Coyote taking down a Whitetail

So this morning I saw something I've never seen before.

I was sitting in a blind on a powerline, when I heard something running through the woods, and I mean running. I grabbed my rifle having no clue what was making the racket when out popped a doe followed very closely by a coyote. She came right out into the food plot that the blind watches as well.

Right below the food plot is a little creek, with very thick briar and brambles on the other side. She cut to the left and jumped the little creek, which was a mistake. The thick stuff slowed her down and the coyote caught up to her. There was some zigging and zagging and at one point I could see nothing up the white tail sticking up above the briars. I couldn't see the coyote then, but it obviously had the deer hamstrung and the struggle was on.

I had my rifle up and was quickly debating whether to shoot or not. A small opening filled with fur helped the decision and i pulled the trigger. I didn't see either animal run off, but could see some steam/breath coming out of the briars and then a few secones later the deer appeared, stopped in the open for a second, andthen ran off.

I went to the spot and no coyote. As it was still early I just looked quickly and went back to the stand. Going back and looking more widely I found blood and where the coyote had gone. Some kind of watery and some dark blood. I'm guessing I gut shot it and perhaps clipped the liver? The blood definitely wasn't from the deer as the deer had never gone where I found the blood. I'm shocked that I didn't find the coyote, but I guess that it already had enough adrenaline pumping that it went farther than it might normally have.

It was definitely an exciting experience to watch, albeit tempered by wounding an animal. I hate wounding anything, even a coyote. Ugh.

Good job with the coyote! I know how you feel but I would rather wound a coyote than not take a shot at all!

When I see 7 does in July and only one fawn with them, I am reminded to shoot every yote I can.

Yeah, no regret taking the shot, just wish it had been better!

And this was a big doe too, not a fawn or yearling. I don't think of them as going after full grown deer. Or, I didn't. I will now!

I have just witnessed the aftermath of coyotes and a hard snow at one of my hunting spots.
ZERO deer present. Last fall there were 60 deer in the pasture.

We spent a good deal of time last winter addressing the issue.
It was obviously to little to late.

More work to be done this winter. Sounds like you have some work to do as well Royal.

BRICKBURN said:

I have just witnessed the aftermath of coyotes and a hard snow at one of my hunting spots.
ZERO deer present. Last fall there were 60 deer in the pasture.

We spent a good deal of time last winter addressing the issue.
It was obviously to little to late.

More work to be done this winter. Sounds like you have some work to do as well Royal.

Click to expand...

We definitely do.... heard them last night too, and I camp on another parcel. I believe it is time for me to invest in a caller.

I just shoot them on sight from my porch and keep a tally sheet by the gun case. I'm up to 28 coyotes this year so far. Just as soon as you get rid of one family another moves in. I have noticed most of the ones this year have all been young, so maybe a small difference.

They are efficient and adaptable for sure. My wife had a friend lose their dog to one a few weeks ago. And that is in the suburbs, not out in the middle of the country somewhere.

Royal, very interesting experience. I have found two dead fawns right in my food plots this year from coyotes, as Brickburn mentioned above combined with a hard winter it could be devastating. I never pass up a shot on a coyote, and war will be declared this winter in order to keep them in check.

This just can't be true. Years ago when I was living in Idaho, I was thoroughly corrected on this by the Idaho Fish and Game Dept. They conducted a study where in one area they purposely left coyotes alone and in another they did their best to thin them as much as possible. They noted in the area left alone that there were significantly less mule deer in comparison to the one where the coyotes were thinned.

In spite of these results, they said that the study which they designed could not reach a conclusion that coyotes which will hunt in packs could be responsible for declining mule deer numbers. When I questioned an IDFG officer a little about the study for my own learning, I received a very quick and loud response right there in the IDFG office. After all they were the professionals and I had no business sticking my nose into it!

K-man said:

I just shoot them on sight from my porch and keep a tally sheet by the gun case. I'm up to 28 coyotes this year so far. Just as soon as you get rid of one family another moves in. I have noticed most of the ones this year have all been young, so maybe a small difference.

Click to expand...

