All the more reason to whack 'em


redkneck

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I had no idea they could do that much damage to the fawn population.

Several years ago during the early part of bow season I had the unfortunate experience of seeing a coyote kill a fawn. If I could have killed him I would have. It wasn't for lack of trying to either.

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I had no idea they could do that much damage to the fawn population.

Several years ago during the early part of bow season I had the unfortunate experience of seeing a coyote kill a fawn. If I could have killed him I would have. It wasn't for lack of trying to either.

Funny you say that Allan. Last year was the first year I've ever seen one make a run at a deer. It was late in a food plot, and I was watching about 8 deer feeding all around me. Suddenly they all became alert and all ran to the other end of the field. I could hear walking, and got my bow up, not knowing what to expect. The wind was in the animal's favor, so I know they couldnt wind him. Suddenly a yote took out after the deer and just made a big circle in the field, kinda like a dog will occasionally run cows just to aggravate them. I did my best rabbit squeal, hoping to get him to close some of the 60 yards he was standing at, but he took off at the sound. I wondered if he was hoping to find a fawn in the herd. The deer could tell from the cadence of the yote's walk what he was, I think.

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I'll fess up and tell you I turned 2 arrows loose at that yote at ~65 yards. I turned loose the 1st one when the yote had the fawn by the throat trying to drag it off while it was still alive. I shot right over him. He trotted off but came right back and put another death grip on the fawn's neck again. The 2nd arrow went right under him. He ran off again. The fawn finally got up and stagged toward me and went into a briar thicket less than 15 yards from my stand (natural ground blind). The yote came through the briars to get the fawn again. I had no way of shooting him through there. He killed the fawn within 15 yards of me and dragged it off without me ever getting that 3rd shot opportunity. It was a sick feeling listening to him dispatching that fawn.

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Man, I bet that was a sick feeling. We all know predators take a toll on fawns, but to sit there and watch it has to be a whole other experience. I would have gladly drawn on that dog last year at 60 yards, but would have had to shoot through a thick white oak limb, nearly impossible at the angle. Was hoping to just move him enough to get an open shot. Them things are smarter than most give them credit for.

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Think someone posted a link or copied text from a study in the deer room a few years back. May have been related to this same study, I do not recall it being a pdf format file though and really thinking it was different. Think that study also gave an insane figure for the number of fawns that a single female yote would kill to feed her young.

But yeah, no doubt they are hard on deer numbers. I whack every yote I can.

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Them things are smarter than most give them credit for.

You got that right. Way more often than not they will pick out the least little movement of a hunter trying to draw a bow and then they leave in a hurry. So far I've only been able to put an arrow through one while bowhunting.

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I'll fess up and tell you I turned 2 arrows loose at that yote at ~65 yards. I turned loose the 1st one when the yote had the fawn by the throat trying to drag it off while it was still alive. I shot right over him. He trotted off but came right back and put another death grip on the fawn's neck again. The 2nd arrow went right under him. He ran off again. The fawn finally got up and stagged toward me and went into a briar thicket less than 15 yards from my stand (natural ground blind). The yote came through the briars to get the fawn again. I had no way of shooting him through there. He killed the fawn within 15 yards of me and dragged it off without me ever getting that 3rd shot opportunity. It was a sick feeling listening to him dispatching that fawn.

Don't think I could have sat there and listened to that Alan. I would have had to have gotten up and run the yote off or got in a better position for a shot. We have been hearing more yotes here again the past few weeks and gotten a few pics of them coming around. I know we had some fawns drop late(end of June first of July). I have been unsuccessful with calling yotes this year.

I posted about an experience with a doe and a yote here a few years ago. Basically the doe and yote got just feet from each other and the doe never ran, the yote never chased the doe either though. Guessing the doe had a fawn nearby. Seeing that made me think the doe was attempting to lead the yote away from her fawn, don't know if the doe would have attempted to run the yote off if she saw it find her fawn. Unfortunately I did not have a gun with me. The first few days of a fawns life the fawn staying scent free and well hidden are crucial to the fawns survival.

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Think someone posted a link or copied text from a study in the deer room a few years back. May have been related to this same study, I do not recall it being a pdf format file though and really thinking it was different. Think that study also gave an insane figure for the number of fawns that a single female yote would kill to feed her young.

