Numbers are down in Norther Nevada, South East Idaho, and Western Utah!!!!

I'm starting to think that MAYBE in some areas the rabbit calls are no longer effective seems like howls and different bird sounds might be something to consider. Someone earlier said numbers seem to be up here in So Cal don't know about that especially on public ground. I do know that so far the hunters in my group are just now starting to see a few animals and their mostly small as if the pups came late this year and the coyotes killed so far have been called in with howls, woodpecker. Lets see how the season shapes up. Grizz
 
Originally Posted By: GRIZZLYONEI'm starting to think that MAYBE in some areas the rabbit calls are no longer effective seems like howls and different bird sounds might be something to consider. Someone earlier said numbers seem to be up here in So Cal don't know about that especially on public ground. I do know that so far the hunters in my group are just now starting to see a few animals and their mostly small as if the pups came late this year and the coyotes killed so far have been called in with howls, woodpecker. Lets see how the season shapes up. Grizz

Interesting, I haven't heard of late litters but that could explain some stuff.
 
Originally Posted By: GRIZZLYONEI'm starting to think that MAYBE in some areas the rabbit calls are no longer effective seems like howls and different bird sounds might be something to consider. Someone earlier said numbers seem to be up here in So Cal don't know about that especially on public ground. I do know that so far the hunters in my group are just now starting to see a few animals and their mostly small as if the pups came late this year and the coyotes killed so far have been called in with howls, woodpecker. Lets see how the season shapes up. Grizz

That is a theory I can get on board with. I hope you are right.
 
The areas I hit hard year after year are down in population too! Go figure, kill a whole pile of them and the next year there aren't that many. Who'd a thunk it!!!
 
Just spent a couple days out hunting. We were in areas that have produced very well in the past. In fact last year was unreal how productive it was. 2 1/2 days off calling and only called one. There were plenty of rabbits. We seen coyote tracks just about everywhere we were. We tried all sorts of different sounds but it's like they just didn't care. We heard only one howl the whole time. It was very weird and discouraging. The plague rumor is floating around in our area but with the amount of sign we were seeing it's just didn't seem to be adding up.
 
Just spend yesterday calling northern Nevada north of Wells called good areas did not see a coyote did see a few tracks. No rabbits the last few years we would see hundreds in the same area coyotes tend to be a year or so behind the pray species when their numbers drop that and if parvovirus hit their pups. That could explain why the numbers are down. The trappers I have talked to are seeing the same thing.
 
I was deer hunting on the Eastern Plains of Colorado last week, and I was seeing, and hearing, lots of coyotes, way more than I did in February of this year, which was the last time I was out there coyote hunting.

On Friday late afternoon, I called in a double and got both. Next morning, I am walking past my last nights stand, and there are 2 more coyotes close to where I killed the pair, and I saw 2 more within the next 1/2-1 mile walk.

This area got hit hard by mange 5-6 years ago, and I watched the mange make it's way West. It looks like it will be a very good season out there!
 
It could very well be a combination of drought and a downturn in the cycle of rabbits that weakened the coyotes making them vulnerable to any old disease that came along.

Here we have that with deer populations and when they get really down usually a disease shows up that really wipes out a large portion of what's left of the population and then, of course, they rebound and are thick as fleas on an old hound dog's back again. LOL

But then of course global warming is behind it all. That and the vast right wing conspiracy.
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It will be interesting to see the Utah bounty data that comes out especially for the year 2020 now that the state has gone to an app that the coyotes must be submitted on. With real time GPS coordinates and time stamps on the pictures my guess is that the number of coyotes turned it will drop drastically.

Guys that were turning in out of state coyotes for the bounty will have a much harder time cheating the system.

Good move in my opinion, the bounty was a good incentive to kill Utah coyotes that over the years has been severely abused.

It will also be interesting to see the numbers of coyotes turned in during worlds this year. With the contest being located in the area talked about in this thread, and the change of the rules for the winner, I would guess the numbers turned in will be much lower that previous years.

Just some of my thoughts.
 
In Oregon the rabbit numbers have been way down for 3 years now...but cycles are not uncommon. But the sage rat numbers were way down and have never seen that Headed out in a couple weeks and will report back the pops I see for rabbits, rats, rock chucks and yotes.
 
Your big time trappers will be the best source of data to show if the yote populations are up/down and if they are "out of sync" with normal periodic waves. They probably keep better records than most yote hunters. They probably see diseases/pests more often than hunters in the course of skinning/pelt preparation. They continue to have incentive to "trap to the max" as coyote pelt prices have continued to be relatively steady when compared to many other furbearers.
 
I live in the EC Idaho Mountains. I have out and about a fair amount this fall and winter. Have not seen a single black-tailed Jack and just a few white-tailed jacks?

Coyote number seem to be down, too. Some say that is a result of Hydatid disease, others say mange. I have seen no real evidence to support either. I do note there are wolves throughout the area. That could be affecting coyote population.
 
Ceelatrans,
Hydatid disease doesn't so much affect the coyotes. They are just big shedders of the tapeworm eggs that are microscopic and get onto the coat. If humans handle poop contaminated fur and then forget to wash their hands you could inadvertently swallow the tiny eggs and develop hydatid cysts in your liver, lungs or brain. The coyote just carries the worms & sheds the eggs.

I would wonder if canine distemper, parvovirus, mange or wolves might have swept through the coyote's territory and depleted their numbers. The two viruses also infect wolves but I haven't read where they have documented any wolf losses due to those diseases.
 
Here in Minnesota the wolves up north are thick. Coyotes seem to be lower up north due to it. When you get to central and southern Minnesota where there's no wolves the coyote # are good. It would take a lot of wolves to wipe out the size area you guys are talking about in that short of time. Aerial gunning where i hunt has hurt the population for a few years now but they only shoot a small area. The state I hunt (nd) has seen a down turn in coyotes over all but there's pockets that are just fine yet.
 
Originally Posted By: SlickerThanSnotOriginally Posted By: UtahcallerTime to change Tactics....
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that cracked me up.
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Pure gold! I wish I had thought of that.
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