Have Coyotes Eaten Your Deer?

[Cabin Fever]

Last year, I shot a buck and didn't feel good about the shot, so I left it go overnight. (Hate tracking deer at night anyway!) I found it the next morning, ~80 yards from where I had hit it, but the damn coyotes found it before I did! They ate one whole hind quarter out of it! A neighbor had warned me never to leave a deer lay overnight, as he hears packs of coyotes often yipping and howling over there! I've noticed that even gut piles are cleaned up over night!

 

I've read horror stories (and seen many pics) on other forums of guys saying that coyotes were on their deer within 5 minutes of shooting them! One guy showed his moose that was eaten overnight by coyotes! 

[MACHINIST]

Yea I had a deer that I didnt have a good shot on and it died within 140 yards from the shot.That night they tore him to pieces!!I left the area at 10 pm and found him at 630 am and the body was cold as ice.I figure they got on him within minutes of me leaving

[Terry]

Not me, but I have seen it happen to my grandfather. Same story, less than perfect hit right before end of shooting time and found the next morning half eaten.

[GreeneHunter]

I never had one eaten by coyotes , but I usually hunt the same area and have always seen the gut pile gone by the next day !

[jjb4900]

a Dingo ate my baby........

[ants]

It has never happened to me, but I have also seen gut piles completely disappear over night. Not a drop of blood or scrap of guts left. One time (a few years ago) I came back the next day to find, not only my gut pile totally gone but also the big wad of bloody  paper towels that  I used to wipe off my hands after I gutted him.

They are very efficient 

[fernnj]

Found this buck first week in March 50 yds from one of my stands.  Never saw him during the season.  There was no snow at the end of Muzzleloader season in December.  I can't prove it, but my best guess would be coyote kill.  It wasn't that bad of a winter last year in the southern zone to be winter kill.  Its about a mile from the closest dirt road, poacher unlikely in this area as well...

[chiefbkt]

Shot a doe on state land with rifle.  It took off and fell just out of sight, prob 80 yards away.  I waited about 15 minutes for my buddies to make it over to me and then we headed to the deer.  By the time we got there, 1/5-1/4 of the hind quarter had been eaten.  We never heard or saw any coyotes.  

[Jeremy K]

Yup , got the picture to prove it also . Then we caught this feller cleaning up the scraps.

[Doc]

I haven't, but my son has had one ruined by coyotes. It is getting so you don't dare leave them overnight down in the Naples area. The coyotes can be pretty darn quick at following up a dying arrow-hit deer.

[PREDATE]

Found this buck first week in March 50 yds from one of my stands.  Never saw him during the season.  There was no snow at the end of Muzzleloader season in December.  I can't prove it, but my best guess would be coyote kill.  It wasn't that bad of a winter last year in the southern zone to be winter kill.  Its about a mile from the closest dirt road, poacher unlikely in this area as well...

That yote must have eaten his wheaties that day because a healthy buck of that size would stomp the stuffing out of a single yote or even a pair. It may have been a pack kill, but if the winter wasn't that bad, then the yotes probably weren't hurting for food enough to tangle with a full grown buck. Tough call, but I'll guess that a wound or disease led to the demise of that buck.

 

Back on topic, I've never had one eaten by any animal(besides me). I've only had to leave a few all night. I usually don't wait til morning unless I know it was a bad hit. 1-2 AM is usually enough time.

 What better reason to go home and grab the .22mag and get right back in the stand! Unless you don't have the constitution to jump in the woods @ night with all the vicious predators! lol  

Edited September 21, 2013 by PREDATE

[Doewhacker]

Happened to one of mine, double lunged a doe and waited maybe an hour for the rest of the hunting party to assist and by the time we got her the yotes cleaned out from the front leg to the hinds bones and all. They were very quick and didnt waste a drop of anything. Impressive critters, lucky for me I was able to salvage all of the rest of the meat.

