Forest for the tree thought

[topnotch]

I was mowing the pasture the other day and a thought occured to me about coyote's impact on the turkey population. I have killed every coyote I get chance to, but the turkeys aren't bouncing back on my place or the two farms that join me. On the other side of the coin, the deer and rabbit population has exploded. While circling the pasture my mind pondered on why and I remember a conversation I had with a veterinarian in a hunting camp in Georgia this past spring.
I ask him if he had heard that when one or both dominant coyotes in an breeding pair are killed, the  coyotes breed at younger ages, and more pups survive following a temporary increase in available prey ? His reply was he thought it possible as he had seen similar results where feral cats were the topic of the studies he had read. I know coyotes kill turkeys when they get the chance, as every year I kill at least one that answers my turkey call. But how big is the role they play in the recovery of the turkey population?

[Paulmyr]

If the rabbit population is exploding and the turkeys are dwindling I'm guessing coyotes aren't the issue.

[Capt long beard]

Coyotes kill a lot of nest raiders so are actually considered neutral by some. They eat all the stuff that eats the turkey eggs like racoons,skunks and opossums.

[Tail Feathers]

I've read that coyotes rarely get grown turkeys, they aren't good enough hunters to get many.  But if you remove all coyotes, you get more egg eaters; possums and such.  Those creatures that coyotes help keep in check.  As stated above, it may be a neutral effect taking them out.

[Prospector]

Personal observations make me kinda agree that coyotes are not a big threat to turkeys ( esp when they can fly). I have on occasion seen turkeys never leave an open area with the appearance of a song dog. They take notice and keep their distance but don't seem frightened. It's a different story with bobcats though. However, if Wiley comes sniffing around to my calling, he gets terminated. Bobcats and raptors I believe are more consistent predators of our bird imho...

[Shiloh]

And I would like to see a coyote tangle with a Coon, possum or skunk.  I imagine it's very rare that they kill any of the 3. 

[ferocious calls]

Coyotes kill coon, possum, skunk, deer and turkey. Once coyotes LEARN to hunt turkeys, the flock is in trouble. Not all coyotes learn to hunt turkeys.

[cwedding]

Coyotes kill a lot of nest raiders so are actually considered neutral by some. They eat all the stuff that eats the turkey eggs like racoons,skunks and opossums.

Kill some coons and opossums and toss them out where coyotes frequent. They won't touch them, much less kill living ones.


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[Twowithone]

Dont kill the possums they eat ticks all day long.

[Howieg]

A yote has to just have a lucky day to catch a grown turkey , they get the crippled ones more then anything.
This doesn't mean they don't "try " .  They've messed up many turkey hunts for me .
They do have good success on the fawns though .

[TrackeySauresRex]

Nest robbing raccoons, I would think the Yotes lay a beating on the pults for sure.

[Paulmyr]

Coyotes kill a lot of nest raiders so are actually considered neutral by some. They eat all the stuff that eats the turkey eggs like racoons,skunks and opossums.

Kill some coons and opossums and toss them out where coyotes frequent. They won't touch them, much less kill living ones.


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So a coyote won't eat a live juvenile racoon as opposed to one rotting and stinking that you threw in the ditch?

[El Pavo Grande]

I say work on them all with a balanced approach.  Don't target just one specifically.  You will never remove them all, but at least maybe keep them in check if it's a sustained effort year after year.   

[cwedding]

Coyotes kill a lot of nest raiders so are actually considered neutral by some. They eat all the stuff that eats the turkey eggs like racoons,skunks and opossums.

Kill some coons and opossums and toss them out where coyotes frequent. They won't touch them, much less kill living ones.


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So a coyote won't eat a live juvenile racoon as opposed to one rotting and stinking that you threw in the ditch?

Was winter when I experimented so they actually stayed in pretty good shape for a long long time.

Also posed the question of whether yotes eat coons to a very prominent wildlife biologist who has gps tracked many many raccoons. None have been lost to coyote predation.

Has there been any evidence of coyote predation on raccoons? I enjoy trapping and removing both from all properties.


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[topnotch]

Personal observations make me kinda agree that coyotes are not a big threat to turkeys ( esp when they can fly). I have on occasion seen turkeys never leave an open area with the appearance of a song dog. They take notice and keep their distance but don't seem frightened. It's a different story with bobcats though. However, if Wiley comes sniffing around to my calling, he gets terminated. Bobcats and raptors I believe are more consistent predators of our bird imho...

Come to think I did see 7 turkeys fly down to a field where a coyote was this past may.
Right at daylight the coyote came onto the field across the creek from me. About 30 minutes later the birds came off the roost a landed about 100 yards from him. Both were aware of the other , but I never seen any major alarm on the bird's account.