Coyote Hunting to Help the Deer Herds Thrive

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Whitetail herds are flourishing, with an estimated 35 million deer living in the United States today. Regulated hunting, followed distantly by vehicle collisions and occasional disease outbreaks, keeps deer populations in check. But natural predators kill whitetails, too, and any discussion of deer predators east of Texas is mostly a discussion about coyotes.

Coyotes rarely kill enough deer to affect populations on the macro level or affect hunter harvest rates. But on the micro level—on your farm or deer lease—too many coyotes can be problematic. It’s well documented that coyotes can take down adult deer, but their real impact is on fawns in the spring. There have been multiple studies about predation’s impact on overall fawn mortality. One in particular, conducted by the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Gainesville, found “predation was the greatest cause of fawn mortality” and “coyote predation was the most important type.” The study also said: “Survival rates for all fawns were greater where coyotes were removed compared to non-removal sites.”

Still, I don’t think you need a peer-reviewed study to know that a 40-pound coyote sees an 8-pound fawn as a pretty easy meal, or that fewer coyotes running around when those fawns are born could give the fawns a better chance of survival.

Ironically, properties that are intensively managed for deer are sometimes the most susceptible to predation problems. For example, I work all year long to make our land as attractive as possible to deer and turkeys with efforts like food plots, prescribed fire and timber management. The end result is a mosaic of edge habitat that’s all connected by a network of trails and dirt roads. That ease of access and abundance of game makes it a great place to hunt—and coyotes take notice.

Need for Culling

Coyote numbers really seemed to burgeon on our land 20 or so years ago, about the same time we started intensively managing for deer. I remember one deer season a decade or so ago when it seemed I saw a coyote almost every time I sat in a stand. Our trail cameras captured coyote pictures day and night, including summertime images of them packing fawn quarters across clover plots.

During the same time period, what had been a thriving turkey population seemed to be disappearing before our very eyes. The more I researched that dilemma, the more I believed nest predation from raccoons was affecting our turkey production.

Back then I’d never set a predator trap in my life, but I decided to learn how.

EARLY STEPS

I learned some trapline basics with a half-dozen dog-proof raccoon traps, which are inexpensive, easy to set, and highly effective on nest predators. I baited them with marshmallows and caught two big boar coons on the very first night. That early success was encouraging, and also a lot of fun. I soon invested in some foot-hold coyote traps, pored over how-to trapping videos, and by the following winter I was having regular success on coyotes, foxes, bobcats and raccoons. I’ve trapped our place consistently for six years now.

I wish I could say that I’ve scientifically documented the deer and turkey response to our predator management efforts, but I haven’t. But I can unequivocally tell you we have more turkeys now than we did six years ago, deer are thriving, and our trail cameras aren’t inundated with coyote pictures. I know we’re removing exponentially more sets of teeth from the landscape each year by trapping than we could by hunting. Plus, trapping is a lot of fun. In fact, I’ve come to anticipate a good morning on the trapline almost as much as a frosty sunrise from a November bow stand.

SUSTAINED EFFORT REQUIRED

Today’s fur market is pretty dismal (though not completely gone). Some say that because of low fur prices, predator populations are higher now than ever before. But there’s been a resurgence in trapping recently, and much of it has been on the part of small-time land managers who, like me, want to control the predator numbers on their hunting properties.

Critics of “management trapping” frequently point out predators, especially coyotes, are masters at filling voids in the landscape. Remove one family group of coyotes, and they’ll quickly be replaced by another. For trapping to have any long-term effect, it must be a continuous, sustained effort. Most casual managers, those critics say, don’t have that kind of time or initiative.

I completely agree new coyotes will fill the void of those you remove. Some sections of our property have yielded a half-dozen coyotes every winter we’ve trapped them. But those new coyotes don’t move in overnight. In fact, most of the coyotes I catch in a given area are caught during a two-week span, and after that flurry of action, the catching typically slows for the remainder of the season. In fact, based on what I’ve seen on trail cameras and fresh coyote sign, a lot of those “new” coyotes don’t move in until the following fall.

At minimum, removing coyotes in the late winter or early spring, if your trapping season allows, creates the void at a time when young fawns and turkey poults are at their most vulnerable.

THE 10-10-100 PLAN

I won’t try to explain “how to trap” to you in the next few paragraphs. There are many good, step-by-step trapping videos online that detail the mechanics of how to set a trap (including some hosted by yours truly).

For new coyote trappers, my quick advice is to invest in good traps (I like the Bridger No. 2 dogless) and the proper chains, swivels, earth anchors, and hardware for setting them. Get a few good baits and lures from a trapping supply company, like Hoosier Trapping Supply or F&T Post. Reference videos and learn how to make a basic dirt-hole set. Focus your trapping in easy travel routes where you routinely see coyotes and sign. Probably 90% of my coyotes are caught on dirt access roads, particularly at intersections with other roads and field corners.

Of course, trapping is hard work. But so is everything else in habitat management. And the time commitment to make a difference may not be as heavy as you think. I can tell you from first-hand experience that 10 good trapping sets run for 10 days straight is frequently enough to put a dent in the coyotes on the average 100 acres of hunting ground. More traps run for longer only helps, but the 10-10-100 rule is a good one to remember if you’re wondering whether you have the time to trap.

I’ll close by saying I have no desire to kill every predator on the landscape. I actually enjoy hearing coyotes at night or seeing a big raccoon waddle down an oak ridge. I don’t like the idea of bounties on predators, and while we’re at it, I don’t believe that contests that put an emphasis on body counts do us much good in the eyes of the non-hunting public. But I do think predator trapping has a place in the land manager’s tool box. It’s a traditional skill that’s rewarding to learn. And as off-season chores go, it’s way more fun than sitting on a tractor or running a chainsaw.

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