Coyotes – Page 2 – Fox Wood Wildlife Rescue

Coyotes Deserve Better

As a wildlife professional I was sickened by the treatment the injured coyote at the Macedon plaza received from Rochester, NY animal control , police and of course, the hunters themselves. I was also disappointed with the news report and sensationalism that made it seem as though coyotes are dangerous and a problem. Even worse, I am sickened by the coyote hunting that is allowed to go on. This hunting and killing is creating the very problems that the hunters claim to be trying to solve. To make things worse, the coyote was dragged with a noose across the parking lot and thrown into a cage on the back of the hunters truck, then taken out later and shot or “euthanized” as the press wrote. what a horrible, tragic death for this animal that has done no wrong.

The only thing that will control coyote populations is less available food. Less food means less coyotes, it is a very simple concept- and it is free and requires no killing. History and numerous biological studies have proven over and over again that trying to control coyote populations by killing them is like trying to put out a fire with kerosene. The more coyotes that are killed, the more females produce pups that year, and they have larger their litters. These pups have a larger percentage of survivability. Larger litters need larger prey to feed them – deer hunters, are you listening?

Don’t let the coyote hunters fool you – they are not doing you any favors- They are the ones creating this problem by hunting and killing coyotes- and for fun no less.

Are there too many deer or not enough deer? Hunters can’t seem to make up their minds. My guess is, depending on whether the hunter gets his tags filled or not becomes the determination. If there are too many deer in a “green space” area, then what is the problem with coyotes being there to naturally thin the population? Society can easily watch a deer being shot, or hit by a car, but can’t stand to see one being taken down by a natural predator? The coyotes are here because there is a lot of food. When the food availability goes down, the coyote population will go down naturally with it and we will have Peace and Harmony once again- but we must allow it to happen naturally, without getting involved or it becomes a disaster.

Leashed dogs don’t kill wildlife and aren’t killed by wildlife

I feel compelled to comment on the news story of the two dogs killed by a group of five coyotes in the Fred J. Cusimano Westside Overland Trail. According to a popular Trail Guide, This long-distance linear trail strings through a series of state forests in Chautauqua County. The multiple trailheads allow hikers to vary the hike’s length; established shelters allow overnight stays and stargazing. Special attractions: Changing forest, meadow and pond habitats, agricultural easements, rural and forest views, wildlife, solitude, overnight shelters.

Apparently a cross country skier brought along his two dogs. Somewhere along the way, the dogs met with wildlife (coyotes) and the dogs were killed. Naturally, the press is all over this, with scary headlines and reports of “groups of coyotes killing domestic animals”- naturally this is all designed to make watchers tune in and gasp at the horror of their story, after all, it IS the news. The ones that will ultimately pay the price will be the coyotes- All coyotes.

While I certainly sympathize with any individual who loses a dog in a tragic manner, Coyotes are not to blame here. This is a wildlife area. If the dogs were under their owners control as they should have been, instead of running at large, this would never have happened. Human presence is a strong deterrent to wildlife/ domestic animal confrontations in any situation. I did hear that one of these dogs were partially eaten by the time the owner had arrived on the scene- there must have been quite a elapse of time for one of the animals to have been partially eaten. Why was the owner so far away from his dogs? Did his dogs begin the chase? This is not a case where the owner and leashed dogs were strolling through suburbia or the city and were attacked by coyotes. This is a case where while cross country skiing in a wildlife area, uncontrolled dogs running at large met with a tragic end. Dogs running at large not only often kill wildlife, but can be killed themselves by a variety of means, coyotes being one of them. If we are going to demonize coyotes, then we must also demonize automobiles, people with guns, snares set by trappers, poisons, attacks by other domestic dogs, bobcats and all other means with which dogs running at large are killed. The fact that this attack by coyotes is newsworthy is proof of the rarity of this event. Dogs getting hit by cars, shot, caught in traps or poisoned is certainly not newsworthy because it happens every day, yet people still allow their dogs to run loose. Keep your dogs safe from being killed by one of many different means by keeping them leashed and under control at all times.

