Coyotes

[Brent]

No one I know would ever say that yotes eat only squirrels and rabbits. A pretty ridiculous statement for anyone to make. But those do form a pretty decent share of their groceries for certain.

 

[rabjr]

Just my observations the past 4 years or so.

I had the guys set up a surveillance camera with night vision up to 300 feet on one of the heavly used game trails out in the back 40 for me to see exactly what was out there and whats going on. I have this hooked up to a 13" TV for a monitor right next to my bed side and I have gotten more enjoyment from that little TV than I have the regular TV since I hooked it up.

Now this camera over looks a small meadow that holds the last grass left into winter and is situated between a swamp on one side and a several acrea field that deer and other animals migrate to at night. A typical night for me here, my rabbits show up and romp around the meadow. Anywhere from 2 to 6 a night. Apperantly these are very smart rabbits I got here. They will play and feed for a while then as quick as they came, disapear. Anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, a pair of Grey Foxes will trot through, look and sniff around and keep on going. If I'm lucky, not long after the lone Red Fox I have out there will also trot through.

Alls quiet for a while, at some point deer will start to pass by. Always the same usual suspects and yes I have watched them so much I can tell who is who and I have names for them...If I'm lucky I get a glimpse of a nice buck once in a while. Now same as with the Rabbits and Foxes, anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour usually after deer have walked by 2 to 5 Coyotes will trot in sniff around and trot off. The Coyote sightings don't happen every night, maybe 3 times a week now.

If I'm real lucky I will get a glimpse of a Fisher Cat out and about but I might get 3 sightings a year on those. I've seen 3 Coons since October out there but have not seen them in a month now. Other than that I keep seeing the same animals night after night. The Rabbits seem to know just when the party is over, the Foxes seem to know when the party is over and when not to be there. I keep seeing the same deer night after night come through. :idunno:

 

[George]

That is a cool set-up, Swampy. A friend uses a still camera and motion sensor to capture pictures on the farm, and it's impressive how many critters show up. We were privileged to have a red fox vixen raise litters of pups in our yard two years running, and I never tired of watching them. Gorgeous animals. Gave an old man something to do, too, trying to capture pictures of them.

Spence

 

[Skylinewatcher]

I hope your little red fox makes it. I have caught several reds and the coyotes have ate them. Don't forget about bobcats. If you trap one bobcat that is traveling with another the second will eat the trapped one. Bobcats play heck on the deer population with fawn kills. I think there was a case not too long ago where a bob killed a full grown deer.

 

[Brent]

Swampy,
Your camera set up sounds pretty cool! I need more coyotes because I have a ton of coons. They seem more abundant than anything but mice. But I also have at least one, and maybe two red foxes denning 30 yds from the front door. The coyotes would love to have them for dinner, but the foxes are probably getting a little protection from their proximity to the house.

 

[rabjr]

It is pretty cool yes. Amazing the things I've seen with it that past 4 years. Still waiting for Bigfoot to walk by though... :haha:

Oh I watched a Horned owl land on a branch about 20 yards from the camera not long ago. He sat there turning his head looking for mice in the meadow. Cool sight.

 

[larry wv]

Even the mice are gone here. In the past when I would mow a field of hay their would be hundreds of mice. Now none or maybe a couple. I see a few deer and lots of coyotes on my trail cameras. Once in awhile a fox. No possoms or coons either. Around here the squirrels catch the nuts in a net to stay off the ground. :shocked2: Larry Wv

 

[John Wasmuth]

Out here Bobcats, fox, coyotes, all kill deer on a regular basis. They kill calves, lambs, kids, and fawns on a constant basis. Loose many thousands of dollars worth of livestock and game to them and you will soon learn to want every dern one of them dead.
They are worse than pigs. They will eat themselve outa house and home in quick order. Then they start in on cats, small dogs, forget about your chickens, turkey, pheasents and the like. They are a pain in the neck.

 

[longcruise]

I'm having a hard time visualizing a fox killing a deer. Then again, everything is different in Texas! :shocked2:

 

[rabjr]

Has to be fawns.

