YoteHunter
New Member
You most have a lot of coyotes around your farm . If you see them in daylight hours that’s usually a sign there’s a lot around.
I've seen half a dozen in 20 mins.
I had a deer get blasted by a car about 2 weeks ago... good size one. I pulled it off the road and put it under a cedar just so it was out of site and wanted to see how long til it was gone. I came back 3 days later..... deer was "gone"..... until I followed fur trail.... There was the head, skeleton, hooves (intestines or guts by original spot) and cape that was like a thin sheet. They picked every frigin piece of protein off it, blow your mind. Lifted it all up with one hand and through it in ditch. GONE, probably a 150 lbs live weight doe, I bet it was gone in 24-36 hours, totally gone. And I saw zero birds around as it was under a cedar.
To me, just the amount of tracks, howling, fawn skeletons i find, how fast they clean out a deer & how many I see on cam (staggering) - says I think I might have me a little problem
Hardwood11
It is going to be a good fall!
seiowajustin
New Member
Trap, trap, and then more traps. Helps if the surrounding landowners either are after them as hard or let’s someone go after them. Problem is most landowners won’t allow someone on their land, even if it could help out “their” deer/turkey populations.
Daver
PMA Member
seiowajustin
New Member
I’ve been on Iowa trappers talk for years and you will learn a lot from them! Just ask a question and they will help you out, probably could even find someone to come to your property to give you advice.
Swintonator
Member
Meat Eater podcast or the Joe Rogan Experience podcasts are a good resource for this topic when they have on the guest Dan Flores. Completely changed my mind about trying to thin coyote numbers. He discussed wolf impacts on coyote numbers in Yellowstone as well as the war on coyotes waged in the American West which he believes is what has driven coyotes all the way to the east coast. Long story short is that females react to holes in the population by having increased litter sizes. Those larger litters then produce a spreading effect as the offspring branch out to new territories. Coyote numbers do stabilize based on available food but almost all efforts to decrease the population ends up increasing it instead. This has been true of trapping, poisonings and predation. Nothing wrong with hunting them for fun but I've decided to leave them alone in my area. Seems like more then enough as it is without me making it worse haha.
Hardwood11
It is going to be a good fall!
My only thought would be to try to take some out in the fall, or during the season, maybe they would bother the deer less? However, that is not a good idea in most cases as you don't want all that commotion.
Very tough situation.
Wapsi Tree Rat
Well-Known Member
I'm having a tough time buying this statement. How does any live birth creature on Earth have their litter size dictated by population? Is that possible?
Is it possible the mother cares for the you differently in overpopulation (limited food) and has a lower litter survival rate? That would be plausible.
I'd be interested in what Horse Doc has to say on this...
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Ishi
PMA Member
There have been studies on this and some believe this is the case. I`ve seen links on forums discussing this topic but can`t remember where. If this is true its very mind boggling but hunters will continue to kill them to hear them go yip, yip, yip over the hill.
arm
Leg
I think coyotes preying on the young is #1 concern. So in your scenario I'd be targeting them in the spring around fawn birth as an attempt to thin the packs so the fawns can get through critical first stages.
LoessHillsArcher
PMA Member
It is a head scratcher for sure but I've seen it over and over in our area. Kill 40 in Dec/Jan over about a 2 mile square area and we could do it all over again the next year. It takes a lot of effort to trap them and get that many and it has basically no long term effect. I believe it does have a short term effect for the spring months going into fawn drop and nesting season. So for me, trying to justify my time spent trapping these things for a very very short term benefit for the wildlife... the day will come where I don't have the time and I'll have to let mother nature do her thing. I'm guessing we'll see very little difference in the deer hunting.
Trapping those coyotes is sure a blast though! And catching those 30lb tom bobcats is icing on the cake too!
Trapping those coyotes is sure a blast though! And catching those 30lb tom bobcats is icing on the cake too!
LYON
PMA Member
I would agree that the litter size won't go up just because the population is low, but rather the litter size stays the same and the survival rate goes down if there is lack of food. The question is do the parents actually take decisive action in trimming the litter size? Feed the few healthy ones and let the runts starve or maybe even kill them off or do they try to take care of them all and whoever makes it, makes it?
Wapsi Tree Rat
Well-Known Member
Mind boggling for sure. A quick Google search confirms the research shows litter sizes are relate to populations. I'm just wondering if it's maybe not a direct connection, and more related to food availability. So then what? Knock out the rabbits, squirrels, mice, rats, snakes, and fruit trees? Good luck
I'm still thinking carcass and Tannerite.
LYON
PMA Member
I don't imagine it's legal to blow up a den is it? Spring time, KABOOM! The carcass idea is good but probably not as efficient as you'd think. I keep deer and pig carcasses behind my house all winter and I think I've shot one coyote off of it in the last three years. I've run trail cameras on it and I have been very surprised at the lack of coyote activity on them. I'd have skunks on the carcasses almost every night though which was weird I thought.
Wapsi Tree Rat
Well-Known Member
Yep, we do the same. All deer are gutted 100 yds off the back deck down by the pond, and the carcass is returned to the same pile...it's 25 yds from the creek bottom. The 308 and spotlight are always on standby by the living room door...drives my wife batty! We do a bit better, maybe 1/2 a dozen a year, but it's purely fun cause that's only 1/2 a litter!
Ishi
PMA Member
If you don’t tell anyone I’m fine with it
LYON
PMA Member
You may want to check with your CO about using a spotlight. Not trying to be an internet police and I personally think spotlighting coyotes should be legal, but I'm pretty sure it's not. The way the book reads, the use of artificial light for anything other than raccoons is prohibited. Individual CO's may have a different opinion, but I'd hate to see someone get nailed for it.
And now that I think about it, technically I've shot one coyote on the pile, but I did shoot another one time that was sitting, watching my dog eat on the pile lol. My dog decoyed that coyote and didn't even know it.