The guys who like to hunt and trap coyotes for sport are pounding their chests and looking for praise from the general public frightened by the graphic news story. “See? they say ” See? We told you so!” they brag. “Coyotes are dangerous animals, they are going to eat your children – but us manly men will protect you by killing them!” Little does the general public realize that the surge in the resulting coyote deaths will cause the coyote population to jump in response to the killing. Trying to control coyotes by killing them is like trying to put out a fire with kerosene. They will breed faster and more indiscriminately, having larger litters and populations will then be skewed to the young. Larger litters need larger prey to feed them. Larger numbers of young coyotes will create more trouble, as it is generally young coyotes that are culprits when and if the rare event of trouble arises.

So just what is the solution? If you don’t want your domestic animals harmed, keep them close. Most parks have rules that require dogs to be leashed at all times. A leashed dog doesn’t kill wildlife and a leashed dog isn’t killed by wildlife. Usually, where dogs are concerned, it is the wildlife that ends up dead and mauled by the dogs, this story has a little different twist for once.

Open Season on Coyotes?

To implement an open season on coyotes to control their populations would be like trying to put out a fire with kerosene.

According to Coyote Biologist Robert Crabtree, widespread control increases immigration, reproduction and survival of remaining coyotes. Reduction causes coyote population structure to be remain in a colonizing state. This creates larger litters, higher pup survival rates and a general population skewed toward the younger, more inexperienced coyotes, which are usually the ones that prey on pets and livestock. Females with larger litters will need larger prey to feed them.

Sustained reduction of coyote numbers can only be accomplished if over 70% of the individuals are removed on a continual basis. This would be impossible, especially since not everyone sees coyotes as a problem. Many people see coyotes as essential to the balance of nature, free rodent control, and as scavengers that clean up weak or injured deer.

Thanks to coyotes, the turkey populations in New York are thriving. It is normal for a coyote to examine a turkey decoy or to be called in by a persistent turkey call – they are investigating an “abnormal bird”. The slow and weak are removed from the populations this way, thus saving the rest of the flock.

The only way coyote numbers will decrease is if we let them manage their own populations in response to available food. Studies show that when left alone, coyote numbers drop faster than when control efforts are implemented. Cars, owls, and angry neighbors cause far more domestic pet deaths than do coyotes. Let’s leave the coyotes alone and use common sense when it comes to letting our livestock and pets roam freely.

Killing Coyotes Not a Solution

I read a lot of complaining about coyotes from deer hunters that think coyotes are killing all their deer. Not so. One big reason that our deer are not in the woods is because they are in farmers fields eating crops and in suburban back yards eating ornamental shrubbery because the browse line is too high in the woods. The browse line is too high because of unnaturally high deer populations for many past years. Hunters wanted lots of deer and they got lots of deer for many years, and now must pay the price. Do you want more deer? Don’t shoot coyotes, plant food plots.

Coyotes are primarily rodent eaters. They will also scavenge the rich supply of deer carcasses produced by year round auto collisions and gun and arrow injuries sustained during hunting season. Small thin deer that can’t reach the browseline may also be taken by coyotes before or after they die – but these weak and injured deer are going to die anyway, something called compensatory mortality. Deer Biologist Ken Koerth is quoted in North American Whitetail Magazine April 2005 as saying “Coyotes normally can’t control deer numbers on their own”

If you want to control coyote numbers the last thing you want to do is hunt or trap coyotes. Billions of dollars, many years of history and biological studies show that coyotes respond to killing by increasing their populations. Killing them causes more females to breed in a territory, breeding females to produce larger litters and more viable pups. Studies also showed that when left alone, coyote numbers declined naturally on their own. It is the people hunting and trapping them that are creating higher coyote numbers. Trying to control coyotes by killing them is like trying to put out a fire with gasoline. Breaking down the social structure of a group of coyotes through the loss of a dominant male or female causes subordinate pairs to breed, where normally they would remain behaviorally sterile. More breeding pairs and breeding by younger members of the group create more and larger litters. Larger litters need larger prey (such as deer) to feed them.

