# Coyote report



## Hunter Tom (Sep 23, 2007)

I am retied scientist and spend VERY much time on the mountains around my home in Bicknell. Coyotes are eating up our wildlife. The deer herd is way done-probably 10% to 20% of its size 4 years ago. The hard winter 2 years ago plus heavy predation knocked the herd back. It appears that coyotes are preventing herd expansion in these good years. The deer herd should be expanding rapidly since we are not shooting does. All coyote edibles are way down. We see very few rabbits, grouse or turkeys. My wife and I were on a bald knob in prime deer area at dusk 3 days ago when a coyote sounded in front of us. Then another to our left then to our right then two other ones behind. She says nervously "we are surounded, will they attack". I said they haven't gotten that bad yet-maybe later after they kill off the last of their food supply. On the muzzy hunt we saw few deer and many coyotes plus also heard many. Could not get a shot at any. Also see many just driving and walking around. Saw many walking into Boulder lakes. I don't think we can lower coyote numbers with the tools available. They can breed far faster than we can shoot them. As a response to coyotes, I think we sould allow our elk herds to expand to make up the loss of deer. We can reduce the elk herd if the deer herd ever recovers which I don't think it will considering the effectiveness of coyotes and lack of means to control coyotes.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Great story!

Tomorrow we will start the wolf hunt in Wyoming. All of the Wyoming wolves, in shear terror, will high-tail it to Utah. Then those wolves will kill or drive out all the coyotes from Utah.



You're welcome.


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## Hunter Tom (Sep 23, 2007)

Guess there really is a solution!


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

I've been telling anyone that would listen about the coyote problem from
I-70 south for the last 3 or 4 years ..... 
Glad to see someone else taking notice .... Your spot on Tom!


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## ultramagfan2000 (Nov 27, 2009)

I saw more coyotes opening day of the muzzy hunt than I have seen in the last 10 years. Maybe that's why the elk are so scattered.


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## Old Fudd (Nov 24, 2007)

The yote problem west of State Road 72. West of Thousand Lakes is way outa control. When you walk down a trail in front of you and they turn around and bark, or have them walk along the side of your truck. NO FEAR and out of control.Last year Bow season. seemed like every group of Quakies had deer remains ... Lots and lots of Yotes down that way. Boulder is real bad also,


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

I probably haven't been out as much as some of you, but I haven't seen a coyote nor have I even heard one and I've seen more deer, especially fawns, than I have for 4 or 5 years down here on Zion and Panguitch Lake. And the only deer remains I've seen have been hunter kills or wildfire kills. Make of that what you will! I guess we either sent all those doggies up north or they scavenged those roasted animals. But I do agree with one statement. We can't shoot them fast enough to reduce their numbers, by golly!


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

elk, 
maybe you should get out more. Unit 29 has a huge coyote problem and now there's getting to be more bears on the unit too. I've also seen a lot of fawns this year, which is great but I've also seen more coyotes than ever before. We saw a pack of four running together the other day. We also had a lion come right into our camp while we were away.
There was two dogs within 200 yards of our camp Thursday morning. I would have taken a shot if they would have been 50 yards closer.
About the fawns, I've seen several with their spots still on this past week, which is really scary. I dought they will make it through the winter.


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

The way to completely realize the magnitude of the predator problem is to
get out in the winter. When deer and elk are on their wintering grounds,
and snow is present, you will really see the extent of the problem ........

And it will mostly be, coyotes.


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## 35whelen (Jul 3, 2012)

opening morning of muzzleloader I heard quite a few coyotes calling when I was up high. It was like 10 in the morning. Saw alot of fawn bones and calf(cattle) bones up there.


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## shwiggaman (Sep 20, 2010)

I would be more then happy to help take care of the problem if anyone wants to point me in the right direction I have yet to kill a yote in the last few years and since I won't be hunting deer or elk this year I might as well help get rid of some of the dogs


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

I'll admit I don't know a great deal about this issue, but I know it's very controversial and from what I've read just shooting coyotes at random won't solve the problem, even if there is one. I also know that just because coyote sign is around a dead animal, it doesn't mean the animal was killed by the coyotes.

And it's interesting to note that, though many of you have seen them, "I could not get a shot at any".

As for a controlled scientific "Coyote report", does anyone know what the Monroe Mtn study has shown or is showing? I'll check with the Southern Region office tomorrow, but someone closer to the area who may be more directly involved may know as much or more. That kind of info is more valuable to solving the problem than the "I saw/heard plenty" reports.


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

EFA, Here's the very latest from the DWR on the coyote situation ..

http://wildlife.utah.gov/pdf/predator_p ... _sheet.pdf

A couple of quotes from the document ,

" Coyotes primarily kill fawns. Although any coyote taken in Utah can be submitted for
compensation, the DWR encourages hunters to focus on deer-fawning grounds and
adjacent areas. A statewide map (see page two) identifies areas where control should be
targeted to provide the most benefit to mule deer."

