Coyotes up, deer down?

[maple]

Yesterday my son wanted to go for a grouse hunt as he had a few hours to spare from school work. We packed up and drove to my usual deer bush. There was a fresh dusting of snow the day before and I was eager to do some scouting and see what the deer were up to. Even though I have one tag left for the bow/muzzleloader seasons, but I just might be done for this year because I really don't want to take any more than I need. I feel lucky to have taken two.

We pretty well covered the perimeter and crossed through the 250 acres of bush and saw coyote tracks everywhere. Tons of them! I could pick out some of the different animals by there prints. There were far too many for my liking. There musta been a dozen. I'm accustomed to seeing a few in the area, but nothing like this.

We saw only two sets of deer tracks. One from a good buck following a scrape line, and a single doe(?). Not nearly what there should be. I fear the coyote hoard will be taking a liking to venison this winter. Let's hope we don't get too much snow.

No grouse, but we did dispatch a porkypine as per the farmer's wishes.

Just some observations.

Maple

[exokidd]

this seems to be what ive heard from far too many this year...

[Phoenix_Tom]

Ottawa is infested with coyotes and the wolves are going right into Kanata. I've seen coyotes running the deer on the side of the 174. My main hunting area (WMU 58) is now infested with wolves that grew out of the park. Two of the guys in my group had wolves circling them as they dragged a big buck out last year.

A friend of mine was telling me a couple of weeks ago that he knows a group of six guys that stopped hunting deer and now hunt coyotes. Last year they got 53.

Even our butcher has noticed a big decline in deer being brought in - and there are no little ones. The record snow and predators seem to have taken a toll on the deer this year.

[whateverworks]

ditto , phoenix tom. where we rifle hunt, i grew up and have never seen coyotes before. (just south of algonquin park) the odd wolf but usaully not many. this year we were over run with coyotes , we got 1 and a gang near us got one but he said there was over a doz. around his stand at once.

[sullyy]

I've been hunting a lot and this year has been tough. Haven't seen much deer or sign in my normal spots.... but have heard the coyotes every time I've been out.

I'm also hoping for less snow this winter.......

[farmer54]

I hunt south of Ottawa on one of my father's farms. l have had the same problem. Twice this year l heard wolves less than a 1/4 mile away. lwas hoping that l would see them a get a shot at them but it never happened.l am sure that if l keep going back l well get them.

[Phoenix_Tom]

This thread reminded me of a time about 10 years where my Dad and I were bow hunting in 64B. We often would hunt the weekends up at my camp in 58 then hunt at a spot in 64B on the way home. I was on the ground, with blind material all around me, in a row of trees backing onto an alphalfa field. There was a long clearing separating my row and the field and a thick forest. At sundown I could hear the deer making their way through the forest towards me and the alphalfa. The wind was perfect for covering my scent but may have been making the deer a little more hesitant than usual because they had to walk straight downwind to get to there supper. All of a sudden this huge Siberian Husky ran right in front me, about 10' away, running along and following the long clearing. Just as he passed in front of me his head whipped around towards the forest. He caught the deer scent and confirmed to me what I had been hearing. He never broke stride, went another 40 yards then went into the forest to flank the deer. I was thinking about the irresponsible owner that would let his dog chase deer down when at that moment another "Siberian Husky" strode by. That's when I realized these were not Huskies! For a minute I was thinking that this was perfect: The wolves were flanking the deer and going to push them right towards me! But then I envisioned field dressing deer with a wolf pack circling me. Two minutes later it didn't matter - it was 1/2 hour past sunset and the bow was in the bag. My father arrived and told me he had gone through the exact same thing but with the rest of the pack. I didn't realize until I checked the regs for that year that wolves were "open season". I never understood why the MNR would release wolves but then not protect them. Now there are so many wolves the MNR sells tags.

[Grizzly Adam]

Same thing here. I've seen a lot of "yodel dogs" this year compared to deer.

Not so here.

All I see is bear! I've been deer hunting three times, and I've seen eleven bear ... but no deer.

Deer are here. I see 'em at night, running out of my fields. But I have yet to see one in the open during shooting hours, and as I've explained elsewhere, if they aren't in the open around here, you aren't shootin' 'em ... not in most cases, anyway.

I'm counting on colder weather to drive them out where I can see them.