Sounds like your pulling your weight K.

Maybe you need a friend to drive up some day to help out on the pairs.

You bet! As soon as deer season is over I have a place for you to stay and will show you all the stands and travel routes. Just bring plenty of ammo and cold weather gear. You can't be more than a couple hours away!

"and I had no business sticking my nose into it" Sounds like the conversation I had with our local warden about 6 years ago when he told me there were absolutely no mountain lions in Oklahoma. 3 days later a radio collared mountain lion was killed by a train about 30 miles from my house. I told him if there weren't any then I could kill them on sight without a permit. It got kind of loud and heated after that. I showed him the carcass of a doe that was in the crook of a tree about 7 feet up.

K-man said:

You bet! As soon as deer season is over I have a place for you to stay and will show you all the stands and travel routes. Just bring plenty of ammo and cold weather gear. You can't be more than a couple hours away!

Click to expand...

Sounds like fun. Rifle season or Archery?

I'll take you and your wife out for steaks.

Always happy to help out the local deer population.

Phil I just hope that Zimbabwe doesn't find out about the problem and ban the importation of whitetail deer

K-man said:

"and I had no business sticking my nose into it" Sounds like the conversation I had with our local warden about 6 years ago when he told me there were absolutely no mountain lions in Oklahoma. 3 days later a radio collared mountain lion was killed by a train about 30 miles from my house. I told him if there weren't any then I could kill them on sight without a permit. It got kind of loud and heated after that. I showed him the carcass of a doe that was in the crook of a tree about 7 feet up.

Click to expand...

When I was about 15 I found a beaver in a tree like that in CO while trout fishing, just after daylight, and almost over the top of me. Scared the crud out of me!!!!!

I've never hunted coyotes on purpose, but it sure does seem it would be fun.

Wheels said:

Sounds like fun. Rifle season or Archery?

I'll take you and your wife out for steaks.

Always happy to help out the local deer population.

Click to expand...

Rifle. I'm trying to think of a way to have our AH meeting up here and let everyone sit in a stand! The cabin sleeps at least 8 and its 480 acres. maybe Sunday night after DSC? It's also waterfowl, pheasant and quail season!! surely there must be some P.H.'s that need to kill time after DSC and before Vegas!!

K-man said:

"and I had no business sticking my nose into it" Sounds like the conversation I had with our local warden about 6 years ago when he told me there were absolutely no mountain lions in Oklahoma. 3 days later a radio collared mountain lion was killed by a train about 30 miles from my house. I told him if there weren't any then I could kill them on sight without a permit. It got kind of loud and heated after that. I showed him the carcass of a doe that was in the crook of a tree about 7 feet up.

Click to expand...

The wildlife dept has really backed off the stance they had that there were none in Oklahoma. Especially since one was found in Tulsa and made the news a couple of years ago.

If I remember correct that mountain lion you mentioned had been tagged in the Black Hills 9 months previous. 900 miles in 9 months.

K-man said:

Rifle. I'm trying to think of a way to have our AH meeting up here and let everyone sit in a stand! The cabin sleeps at least 8 and its 480 acres. maybe Sunday night after DSC? It's also waterfowl, pheasant and quail season!! surely there must be some P.H.'s that need to kill time after DSC and before Vegas!!

Click to expand...

That sounds like a great idea. Let some PH's see what it is like to hunt Oklahoma in the winter. They may be kind of sparse on the warm weather gear.

I'm afraid I won't be able to make it right after DSC. I will be flying out to Africa on the 21st.

If your open I might be able to swing up your way sometime in the middle of December.

Here's a picture of what I finished working on today. Just a bit bigger than a coyote but just as effective a predator.

Wheels said:

That sounds like a great idea. Let some PH's see what it is like to hunt Oklahoma in the winter. They may be kind of sparse on the warm weather gear.

I'm afraid I won't be able to make it right after DSC. I will be flying out to Africa on the 21st.

If your open I might be able to swing up your way sometime in the middle of December.

Click to expand...

We'll see. I'm getting back from SA on the 15th. I was serious about the empty wallet comment!