The Latest Research on Deer
More on How Coyotes Impact Deer Herds
Editor’s
Note: Today outdoorsmen have begun to learn more about
the white-tailed deer. In the past, we haven’t
known the right questions to ask. But now scientists
and researchers have started studying deer more intensely.
Brian Murphy, QDMA executive director, has kept his
finger on the pulse of new deer research to inform the
members of QDMA and outdoors enthusiasts how to better
manage whitetails. This week, we’ll bring you
the latest research concerning deer.
Brian Murphy,
QDMA executive director, reports that, “A study
in Illinois shows that the size, the shape and the distribution
of fawning cover also greatly impacts fawn mortality.
If blocks of wood are next to some low-growing habitat,
fawn mortality due to coyotes will be much less than
if there’s 1,000 acres of open fields with little
or no understory. In the Illinois study area, predators
have accounted for 64 percent of fawn mortality, with
coyotes being the primary predator. Predation by coyotes
is higher in places with less fawning cover. However,
an impenetrable understory isn’t good because
does have to be able to get into that fawning habitat.
Fawning habitat needs to be in blocks of 10 to 20 acres
instead of in blocks of 1 to 2 acres.” Murphy
also mentions that if a deer herd has reached the carrying
capacity of the land, then coyotes will become hunters’
new best friends, since coyotes will take more antlerless
deer. If an area has a small deer herd, and sportsmen
have concerns about those deer numbers, then they need
to consider a coyote-control program.
Places Where Coyotes Can Have a Detrimental Effect
on Deer Herds:
Research names three types of situations where coyotes
can have a detrimental impact on deer populations, including
areas with:
* extremely-high coyote populations like south Texas;
* poor fawning
habitat; and
* deep snow in the extreme northern section of the country
where the migrating deer are in a stressed condition.
The coyotes learn about these migratory deer routes
and feed heavily on these deer. Since coyotes don’t
sink in the snow as deeply as deer, coyotes can move
faster across the snow than the deer do. In these types
of regions, coyotes can have a detrimental effect not
only on fawns, but also on mature deer.
In the South, hunters consider coyotes incidental predators
on adult deer but effective predators on fawns. Coyotes
have learned to hunt deer hunters because the coyote
knows that when it hears gunfire, that there’s
a chance for a free meal. In many parts of the South,
if a hunter leaves a shot deer out overnight, the coyotes
will find and take the wounded deer before the hunter
does.
To learn more about QDMA, go to http://www.qdma.com
or call 1-800-209-DEER.
Tomorrow: The Truth about the
Effects of Breeder White-Tailed Bucks
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