Time will tell. EDITOR’S NOTE: Matt Knox, a regular contributor to Whitetail Times, is the deer project coordinator for Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Note both surveys still show significant annual variation between years over the past decade. “A friend killed a coyote just a few years ago and witnessed deer reacting negatively to the sight/smell of the carcass an hour later while he was still on stand.”, It’s true that coyotes can affect deer populations, with their most notable impact being on fawns. https://www.realtree.com/deer-hunting/articles/how-coyotes-killed-deer-hunting They can live in any environment in Virginia, including some of the most densely populated urban areas in the United States. However, the price tag of a coyote’s fur depends on the quality and damage inflicted on it. If I’ve learned one thing in 30 years of whitetail hunting across North America, it’s this: If you want to shoot big deer consistently, especially with a bow, you need to learn all you can about how a buck sees, hears and smells, and then you need to devise ways to try and negate those awesome senses. Obviously, coyotes are preying on and killing fawns all across Virginia. Deer Hunting; If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. This data suggests that coyote population densities are higher west of the Blue Ridge Mountains than they are east of the Blue Ridge Mountains and/or coyotes are more visible to bow hunters in western Virginia. Last, they are highly intelligent. This deer management approach is possible because the heavy hunting losses are offset each year by fawn recruitment. Big bucks, land management, rut reports, and tips for the whitetail obsessed. would actually improve. A deer will have a harder time spotting you while you are wearing an orange vest than a fellow hunter. I did not spend much time looking into coyote genetics, but I would expect that the coyote migration that came from the south contains little to no wolf genetics or influence. But you must only use a shotgun with #2 shot or smaller, or a rifle with a projectile which is fired with 400 ft.lbs or less (22 win mag or less). A burst abdomen and/or bladder will immobilize the deer and cause it to go into shock. For the past several decades, Virginia, and most other eastern states, have maintained moderate to low density deer herds with fairly high deer kill/mortality rates. Here comes a coyote around the tree line. By Matt Knox, Deer Project Coordinator, DGIF. shooting every one you see while deer hunting) will typically have little or no effect. Whitetail land managers can do the same. Western coyotes average about 20-30 pounds and eastern coyotes generally average between 30 and 40 pounds. Conclusion. I bet if one of those deer had a pronounced limp or visible injury, the coyote would respond differently. Though not as much as deer or elk, federal governments still collect revenue from the issuance of coyote tags and licenses. Various studies show coyote predation accounts for anywhere from 37% to 80% of fawn mortality. Just like any other game, coyote hunting too requires you to get a hunting license. For attribution information and reprint rights, contact Denny Quaiff, Executive Director, VDHA. Several of my deer biologist peers are of the opinion that coyotes do not routinely prey on healthy adult deer, but coyote predation research projects are inconclusive. Matt Ross, avid deer hunter and assistant director of conservation for the QDMA, has heard firsthand of situations such as this. Deer Hunting; If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. If coyote depressed herds occur they will be most likely in poor habitats. When a silent, still morning is broken by the shocking report of a rifle, there’s the real risk of alerting nearby deer. There are also bobcats. Even if coyote predation was conclusively identified as a controlling factor on Virginia’s deer herds, unless disease outbreaks control coyotes, I do not know or believe that there is any practical or economical way for us as an Agency, or hunters as a group, to control coyote populations over nearly 36,000 square miles of deer habitat. Yes i know dumb, but check anyway. Image: Sam B – Coyote hunting Fort Rock OR. Additionally, the large annual antlerless deer kill level required to control deer population numbers would have to be reduced significantly. If the coyote does not leave, back away slowly while continuing to haze and go indoors if possible. Other studies show different proportions, but suffice it to say the northeastern coyote is a Heinz 57 coyote with varying degrees of wolf and domestic dog genetics. So as you might imagine, they’re having the greatest effects on younger deer. You don't need any fancy outfit for varmint hunting, unless you feel the need. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. Like crows, you may fool them once, but you will not fool them twice. How to Hunt Prairie Coyotes Knox did his graduate study at the University of Georgia and is an avid deer hunter. Remove a dominant coyote from an area, and it’s likely that more coyotes will swarm in and jockey for … They’re thriving. All archers can and most do wear camo.. For many hunters, the immediate next step is to reach for the gun or bow. ... “I may go out seven or eight times and not see a coyote,” the older Goecker said. Instead of reaching for a weapon, consider the possibility of sitting back and watching another cunning hunter at work, doing exactly what Mother Nature built it to do. Back in 1998, when the bow hunter survey was initiated, bow hunters reported seeing a coyote about every 660 hours afield (see Figure 1). In October I was bow hunting my food plot. The current popular deer hunting literature is packed with articles demonizing coyotes, stating that they will be the end of deer hunting and deer management as we know it.