys for trying. Everyone counts.

[carl milks]

Read an article awhile back on a study they did on coyotes and fawn mortality. In a nut shell it pretty much stated that yotes really play hell on the fawn population, more so than bears and bobcats. Don't remember where they did the study, but it was an interesting read.

Yeah, I just read maybe the same one- it was done by Penn State Univ. Pretty indepth study.

[Will_S]

Just read in the PA Outdoor News March 12th issue that a trapper in the Garards Fort area of Greene County bagged 42 (FOURTY TWO) coyotes during the trapping season. That is the same area that I hunt deer and the deer are everywhere there.