Pair of killers...

[WNY Bowhunter]

Checked my turkey cam set up yesterday and found a whole bunch of pics of this breeding pair of coyotes (and no turkeys pics in the past several days). It's kinda cool to see them up close in the daylight but it will be super tough not to give 'em a dose of hevishot in a few weeks, especially if they screw of my turkey hunting!!!

The male...

You can see that she definately has a litter close by...

[NFA-ADK]

Cool pics!

 

[Lawdwaz]

Darn it all.......................if ONLY the coyote season WAS open during spring gobbler season.

 

 

 

 

[Four Season Whitetail's]

Nah they wont effect your turkey hunting and surely will not eat a pile of your fawns this year. I believe thats what 1 or 2 frequent posters here say anyways. I guess you will find out. 

[NYhuntingdogs]

"You can see that she definately has a litter close by..." What do you mean by that? They both sure do look healthy to me.

[landtracdeerhunter]

Couple days ago. while shed hunting, I got dangerous close to one, maybe 30'. Stumbled onto it's den.  Wasn't defensive, but did stop to take a look at me.  Maybe that explains, part of the reason, why I haven't found many sheds.

[Doc]

By golly, they are a pretty healthy looking pair. All we have around here are mangy looking things that you wouldn't want to touch even with rubber gloves......lol. I have seen a couple of them that I swear don't have a single hair on their tail.

 

So what do you all think? ...... Are they really a scourge of the turkey population? Do they really actually catch all that many? I know they would likely eat eggs just like about all of the critters out there, but as far as actually snagging down a live turkey, anybody ever see some actual evidence that they are real efficient at doing that?

[Skillet]

Kill them. Not that I would, but I know a guy who knows a guy.......

[WNY Bowhunter]

"You can see that she definately has a litter close by..." What do you mean by that? They both sure do look healthy to me.

She has some swelled up teets...

[greg54]

Cool pics

[grampy]

Around here, they seem to get hit with lightning or something.......alot.

[Four Season Whitetail's]

By golly, they are a pretty healthy looking pair. All we have around here are mangy looking things that you wouldn't want to touch even with rubber gloves......lol. I have seen a couple of them that I swear don't have a single hair on their tail.

 

So what do you all think? ...... Are they really a scourge of the turkey population? Do they really actually catch all that many? I know they would likely eat eggs just like about all of the critters out there, but as far as actually snagging down a live turkey, anybody ever see some actual evidence that they are real efficient at doing that?

I doubt they catch very many adults but higher numbers of dogs will get the little ones and the nest of egg's. They will run/break up a flock of birds off your property trying to get lunch over and over thats for sure. 

[Mr VJP]

Last week I found the remains of two fawns on my land that were torn apart.  Can't tell if they were already dead from the long winter and eaten by yotes, or if the yotes got them.  There were plenty of tracks in the snow though.  

 

Every year, I also find at least 3 or 4 remains of turkey that were torn up leaving only a mess of feathers.  I used to find a couple of turkey nests with eggs towards the end of May each year, but not since there have been yotes around the last 5 years or so.

 

There are at least 2 packs that prowl around here at night.  You can hear them howling from two locations almost every night.

 

On top of that, I've seen fisher on the property 3 times since last October.

 

 

[nyantler]

By golly, they are a pretty healthy looking pair. All we have around here are mangy looking things that you wouldn't want to touch even with rubber gloves......lol. I have seen a couple of them that I swear don't have a single hair on their tail.

 

So what do you all think? ...... Are they really a scourge of the turkey population? Do they really actually catch all that many? I know they would likely eat eggs just like about all of the critters out there, but as far as actually snagging down a live turkey, anybody ever see some actual evidence that they are real efficient at doing that?

 

I think they are as efficient as they need to be if hungry enough... with the high population of small mammals and rodents in most habitats in NY the need to expel a bunch of energy to catch a turkey might not be necessary on a regular basis... but they are opportunists so an occasional turkey dinner is probably on the menu.