As far as killing fawns, coyotes hunt primarily by movement. Fawns (and nesting turkeys!) stay absolutely still and quiet – this is their natural defense to predation. Any predator must literally stumble on them to get them. However, triplet fawns, ill fawns or those orphaned when the doe is hit by a car or shot with a nuisance permit will be taken because they walk about bleating. These fawns are doomed and is it necessarily bad if they are used by coyotes as food rather than rot on the ground?

Deer hunters , do you want more deer? Leave the coyotes alone. Plant a food plot.

Turkey Season And Coyote “Attacks”

May 1st, Turkey hunting season begins. This is also the time when we start to hear stories of how a hunter was sitting in camouflage clothes, making turkey noises for an extended period of time and then was suddenly approached by a coyote. Sometimes, the coyote will actually make contact with the camouflaged blob, and then we have a “coyote attack on a human”. Hmmm…. A camouflaged blob making turkey noises attracts a coyote….. no surprise there.

Because it is the pup season for coyotes, it is perfectly normal for a female with hungry pups to become interested in a continuous turkey noise coming from a single spot. It sounds like an easy meal to any intelligent animal. However, all too many times, the female is then shot for responding to what is a food call for her. This type of encounter is what creates the orphans we get every year, as well as the illegal pet coyotes that are confiscated by conservation law enforcement from time to time.

Coyotes are attracted by noises, but hunt primarily by sight and movement. A non-moving camouflaged blob is unidentifiable to a coyote. If a hunter realizes that he has called in a coyote, the best thing to do if he wants to let her know that he is indeed a human is to simply stand up and wave his arms and say something, such as “hey, I am a man!” , or whatever utterance he feels is appropriate. This allows her to realize her mistake and leave, though somewhat embarrassed. Unfortunately, many of these coyotes will be shot and their babies left to die of starvation. Certainly a good conservationist wouldn’t wish that upon any living being?

Lets talk turkey. Studies have shown that coyotes do not have a negative impact on the turkey populations. They actually help keep the populations healthy by catching the slowest of the flock. The slowest turkey of the flock is usually the bird that is coming down with a disease that could decimate the entire flock. It is impossible for a coyote to kill off an entire flock. It is simply impossible. Turkeys roost in trees and coyotes can’t climb, so catching them asleep won’t happen. Any turkey hunter will tell you they are a very wary bird. It is the rare coyote that can sneak up on a flock of turkeys, and if he does, as soon as he gets close, they will take off, the slowest one becoming the most likely victim. The others won’t hang around to watch and become victims themselves, and the experience will make them all the more wary and wise. Some people believe that coyotes will take a hen off a nest of eggs. The more likely predator is the Great Horned Owl. Hen turkeys sit on their nests very quiet and still. I have rode two feet from them on horseback without them moving. Because they are quiet they don’t attract coyotes . Because Hens sit still and coyotes hunt by movement, a coyote could just as easily walk to feet from the hen without noticing her. The only affect that coyotes have on the turkey population is that they keep it healthy.

Coyotes are often blamed for killing off “all of the fawns”. Not true. Fawns lie perfectly still and have no scent. A predator must literally stumble upon them to find them and what are the chances of that? Slim at best. We all hear tall tales of guys with cameras setting them up near coyote dens and counting high numbers of fawns dragged to the dens, yet so one ever seems to be able to produce these photos. Lots of talk, no authenticated proof. One would wonder why if these photos are so fantastic why no one has a copy, or better yet, no one has posted them on the internet. No doubt, someone will now take the time to create them with Photoshop…

Of course there will be triplet fawns who become weak and are abandoned by the doe, there will be fawns whose doe is hit by a car, there will be ill fawns. These fawns may become coyote food because instead of lying perfectly still, they will walk about and bleat, attracting coyotes, domestic dogs – and worse yet, humans who will bring them into their homes, over handle them, feed them cows milk, try to raise them as pets, etc.. etc.. So yes, a small percentage of fawns will become coyote meals, but most of them were doomed to die by some other means anyway- something called Compensatory Mortality.

