Read something interesting and was just pondering

[savduck]

Read  two articles in GON that had me thinking. One was about poult per hen survival over the last 25 years, the other was a survey by deer hunters rating their season.

The turkey article had a chart that showed survival rates by poults per hen. In the mid 80s it was over 4 poults per hen. Today it is below 2. This is ironic, that the decreased survival rate also kind of follows when coyotes started showing up in fox pens and when their population has started to explode. Now most biologist would blame it on habitat loss and urban sprawl. Kinda ironic

Now the deer article had over 70 % negatively rating their deer season, as I read every negative comment I kept seeing " coyote". Apparently many coyotes have been seen during daylight hours, and many deer hunters witness coyote problems. Many made note of the rapid lack of deer sighting and overall numbers seen. Again kind of ironic.

[savduck]

What irked me about the survey was how many hunters complained about the coyote problem. They all thought the state should handle it or pay bounty. Nobody said they were gonna become predator hunters. I find it funny hunters will spend all this money on gear, cameras, food plots, etc...but very few are taking up predator hunting.

I plan on waging war on predators, specifically coyotes. Just wonder how many of you guys would do the same? To me the coyote epidemic is so bad I believe you ought to have to register at least one predator kill before you can be issued a big game permit.

I urge you guys to think on this a while. Imagine what we could all do for our deer and turkey population if we all committed to just killing one predator each.

[albrubacker]

 

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

I believe coyotes are scapegoats.

In reality, they are opportunistic feeders who kill raccoons, opossum, and skunk.  All of these animals are notorious for preying on turkeys at their most vulnerable phase of life: while in the egg.

I firmly believe that a decrease in trapper numbers has contributed to low poult production in conjunction with a decrease in quality habitat and habitat loss but I do not think the correspondence you and the survey respondents speak of is directly attributable to the Wiley coyote.

[savduck]

Well, now coons, opossoms, and skunks are  on my hit list to... But coyotes aren't getting off the hook.

I think the urban sprawl is a scapegoat in my area.  I know many private lands that haven't cut timber or changed habitat that are loosing turkey and hearing less gobbling, but seeing and hearing more coyotes.

[Gamblinman]

Two years ago, we watched a hen and her poults all summer long on the cams at www.gadeercam.com. She had 14 poults to start, by the end of the summer she was down to 10.

Last year,no hens or poults were seen. Yet to see what this year brings


Gman

[guesswho]

I think one of the worst culprits is far smaller than the coyote, coon and possum.  But their numbers exceed all other predators and scavengers combined.  And their numbers are increasing, and their range is creeping North.

[Flydown]

I think one of the worst culprits is far smaller than the coyote, coon and possum.  But their numbers exceed all other predators combined.  And their numbers are increasing, and their range is creeping North.

No shoulders.

[guesswho]

I think one of the worst culprits is far smaller than the coyote, coon and possum.  But their numbers exceed all other predators combined.  And their numbers are increasing, and their range is creeping North.

No shoulders.

[DC1.]

I have a friend that found a yote den last summer and put a game cam on it and in about a two month span the female brought in 9 spotted fawn .  Now this will put are hurting on your deer herd .

[tomstopper]

Every chance I get I kill as many as I can. This is the only way to solve this problem..

[renegade19]

Watched a female coyote stalk my hen decoys in a field for a long time today.  It was actually pretty interesting until she got close enough to shoot then it got serious.  Felt guilty that she probably had pups BUT, figured it was maybe 8 or 10 coyotes with one shot.  BOOM!

[Turkeyman]

The predator/prey relationship keeps the population of both in check. Have any of you been around long enough to remember what happened in the trap and transfer days? When turkeys were introduced into a new suitable habitat populations exploded...until predator numbers caught up. Then the turkey numbers were reduced to a sustained level and pretty much stayed there; except for seasonal changes e.g. bad hatches due to weather. Now, of course, it takes all ground-nesting birds longer to recover due to the still greater number of predators. But, the predators finally die off until things balance again. Man is just another predator for things to sidestep and, remember, you can't stockpile game. Consider this scenario, which is pretty much the way it is: Joe Hunter kills mama coyote "A" in the spring. She wouild have had ten pups. Only five would have survived due to lack of food. Mama coyote "B" has ten pups; all survive due to not having to compete for food with "A" pups. Balance.

[dirt road ninja]

I think guesswho is spot on with the ants. They've killed off most of our quail.
Timber loss has also decreased our turkey populations imo, but it has really help out our deer. Whenever they cut, body weights go up and we rack up the pic's on the camera's. It does make them harder to hunt, but provides plenty of food and cover for our whitetails. The turkey on my place avoid the cut overs.

[wvboy]

I believe coyotes are scapegoats.

In reality, they are opportunistic feeders who kill raccoons, opossum, and skunk.  All of these animals are notorious for preying on turkeys at their most vulnerable phase of life: while in the egg.

I firmly believe that a decrease in trapper numbers has contributed to low poult production in conjunction with a decrease in quality habitat and habitat loss but I do not think the correspondence you and the survey respondents speak of is directly attributable to the Wiley coyote.

I agree completey with this comment.. 

If Coyotes effected Turkey numbers there wouldn't be any turkey in Texas .. and they have tons of Turkeys and tons of coyotes..   Now Deer are another story, I think the yotes do affect deer populations because they catch the fawns.