[MACHINIST]

One year while hunting on last years tag up north early bow (sept 27th 2010 to be exact) I shot a doe and spined her.She was much closer than I thought.The other deer that was with her bolted a few yards and stopped so I knocked another arrow,and watched her run behind some trees.I waited for a shot but it never came.When I turned around there was a coyote closing fast from the field(she started flopping around and balling),I took aim and put the doe out of her misery and the yote just kept coming.I figured for sure he would have turned inside out but it was like he didn't hear anything.I grabbed another arrow drew and let it fly right over his back.He stopped and looked on my direction,I decided I have spent enough money already so I yelled and waved my arms to get him to leave.He ended up leaving,but it took him at least 30-40 second to make it out of sight.He wanted that doe!!!

[Pygmy]

I have not had it happen to me personally, but a few years ago one of my partners hit a doe in the late MZ season just before dark. He is an experienced deer hunter( bow and gun) and suspected that the deer may have been hit too far back. It was forecast be cold ( sub freezing) that night, so he decided to wait until the next morning to track it.

I accompanied him at first light the next morning..The deer had gone perhaps 125 yards, and it was torn to bits by coyotes..They had it scattered over about a 20 square yard area.

[growalot]

Yes......now I will wait the minimum  then  at least start a trail to see what's what....but having eyes all around me while gutting a deer at 2am and all alone is unnerving.....let's just say I'm not quiet when doing so...

(sp)

Edited September 22, 2013 by growalot

[WNYBuckHunter]

I havent had one eaten by yotes yet, but last year I shot a big doe at a buddy's place. We gutted it out and went to his house for the ATV to bring it out. By the time we arrived back to the deer, the coyotes were already in the vicinity, as one ran off less as we were pulling up to the area. I imagine if you left a deer lay there overnight, youd find scraps the next day.

[Fantail]

Yup lost two to yotes, and a partial one I hung in a barn to an old hound dog.

[phade]

Lost two to yotes. Both cases the hinds were cleaned out on shots left overnight.

 

I will say, if I have yote damage to the deer, I'm not inclined to eat much of it, if any. I don't feel it is sanitary.

[Fletch]

I have had two eaten up. One a nice 8 point I hit good before sunset. It was the year I bought the house I am in now. I hit it pretty well but was concerned with penetration since I saw the arrow sticking out. I let it rest for about 30 minutes and took up the trail. It was a hard trail due to one hole in the deer and I really did not know the property well. I lost the trail and pulled off it went back and ate and checked weather and went back out with no luck, Was a cool night so no worries got up at first light and found the deer in 10 minutes about 25 yards from where I last let off. It went through a real thick patch and down into a drainage. All that was left was the hide, the head and the legs. I would say that deer was 175 on the hoof anyway and in 7 hours it was ALL gone.

 

Second one was on a buddies property and it was a shot too far back and lost the trail in the dark. Next morning found that deer about 70% eaten.

 

They can make short work of one around here.

[Kot2B]

Fawn got hit over weekend down the road, this AM at 445 I heard them yipping and barking. Fawn was gone when I drove into work.

[nyantler]

If I didn't like tracking a deer at night... I wouldn't shoot a deer just before dark... especially with coyotes around.

[phade]

If I didn't like tracking a deer at night... I wouldn't shoot a deer just before dark... especially with coyotes around.

 

Good for you and your hypothetical ("if") ethics.

 

If I make a marginal shot and need to let a deer go overnight because of that, it is what it is. My horse isn't that high that I get nose bleeds. Weighing coyote damage over pushing a deer...6 in one, half dozen in the other. Good for my hypothetical ethics, too, lol.

[the blur]

The big question is, do you eat what is remaining, or leave it ?

[nyantler]

Good for you and your hypothetical ("if") ethics.

 

If I make a marginal shot and need to let a deer go overnight because of that, it is what it is. My horse isn't that high that I get nose bleeds. Weighing coyote damage over pushing a deer...6 in one, half dozen in the other. Good for my hypothetical ethics, too, lol.

Wasn't about ethics.. was about common sense. and should make even more sense now that he knows the outcome of leaving a deer overnight in that area. Either track at night or have your deer eaten by coyotes... if you don't like tracking at night, don't shoot the deer just before dark.. simple common sense... ethical or not.

Edited September 24, 2013 by nyantler

[YFKI1983]

shot a doe 3 years ago right before dark. waited until morning to go get her and a bunch of her was eaten. There was meat left but there was no way I was having a coyotes leftovers...