Coyotes

[larry wv]

Was Bow hunting Elk north of Gunnison Co about 10 years ago. Was watching a small park towards eve. Was watching 3 yotes in the clearing. Since they were there I dug out a blue berry pop tart and started munching on it. After about the second bite I got suspicious at the way the coyotes in front were acting. Was sitting flat on the ground so twisted around and looked behind me :shocked2: Two coyotes were doing the low crawl moving in on me. I flung the pop tart at the closes one prob only 20 feet away. Gave them a good ex Marine cussing and charged them. They ran. They would have had me if they had ran in to start with.And yes the wind was blowing from me to them. Guess they just liked blue berry pop tarts Larry Wv

 

[Mattole]

Did someone say something about Grizz?
This is a real picture not made up. The man in the picture is one of my good friends. He is a Taxidermist. I talked him into doing this picture. It was amazing. These are from Russia. Ron

Great image, Ron!

Reminds me of when I was in British Columbia crossing the Alcan highway in the early 80's on my way to make a film in Denali National Park, Alaska. I stopped at a roadhouse to wait for the snow to ease up and to get some lunch. I was a young lad in my early 20's and some of the old regulars in the place got curious about me, and asked me where I was going and what I was up to.

When they learned that I was going to live in the backcountry of Denali one of them asked me what kind of "piece" I was going to be taking with me. "Piece?" I asked, "What do you mean piece?" Having spent my teen years in Miami I thought "piece" was the name for a certain desirable aspect of female anatomy. "You know, PIECE - A GUN - What kind of gun you gonna carry?" another man demanded.

Every person in the place was turned in my direction by then, staring at me through the cigarette and pipe smoke, waiting to hear the description of the gun I would be carrying, no doubt ready to offer their critique and suggestions.

"It's a National Park - I won't be carrying a gun" I said in a smallish voice.

Every single person in the room burst out laughing in disbelief. I quickly paid for my meal and as I was walking out the door several of them shouted various versions of "Nice meeting you while you were still in one piece!" That piece word again...

I did indeed have some very close calls with Lord Grizzly, but managed to emerge from the wilderness with all my parts connected.

Back to the subject of coyotes, I have been hearing stories of how they are losing their fear of humans as the number of encounters in semi-rural and rural areas increase. They have even stalked and bit kids and attacked dogs on a leash in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. I for one would not go into an area that is frequented by coyotes without a "piece" on me now...

 

[Idaho Ron]

Dan is short. He is about 5'6" I think. Ron

 

[jethro224]

Was Bow hunting Elk north of Gunnison Co about 10 years ago. Was watching a small park towards eve. Was watching 3 yotes in the clearing. Since they were there I dug out a blue berry pop tart and started munching on it. After about the second bite I got suspicious at the way the coyotes in front were acting. Was sitting flat on the ground so twisted around and looked behind me :shocked2: Two coyotes were doing the low crawl moving in on me. I flung the pop tart at the closes one prob only 20 feet away. Gave them a good ex Marine cussing and charged them. They ran. They would have had me if they had ran in to start with.And yes the wind was blowing from me to them. Guess they just liked blue berry pop tarts Larry Wv

Peoria County IL, hunting deer, I ain't an ex-Marine, and there were no pop-tarts. Otherwise I got the exact same story. :shocked2:

 

[doulos]

However Id like to see how they determined cause of death from half eaten carcasses. 37% of the adult deer carcasses frequented by coyoetes the cause of death could not be determined.

I think one of the major reasons for the coyote explosion in GA is road kill. A few years back there were sections of road where you couldn't drive a mile with out a carcass laying beside the road, that is a lot of meat that is easy and free for a not so choosy predator. Chris

I know guys who collect road killed deer to create bait piles to shoot yotes.

 

[George]

I also am not sure why they think only the population recovery of a herd after a decline would be affected by all the fawn predation. That doesent make sense to me. They made it sound like it has no effect on the total population. Which doesent make sense. It just lowers the fawn survival rate quite a bit in some areas.

I suppose they are speaking of the short-term effect. Even if you kill all the fawns of the year that doesn't decrease the size of the herd this year.

There is an interesting twist to fawn survival which indirectly involves hunters in a significant way. Fawns are able to fend for themselves much better after a month or so, and it's that first month which shows the largest fawn loss. If the fawning season is stretched out over a long time, there are vulnerable fawns available to the coyotes for a long time, and they will kill many more of them. If the fawning season is short, the vulnerable periods of all the fawns overlap and the coyotes can't eat so many of them. The duration of the fawning depends on the ratio of bucks to does. If there are only 2 does for each buck they will all be bred in a period of 2 weeks or less. If there are 15-20 does for each buck it takes the bucks a much longer time to service all of them, and so the fawning season will reflect that, be a long one.

So, don't shot bucks and many more fawns will survive their first month.

