That's interesting not to see other animal populations changing as well. Your wife being a Vet tech would hear of any other animal diseases circulating in the area. She should also hear of any USDA finding in your area. I have noticed over the years that with a lot of the fox and coyote when they get sick, they will hole-up then if they die, they aren't exposed for us to see them laying around, it's one of those natural responses as weakened animals in nature are cast out and often killed by others in their group as a preservation method for the survival of the species. All in all, it's an interesting observation. I kind of wonder if it's some kind of a birth control mechanism in them to keep them from being overpopulated for their prey base in the area?
Ramblings and Such From Hunting Coyote
- Thread starter DSheetz
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If anything different for this year it is a major increase in opposums. Coons have been overpopulated for years here since hardly anyone traps or hunts them anymore since they are pretty much worthless now. You make an interesting point on natural birth habits. Could very well be. I know the last one I got in July was a female. She showed no sign of pups. Looked healthy. Not good at ageing them but could tell it wasn't a pup. Her teats looked like she never ever had pups. I know with dogs they will show that even if they only ever raised 1 litter and was long ago. I did say it was odd lol.
With coyote the females don't show they have nursed pups after they have weened them for a month and a half. If they did then the females fur wouldn't have any value to it even in good years, like a milk belly bobcat. They will still have small lumps on their uterus till August or September, however. When the pups get to be as large as an adult ours have thin ears till after they go through a cold winter, their teeth will be a little smaller than an older adult and be sharper with good points on the canine teeth, the molars will be sharper and clean with no tarter build up on them. I got in the habit of opening the females up so I could check to see how many if any pups she had given birth to by counting the lumps on the uterus, you can after a while figure pretty close to how long ago she whelped also by the size of the lumps, and figure how many pups I was looking for, but I was doing it for control and needed to get the pups as well as the adults. Ageing a coyote is a little different then ageing a domestic dog but not a lot, it takes a little practice and helps to have people that can help you learn how to. I would think a Veterinarian would be able to give you a quick lesson in ageing your dog and you could relate it to coyote, At one time I had a pup chart that would tell me how long the female had been carrying the pups and when she would have given birth and kept records of this information, I gave it to the biologist at the USDA Wildlife Services office when I quit working with him. I will still be interested in the life cycle of the predators till I die they have and will continue to fascinate me all of my life. You all be careful coyote hunting and control can become an addiction; I have no hatred of the coyote I have a deep respect for their ability to survive and the fact that they will both the female and male do what it takes to keep their pups alive, if you kill one of the adults but not both of them, they will often bring another adult in to help them raise the pups, if you kill both the adults and the pups are at least a few weeks old another coyote or pair will adopt them. Some of the things that I have seen, and experienced coyote do a lot of people wouldn't believe without being there to witness it for themselves. Breeding season is just around the corner for the coyote and the little red fox will be starting to cycle within a couple of weeks as I have found a wet female fox as early as March 3rd, she had the kits just a couple of days earlier they were still dark brown and had their eyes closed so if you count back 62 days that would tell you when she was in season.
I know I don't touch them bare handed. Scoop up most everything with a shovel. Latex gloves for about everything else.
There are so many reasons that canines will abort the fetus as well as not cycle in the first place. Canine brucellosis, heart worm, parvo, distemper, covid all are just a few of the diseases that would cause an animal to abort the fetus or not cycle in the first place. There again nature can and often does better at coyote control then we can anything that will cause the animal to run a high fever after they are bred can cause them to abort. If they have a high fever at the time, they should be cycling they may not cycle or they may not become pregnant. Then if the animal recovers, they will be healthy latter in the year and just appear to not have had any pups. It's all so interesting to learn and study about so much to learn and so short a life to do it in we just enjoy doing it and continue to every day as we go along with our busy lives .
nealm66
Well-Known Member
Where my buddy is at in eastern Washington is massive farmlands with square mile tracts of various crops. When I went over last fall to get a long range coyote shot we saw deer everywhere and I accused them of ganging up and killing all the coyotes. That's my theory damit. Neighbors got a spot to 800ish he said he will bait for me if I ever get time. Been so dang busy
I have seen more than one coyote killed by mule deer does! I was calling and had a pair of coyotes coming in that half a dozen does put in a small sagebrush patch then commenced to stomp them to death. I watched as a coyote tried to grab a fawn and the doe got a good kick in on the coyote that killed it. I was walking up a draw to take a den of pups once and found coyote pups laying along the draw without their heads, a mountain lion had found them before I got there that morning. Bobcats will also kill the pups as well as kittens of the year. It's a hard world out there.
nealm66
Well-Known Member
Just talking with my neighbor, he agrees that waiting for a coyote to come in in this weather is a hard pass
This front will pass they will hole up and wait it out like we should. Somewhere about Saturday they will be out feeding. We are up to -13 now from 30 below this morning, the wind is at 18 mph from the northwest, so it feels like 37 below out. Really not safe for man nor beast.
Minus 26 this morning in Cheyenne with minus 62 wind chill@ 32mph winds. Simply nasty out even with sun. At 3:30 we're -8 @ 35mph. = -42 win chill. All I hear is my propane tank whimpering!
