Was reading my latest issure of Outdoor life, and came across an article that gave some interesting facts about coyotes, bobcats and deer when it came to fawn survival.
We all know their main diet is small rodents, but if the pickings are slim, whitetail fawns are easy prey.
A study in SC found that 7 out of 10 whitetail fawns born in the spring were dead before the fall. Coyotes were responsible for a staggering 82 percent of the fawn mortality.
Researchers in NE Alabama trapped 22 coyotes and 10 bobcats prior to whitetail fawning.
Fawn survival jumped by 193 to 256 percent in subsequent years.
A similar predator removal in Georgia saw two fawns recruited for every three does in the removal zone. Meanwhile, it took 28 does to recruit the same number of fawns in the zone where coyotes and bobcats went untrapped.
Very interesting in my opinion.
If one ever got into a discussion with a non-hunter about the merits of predator hunting, this would be a good point to make in favor of hunting the hunters.
We all know their main diet is small rodents, but if the pickings are slim, whitetail fawns are easy prey.
A study in SC found that 7 out of 10 whitetail fawns born in the spring were dead before the fall. Coyotes were responsible for a staggering 82 percent of the fawn mortality.
Researchers in NE Alabama trapped 22 coyotes and 10 bobcats prior to whitetail fawning.
Fawn survival jumped by 193 to 256 percent in subsequent years.
A similar predator removal in Georgia saw two fawns recruited for every three does in the removal zone. Meanwhile, it took 28 does to recruit the same number of fawns in the zone where coyotes and bobcats went untrapped.
Very interesting in my opinion.
If one ever got into a discussion with a non-hunter about the merits of predator hunting, this would be a good point to make in favor of hunting the hunters.
