It depends on who you ask. If you asked our G&F, they would probably say the herd density is either still a little too high or just where it needs to be. And to their credit - our annual statewide harvest numbers have been remarkably consistent over the past five or six years. However, in my local area, we are way down on numbers. I would guess we have, conservatively, 50% of the deer we had eight or ten years ago - and they were never overpopulated. We used to consistently have several older bucks in the herd -but with the decline in deer numbers, there are now very few older bucks. We averaged killing at least one 125” deer off our place every year. We have not killed one in four years. In my part of the state, those of us who have deer, have them because we are so very conservative with our harvest. We have killed one doe off our 300 acres in five years. We average killing two bucks a year. We love deer meat and killing deer - the anticipation, the tracking, the comraderie around the skinning pole, the preparation of the meat, the cooking and eating - are all major reasons for hunting. And the money spent of land and improvements and then the four of us that hunt my land harvest two deer per year can make you second guess what you are doing. I promise - coyotes take more than two deer per year off my place. Twn years ago, in my state, we had fawn recruitment numbers of .8 fawns per doe. It has fallen to .48 - as has fawn recruitment all across the south.
All that to say - no, coyotes are not helping the situation - they are making it worse. Our g&f could lower the doe harvest regulations - but that has not happened. So those of us who like to see deer will continue to not shoot does.