But yeah, no doubt they are hard on deer numbers. I whack every yote I can.

That was me. I remember getting a lot of questions about whether or not we were losing over 50% of each year's fawn crop to coyotes. Most thought it impossible, but I'll go with what my eyes see and what my biologist tells me.
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Fred Eichler:

They are a slick critter.

They're tough as nails too. I only had two chances to take one with a bow and never got a draw. First one was on a female I shot the year before with a 300wby. Caught her in the brisket/leg and followed blood and bone for 80 yards in the woods. I saw her hop by on three legs the next fall, still healthy. She could still scat on 3 legs faster than I could draw. She must have had nine lives, cuz I saw her once more the next year and missed her with a rifle at about 10 steps as she trotted across in front of my stand.

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I will send one their way every time, too. Have yet to connect with one of three opportunities with my bow. Maybe my contempt for them hampered my aim. They are a slick critter.

I hear you on the contempt thing Mike. I have missed a few I should have hit with the gun, but they were moving targets. Have lost count of how many I have killed with rifles over the years but it surely has not been enough, have injured a few with the shotgun too.

They're tough as nails too. I only had two chances to take one with a bow and never got a draw. First one was on a female I shot the year before with a 300wby. Caught her in the brisket/leg and followed blood and bone for 80 yards in the woods. I saw her hop by on three legs the next fall, still healthy. She could still scat on 3 legs faster than I could draw. She must have had nine lives, cuz I saw her once more the next year and missed her with a rifle at about 10 steps as she trotted across in front of my stand.

Have gotten pretty close with bow, but never got drawn either. I had one top the hill coming towards the edge of the treeline to my bowstand about 3 or 4 years ago coming just about right along where I had walked a few hours earlier. It stopped just my side of the ridge and looked over the field back away from me. I flipped the can call a few times shaking it as I flipped it over(sounded like crying), yote started coming my way like it was on a string. I got turned just enough to be in position where I thought I would get my shot and it had gotten to within probably 60 yards of me when it stopped. It had its head down coming to me and as I was about to draw when it stopped. Must have had a shift in the wind or it just knew something was not right, because it looked down the hill, looked back the other way then looked towards the bottom of the tree I was in and then boogered out of there in a hurry.

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They're tough as nails too.

That's the truth!!

Buddy of mine shoulder shot one with a .270 and it went 100 yards and crawled into a drainpipe. Same hit would have dropped a whitetail on the spot.

Another buddy hit one midships with a .243 and partially eviscerated it. We trailed it over 1/2 mile and had to send a guy into a logjam with a .357 to get it out.

I even know a guy who had to shoot one twice with a .300 Win Mag!!!! :clown:

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That's the truth!!

Buddy of mine shoulder shot one with a .270 and it went 100 yards and crawled into a drainpipe. Same hit would have dropped a whitetail on the spot.

Another buddy hit one midships with a .243 and partially eviscerated it. We trailed it over 1/2 mile and had to send a guy into a logjam with a .357 to get it out.

I even know a guy who had to shoot one twice with a .300 Win Mag!!!! :clown:

Hmmm, kind of interesting. There has been a few that I have shot with the .270 that I never found, I was not really looking all that hard though. Did hit one with the .270 square in the shoulder once though that flipped the yote off its feet and it was over for him. All of the yotes I know for certain that I have hit with the .223 did not go far at all, couple of them have dropped right in their tracks. Those cheap ultramax 55 grain soft points from my .223 do a number on them.

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Yotes have the longest season out of any game animal we can hunt here in NYS. Their season here runs from Oct 1st to March 31st. I wish NYS would let us hunt them year round without limit. They are a regulated speciaes here in NY and are considered a game animal.

Anyone who hunts my land has to agree to shoot a yote if they see one when in season. All on the Honor system.

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Yotes have the longest season out of any game animal we can hunt here in NYS. Their season here runs from Oct 1st to March 31st. I wish NYS would let us hunt them year round without limit. They are a regulated speciaes here in NY and are considered a game animal.

Anyone who hunts my land has to agree to shoot a yote if they see one when in season. All on the Honor system.

Yotes and armadillos are open here year round, no limits.

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