The other morning I listened to a female fox in distress for hours because a turkey hunter was sitting near her den. She squalled from 5 am until 11 am, and obviously the hunter didn’t notice or care that that he was causing such a disturbance with his presence. Would have it been so difficult to get up and move to a different spot? I, the fox, and her babies I am sure thought him quite inconsiderate.

Washington Coyote Nips boy

Someone sent me an article about a boy in Washington that was nipped by a coyote. Apparently others had been nipped by the same animal. Since this is not typical behavior for a wild coyote my educated guess about this particular animal is that it was raised by a human and was then released when it got to be a problem for the person who had it. This happens a lot with wildlife and this is exactly why I never release habituated wildlife.

Every year countless fawns, baby raccoons, baby birds, fox pups , baby squirrels and of course coyotes are found and kidnapped by well meaning persons who don’t understand that these are not orphans and their mommas are close by. The person feeds them whatever they think would closely match the diet of this baby animal- usually cows milk or a cheap dog or cat food void of nutrients. They coddle, take pictures, show everyone and brag. Most of these animals will die due to stress, complications from the wrong diet or an “accident”. But many will live to become dysfunctional members of the wild. Countless coons, foxes, squirrels, fawns and coyotes will be released by their captors as poorly developed, tame animals with no survival skills . These animals know nothing about their own species and will seek out humans for food. I strongly believe that the Washington coyote is a victim of this action.

The Memorial Day holiday weekend has always been what I have termed “fawn weekend” and as always, I will stay close to home to field the many calls from the public finding an “orphaned fawn”. I will work hard to explain that fawns are left alone by their mothers as a protection. They must stay perfectly still to avoid predators, and they do avoid predators this way. But they can’t avoid humans…. And hunters and coyote haters are worried about coyotes taking the fawns??? No, humans are the greatest predators on fawns. Spend a Memorial Day weekend manning the phones at a wildlife center and you will understand.

More on Fawn Weekend coming in later posts…

On Deer and Coyotes

A good friend and neighbor, John Merriman wrote this piece and is kindly allowing me to reprint it on my blog.

It was mentioned that “coyotes have no known predator, except man” What predator species does have a predator? Predators prey on prey, not other predators. Predators are regulated by the availability of food. The deer population is controlled by availability of food too. Has an artificially and unnaturally high population of whitetails in the hunting areas raised the browseline so high that now deer must migrate into the suburbs (where there is limited hunting) to browse on gardens, Christmas tree farms and suburban trees and grasses? Have they had to come into farmers fields for food, and those farmers obtained nuisance permits to kill them?

Coyotes are mousers. They are a farmers best friend as they prey on rodents and woodchucks and rabbits, not cattle and horses. How many farmers do you know that would love to have the woodchucks gone? Hire a coyote.

A good guard dog will protect your livestock. Try a Great Pyrenees — they will protect your sheep, goats and alpacas from stray domestic dogs (the real threat) and curious coyotes. While coyotes do take some deer, they are mostly compromised, young and infirm. How many deer wind up with slugs and broadheads lodged in their spines after hunting season? I have personally seen more than a few that are succumbing to the gangrene and infection during and after the season. How many deer are hit by cars, and while they appear to bound off looking well are actually mortally wounded with internal injuries or fractured pelvises? People who claim to have seen coyotes taking healthy deer don’t really know that the deer was healthy and not injured or starting a disease process that was not visible to the human eye. Did they frighten the coyotes away, do a complete necropsy, send tissue and organ samples, x-rays and determine “yes, this was a perfectly healthy deer” I think not.

