It’s almost mid-December and much of the whitetail deer hunting action is heating up and the temperatures cool down. There are still some hunters with deer tags to fill, so get to work before winter sets in! As we spend time in the woods each year, hunters see quite a few deer predators. Although we don’t like to think about it, predators can impact local whitetail deer numbers. Coyotes are the ones we worry about the most, and in a good example caught on game camera, check out the photos of two coyotes that kill a buck!
A good percentage of whitetail deer hunters simply hate coyotes. They dislike even the thought of a coy dog killing a fawn, yet these same hunters will not blink a eye and will shoot any deer that presents itself—even that same fawn! I know the majority of “hunters” are not like this, but there are some killers out there that live my the mantra “if it’s brown, it’s down.” If it sets foot on their food plot it is BLAM! At least coyotes are selective hunters, right?
I don’t like to think about coyotes killing deer, but these photo above shows that coyotes kill bucks, does and fawns too. Instead of hating wiley coyote, I think a better understanding of the circle of life and predator/prey relationships is needed here. It is not the predators against prey, but it is simply the way nature works.
Deer predators keep deer populations in check, and probably like this buck, weed out the weak. It’s probably safe to assume that this buck was not in great shape, was probably ill or diseased. Coyotes just keep the herd strong. Hunters, however, usually look for the strongest, fittest, with the largest antlers. Whitetail hunting has progressed over the years. Many hunters involved in deer management programs also cull the weak, the physically inferior, but many hunters just want the best that Mother Nature has to offer.
If you look at the whole series of “coyotes kill buck” photos, it is hard to believe only two coyotes did that. There was never more than two on camera at a time. It did take them while to kill this nice buck, and it was spectacular that it all happened right in front of a game camera. The coyotes started (at least on camera) at around 10:00 pm and the buck was not down until around 3:00 am. This is how nature works. It’s the real world. Deer hunting is about killing deer, celebrating the harvest and using it wisely. Hunters are no different that coyotes.