Do coyotes kill turkeys?

D

dogbreath

New member
The answer to that question is yes.

I took these pictures yesterday afternoon while doing a little scouting.

It looked like it had been killed that morning.

Unfortunately the wind was bad for a setup but I will be back. That's my turkey hunting spot! Dang coyotes.

Also, Just to show you how good their noses are they had dug down 2 feet into a snow drift to pull out an old dead squirrel hide. It looked like they chewed on it a little and left it. I quess it wasn't even worth eating.

turkey1.jpg


turkey2.jpg
 
I made a wing with turkey feathers and a broom stick. I use it (beating on the brush) and a turkey box to call at night while stomping around in some brush- the yotes think a turkey has fallen off its roost. Bobcats too.

Where you have turkeys yu get yotes. Takes a long time for the birds to return once the yotes whip them out. Down in TX this is the trend.
 
Ditto in Montana. The ranch I used to manage had over 150 wild turkeys on it in three flocks spread over 200 acres. One spring we had a storm dump 24" of wet snow. Later that spring all we could find were 5 adult Tom's and 3 adult Hen's. It took 4 years for the population to recover to 50 birds in 2 flocks. I don't know about the rest of the guys and gals on this site but bird predation is one of the main reasons we go after coyotes here.
 
I witnessed a coyote grab a Jake once. The young gobbler was working down a field edge toward my calling. He was about 75 yards away when suddenly like a rocket, a coyote shot out of the woods and piled into that turkey like a linebacker. There was a flurry of motion and the coyote wheeled around and carted his prize out of sight into the woods. I have found kill scenes from both bobcats and coyotes that were identical to your pictures. I honestly don't think coyotes kill a lot of turkeys and that isn't a "mainstay" in their diet, but as a capitalistic feeder they will certainly take one if and when they can. Most turkey hunters have stories about coyotes and bobcats coming to their hen sounds during turkey season. My dad once had a red fox nearly jump into his lap as he was calling turkeys one spring and I have had plenty of coyotes come to my turkey yelping. I don't hate them for it, coyotes have to eat too. Thanks for sharing the pictures!
 
I too have had coyotes come in to my hen yelps in the spring. Season closed on coyotes then. I've tried to use a turkey call for coyotes in the winter but no luck, might just give it a last ditch try when they hang up.
 
The first coyotes I ever saw in Western NY state came to my spring turkey calling. Thought the first one was a long haired German Shepard.
 
Turkey killing coyotes are what got me started hunting them (coyotes, not turkeys). I came home from work one day to find my wife livid because a coyote had killed six of our dozen holiday dinners and had the nerve to stand there and stare at her from 20 yards away, didn't even make off with one, just slaughtered apparently for the fun of it. Course once I started coyote hunting I've been thinking we should get some more turkeys...(they don't grow wild round here) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
I think bobcats kill a lot more then turkeys then coyotes do. A coyote will as said above will take what he can get but seems like places with a good turkey population also has a good cat population.
 
I agree with deerhunterjj.I think bobcats are probably more likely to eat a turkey than a coyote is.We called in a bobcat to about 15 or 20 yards of us using a box call a couple of years ago.Kind of makes me think about taking a box call out when Im calling for bobcats.Might work again? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
i agree with both arguments. my turke spot back in oregon has a good number of cats but the coyotes are thick in there to. we have called dogs in to a gut pile the mornin after killin a turkey almost everytime we try it, works like a charm. i love to hunt yotes in my turkey spots when i am home because i requires no scouting. they are always there.
 
Yes they do. A few years ago while I was scouting for turkeys I came across some coyote scat with a turkey foot in it and just last year I was spring turkey hunting with a friend and we had a coyote charge and grab our decoy, realized it was fake and took off. What a sight.
 
Biologists say the Bobcat is the only effective predator on turkeys, however the next time your not hunting turkeys and come upon them in the woods try charging them. You can almost always get within shotgun range.

As quick as a yote is thats eatin range. Sometimes they just dont make the flight decision fast enough.
 
We have a feeder about 500 yards from our breakfast table. Numerous times I have watched turkeys feeding there, and have a coyote come up to them. The turkeys are not the least bit worried by the coyotes. The turkeys can side step and jump before the coyotes can get ahold of them. Turkeys don't even leave the feeder. I have no doubt that a blitz attack like GC talked about above, would work some times.
 
Yes, they most certainly do !!!
I hunt a area that has a huge turkey population, I have seen the coyote with turkey in mouth. The Coyote will eat not only the turkey, but they will take sandhill cranes as well.
 
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