There is nothing wrong with coyotes taking down those injured , ill, dying and dead deer. That is what a predator does.

What about turkeys? One virus can wipe out an entire flock. Do we want the “slow one” removed from the flock to protect flock integrity and guard against disease in the flock? You bet we do. Coyotes will weed out the slow one that is possibly beginning a disease process. Turkey’s are smart, they are designed to avoid predators. The rest of the flock will fly to safety, and be the wiser.

Ask some people, they will tell you there are too many deer – So which is it? I know several tree farmers who were brought to their knees by deer browsing their stock. Ask anyone who has hit a deer with their car, some people have already been killed in such accidents. Ask the automobile insurance agents how they feel about the deer population. Have we bred a smarter deer through natural selection- shooting the ones that walk into the sights of our guns, and not shooting the ones that are more wary, travel to protected lands or adopt a more nocturnal lifestyle once hunting season begins?

Have we bred a lazier hunter through instant gratification in other areas of our lives, where patience and time are limited? How many hunters actually have the time to spend out scouting, sighting in their guns, sitting for hours in a tree stand? Not if you have a full time job and a family these days. Life is faster in 2006 than it was in 1980, 1970, 1960 and so forth. How many of the “no deer” complainers have spent the time to really hunt their deer – sitting in the same tree stand year after year, do these guy’s realize that deer move to find new food sources? Have their woods changed over time with natural succession and are their stands really where there are deer anymore?

While there are genuinely good hunters out there who practice their shooting, do the scouting, spend the time watching, even selecting their specific deer, there are more than a few who do none of this. They take opening day off to go and then blame and point fingers at everyone and everything when they don’t bring a deer home to their family. Are the coyotes to blame? Of course not.

Now, Coyote Control? Certainly not by hunting and trapping and otherwise killing them. Again, biological fact is that this actually stimulates the population. Coyotes under pressure from hunting and trapping increase their litter size, the viability of the pups is much greater and the survivability of the pups is astounding. Coyotes with larger litters and stronger pups will need more and larger prey to feed those larger litters. When the alpha female is killed, instead of her being the only breeding female in a territory, all of the subordinate females who were behaviorally sterile before can and will now breed. Where there would have been only one litter, now there are four. Hmmm…. so killing creates more. Will killing coyotes result in more deer? Not according to study after study and history.

In keeping with the finger-pointing theory that “coyotes are killing all the deer”, it will actually result in less deer as larger litters and more viable pups will need “more fawns” to raise them. Ask anyone who hunts coyotes, they will tell you that they get the same numbers of coyotes year after year in the same places. Nature abhors a vacuum and more coyotes take their place. If killing them actually worked, why can these guys hunt the same areas year after year and take the same numbers of coyotes. Wouldn’t the population of coyotes in that area disappear, thanks to their hard work? In conclusion, there are many reasons why deer hunters aren’t getting their deer, coyotes being only the most minor factor. If you want more deer and less coyotes, leave the coyotes alone and plant trees and food plots for the deer.

Incentives Not To kill Coyotes

By Guest Author, Robert Ward of East Otto, New York

Coyotes are primarily rodent eaters. They will also scavenge the rich supply of deer carcasses produced by year round auto collisions and gun and arrow injuries sustained during hunting season. Small thin deer that can’t reach the browse line may also be taken by coyotes before or after they die – but these weak and injured deer are going to die anyway, something called compensatory mortality. Deer Biologist Ken Koerth is quoted in North American Whitetail Magazine April 2005 as saying “Coyotes normally can’t control deer numbers on their own”

Deer hunters , do you want more deer? Leave the coyotes alone. Plant a food plot.

Motion Camera Records Coyote Activity- Is It Real Or A Hoax?