[Trial153]

A closed season on coyotes is asinine. Typical NYS DEC

[wolc123]

I used to be part of the anti-coyote crowd but not any more.   They do take lots of turkeys, but I always saw then as "feathered-rats" anyhow. Wild turkey is very low on my food preference list, a notch or two below store-bought chicken.   I never liked the idea of coyotes eating deer though, as venison ranks at the top of my food preference list.   We seem to be loosing more and more hunters lately and many of those who remain seem to be only after "big" bucks.    Also, we are seeing more and more farmland disappear, either into subdivisions or just abandoned and let revert into jungle-like cover.   These two factors have resulted in an out-of-control deer population.  The local deer disappear into the jungles during the daylight, as soon as the first shots are fired.   Conventional archery tackle is not too effective on groups of does, as there is too many eyes around most of the time to be able to make the draw without getting busted.   A small group of elitist, selfish bow-hunters have managed to keep the crossbow out of most of archery season.   That basically leaves the coyote as the best tool available to keep local deer numbers somewhat under control.   I also like the fact that the coyotes tend to take out the weak deer first, mostly fawns or rutted-out bucks.   That's got to help the deer more overall, and is definitely more in-tune with mother nature, than concentrating on killing big, strong bucks or mature does as seems to be what more and more of a dwindling number of hunters are trying to do these days.    If my freezer were not jammed to the gills with venison, I would be a little more against the coyote.  As it stands now, he is my best friend to help keep the dents off my fenders, a little landscaping around the house, and some food in the garden.  Hail to the coyote.                  

[Trial153]

I used to be part of the anti-coyote crowd but not any more. They do take lots of turkeys, but I always saw then as "feathered-rats" anyhow. Wild turkey is very low on my food preference list, a notch or two below store-bought chicken. I never liked the idea of coyotes eating deer though, as venison ranks at the top of my food preference list. We seem to be loosing more and more hunters lately and many of those who remain seem to be only after "big" bucks. Also, we are seeing more and more farmland disappear, either into subdivisions or just abandoned and let revert into jungle-like cover. These two factors have resulted in an out-of-control deer population. The local deer disappear into the jungles during the daylight, as soon as the first shots are fired. Conventional archery tackle is not too effective on groups of does, as there is too many eyes around most of the time to be able to make the draw without getting busted. A small group of elitist, selfish bow-hunters have managed to keep the crossbow out of most of archery season. That basically leaves the coyote as the best tool available to keep local deer numbers somewhat under control. I also like the fact that the coyotes tend to take out the weak deer first, mostly fawns or rutted-out bucks. That's got to help the deer more overall, and is definitely more in-tune with mother nature, than concentrating on killing big, strong bucks or mature does as seems to be what more and more of a dwindling number of hunters are trying to do these days. If my freezer were not jammed to the gills with venison, I would be a little more against the coyote. As it stands now, he is my best friend to help keep the dents off my fenders, a little landscaping around the house, and some food in the garden. Hail to the coyote.

I want what your smoking.

[MACHINIST]

By golly, they are a pretty healthy looking pair. All we have around here are mangy looking things that you wouldn't want to touch even with rubber gloves......lol. I have seen a couple of them that I swear don't have a single hair on their tail.

 

So what do you all think? ...... Are they really a scourge of the turkey population? Do they really actually catch all that many? I know they would likely eat eggs just like about all of the critters out there, but as far as actually snagging down a live turkey, anybody ever see some actual evidence that they are real efficient at doing that?

 

 

Full grow turkeys,no I don't think they get man.Poults on the other hand get eaten by foxes and coyotes quite regularly.Coyote season should be open at least till may 31 if not year round.They are pretty thick in my area.We usually call in as many yotes as turkeys while turkey hunting.They really make your bunghole pucker up when they get behind you and you didn't know they where there!!

[MACHINIST]

Every year, I also find at least 3 or 4 remains of turkey that were torn up leaving only a mess of feathers.  I used to find a couple of turkey nests with eggs towards the end of May each year, but not since there have been yotes around the last 5 years or so.

