Our friend Rob St Denis discovered something rather upsetting on his property yesterday.
A big mature whitetail buck had been taken down by coyotes, with the majority of the animal being left for the birds.
“It’s a complete waste of meat” said St Denis of the deer he has seen in trailcam images recently.
“This guy has been passing through my property for the last few months and it would seem he hopped the fence at the wrong time and was killed by coyotes.” he added.
With the ‘wolf-like’ behaviour exhibited by these modern age killing machines, gone are the days when ‘yotes’ were a solitary beast stalking only field mice and rabbits.
St Denis saw clear evidence of a ‘team at work’: “There were 3 sets of distinct tracks in the snow leading away from the site; apparently what little they ate was their fill.”
Rob wants people to realize with these graphic images that even the strong and healthy in our woods are no match for these large predators.
“The big thing here is it shows clearly that coyotes have no problems taking large game (unlike what the environmentalists say that they only eat small game like rabbits and the like.”
One would think that a mature buck like this would be well-equipped to defend against even multiple attackers, but St Denis believes otherwise
“Doesn’t even seem like he gave much chase, the whole mess was within 20′ of where we found him.”
This shocking scene is the grim reality of what our deer, moose and even family pets have to face today.
Do you still believe these predators take only the old and weak? Better ask Rob St Denis about that!
Outdoorsguy
P.S. The image below shows a doe taken by coyotes this past summer from Rob’s property. The coyotes ate only what you see in the photo and never returned. Scavengers took care of the rest:
Ok…now let’s hear the PETA people out there. You are so right – the old argument about them taking the weak and old is out the window. Most predators out there follow that protocol.
Think we should avoid or ban all the coyote hunting ‘contests’??!? I have no problem with predators taking animals, but this taking a few bites and leaving the carcass isn’t normal predatory behaviour. I’ve seen other ‘yote kills where the dead animal was untouched days later.
I know one thing: I’m making a point of going ‘yote hunting now.
Thats too bad , he would have been a beauty to have on the wall , and in the freezer !! is there anything that you can salvage rob ?other than the rack ..
looks like its time for the yotes to contract that rare blood disease…the one where it won’t stop coming out of the bullet hole
You have to watch in taking predator killed animals; blood borne diseases, parasites that were in the intestines that are now all over the meat. If we were starving I’d take chances on the clean parts towards the shoulders and head, but we have a full freezer so no sense risking it.
The hide was even ruined, nips and bites all over the place, not to mention bird damage. So we took the head and the rest was dragged over to the bait pile. We did take the head and will be hanging it shortly. In a couple years it will make a nice mount.
A picture tells a thousand words don’t it…..
I’ve seen evidence of packs of coyotes taking down an adult moose, it ain’t pretty….and the predator/prey revolving door keeps spinning. Headin to the trap line as we speak and hopefully there’s at least 3 or 4 yotes waiting for me…Happy New Year everyone.
Trap
Was out there this morning, no new tracks in the snow around the kill site, but plenty going to the bait site, so we put out a half dozen leg holds this morning on a bunch of different trails coming into the area. Would be a lot easier and efficient to use snares, but here we are.
No luck today all we scored was two mesely squirrels.
@ Rob. That sucks that snares aren’t legal where you’re at. Its a challenge using foot holds for yotes during nice wearther let alone winter conditions
I had been waiting on trapping for cold weather (which is finally here), so will see how the #3’s do over the next while. A good trick I’ve taken to is using a scent lure under the trap itself, seems to get them interested and they paw at it. Another bit is taking advantage of the landscape, small hills are gold since they tend not to pay attention as much on the way up and down as if they were on level ground.
Snaring on the other hand means I can set out 30 traps for the price of one leg hold, and they ice up less, they don’t require daily checks, they are less intrusive, they are easier to put up etc etc etc.
A bounty needs to be brought back on coyotes…A few weeks ago while walking the trails through the bird sanctuary just east of Morrisburg I came across a similar site as the 1st picture on Robs property. A large doe was taken down just inside the entrance to one of the trails and then dragged about 20 yards off the trail for a meal then left…the coyote population is growing and I’m afraid we’ll see more of this.
@ Mill…..With all due respect a bounty is not what is required, and they should be outlaw’d.
Bountys only bring out the greedy and careless and is a waste of valueable fur.
With all due respect Trapper, you’re obviously not doing a good enough job
so bring on the greedy
With all due respect Igs, the Greedy I can throw a blind eye to, the careless however are worse than any coyote out there.
What we really need is more coyote trappers. Part time bounty hunters can’t do the job.
I’ve got a 3.5 year old buck limping on 3 legs around my place. He bedded down about 30 feet from my property yesterday along with the orphaned fawn buck who’s now teamed-up with him. Ironically the fawn is the one on the lookout now.
