That Time of Year

[joey46]

Show to anyone that thinks coyotes are cute.  Changed my wife's mind.  This was from a May camera run.  If you've limited on turkeys spend a day or two with a coyote and fawn call.

[Cowboy]

I dropped a coyote the other morning. Turkey action was slow, but it was not on the coyotes.

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[joey46]

Bang!  Nice

[Lcmacd 58]

No shots on coyotes this year but I've seen a few

[Ihuntoldschool]

I like when they kill those nest raiders. That's where we lose the most turkeys due to predation.

They are very effective on fawns  and weaker deer in poor condition .

They are hell on red fox.

[Greg Massey]

I had turkeys and coyotes together in the same field a couple of times this year and they didn't pay any attention to each other... All they did was look at each other and the turkeys kept right on feeding...

I have also seen them during deer season, deer and coyotes in the same fields together. In all my years of hunting I've never seen a coyote carrying a fawn or turkey in its mouth or trying to drag one etc.

Never seen one killed that I could say a coyote did that to either a turkey or deer... But I'm sure it does happen a lot ... I hate all those predators... 

[Tail Feathers]

My grandson killed his first ever coyote this spring.  We were all out looking for a turkey to eat and the coyote's plan didn't go as expected.

[zelmo1]

I'll forfeit my turkey hunt to shoot a coyote. TOOOOOOO many of them around now with very little fear of man. Domestic animals and small livestock are in peril every waking minute around here. There's one, Bang. Every time. Z

[GobbleNut]

Killing coyotes is a double-edged sword for me. Here in the southwest, they are hell on our deer and antelope populations in that I believe, based on my observation, they target the fawns during that time right after birth when they are the most vulnerable. Having observed, on several occasions, does trying to protect their fawns from coyotes...well, it is quite honestly heartbreaking to watch.

On the other hand, I have seen little evidence here that coyotes have a significant impact on turkey populations. I have also observed a number of interactions between coyotes and adult turkeys wherein they basically ignored one another. That's not to say that coyotes never catch a turkey on occasion...but I have never seen that happen. 

Now, whether coyotes have an impact on nests/eggs or poults is another matter. However, on the balance, I suspect their impact on nest-raiding and more-efficient, poult-killing predators probably offsets their impact on nests, poults, and adult turkeys.

All things considered, I am wholly in favor of significant coyote control...and have no problem with folks mowing them down when the opportunity comes along.  However, I do believe their impact on wild turkeys is probably net-neutral. I think those that shoot them are saving the lives of smaller ungulates way more than those of turkeys.

[RutnNStrutn]

I had 2 gobblers inside of 100 yards coming to my calls the other day when 3 coyotes came in and ruined my hunt. Yotes were just out of range.

[Lcmacd 58]

Ive had 2 different hunts this year where coyote jumped my decoy .... so i know in my area they will eat turkeys.
Ive also seen 3 bobcats this year.

[Rio Bandito]

I've had those limey suckers mess up more than one hunt. Two weeks ago, a pair of them cost me a chance at a good Merriam's bird in a high pressured area. Had him talking and walking on a string until a pair trotted between us. He veered off course, made a big loop around, and then kept going over the hill. 4 days of tough hunting and that was the only bird I sat down to the whole trip  .

A few years ago I was working a flock of birds. They were probably 60 yards out but working my way. Suddenly, the whole flock flushed like flock of quail, had birds flying and putting everywhere. Didn't know what the deal was until a few seconds later when I saw bouncing through the spot they were just standing. Dang dog. As soon as he saw my decoy he crouched down and started stalking it. I let him get a couple feet away and gave him some #9s instead of a turkey breakfast. I didn't move after the shot, and it took some of the hens that I could see in trees around me over an hour to finally pitch down again.

Have had them stalk in on me multiple times turkey hunting, but that was only of the only ones that did it all the way.