The New Coyote and Other Predators..... Can You Win?

[SwampCat]

I actually believe coyotes are a benefit around my place, other than June and July. We have a lot of feral hogs, and coyote scat, most of the year, contains feral hog hair. I don't know that they feed on raccoons, but we have a lot of those, also. We don't have rabbits, quail, turkeys, or cotton rats - so coons and hogs may be the primary food source. I feel coyotes are actually helping me out most of the year. But, I could not maintain the deer herd and kill a deer or two every year with low deer density - there would not be enough fawns make it past the coyotes to maintain the population. We have to have a reasonable or elevated deer density for everyone to live together.

 

[Bowhunter]

I'll admit I got tired of reading and skipped to the end. anyway, is it possible that areas of the country that have a shorter more intense rut whereas most of the fawns are all born around the same time have a higher survival rate than those areas where the rut is spread out so the fawns are born more spread out? My thinking is, if all fawns are born within a 2 week span there's a shorter duration as a whole they are vulnerable to predation

Good thought, but I’m not sure this applies if your in bear country.

Black bears during this time are non stop eating and searching for food. Their appetite is endless during the summer months and one fawn won’t stop them from looking for more.

Also, I don’t feel that it’s necessarily a Darwin type situation where the strongest survive during this time with black bears killing fawns because if the bear finds the fawn then it’s killed. Even the most healthiest fawn will be killed simply because they will stay put instead of running.