Coyote hunting, yes or no?

can't miss

Well-Known Member
Does coyote hunting/culling work? Full discloser, I dabble in the hunt a bit, do some calling now and then, and occasionally take a stand when the Saturday gang push home bush.
Year after year, population, here anyway, never seem's to change, and if anything, seem's to grow? Local guy's hunt hard and seem to do well, taking hundred's out of our twsp.
My folk's place, no one hunts them, and coyotes are there, but population seem's to stay at a some what a ok level. Pretty much the same area.
Have watched alot of documentaries and read many article's on how if left allow, yotes control their population's, and seen as much media on how culling is the best defense,?
Any thought's?
 
I know that the area I hunt near Shedden seems to have been thinned out.....on my hunting property anyway. I only saw one this deer season compared to being surrounded by them 2yrs ago during turkey season. That could just be them relocating though or maybe just right place at the right time. I did see a few sets of tracks last weekend while retrieving my stand so looks like I should start that again soon. Some snow on the ground would help for a white backdrop!!
 
I don't know about it having any effect on the population but I hope y'all continue to hunt them , Too many have lost their fear of man .
 
Bass/Dave
Get what you are both saying, and I really don't know, no expert on yotes, but, they never seem to get thinned out here, and the local group here pounds them all winter long. My concession today they ran hound's and at one point had 5 on the go, think they got 4 and they had a few from another concession already in the box. Have to admit, cold as it was, real fast paste hunting with everyone calling sightings, hounds toughing, pretty damm exciting. I only join in, ( or get in their way?} when they push my turf. Stayed out way to long, still can't get warm?
 
My understanding of coyotes they maintain there numbers through breeding. If there numbers are good then the bitch produce lower numbers of pups. When in decline she produces larger litters. You can't get ahead of them.
 
I see them around my place all the time. I think I saw one every morning I turkey hunted this spring. My next door neighbour has sheep and has asked me NOT to shoot any. His thinking is based on some research by sheep producers. If you have coyotes near your sheep and they are not bother them you want to keep those coyotes as they are keeping others out. If you shoot them you have no control of what kind of bad actors will take their place. As a result I have had my crosshairs on them a few times and been tempted but have respected my neighbour's request and never shot one here.
 
Coyotes are territorial. The size of a territory varies by prey availability, but for convenience lets say a territory is one concession block between roads (in my area this is 1.5 square miles or 4 square kilometers, which isn't far off of what the literature says for agricultural areas).

Every January, each territory is occupied by a breeding pair, with the odd vagrant passing through looking for a territory.
Whelping season means 4-6 pups per couple. Now each territory holds 6-8 animals.
In the late fall/early winter, mom and dad kick the pups out. These become vagrants looking to occupy a territory where an animal has been killed.
Now we are back to January, where each territory has a breeding pair, plus the odd vagrant.

So: If you want to reduce the number of coyotes on your property, you'll have to get rid of this year's pups, plus the breeding stock. You will have to also get rid of the pups on EVERY neighbouring territory (and they can travel huge distances) to ensure you don't have any vagrants that will reoccupy the territory.

Long story short, if you can take out 100 or so animals in your neighbourhood (within 5 miles) every year, you can likely make a tangible difference to the coyote population in your neighbourhood. If you shoot one or two or ten, you are only killing the ones that would have otherwise died and been naturally replaced by vagrants.

-moose
 
I've always gone with the thought for every coyote you see...there is at least 3 you don't

In my area The coyote #'s have been increasing every year.....I think with the higher turkey # 's and the always good deer population is the primary reason .

fox #'s are down as a result of the coyotes moving in.....and now the rodent # have increased.
we r getting dz + mice and voles in the traps each week in trailer & generator shed.
 
Coyotes are territorial. The size of a territory varies by prey availability, but for convenience lets say a territory is one concession block between roads (in my area this is 1.5 square miles or 4 square kilometers, which isn't far off of what the literature says for agricultural areas).

Every January, each territory is occupied by a breeding pair, with the odd vagrant passing through looking for a territory.
Whelping season means 4-6 pups per couple. Now each territory holds 6-8 animals.
In the late fall/early winter, mom and dad kick the pups out. These become vagrants looking to occupy a territory where an animal has been killed.
Now we are back to January, where each territory has a breeding pair, plus the odd vagrant.

So: If you want to reduce the number of coyotes on your property, you'll have to get rid of this year's pups, plus the breeding stock. You will have to also get rid of the pups on EVERY neighbouring territory (and they can travel huge distances) to ensure you don't have any vagrants that will reoccupy the territory.

Long story short, if you can take out 100 or so animals in your neighbourhood (within 5 miles) every year, you can likely make a tangible difference to the coyote population in your neighbourhood. If you shoot one or two or ten, you are only killing the ones that would have otherwise died and been naturally replaced by vagrants.

-moose

The huge problem with your interpretation of population control is your assumption that every bush or territory is occupied by coyotes and that every coyote dies each season to be "replaced by vagrants" when neither are true. With a life expectancy of 5+ years, the same animals can and will inhabit the same territory for a few years. Another issue is your assumption that killing "one, two, or ten" will make zero difference. Let's assume a hunter kills 6 animals...3 males and 3 females. That's 6 breeding adults taken out plus roughly 15+ pups that could have been produced that year so killing 6 adults could theoretically be taking out over 20 animals. Or it could be 6 males for a total elimination of 6 or it could be 6 females for a total possible elimination of 30+ animals.