 

[Skylinewatcher]

I always feel bad when a coyote gets my trapped fox. If the fox wasn't in the trap the coyote wouldn't have a chance. The bobcat is a cannibalistic sob.

 

[John Wasmuth]

I'm having a hard time visualizing a fox killing a deer. Then again, everything is different in Texas! :shocked2:

They kill many man fawns every year.

 

[Brent]

I'm having a hard time visualizing a fox killing a deer. Then again, everything is different in Texas! :shocked2:

They kill many man fawns every year.

It gets weirder and weirder - "man fawns" ?????

 

[John Wasmuth]

I'm having a hard time visualizing a fox killing a deer. Then again, everything is different in Texas! :shocked2:

They kill many man fawns every year.

It gets weirder and weirder - "man fawns" ?????

LOL, typo, but I am sure you knew that. Should say many many fawns.

 

[Brent]

I'm having a hard time visualizing a fox killing a deer. Then again, everything is different in Texas! :shocked2:

They kill many man fawns every year.

It gets weirder and weirder - "man fawns" ?????

LOL, typo, but I am sure you knew that. Should say many many fawns.

Actually, I didn't. I was trying to figure out what the typo was, but that didn't come up.

As for whether it happens - you got data? I bet against it HEAVILY.

 

[John Wasmuth]

Actually we do loose fawns, kid goats, lambs, which in case you didnt know, and I am betting largely that you havent got a clue, are baby sheep. You following me now?
Ok, we find new coyote scat every day, scat in case you didnt know is a polite way of saying marfi. At any rate, in this scat we find deer hair, and upon inspecting it we observe what colors these hairs are, certain colors denote certain deer ages. Now I only know this from what I observe out in the field. Unlike you I have a lot of experience actually studying wildlife under natural conditions.
Now, and this is where you really should pay attention, we also find in coyote and bobcat scat, lamb, and kid goat hairs, again, a kid is a baby goat. We also find calf hairs in said scat. No, I do not have numbers for you, but a close estimation is that we can loose up to 50% of a fawn, lamb, or kid crop every year. Being prudent ranchers we dont have time to question every coyote we see, usually they dont stand around waiting to be asked what they have eaten that day. Most of the time we just kill them, some times while they are eating whatever animal they have killed that day.
By the by, there is an old saying about wrestling with sus scrufa.........

 

[Dave K]

This post is to no one in particular. Here in Ohio, the coyote breeding season is getting really close. It is a great time to possibly get your sights set on 2 coyotes in one place. Go get'em.

 

[Skylinewatcher]

Micanopy, I was going to say, and I still maintain its the best way to control coyotes, to sign up a good trapper at your ranch. But I see you are in Texas, you fellers really don't have many options out there. Its just too perfect of coyote habitat. Shooting and trapping may help, but not much. :idunno:

 

[John Wasmuth]

We shoot and trap in order to control the numbers of four legged predators. While we know that they eat a lot of deer fawns and some adult deer, we also know that they thrive on lambs, kids and calves as is evident in the carcases we find and scat we examine. People can say what ever they wish about predators only eating mice, insects and whatever disney, the discovery channel and whatever else false information they pay attention to. We base or control programs on what we observe first hand in the field. We are in the ranching business to make money, its our livelyhood. To not control the populations of predators that we have hard evidence are eating our income would be foolish and down right stupid.

 

[Skylinewatcher]

I hear ya, I've opened up too many of all the Preds. covered here. I know what they eat despite what some would say. Talking about ranches reminded me of my wife’s uncle. He has a "ranch" it ain't no real ranch, he just owns property in Oklahoma. Anyway he has skunk problems and the last time he visited he bought some long springs from me and I showed him how to set them and keep his fingers. He caught one using my cantaloupe bait I made him and done real good. His friend who is a native in Oklahoma talked him into using poison to get rid of skunks. Arsenic or something he got from somewhere. He got two the first night, however, they dropped on his doorstep and voided their stank bags right there on his threshold. :rotf: