OT/ As We Wait For Ice Downeast-

[44 Degrees North]

I can't get this image out of my head Smart devil!

[Anomaly]

[Anomaly]

Crappie Catching

[Anomaly]

Walleye

[Scalloper]

I will work on some more of these. Got this 44 lb male last week

[44 Degrees North]

Thanks Scalloper. Keep up the good work. Just bought my son a  Remington 243. for Christmas. I 've got to get him on the work force. I watched a video of a healthy 8pt. buck taken down in velvet and eaten alive this past weekend. I wish people who really believe these animals only eat the weak and old would watch some of this. I always thought you clam diggers up in Hancock were nothing but hippies.

[Scalloper]

LOL, I dont live in Hancock. Machiasport 

[44 Degrees North]

I guess I shouldn't have combined posts. The hippie part was aimed at clamfarmer. Yeah, I realized you lived in Machiasport seeing as Rick can smell you frying scallops. I haven't read the rules on this coyote hunting. I am a little confused. You can shoot yotes during the day and at night now, but you can't a half an hour  before daylight and a half an hour after sunset? How screwed up do I have that? Better find out before I send my boy out after them.

[Anomaly]

 

I guess I shouldn't have combined posts. The hippie part was aimed at clamfarmer. Yeah, I realized you lived in Machiasport seeing as Rick can smell you frying scallops. I haven't read the rules on this coyote hunting. I am a little confused. You can shoot yotes during the day and at night now, but you can't a half an hour  before daylight and a half an hour after sunset? How screwed up do I have that? Better find out before I send my boy out after them.

Thank you for honorable mention!

The coyote question is not simple. From what I’ve read, killing the animals can be effective, as long as you take 50% or more of the population annually. The major issue with coyote and deer is fawn kill, or so the data says. Yes coyotes take larger and healthy animals too, but that is not the rule. One set of studies’ data talks about the need to do the most intense coyote kill around fawning season

The dilemma is that killing less than 50% of the critters actually results in building the population with stronger animals from larger litters. Something about coyotes is the fact that a stressed population reacts with larger litters and then, since the population is less at that time, there is more food and habitat available for those larger litters.

If you could do the major kill around fawning season, the largest part of that year class of fawns will survive to a size and capability they can escape in most cases.

I don’t know why the studies didn’t mention the winter stress factor on deer and coyote predation on poorly fed deer. The major study I read may have and I missed it.  That work was very large and GIGANTICALLY referenced. I’ll look these up later.

So, it seems the bottom line in killing coyote in a consistent and sustained effort that doesn’t only cull a few unlucky animals but actually affects (not effects) an exploitation of the coyote population CAN work - AND killing them most prevalently around fawning gives the best results.

I know this is all an oversimplification of a highly complex inter-species relationship. If you look at the works, you’ll get a better grasp. It’ll be something you can do while waiting for ice and watching for coyote to blast! 

OK, Now I’ll hunt up those data sets and articles. 

[Anomaly]

This is the one you’ll lie the best
http://gameandgarden.com/sustainability/land/do-coyotes-affect-deer-populations/
The Effect of coyotes on deer populations is an area of great interest and concern to land and wildlife researchers and managers.  Due to the declining fur market over the past several decades, the coyotes range has expanded drastically.  With litters up to 19 pups coyote numbers increase every year.  Tagged coyotes have been known to travel over 400 miles and they now inhabit the lower 48 states and Alaska.  During the booming fur industry, the southeast had no coyotes and a high deer density.  Now in some high-density locations previously having 50+ deer per square mile, deer are rarely seen.  The U.S. Government has to kill over 90,000 coyotes yearly because of stock predation.


Just saw this one:
http://www.outdoornews.com/February-2013/Study-says-coyotes-eat-lots-of-venison-But-are-they-killing-lots-of-deer/
Face it, there’s a lot of dead deer laying along the roadsides and in the woods during the winter months.
It would take a considerable amount of energy for a coyote to kill a deer, especially when there is no snow on the ground. I’m sure it does happen, however it makes sense that a coyote would rather consume an animal that has already been killed rather then expend the valuable energy doing the job itself.

Still looking for the BIG Study (Interesting to see the bear fawn kill!)
http://www.wvdnr.gov/hunting/coyoteresearch.shtm
In a fawn survival study in Centre County Pennsylvania during 2000-2001, 218 fawns were radioed and followed with telemetry equipment. Of these fawns, predators killed 22 percent, the leading source of mortality. Of the fawns killed by predators, most were killed by coyotes (49%) and bears (43%). Nearly 50% of all mortality occurred during the month of June, with 18 percent and 16 percent in July and August. It was interesting to note that 84 percent of fawn predation occurred on one of two study areas. This probably illustrates the difference in predation rates due to localized coyote populations.

Here’s one that is pretty defining. Can’t find the one I was looking for. I will though. It touches in-depth on all mentioned here and most importantly on the timing and amount of coyote kill.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140509110746.htm
"Mortality of white-tailed deer fawns is significant across the East, Diefenbach noted. Only an average of one in two survives its first three months of life, which is when most mortality occurs. Predation by coyotes, black bears and bobcats accounts for most mortality. Regardless, the number of fawns that survive generally is adequate to sustain nearly all populations."

[Anomaly]

Well, I can’t find it.....I give up for now.

But the recurring theme IS:

"The effects of coyote predation on recruitment should be considered when setting harvest goals, regardless of whether local deer population size is currently above or below desired levels, because coyotes can substantially reduce fawn recruitment. - See more at: http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/41306#sthash.pwvNhhuV.dpuf"

[Scalloper]

One thing I did not see in the study is the affects of coyotes on wintering deer in yards. This may be because the deer do not winter in warmer areas.

[thedirtydirtyfisherman]

looks like its gonna get cold again up until Tuesday, maybe a sunday possibility of fishing???