They’re a pretty pathetic looking outcast group if I’ve ever seen one..kind of like the land of misfits on Rudolph the Rednosed Raindeer..
They will be lucky to make it through the winter, but have so far have managed to stay one step ahead of the coyotes. The injured buck has already shed his antlers.
Outdoorsguy
rick the big thing around here is we need to get rid of the no snares law. It is too costly (in equipment, time and gas) to go wholesale into coyote trapping. Gang trapping an area can cost you $200 in gear for 1 spot. I can snare the same area for $3 in snares.
Hunters in the same boat, takes many hrs to sit about waiting for one to show on a pile. Just not practical to really dent the population.
Rob , were you baiting coyotes when they took this guy down?
I bait several hundred yards (around a km) from where this guy was taken. I bait year round for the most part because it keeps the coyotes away from the livestock and house (too busy pigging out at the pile)
Interestingly I saw two coyotes today at 11:20 AM off Greenbank Rd. north of Fallowfield Rd. One was on the east side and the other several hundred yards north on the west side. I haven’t seen any coyotes in this area for some time.
That’s funny Rick…I have seen many deer in those fields over the years but not one coyote!
Here is today’s outdoors column btw:
http://www.ottawasun.com/2012/01/04/park-it-in-2012
Outdoorsguy
Living in the area I have seen lots of coyotes but not usually mid day.
I have also seen bears and fishers in these fields.
Birds seen have included lots of raptors, owls and of course turkeys.
Rob it occurs to me you may be adding to the problem by feeding the yotes at all.It would keep them healthy while the deer may be struggling.Something i have first hand experienced is when baiting for deer with iether corn or apples i have had coyotes come in and eat a few apples,but more than that use the bait as a starting point to go in the same direction as the deer did much like when guys start dogs off a bait for bear hunting.That might be why your buck got cornered while in front of your camera.I would suggest that the bait pile you provide might be a good place to deal with some of the yotes.As far as i am concerned they should be dealt with the same way as one might deal with a rat problem ifin you catch my drift.
Rob. I am afraid i made a mistake in identity with your pics of a coyote kill and a previous article jeff posted about coyotes running rampent in ottawa. The pics in the previous article were caught on matts trail camera .
ya as far as im concerned , feeding coyotes is like chumming the water for sharks sooner or later a pack will show up and dont be surprised if all the fish start to disappear…..unless i was hunting the bait site on a daily basis , which the coyotes will quickly catch onto, theres no way i’d be feeding the buggers not within 10 kms of my property….
Well it’s not a matter of feeding them, I trap them year round here. I had taken up the traps for the fall deer season (there is a trespasser who likes to run his dogs during deer season that I would rather not catch his dogs, but that is another matter altogether).
They are back there whether I bait or not, I trap their dens, I trap trails I trap everything, and they keep coming. Baiting however works to keep them away from the house (they do occasionally wander closer but a lot less than when I moved here). And it gives me steady trails to trap to lower their numbers.
Another attack:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2012/01/05/ottawa-orleans-coyote-dog-attack.html
Evidently, based on this attack on a dog in Orleans, and Rick’s observation out in Nepean…the modern-day coyote has abandoned their traditional nocturnal or crepuscular activity.
In the olden days when we’d see a fox or coyote during the day, it usually meant they were sick or suffering from something.
Now you see that it and just means they’re hungry!
Outdoorsguy
This is totally & absolutely unrelated but….Classic rockers Van Halen have official launched their 2012 Canadian tour with a date at Scotiabank set for March. The most exciting part is a new album coming out with David Lee Roth..first one featuring DLR since “1984” (back in 1984)
Caught a glimpse of their big ‘press concert’ in NYC last night…Diamond Dave and Eddie sound awesome and brings back some good memories from the 70’s & 80’s!
Did you know that back in ‘the day’ they made Eddie Van Halen perform solos with his back to the crowd…so as not to reveal the trick to his lightning fast guitar playing…Eddie actually created a signature guitar move known as the ‘double tap’..yup..its a little known fact..hehe
Check it out:
http://www.torontosun.com/2012/01/05/van-halen-announces-canadian-tour-datesOutdoorsguy
Outdoorsguy
little off topic but after 20 years the government decides to ban a fire arm …. wow
OTTAWA — The federal government is cracking down on a small game rifle, saying it was inappropriately classified as a non-restricted weapon.
But one firearms activist argues it’s an end run by federal bureaucrats related to a long-running court battle.
Owners of the Armi Jager AP80 .22-calibre rifle received a letter from the RCMP in December saying the registration certificates for the firearm would be revoked and they had a month to dispose of their weapons – with no compensation.
As of Dec. 20, the once legally owned gun would be classified as prohibited.
According to the letter, the decision was made because the AP80 is cosmetically similar to the AK-47 rifle.