New Yorkers have often been referring to “a guy” who set up a camera near a coyote den and supposedly recorded a female coyote bringing an obscene number of fawns to the den during a certain time period. The story varies on a number of facts, depending on who is telling it and their audience.

The facts that vary include: The location of the den, the number of fawns supposedly dragged to the den, the number of weeks the camera recorded the supposed activity and the relation of the camera-man to the story teller. The relationship however never gets closer than “a friend of a friend” or “My Uncle”. One variation of the story even listed “The DEC” as the camera folks. An interesting fact though is that no such alleged photos ever surface. It is a fun story to tell, I am sure, as the listeners are sure to be very interested and probably say “Wow”! and then scoff and say “See, we KNEW the coyotes were killing all the deer!” Sometimes the story varies even more and it becomes “a friend of a friend found a coyote den while he was hunting and it was stuffed with fawn heads!” This is how a hoax is perpetuated. Fun, amazing stories to tell and the coyote is once again the bad guy. I would be fascinated to see authenticated, real photos of a coyote den stuffed with fawn heads, or authenticated photos of a mother coyote bringing back this obscene number of dead fawns to the den . Yet, no one can come up with a real name, a real location or any proof that this ever happened. I am hoping that some day some one can bring me to an active den site so that I can set up a camera and records activity such as this – without momma coyote moving her pups as soon as she smells the human presence.

I suspect this whole story is concocted by hunters and coyote haters that are trying to pressure lawmakers into implementing a year round season on coyotes. Please folks, don’t believe everything you hear. Be sure to tune into tomorrows blog.

A Tale of Two Sheep Farmers

This is a true story about two sheep Farmers in the Western New York area. The original report was on WKBW News (Channel 7) about 5 years ago.

The first farmer raised lambs for market until , he claims, “the coyotes put me out of business”. He called the news and they made a big story of how the coyotes ate all of his lambs, and ewes too. Poor old guy had to go on welfare or something like that.

The second farmer had one of the largest sheep operations in the area. He had not lost a single sheep to coyotes, domestic dogs or any other predation in many years – well, since he had purchased his Livestock Guardian dogs, to be exact.

Hmmm… I just happen to know the first farmers place by heart, as I like to drive the back roads. In fact, I drove by it again today, which is what prompted this post. I was reminded of the place when there were sheep (before the “coyotes killt -em all…”). The sheep were out in the pasture on this very rural road, with no house or barn in sight. In fact, the nearest house or barn is at least 3/4 mile away. The sheep were in a twisted wire fence that was falling down, and it was surrounded by woods on all sides. I never once saw anyone tending those sheep. I never saw the sheep being brought in at night.. they were always out. I happen to know a little about sheep and this particular farmer. He was an old-timer that didn’t believe in “feed and stuff like that”. Feed was a waste of money as he figured they had plenty of pasture to eat. Bringing in the ewes during lambing was too much work for him and they had their lambs outside in the field- in all weather. Wet, cold- you name it, they were out there lambing. Anyone who knows sheep farming knows that ewes should be brought in to lamb, and the sheep should be brought in at night too. A good farmer also knows that good nutrition and parasite control are essential to sheep farming success. This old fellow practiced none of that. He also never guarded the sheep, never had any guardian animals, such as dogs, llamas or donkeys out with them either. They were basically out there to survive all on their own. Yet he blamed the coyotes for the deaths of the sheep and the demise of his business. I blame the farmer for the demise of his own business. The good sheep farmer practiced good farming methods and fed his sheep well and guarded them well with those dogs. His ewes had strong healthy lambs and they had steady rates of weight gain. He is still in the sheep business, and doing quite well.

What can be learned from this true story ?

There is no substitute for a good livestock guardian dog, and good nutrition and good husbandry practices are essential to successful farming. Good strong fences and bringing livestock and poultry in at night are a necessity. Coyotes are a non-issue where good farming practices are used.