 

There are at least 2 packs that prowl around here at night.  You can hear them howling from two locations almost every night.

 

On top of that, I've seen fisher on the property 3 times since last October.

 

 

I would bet the fisher is the turkey killer in that pairing more than the coyotes are.From what I have heard a fisher will get right in a roost tree and take out a bird.

[wmig2]

Fishers are the navy seals of the forest for sure.

[Four Season Whitetail's]

I want what your smoking.

Ya no kidding. Does this poster own his own property and pay big time taxes on that property to let his pet yotes kill the extra deer on that land he pays taxes on. Some...MOST of us that do would much rather see deer and turkeys than a mangy dog.  Thanks!

[wolc123]

The problem is that the human hunters are not getting the job done currently with the "legal" tools they have and I have to dodge deer almost every day on the way to and from work. At least one human has been killed in recent years from a car-deer collision in our town.  I believe the crossbow is the best answer to the problem of thinning out the deer a bit.  I am certain I could fill all my antlerless tags every year with one if I had the whole archery season to work with.  Deer go completely nocturnal around here, shortly after the first shots are fired during gun season.  I do pay taxes on my land but I also pay for auto-insurance.   Proper balance is where it is at as far as what animals I want to see.   When the hunters can't keep things in balance, the coyote can help.  My situation is further aggravated because the adjacent town (which I have to cross every day to get to my job in the city) bans all hunting.   As mentioned in my previous post, I don't care for wild turkeys and there is no doubt that coyotes are very effective at their removal.   I would vote for a year-round open coyote season only if the state gave us cross-bow hunters unrestricted access to all of archery deer season.    I believe that the local hunters could easily keep deer numbers in check if they had more access to this far more effective weapon (10x or more for doe-killing is my estimate after one season's usage).               

[G-Man]

A number of years ago neighbor and I found a den on the line has 8 or 10 turkey carcasses laying around it.. the den is no longer there....

[G-Man]

They are valuable fur bearers and the season closes when they. Are having pups. Same as squirrels and many other animals. The state looks as them as a resource. As for year round open season, I think in areas it's needed or should be extended to control numbers, the eastern coyote is different as it hunts in packs vs the westers lone hunter.. perhaps from part wolf gene idk.. but do they take game absolutely, same as fisher, Bobcat,and raptors.. most mammal carnivores now have seasons, but raptors do not, although their numbers have rebounded since ddt has been banned, hawks take more pouts and phesant around me than hunters do. But no one talks about them. I've seen many turkeys with just the heads eaten off by owls. Again they are protected,

I guess we have to share our game with everything, same as my hard earned dollars....

[WNYBuckHunter]

The problem is that the human hunters are not getting the job done currently with the "legal" tools they have and I have to dodge deer almost every day on the way to and from work. At least one human has been killed in recent years from a car-deer collision in our town.  I believe the crossbow is the best answer to the problem of thinning out the deer a bit.  I am certain I could fill all my antlerless tags every year with one if I had the whole archery season to work with.  Deer go completely nocturnal around here, shortly after the first shots are fired during gun season.  I do pay taxes on my land but I also pay for auto-insurance.   Proper balance is where it is at as far as what animals I want to see.   When the hunters can't keep things in balance, the coyote can help.  My situation is further aggravated because the adjacent town (which I have to cross every day to get to my job in the city) bans all hunting.   As mentioned in my previous post, I don't care for wild turkeys and there is no doubt that coyotes are very effective at their removal.   I would vote for a year-round open coyote season only if the state gave us cross-bow hunters unrestricted access to all of archery deer season.    I believe that the local hunters could easily keep deer numbers in check if they had more access to this far more effective weapon (10x or more for doe-killing is my estimate after one season's usage).               

 

Deer that go "nocturnal" are still there somewhere. They arent burrowing animals. Get out of your stand from time to time and still hunt if you arent seeing them moving. Since I started really learning how to still hunt, I take deer every single year that way. Its alot more fun than stand hunting too.