This may sound strange

catkill

New member
Here's the story,

Opening morning of deer season, I was setting against a large tree. Behind me i could hear a deer running, turned out to be a doe, but what I couldn't believe was that following her was the biggest coyote I've seen. I had the gun up trying to get on the doe, when I heard the second one coming I just knew it would be a buck, when it turned out to be a coyote, it shocked me, long enough for him to get away. He was runnin that doe, not hard, but stayin with her, he was probally 30 yards behind her. Well I set there for an hour tryin to figure out what he thought he was doing, I knew he couldn't catch a healthy doe. Then it hit me, so i went and checked, yep she had been shot.

I've heard that grizzlies have learned to zero in on gun shots, so they can get an easy meal, is that what this coyote has learned ? All he had to do was stay with her till she bedded up, and got weak, then it was easy pickins. If someone came along to trail her up then he would just slip away. Made me wonder how often this happens ?
 
Predators particularly prey on the young, old, weak, and injured. Theyre very good at picking them out. Even the most subtle "limp" or odd behavior is noticed by a predator.

I doubt that the coyote associated a wounded deer with the sound of a gunshot. Its more likely that the Deer displayed an indication of being injured and the coyote saw it, and quite possibly depending on the wound, may have even smelled it.
 
This sounds odd but I can believe the attracted by gun fire theory. Over the years I've heard several people comment about coyotes responding to the sound of shotgun fire around heavily hunted dove fields. No they don't come bustin' in like at a call but will slide in after the gun fire stops and feed on the not found dead, the gut piles and wounded. And several quail hunters have reported that they were sure that the coyotes were following them in excellent quail years for the same reason that they follow dove hunters or actually dove hunts. Its been years since I actively hunted Elk but when I did the coyotes would follow the Elk herds very closely. I'm sure that they are looking for gut piles, a learned responce I'm sure.
 
True, true I get your meaning, the information was supplied by non-biologist uneducated folks and cannot be substanciated by a quick cut and past search on the internet therefore it falls under the Joe-six-pack urban legend flag and can be easily removed from the data base by those highly educated individuals that always know the truth.
 
I wouldnt discount curiousity being a factor with gunshots to a certain extent on occasion, but are you sure that the coyotes dont follow the elk herds OUTSIDE of hunting season ?

or is that the only time your seeing them and witnessing the behavior, and therefore drawing your "obvious conclusion"...

In the same relation...
Do coyote only chase/follow wounded deer during hunting season ? (no)

Youre pretty-tight with Johnny Stewart's writings, and Im surprised you dont remember the part about "not giving coyotes a Phd "
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

The Holiday Blues getting to you or what ?
 
True, but I believe that they are very much in tune with the available food sources in their territory. Similar to hearing a rabbit scream they hear gunshots and learn to associate that sound with the possibility of finding free food. A few years ago I was out on a small dirt road when night fell. I was absolutely shocked at the number of cars that drove that road and randomly shot rabbits as they went. Sure they were slobs, I won't call them hunters, but I believe that some coyotes have learned that this type of activity produces an easy source of food. The same as camping. A few years ago I was camping, when it came time to leave I cleaned up the camp site pretty well and split for home. I quickly realized that I had left something hanging in a tree. On the return trip I was shocked to find a coyote nosing around the camp site. Learned responce, I think so.
 
Catkill,

I have watched coyotes do this with healthy deer quite a few times. Sometimes they just seem to be almost toying with deer, and other times the coyote or coyotes seem really intent on trying to push one into a mistake, or pick out a deer that is not up to the challenge. Many times there is often another coyote or several in the vicinity and they are working together to kill a deer. A persistant pair of coyotes can wear down a healthy deer and cause it to stop and try to defend itself because of exhaustion.

I wouldn't be so quick to think that a coyote couldn't kill a healthy deer. All it takes is for a deer to make a mistake. Coyotes will run deer out onto ice, forcing the deer into bad footing and its game over for the deer. Deep crusted snow can have about the same effect.

In your case it sounds as if the coyote knew the doe was not long for the world and was gonna push the issue. The coyote or possibly coyotes, smelled and saw a deer in distress and was taking advantage of it. Like Rob said, predators are very good at picking out weaknesses that we as humans would never notice. From your description though the weakness was pretty evident.

Congrats on witnessing the predator prey thing first hand.
 
Visiting 'regularly used' campsites, walking along the highway looking for burger king bags, walking along the edge of the lake looking for dead fish... Raiding the Garbage Dumpster at the Scottsdael Senior Centers... These I would associate as a learned response through REGULAR payoff of the activity.

one week of Elk Season, and opening morning of deer season, well I dont think its the same level to make that kind of association.
 
I forgot to mention that after finding the blood and no one came after her, that I trailed her up. She went into a thick slash cut, and I backed off and gave her a couple of hours. Went back and jumped her up, when she ran that time she wasn't bleeding. I think that I probally spooked the coyote off of her the first time i trailed her. Either way he didn't get his meal.

I feel like I was lucky to get to see something like that, predator and prey, I just couldn't concentrate on deer after that!

Thanks for the replies! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
In researching the LBL, scouting it, and enlisting others to aid me with sightings, I've learned a few things.Last winter I was noting a large amount of scats full of deer hair AT A TIME WHEN FEW IF ANY WOUNDED WERE AVAILABLE.

My watchers have seen quite a few pairs after healthy deer. Actively chasing them.In that place in particular they have learned how to hunt big game and are doing well at it.What would keep them from seperating an elk calf from the herd? Jimmie
 
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