Coyote hunting in the spring.

[Pigfuz]

Just curious how many people out there hunt coyotes in the spring time. Do you worry about if they have pups or not? If you see a puppy do you shoot it?  I ask this because I've been seeing a bunch of coyotes lately and I have been thinking about hunting them but today I just found the coyote den  and it has pups in it. Is it ethical to hunt them while they have pups?  Just in a dilemma now after standing two feet away from one of the pups. It was about the size of a rabbit.

[KFhunter]

That's a personal decision, and IMO one best not shared on the internet.

Killing the wet nursing mother doesn't mean all the pups die of starvation, other sub yotes can come into milk.  They also wean pretty quickly late april or may.

 

[Special T]

There is a reason why they are year round no limit... just saying.

[JODakota]

I look at them as a resource, but I also put fur up. So, I am not one to actively go out coyote hunting in the off season but that doesn't mean if I see one , it's not getting the long range ****

[WAcoyotehunter]

I wouldn't hunt them in the spring; the fur is worthless and if you shoot a wet female the pups will absolutely die.  Let them fur up and shoot them in the fall.  Until then, use this time to figure out their habits and enjoy watching those pups grow up.  They're a neat animal

[SteelheadTed]

Coyotes are extremely resilient and efforts to kill them off in the past almost always results in a population increase, not decrease.  When under killing pressure the females breed earlier and have more pups per liter.  So, while it may still be frowned upon to kill a female that may be nursing pups, it won't hurt the population.  As stated already, this is why there is such a generous season for them, you can't kill enough to make a difference and if you kill a lot you might just end up with more than you started.

The Meat Eater podcast is one of my favorite podcasts and on episode 33 they had Dan Flores on the show.  He knows a lot about coyotes and just wrote a book about them that was recently released, Coyote America.  That podcast is definitely worth a listen, it was one of the better ones they've done so far.

[Special T]

If you want to whack one with a bow getem while they are young and dumb!

[Gringo31]

Predator reduction is helpful for fawns as well as chicks.


It's possible that next year you have increased litters.  It's probable that early fall, coyotes looking for new territory will move into your area if you've reduced the population.

There are those that will kill the pups and those that CHOOSE not to.  If you are asking about the legality of it, the light is green but the choice is yours.  I'll respect your choice either way.

[grundy53]

That's a personal decision, and IMO one best not shared on the internet.

This



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[idahohuntr]

I shoot them year round on my place.  The last few weeks I've watched several pregnant deer in my food plot  - that's what I'm thinking of when I see coyotes hanging around. 

[SteelheadTed]

I shoot them year round on my place.  The last few weeks I've watched several pregnant deer in my food plot  - that's what I'm thinking of when I see coyotes hanging around. 

The data is against you with regard to that helping the deer.  Not saying you shouldn't but it likely isn't helping the deer population.

[Special T]

Im pretty sure a kill at this time of year is a temporary fix. Kill a couple and it may help this years crop of deer.
I read a couple articles that talked about early fruiting trees/bushes in the south that fruit about the same time fawns dropp..permesian comes to mind.. that would likely help more than incidental shooting of them.

[heronblu]

I shoot them year round on my place.  The last few weeks I've watched several pregnant deer in my food plot  - that's what I'm thinking of when I see coyotes hanging around. 

The data is against you with regard to that helping the deer.  Not saying you shouldn't but it likely isn't helping the deer population.

data also suggests that hunting pressure only succeeds in increasing coyote populations. Ive shot at a few here and there but I'm under no illusion that hunting then does anything but bolster their numbers.

[SteelheadTed]

I shoot them year round on my place.  The last few weeks I've watched several pregnant deer in my food plot  - that's what I'm thinking of when I see coyotes hanging around. 

The data is against you with regard to that helping the deer.  Not saying you shouldn't but it likely isn't helping the deer population.

data also suggests that hunting pressure only succeeds in increasing coyote populations. Ive shot at a few here and there but I'm under no illusion that hunting then does anything but bolster their numbers.

That's what I said...

[JakeLand]

I shoot em year round period just like a starlings no tears here