Spence

 

[George]

I think one of the major reasons for the coyote explosion in GA is road kill.

In Kentucky there are about 4000 deer killed on the roads each year. This season there were 105,000 deer harvested during the fall seasons. That's 105,000 gut piles. Think of all the free food provided for the coyotes. No wonder they are expanding in spite of the fact that they kill extremely few adult deer.

We have met the enemy, and they are us.

Spence

 

[cottonmouth]

Yeah henbrook!
Down in E.Texas I have seen hybrids( coydogs) that would easily go 60-75lbs or more. One of my buddies was going to work one morning and his route took him through a path inside of a old hayfield. He was in his truck and just happen to have his 30-30 with him.A pack of 5 came out on to the path he was driving on and exhibited a very aggressive posture, He was able to get the truck stopped and get out and shot two of the five before the rest got back into the high grass and escaped. He brought the two dead ones to work and I saw these coydogs and they were both as big as any German Shephard you have ever seen!
They were tough on deer and cattle so coydogs and coyotes were taken at every opportunity!

 

[doulos]

According to the study web site there is another study going on in the central Adirondak region. One interesting tidbit is that they call it a coy-wolf

Research Project
Evolving niche of the “coy-wolf” in northeastern forests and implications for biodiversity

Funding source: Northern States Research Cooperative

Funding period: Sep 2010””March 2012

 

[hoochiepapa]

As always, interesting post. :hatsoff:
I agree that we should kill more does. It's a hard place to be when it's been drilled into you since your youth not to harm the does. It wasn't manly.
I'm a meat hunter, and will drop a doe as quickly as anything else. Folks can call me what they will, but I don't have to protect my masculinity.

 

[Skylinewatcher]

Yeah, I’ve used deer blood at dirt sets several times, also I have successfully used cow and horse afterbirth farmers have saved me. I have always wondered why nobody has developed an artificial calf bawl call. This would bring the coyotes in at a run especially with some fresh cow blood on the wind.

 

[Skylinewatcher]

Right with you Mike, I hunt meat. I can't pass those antlers, binds me up bad. I ain't got nothing against a man who only hunts for big antlered deer, But I want the meat more than the antlers. I have killed several 140+ deer down in the bottoms over the years and done nothing but sawed off the horns and sold them along with my pelts. Now that I joined this site, I wish I would have saved some of those swamp donkey horns. Besides, an old rank buck just doesn't taste as good as a fat doe. I'm the one to know the difference between poor bull and fat cow. :grin:

 

[Skylinewatcher]

Spence, good point. I have witnessed several bucks killing fawns themselves. It all boils down to this, it would suck to be a deer.

 

[Pete Gaimari]

Right with you Mike, I hunt meat. I can't pass those antlers, binds me up bad. I ain't got nothing against a man who only hunts for big antlered deer, But I want the meat more than the antlers. I have killed several 140+ deer down in the bottoms over the years and done nothing but sawed off the horns and sold them along with my pelts. Now that I joined this site, I wish I would have saved some of those swamp donkey horns. Besides, an old rank buck just doesn't taste as good as a fat doe. I'm the one to know the difference between poor bull and fat cow. :grin:

Can't hunt does in my area. Bucks only.

 

[Skylinewatcher]

Just curious as to why that is. Is there a population problem? The reason I ask is because around here, I see the biologists setting in a cafe drinking coffee more than in the woods observing the wildlife. Then they turn up one day screaming "don't shoot the does!" Come to think of it I have never saw a biologist in the woods. I don't really understand how they do their jobs I guess is what I'm saying.

 

[Pete Gaimari]

I really don't know. We seem to have a lot of does.

 

[larry wv]

Just talked to a guy from southern Ohio. He said the Rabbits are gone and the Deer are scarce. However the coyotes are getting thicker. Heard about a Wolf being turned in to the DNR around Parkersburg Wv. Prob not true but wouldn't hear from them if it was so. More snow but at least it's warmer. Larry Wv

 

[Pete Gaimari]

It's a bad situation. I'd much rather hunt rabbits than coyotes.

 

[steveks]

Not many rabbits left around here since coyotes have gotten thicker. I think the main problem with coyotes is that other than humans the have no predators to worry about in most places they live. Mating season is coming up soon, so it is time to get after the coyotes killing a female helps reduce thier numbers.

 

[gearheart]

Just a general response. I just saw this today. Some folks say that yotes only eat rabbits and raccoons. I have seen otherwise. They'll eat whatever comes along. After they've cleaned up on the rabbits the 'coons and foxes are in trouble. Once those become scarce the menu changes to livestock and deer. Fawns are the first choice as they can't run well. As a pack a larger deer can still be run to ground and killed if no easier prey is available. Most of the animals they stand accused of killing, they have killed and do kill as the opportunity arises.
So should a coyote run past my stand he better run fast and not stop. If I get a chance he's a goner. :thumbsup: