Efficacy of Predator Management

[Nine Banger]

I've been curious about this aspect for a while.

What effect on your habitat does the effort to remove coyotes, foxes and bobcats have, which are kinda challenging to catch.

Versus.

Oppossums and Racoons which are easy to catch.

A lot of folks you run into vilify coyotes and say they don't want to catch opossums or coons.

I agree, it’s not magic or a futile effort.

It’s just not fur bearers either. Animals disperse and areas with the best resources (sanctuary included) fill back up pretty quick, if the surrounding areas have a higher population. I’ve also seen the opposite when disease or over hunting occurs in surrounding areas and animals disperse back out. It’s just a simple balance of resources.

I’ve trapped/hunted some feed yards and those place are a giant factory for fur bearers. Dead piles and open water attract coyotes from miles away. Open feed storage like silage piles can feed dozens of raccoons through the winter. Feed bunks/hay piles keep the mice/rats going which keeps a few fox and bobcats fed. You can trap them out fairly quickly, but by the next season more just move back in for the food/water.

Also, it's controversial, but also I think the elephant in the room when it comes to management goals is there is no tool for avian predation.

Sometimes I wonder if all the other control methods are offset by this and we are just making more food for the birds.

 

[Skerhunter]

If you are just judging backfill off of calling and shooting then you may think you are putting a dent in the population but really you are just educating predators and not seeing as many any more….


Trapping/snaring (poison) is way way more effective and most would be surprised how many predators you kill and they keep coming and coming.


I hunted a 1500 acre lease in Arkansas for a number of years we would see 1-2 coyotes during season. My buddy who lived nearby started trapping coyotes (bobcats and foxes too) and would get 25-30 multiple years in a row. Just took up too much time to stay on top of it and he quit doing it. Didn’t really notice a difference in deer but turkeys respond quickly.

Wolves and larger apex predators are different than coyotes and other meso predators. Apex ones are less numerous and reproduction is also limited so you can get ahead of them. Wolves won’t reproduce without a pack and only the Alpha male and female breed so breaking up packs and killing Alphas you can extirpate wolves from an area. Still takes a lot of concerted effort for multiple years helps as well if their food base is reduced as well like the 1900’s where sheep, deer, elk, bison etc were at super low populations in the western US

Agree to disagree on the calling. If you hunt them hard in farm county you can clean them out. Trapping/poison/dogs is easier for sure!

I will have 3-4 denned pairs within 2-3 miles of my house this spring. They won’t be alive when the fawns hit the ground and turkeys start nesting.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Agree to disagree on the calling. If you hunt them hard in farm county you can clean them out. Trapping/poison/dogs is easier for sure!

I will have 3-4 denned pairs within 2-3 miles of my house this spring. They won’t be alive when the fawns hit the ground and turkeys start nesting.

How do you find the dens?

 

[Skerhunter]

How do you find the dens?

Easiest way is to just sit outside and listen!

I’ve found over the years they use the same areas over and over (limited suitable habitat mainly sanctuary). Whether I physically find the dens out hunting/scouting or I simply kill a pair every spring from the same draw, good bet someone will be there next year. Also if you can find someone who calves out in march/April there will be dens very close by.

It’s by far the easiest time to call them in with prey distress. That part helps a lot too!

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Easiest way is to just sit outside and listen!

I’ve found over the years they use the same areas over and over (limited suitable habitat mainly sanctuary). Whether I physically find the dens out hunting/scouting or I simply kill a pair every spring from the same draw, good bet someone will be there next year. Also if you can find someone who calves out in march/April there will be dens very close by.

It’s by far the easiest time to call them in with prey distress. That part helps a lot too!

I had a pair in my front yard one morning earlier this spring. I was busy at work, and could only fire a couple warning shots with whatever was close, .22 pistol IIRC. 3 weeks later I had the pair and 3 of their pups in my yard on morning. Again, to busy to do damage, but I had a 9mm handy and unloaded a magazine in their general direction and they never came back.

I set 5 snares on my 10acres of grass behind the place, and caught a big mature female the first night on a gate run.

The most controversial thing I've read specific to coyotes is that their management depends on what your goals are for a property. If you're not a trapper, and you're managing for maximum upland birds and waterfowl, shooting all the coyotes is not recommened. Their primary food is mammals, and although they do kill and eat birds occassionally, mammals are their preferred prey. As a result, they will help you out with the smaller furbearers that do far more damage to nests and chicks.

If you're managing for maximum deer production, you've got to kill coyotes all year long if you hope to make a difference.

Also, it's controversial, but also I think the elephant in the room when it comes to management goals is there is no tool for avian predation.

Hawks, eagles, owls, and crows will kill upland birds and waterfowl occassionally. However, they also primarily eat mammals or carrion. They also spend the majority of their time fighting and killing each other. To reduce impact to upland and waterfowl, the IADNR has been systematically removing all trees over ~15' tall to eliminate perches in upland and waterfowl production areas. The only exceptions are super tall eagle nesting areas where there are established nests. We have so many eagles now the novelty is completely gone. Its a rare day when I don't see at least a couple perched or soaring near my place.