Coyote and Deer Populations

[jdurham]

There is some interesting reading on how bad coyotes can affect deer populations.  I live in Unit 124 south of Newport.  I keep mineral blocks and game cameras out yearound so I have a good eye on the deer herds here.   My neighbor has 80 acres of alfalfa so there is a reason for them to be here.  We have both noticed a lack of fawns with does during the summer months.  My game camera and observations by myself and others that scout or watch deer here are seeing about a 5 to 1 ratio on the deer.  That is 5 bucks to every doe!  We have had two mild winters in a row now so numbers should be increasing not declining.   This summer I had 6 does and only 1 fawn on my game camera.  There is an abundance of coyotes here and an occasional set of cougar tracks.  And yes, the wolves are showing up too.

http://www.americanhunter.org/ArticlePage.aspx?id=2121&cid=47

More good reading.   http://dongasaway.wordpress.com/2010/06/07/a-deer-coyote-study/
http://www.americanhunter.org/articles/how-coyotes-affect-deer-herds/

[Kowsrule30]

Yote season is still open.... Better get some down before they start dropping fawns....

[jdurham]

Yote season is still open.... Better get some down before they start dropping fawns....

I took 13 out of my field a year ago.  They don't like to hang around here anymore.  I do have some hunters coming up Monday to do some calling.

[Kowsrule30]

Sweet... Hope they get some!!! 

[jdurham]

I am hoping to remove 20 yotes between now and May where I hunt for blacktails on the coast. A lot of big dogs have been showing up and need to be delt with.

Any number removed will help.  Coyotes are rough on our game and nesting game birds.  As for dogs, they can be a real problem too.  I live right on the Idaho border.  A few years ago there were quit a few dogs chasing deer around here.  I called both WDFW and IDF&G.  Neither agency did anything other than tell me I couldn't or better not shoot them.  I don't see many dogs running or roaming free this year.  That would be consistent with wolves being spotted here.

[buckfvr]

I have recently decided they need to be hunted year round......if not hunting game animals,  I will target dogs.  I also see first hand the damage they do....I cant even keep track of how many times I have seen yotes run fawns and even adult deer.  121 needs help with yotes, plenty of dogs, but man are they smart...

[jdurham]

Yotes are very smart.  Hard to trap and with the trapping laws I know quite a few people that gave up on trapping.  I am getting serious enough about shooting coyotes that I am looking at night scopes for my ruger #1.  I know some other methods for getting rid of them that I won't mention here!  Very effective too.

[buckfvr]

Im comparing high intensity lights, plus pouring over the long range rifles and scopes to come up with a rig that is slam dunk at 5-600 yards.....If that was slam dunk instead of hail Mary, there'd be more dead yotes.

[jdurham]

I look at those tactical scopes too.  Millet makes some affordable ones that would work great for hunting.  Most any round works great if you know the excact distance and where your rifle hits at that range and the scope that can be adjusted easily and return to the same spot each time.  Most of my shots here are 250-300.  I did take one at 450 with my 7MM.  I shoot the 150 winchester supremes in my 7MM.  A very accurate factory load.  Hornady Vmax in my 22-250.

[jdurham]

I have looked at some of the night vision you can adapt to your scope too.  They sell different adapters that fit the different size optics.  Expensive but...... you can move from weapon to weapon. 

[buckfvr]

Elusivewildlife.com.........XLR 250 mounts atop your scope, guaranteed to light them up out to 250 yards....Your choice of lens colors, read some good reviews, found for about 140 bucks, which is less expensive than many of the others.  Im thinking 6-24X50 with target turrets,  and maybe 6.5 Creedmoor.....or something on those lines.  A true long range heavy barrel coyote gun that can also handle whitetail out there on the next ridge.......

[jdurham]

I have been considering the 6.5x284.  It is making some pretty impressive 1000 yard groups at competitions.  The BC of the 6.5 is about as good as you get.  Savage makes a great gun chambered for that round.  Accustock and Accutrigger. 
I believe it is the 10/110 predator model.  Just over $900.

[bobcat]

Elusivewildlife.com.........XLR 250 mounts atop your scope, guaranteed to light them up out to 250 yards....Your choice of lens colors, read some good reviews, found for about 140 bucks, which is less expensive than many of the others.  Im thinking 6-24X50 with target turrets,  and maybe 6.5 Creedmoor.....or something on those lines.  A true long range heavy barrel coyote gun that can also handle whitetail out there on the next ridge.......

That's the same light I was looking at, and same website. Did a little research on predatormasters.com and that's the one that seems to be getting all the favorable reviews. I don't want to spend the money right now but by next winter I'll have one.

[buckfvr]

I have been considering the 6.5x284.  It is making some pretty impressive 1000 yard groups at competitions.  The BC of the 6.5 is about as good as you get.  Savage makes a great gun chambered for that round.  Accustock and Accutrigger. 
I believe it is the 10/110 predator model.  Just over $900.

Yep....thats at the top of my list.....little spooked by the reviews of barrel life on the 6.5X.284...seems they burn the throats pretty quickly.  But, as usual, I will go back and forth on the specific chambering, but I think Im leaning towards the Creedmoor......in the 10 Predator Hunter Max 1 ....love that model.

[buckfvr]

Elusivewildlife.com.........XLR 250 mounts atop your scope, guaranteed to light them up out to 250 yards....Your choice of lens colors, read some good reviews, found for about 140 bucks, which is less expensive than many of the others.  Im thinking 6-24X50 with target turrets,  and maybe 6.5 Creedmoor.....or something on those lines.  A true long range heavy barrel coyote gun that can also handle whitetail out there on the next ridge.......

That's the same light I was looking at, and same website. Did a little research on predatormasters.com and that's the one that seems to be getting all the favorable reviews. I don't want to spend the money right now but by next winter I'll have one.

 

I think I will have that light here in the next month, and mount it on my .243 that gets the coyote nod for now....I hope its as good as many say it is.....We get a middle of the night wake up call darn near every night.....I want to be able to light them up to thank them properly....