how much does a coyote eat

B

bobeano

Active member
In the winter where its cold how much does a coyote need to eat.I heard they need to eat there body weight,[30lb coyote=30lbs of food]that seems very high to me.
 
I think that number is way high myself.

They do gorge themselves when they have the chance, like with a dead deer or something, but eating their own body weight would kill them.
 
rb is right. Coyotes are just like your dog. They're opportunistic and will each as much as they possibly can, puke, then eat it again. Especially in a pack on a carcass. But, they can also live on a few mice a day.
 
Another way to look at it is how long can they go without eating? Lets say in the below zero temps we are having right now. If they curl up for a couple of days during a bad winter blizzard, and the temp drops to -15 like it will tonight, how fast do they need to find something to fill their belly? Can they go 4-5 days without a major meal (something bigger than a mouse or two) in such weather?

Brian
 
we had a deer killed in our backyard on christmas day and 3 days later it was bones and hide. Ya crows were on the carcass during the day, but after each night more and more was taken. I personally seen 4 coyotes on it at once. This was a large doe atleast 150lbs. I wondered how many coyotes it took to strip that clean.
 
I bet you might be a little surprised at how little they may need. I am sure they can easily survive a good 5-6 day cold snap without any food at all. Even humans can go weeks with out food. I know the winter makes it shorter, but surely they wont have to eat all the time.

Yeah they will need it, but surely if they go into a cold snap/storm in good shape I am sure they could sit it out for a while.
 
After an 18" snow storm one winter, it took 8-10 days for them to move. It took 3-4 winds to harden it enough for them to travel. They find caches of food or eat dirt and corn.
 
We could be waiting awhile.....got 2' in a couple days
frown.gif
 
I hunt mostly on land where cattle are present.When the food source was scarce, I've seen them eat cow patties. Must be some nutrients in them that they can use to survive.
 
Originally Posted By: Axmanhttp://www.huntingthehunters.net/volumeone.htm




It's some where in the ebook enjoy...

Off topic,but this was on pg61... "The problem with FMJ bullets is over-penetration which can still lead to significant exit wound
size by carrying a lot of tissue and bone through the wound channel and out the exit wound
resulting in extensive pelt damage."

Hunting with FMJ bullets is a problem period,or is it just me?
 
I watched three of the ones that our group killed in late Feb. here in PA, get sliced open...We've had about 3 feet of snow on the ground for the entire month and even more in some of the remote areas we hunted..the dogs even had a tough time going in that much soft snow and high drifts..the three were autopsied by three USF&W service vets..in the two healthy ones, about 35 pounds each..they had zero food in their stomachs, not a speck..the 38 pounder with about 40% mange had a full stomach of old grey colored deer hair and meat in it..the vet explained he had to have more food in order to stay warm due to the lack of hair.. due to the heavy snow cover this winter I'd saw most coyotes in the Laurel Mts have been on a big diet!! I also agree with all of you that there's no way they need their weight in food everyday, no way do I buy that...
 
Depending on activity level,temperatures and maternal needs in a female , 4% of body weight give or take is probably pretty accurate.. Being opportunists they at times eat much more for the times they eat little.It also depends on energy and protein density of the food. For a female ,getting bred and saving embryos is about energy,, saving pups is more dependent on protein and energy.
 
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