But Solomon Friedman, a lawyer with an expertise in firearms law, maintained Wednesday that despite the gun’s outward appearance, it is no different from any other .22-calibre sporting firearm.
“You can’t shoot anything bigger than a squirrel or a rabbit with this,” he said. “That’s it.”
Friedman argued the decision was a last-ditch attempt related to a court fight between the government and an AP80 owner who in 2000 tried to register the rifle he’d bought legally in 1984, only to be turned down on the grounds it was now considered a prohibited weapon.
“If they waited for this to be litigated to completion, they wouldn’t have a registry and they wouldn’t know for certain where these firearms were,” he said.
The federal bill to scrap the long-gun registry is expected to pass into law some time this spring.
Mike Patton, a spokesman for the public safety minister, said he couldn’t address concerns over the AP80 because it was under judicial review.
But he noted firearms laws dictating which guns are non-restricted, restricted and prohibited haven’t changed, and it was likely the AP-80 had simply been inappropriately classified years ago.
The RCMP didn’t respond to media requests by press time. The force oversees gun classification through the Canadian Firearms Program.
Greetings Jeff,
Last January on a Saturday afternoon in broad daylight, a coyote ran through Convent Glen school yard, down a walking path, along Lumberman Way, crossed Orleans Blvd and disappeared on Stoneboat Cres. This animal was in a residential area and I saw it pass near people. I have also had wild turkeys walk up to my door, but having a turkey in the neighbourhood is not a dangerous to my pet as is a wild coyote.
My question is this. What does one do when a coyote is running through a residential neighbourhood near people? Phone 911? I do not think so. Phone 311? They do not answer and you risk being labelled a crackpot for leaving a message about an animal. Do nothing? Perhaps doing nothing is the right answer although I have a problem with doing nothing. I did try phoning 311 but one call kept leading to another call and I hung up.
What I did do is follow the animal in my car, honking at it and pushing it out of our neighbourhood. Perhaps by keeping my neighbourhood coyote free, I pushed the critter into another neighourhood.
Is there a protocol to what one should do if a wild animal is in the area?Maybe there should be.
Hey Bob, great to hear from you.
Although we have yet to iron out the bugs in our wildlife issues here in Ottawa, in a case such as this where public safety is at risk, calling the Ottawa police service would be the first course of action. (Press the number for ‘a crime in progress’..that’ll get their attention!) At least you know there are enough police around and they all carry 9 mm pistols! If they decide to call the MNR, its up the them..but in case of a wayward coyote they probably wont.
Within City limits the MNR have their hands tied…call the CITY first and have them dispatch an officer to the scene. They certainly showed up quickly last summer when all the moose were on the loose.
I am surprised I never heard about this yote wondering around Convent Glen last winter..I mean, my own kids go to school there!! Probably a diff animal that grabbed the woman’s terrier at the river this week, but obviously these things are bold and getting bolder!
Or when in doubt…use Paul’s suggestion and have your car do the work.
Outdoorsguy
Bob.One neighbourhood to another is not the answer because by now he has come to the conclusion that you are no threat and he will return.Using your car sounds like a plan to me!!!!!
I know back home they used to just throw the sirens on to scare bears and moose out of town, I wonder how well that would work for coyotes?
QUOTE BOB PRESLAND: “on a Saturday afternoon in broad daylight, a coyote ran through Convent Glen school yard, down a walking path, along Lumberman Way, crossed Orleans Blvd and disappeared on Stoneboat Cres.” END QUOTE
The operative word here is ‘disappeared’
Like it or not folks they’re here to stay and we need to stop coddling the kids and educate them.
What do you suppose ocean front communities do about sharks or stingrays etc…….
As for calling the police….I’m not even going to get started on that topic.
Trap, I know what you’re saying about the police..but here in Ottawa people are left with little alternative. I dont think we need to coddle are kids but they also shouldn’t be expected to share the school yard with coyotes. Again, this was an isolated case but you get my point.
Most people around here have little to no wildlife experience..and if the MNR is left with their hands tied, what is to be done about wildlife issues in the City? As Rick pointed out awhile back, even the wildlife team they hired is having difficulty getting certification..etc…because of the many levels of gov’t involved.
Outdoorsguy
QUOTE JMTOG “As Rick pointed out awhile back, even the wildlife team they hired is having difficulty getting certification..etc…because of the many levels of gov’t involved.” END QUOTE
I think what you’re referring to here is the chemical immobilization certification. Even if certified and equipped with the drugs to deploy it’s not an option when dealing with coyotes.
If we truly are going to tackle the problem, as Rob suggests the Province needs to relax the rules on the use of snares. And I would strongly suggest that if this happens then only licenced trappers be authorized to use them otherwise anyone and everyone would use them and all it would take is 1 incidental catch of the neighbour’s dog or cat and the trapping community would suffer the rath of the bad press, this raises another not so attractive side effect, that being the whole ‘dog of leash’ issue…..