It's near impossible to remove coyotes once established. However, hunting is an effective method for population control.


As for avoiding the killing of coyotes as a method of population control...No, it doesn't work that way. You're allowing the established breeding pair(s) to breed on your property and their pups are simply spreading to neighboring properties. There's a reason why most places have no season or bag limit on coyote. Killing as many as possible is the most effective solution.
 
we r getting dz + mice and voles in the traps each week in trailer & generator shed.

The perceived increase in rodent population is simply due to the harvest of crops and onset of winter pushing rodents to our properties for food and shelter. The same thing happens every year in rural areas where you'll see little rodent activity all year and then suddenly a huge surge in rodent activity late fall/early winter.
 
The perceived increase in rodent population is simply due to the harvest of crops and onset of winter pushing rodents to our properties for food and shelter. The same thing happens every year in rural areas where you'll see little rodent activity all year and then suddenly a huge surge in rodent activity late fall/early winter.
very true....but this year the #'s have more than tripled
 
Thanks for all the input's, opinions on yotes. Pushing 20 yrs living in a S.Ont bush area, have gone threw a few varmint controls phases. From get rid of them all, to only use capital punishment as a last resort, to back to culling, but time and age are telling me, nature will always win??
Saw a documentary a couple yrs back, mid west US beef farmer had yote problem's, tried mass culling and still lost calves. Went to leaving a dead stock available to predators, problem ended and population's remained at a ok level, they had great film-age of yotes passing herd\ calves, going to gut pile.
 
The huge problem with your interpretation of population control is your assumption that every bush or territory is occupied by coyotes
Admittedly this is a generalization, but very much supported by local research (Dr. Brent Patterson TrentU, John Pisapio OMNR).

and that every coyote dies each season to be "replaced by vagrants" when neither are true.
I'm not sure where you got this idea that every coyote dies each season, but it certainly wasn't from reading my post.

Transient/Vagrant coyotes have not been shown to breed in absence of a territory. Many animals never breed as mortality rates are high. This is why killing a female does not guarantee that you've removed x number of pups from the landscape.

Check out Dr. Brent Patterson answering this question at 1:12 in this video. He points out why coyote control is normally ineffective.

Like I said, vagrants are quick to pick up an opening on the landscape and replace a breeding animal who has died. Here is the Quality Deer Management Association's take on it:

"Residents, who are usually older and more dominant individuals, maintain territories while younger transients may bounce from one area to another looking to establish their own territories. As soon as a territory is vacated (on your property for example), it quickly becomes occupied by a new individual"

https://www.qdma.com/coyote-control-right-option/

Coyote control isn't impossible, but the folks who pat themselves on the back for killing a few are pretty misinformed.
 
Great presentation by Brent Patterson. Brought it up on the television and drank a half a pot of coffee while watching it. Very interesting and factual.
Thanks anonymoose for posting the link.
 
Anyone in the Woodstock area that wants to have the coyote and foxes that we shoot can text me or call me at 226 448-0928. Shot a beautiful fox tonight, seems a shame to waste a nice pelt, but I don't skin them. Don't shoot a lot of foxes, as I like them, but sometimes you just have to.

For now I put in freezer.
 
Not many fox around anymore. Coyotes keep the competition down. As far a hunting coyotes for population control. I have to agree it doesn't work for all the aforementioned posts BUT boy it sure is fun to call and shoot them, run hounds and shoot them. Common theme is fun to shoot them. I never pass one up no matter incidental like deer or turkey hunting or actually targeting them.
 
This is why killing a female does not guarantee that you've removed x number of pups from the landscape.

Coyote control isn't impossible, but the folks who pat themselves on the back for killing a few are pretty misinformed.

Killing a female definitely doesn't guarantee removal of anymore animals but that lone female, but odds are pretty good you've prevented a few pups from being born. What sex do you target when trying to reduce the population of other animals? Females.

A hunter who shoots even only one coyote should pat themselves on the back due to the fact that it's unknown how many pups that animal may produce or how many animals it may kill before it's shot or dies naturally. It could die 10 minutes later or it could live another few years killing and reproducing along the way. You don't know, I don't know, nobody knows.

In your opinion, exactly how many animals does one need to kill before they're entitled to pat themselves on the back?
 
I smile ear to ear when I harvest a animal weather it's a deer ,fish or yote .
it's not just the kill! it has more to do with out smarting the critters in there environment. and I pat anyone on the back for doing so(y)
 
Thanks for all the info folks. Here's where I'm at?
The video info session is watch-able, but long, and kinda directed to those not living in the rural. I'm not really consered about tagged yote's living in TO.
More concerned about the one's that eat my chicken's, and drag away the outdoor dog dish.
Learned today, government stat's, outside the MNR, we, spent 1.255 million on compensation to livestock owners, for coyote damages alone.
Sure hope those tagged yote's in TO don't get hit by a bus?
If my math is right, 1.255$ million, could cover a bounty, at $30 per coyote, $25 per yote to the hunter and $5 to per, to administration.
That could harvest, 41833 yotes per yr,
or a couple dozen tagged in TO?
 
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