"The severity of weather and the amount of forage available are usually the most
important factors that limit deer numbers. If the weather is mild and the habitat is good, then
removing predators could increase the number of fawns that survive. More fawns could help
to stimulate an increase in mule deer numbers."


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

goofy elk said:


> EFA, Here's the very latest from the DWR on the coyote situation ..
> 
> http://wildlife.utah.gov/pdf/predator_p ... _sheet.pdf
> 
> ...


Thanks, Goofy, for bringing that out 'cause it's info that all of us need to know. (I said I don't know a lot about the issue and I've never actually shot a coyote, though I tried once at a waterhole during an archery antelope hunt. In any case, I already started a 3 ring binder on the subject and have that information.)

As I understood the Monroe Mtn. study, some does were to be implanted with a collar and/or monitoring device that indicated the birthing of a fawn and then the fawn was to be collared to see if it survived. If not, there was to be a timely hands-on investigation on why it died. Also, weren't they supposed to collar some coyotes to try to connect the two? I'd like to see how that is going!

I also have to admit that I'm extremely sceptical about the the impact that shooting coyotes has on the mule deer population, especially considering the costs. It's certainly one factor, but not a primary factor IMO. Consider that coyotes also take whitetail and pronghorn fawns in the same states/areas they take mule deer fawns, but the mule deer are the only ones on the decline. That makes it hard to blame it all on the predators. In fact, the paragraph Goofy quotes ends by stating that coyote kills don't impact the herd population if the weather and/or habitat is poor 'cause they're gonna die anyway.

Like I said, it's very controversial, but it seems like we always come back to the weather and habitat!


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## reb8600 (Sep 8, 2007)

As much time as I spend outdoors and hunting coyotes, I never see as many as I hear people claim they are seeing but never killing. Two or three coyotes to most people will sound like a dozen of them. Those of you that are claiming to see so many of them should be making lots of money on the bounty!! I would like to have some GPS coordinates of the places you are seeing "lots" of coyotes and would like to hear the exact number of them you are seeing.

I hunt other states and kill more coyotes in them than here. They have better deer and elk herds than we do. I guess their coyotes must eat something different than ours do.

What kind of an impact do you think that building in the winter grounds is having? I bet it impacts the herds more than anything else in most areas. I just spent 2 days hunting/hiking the Uintahs. I normally see lots of elk sign and atleast 30 deer. This time I saw three elk and no deer. There was grouse and turkey though. There was also no coyote sign although I did hear ONE howl. Maybe he has ate all of them!! Maybe it could also be because of all the logging that was happening and cattle that was up there also. Two of the water holes in the area were totally destroyed by the cattle.


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## stillhunterman (Feb 15, 2009)

reb8600 said:


> As much time as I spend outdoors and hunting coyotes, I never see as many as I hear people claim they are seeing but never killing. Two or three coyotes to most people will sound like a dozen of them. Those of you that are claiming to see so many of them should be making lots of money on the bounty!! I would like to have some GPS coordinates of the places you are seeing "lots" of coyotes and would like to hear the exact number of them you are seeing.


Probably true to a good extent, just like so many folks who don't "see" any deer and claim they are all gone. I have no doubt there are an abundance of yotes in the state, and that they are killing fawns and some older deer as well. To what extent remains to be seen, and whether they are indeed the primary downfall of mule deer populations as well.

Whatever is the primary focus of our mule deer decline, once it reaches a certain low point, predation may very well be the determining factor that keeps the herd suppressed and unable to grow. I really am looking forward to the data the DWR will have in the next year or two. In the mean time, taking out yotes certainly won't hurt things. The one thing that keeps bugging me is if there are a lot of yotes using deer/fawns as their primary food source, why is that? Where are all the other critters that are the primary staples in the dogs diet? Rabbits, upland game, mice, etc.???

Wildlife biology is not a cut and dry study, there are a ton of variables. Maybe one day not to far off we will have a better handle on things.


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

And, although they are classified as carnivores, they also eat lots of insects and plants and they are really good at scavenging. I suspect there are hundreds if not thousands of Utah coyotes that never even kill a deer in their lifetime. They're like us in that they prefer to do it the easiest way possible. And they are extremely adaptable, including having litters sized to meet the existing conditions, so shooting them one at a time probably isn't the answer. I've heard it said that when the world as we know it ends and animal life is at a minimum, there will only be two species left, ****roaches and coyotes!


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## waspocrew (Nov 26, 2011)

I saw a coyote nearly every day while on the muzzy deer hunt in the Cache unit. I'm headed out next week or so to hopefully take some of them down. They were safely out of range from my .50 cal CVA, but I don't think my .22-250 will have a problem.


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## reb8600 (Sep 8, 2007)

waspocrew said:


> I saw a coyote nearly every day while on the muzzy deer hunt in the Cache unit. I'm headed out next week or so to hopefully take some of them down. They were safely out of range from my .50 cal CVA, but I don't think my .22-250 will have a problem.


Just call them into range even with a muzzle loader.


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