'Yotes... Only seek out the weak?

[rickyrick]

We have had a severe drought and the hottest summer average temperature this year..... news reports of entire prarie dog colonies being killed off from it.

What effect will this have on coyote behavior, I usually consider them to be a minor threat mostly small animals and scavenging and such...usually just a threat to calves born in the winter.

I can tell that coyote population here is down somewhat just by listening to them at night when I am waiting for pigs.

Can they be expected to attack more domestic animals due to the harsh year?

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Can they be expected to attack more domestic animals due to the harsh year?

Maybe. At least here in Texas, the two preceding years have produced large amounts of mast and so several of the animal populations grew as a result of the amount of food available. So deer will be going from having plenty of food for a large population to having too little as the mast crop this year was negatively affected by the drought. So first the coyotes are going to have a bounty of malnourished and undersized deer available to them.

 

[jason_iowa]

I have seen 70lb yotes around here and heard of bigger. I mostly see them scavenge but I would guess a few could take a big buck. Buck may have been struck by a car or injured in some fashion. While I would not discount the possibility but I would think it unlikely for a pair to take down a fully grown buck. They can be quite aggressive and predators don't like food that is likely to injure them. A predator with one eye or half a jaw is a dead predator.

 

[JerryM]

I once found the remains of a large buck, and did not realize that coyotes could pull a full grown healthy buck down. However, I talked to the area game department head and he said it was not uncommon.

Subsequently as I have seen a pack of dogs in Africa pull down large animals, larger than deer and the dogs are no larger than coyotes, I realize that they can tire the animal down enough to kill it.

Jerry

 

["JJ"]

I have seen this posted on another forum and it was discussed in a similar fashion.
At first, I also questioned why the buck stayed by the camera. After thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that there is some type of mineral or attractant in front of the camera.

If you watch the complete slide show you will notice several things.

1) The deer comes in head first to the camera several times with its tongue hanging out! A sign that this chase DIDN'T just began.
2) When the deer first comes in view it is already injured on the hind quarters! Another sign of a longer chase.
3) There deer puts its nose to the ground in the same place several times. Indicating there is some type of bait/lure it believes it can get some energy from.
4) Like somebody has already mentioned, the two coyotes spend quite a bit of time on the other side of the deer eating. Two coyotes are not going to consume a whole deer by themselves! They got their fill and left!

It definitely can be a high fence area, no doubt. But this can happen in a non-fenced area as well.

but maybe 25 or 30 pounds is the biggest yet

I have personally killed several coyotes well over 30 pounds!
While 40-50 pounds is not common, but its not unheard of either.
Just sayin!

 

[Major Dave (retired)]

All Bambi lovers should

be shown this sequence depicting how "Mother Nature" ends the lives of Her children. Then emphasize how much more merciful, quick, and relatively painless death by gunshot is.

Hunters should never apologize for a quick, clean kill.

Those deer that aren't killed by predators eventually become diseased, or wear out their teeth, or die of brain parasites, etc.,

I'm just saying.