I’ve seen and heard a few things working for the MNR and also being an avid hunter and trapper and the no snare law is one of the stupidest. It’s the best way to kill coyotes hands down. If the worry is to catch domestic pets then consider this, a snare will cause a quick death but a leg hold will cause a slow painful death by the coyotes that find it first in the trap. Let the trappers trap and folks keep your dog on leash!
Amen Ex MNR…..(our paths may have crossed, today in Minden possibly ???)
Hey trap, you trapping up around Minden? Nice area…I use to ice-fish up around there back in College days..
Outdoorsguy
Anybody try to renew a small game or fishing licence over the last week? There is a new system in place.
A lot of the usual distributors don’t have access? Coyote’s took a deer down in front of my cottage last Wednesday or Thursday night. Nothing but a blood stain Friday.
Imacdon, I just renewed mine this am over the phone…went for the 3 year small-game and 3 year fishing conservation license..all for the low price of $127!
I will FINALLY get my plastic Hunting – Outdoors Card!!
And Yes, I did hear about the license distribution issue…Petrie Island(Oziles) ice fishing shop on east-end no longer sells fishing licenses..what’s up with that?
Sounds like the MNR wants everyone to renew over the phone now like I did.
Outdoorsguy
@ Jeff. No I don’t trap there but our trapping council is based out of there. My trap line is North East of Lindsay…
Ok Trap, I know that area too…hey, back in the day I can remember travelling those fields looking for signs of European Hare..it was for a small mammals course. There seemed to be a few around back then…still see any jackrabbits these days??
I don’t think we have any of those up here..only snowshoe hare and eastern cottontail.
Outdoorsguy
NEW BLOG ??????????
Sorry Chess, what do you mean??
Outdoorsguy
Jeff I think it means he has a short attention span! LOL
Ohhh..he’s looking for a new Blog Post..I got it now…sorry guys, been a busy week!
Outdoorsguy
Ok, here ya go…go crazy!
http://blogs.canoe.ca/outdoorsguy/uncategorized/mnr-new-automated-system-met-with-mixed-feelings/
Outdoorsguy
OAKVILLE, Ont. — Residents in Oakville are being warned to watch for coyotes after an eight-year-old girl was bitten by one.
Police say the girl was not seriously injured when she was bitten Thursday afternoon on a pathway behind Cannonridge Circle in Oakville.
But they say she was chased to her home by the coyote.
After a hunt by police, animal control workers and Ministry of Natural Resources officers, a coyote was located on the same pathway and shot.
Police say more than one set of paw prints were located in the area.
They are urging people to be vigilant when walking near forested areas.
OAKVILLE Halton Regional Police killed the coyote that chased two young girls and bit one of them on the leg Thursday afternoon near an Oakville home.
Two friends, 7 and 8, were playing in a backyard just before 4 p.m. near Canonridge Circle when a coyote from the Greenbelt area behind the property jumped over the fence and approached the girls, Staff Sergeant Murray Drinkwalter said.
The two girls ran towards the residence, but as they reached the patio door, the coyote bit the eight-year-old on one of her legs, he said.
The girl’s wound was not serious and she was not transported to hospital at the time. Her parents have said they may take her to the hospital or family doctor later, Drinkwalter said.
Halton regional police officers launched a search for the coyote in conjunction with the Oakville and Milton Humane Society and the Ministry of Natural resources. When a coyote approached one of the Halton police officers, it was shot, police said.
The tracking teams found and shot the coyote because, police said, officers considered it a threat to public safety.
Several prints were found in the area, and Halton police are requesting citizens to remain vigilant when walking near forested areas.
The report of the attack on the child follows a series of reports of coyotes attacking dogs in North Oakville in the past weeks. On Jan. 10, a small dog was snatched and killed by a coyote near its home in northwest Oakville, while on Jan. 11 another survived an attack in the same area.
Police however can not be certain the coyote they killed was involved in any attacks on pet or the alleged attack on the young girl.
Some interesting comments following the SUN’s article on the Oakville coyote attack:
http://www.ottawasun.com/2012/01/20/coyote-bites-girl-after-chasing-her-home
Evidently the animal rights people will NEVER get it! No matter how many cases involving coyotes pop up…they still claim it boils down to human’s encrouching on the coyote’s land….the ignorance is baffling.
Outdoorsguy
OK Folks…sorry it took so long but I finally put together a new post. (Was in Orlando last week) Photos will be added this evening:
http://blogs.canoe.ca/outdoorsguy/hunting/conservation/misfit-deer-duo-an-unlikely-winter-team/
Outdoorsguy