Coyotes in NH

[omega47]

I had a very interesting phone call with a NH F&G biologist this past Friday. We discussed everything from Squirrels to Moose and everything in between. Some highlights I learned are:

1. This is going to be a rough winter for many animals because there are no acorns, nuts, fruit, etc on any of the trees. It was a boon year for apples, but everything else was a bust. Mice and voles will do well because they still have food stored up from past years, but everything from squirrels on up will have it rough. Come to think of it, I haven't seen a single grey squirrel all fall and our yard is usually full of them. Also, the seven big oaks in your yard did not produce a single acorn. Most years we have to shovel them off the lawn. We typically get around twenty 33gal trash cans full of acorns. This year not a single nut.

2. She said the coyote population in NH is only a tiny fraction of what it was last year. F&G has been finding dead coyotes all over the state. They have been dying off from distemper and mange.

3. Fox are back. Mainly because #2. Coyotes and Fox are mortal enemies and coyotes will tear any fox they see to pieces just for the fun of it. When coyote populations are strong, foxes disappear. So far in 2007, the fox population has exploded around the state of NH, another indication that there aren't many coyotes around.

There are several types of habitat where coyote populations remain strong, all being in and around large farms with livestock. The coyotes are feeding off the dead animals that the farmers usually dump off the edges of their property, be it cows, horses or whatever. Apparently Chuck Jones had it right because a coyote's favorite food is SHEEP. If you can find a sheep farm (she wouldn't tell me where), the sheep farmers are still reporting strong populations of coyotes. She says a coyote will walk past any animal, be it deer, cow, turkey or whatever to get to a sheep.

Hope you find this helpful. Unfortunately, I'm not a local and don't know any farmers. Heck, I don't even know where any are in NH. If anyone knows of any livestock farms that will let you hunt their dead piles, please PM me.

Thanks.

[browning204]

That certainly is a cool conversation. But she has me stumped on a couple things.

The coyote population is down? This is the first year that I have seen dead road killed coyotes in my area and first year I have heard them howl around the manchester area. Now I am to assume that these things are happening because there are more coyotes, but she is the biologist. Weird.

Fox are on the rise. I have not seen a Fox all fall, I have called for them pretty hard WHEN I find time to get out, but without any takers. Again weird!

As far as squirrels, I have them all over my yard, even though my dogs chase them off and the squirrels get an occasional .22CB zipped at them, they come back again and again.

Don't know much about the acorns and stuff.

Good info and thanks for sharing!

[omega47]

Don't have an explanation for you. Its not like I called F&G for northern NH. I called the main office and was put in touch with her. Who knows what is right or wrong. maybe it depends on where you are. I can tell you, however, that some stuff she said is right on the money when it comes to central and northern NH. I've examined oak trees, blackberry and raspberry bushes etc from Laconia north to Whitefield and every plant and tree we've examined has been barren. I've walked miles and miles through the woods on roads, trails and even old logging trails that haven't been used in decades and we haven't seen a single mammal in 12 weeks.

[soccerref]

I have several pictures of a red fox checking out the area near a gut pile, no coyotes. Also last weekend my son shot a deer and the next morning the gut pile was gone, ravens where on it within an hour, but there were either coyote or fox tracks there as well.

I do know that areas that typically show feeding activity in the beachnuts where I hunt don't seem to be touched, this is central/northern NH. I have found areas of feeding activity in red oaks more southern in the state, but they seem hit or miss.

We've put two deer in the freezer, both were simply LOADED with fat, so they are eating something.

[browning204]

I am not saying that this info is at all wrong. It just suprises me.

She would be the person who knows, I am just going off what I see and hear. It just could have been flukes that these things happened.

As I said, thanks for the info, it was good reading!

[omega47]

Gobbler - where was the red fox? I'd love to go after a few of them this winter.

[regnar]

Another thing you should learn about NH is that everything is not always as it seems coming from F&G. That is just my opinion. No acorns? I hunt mostly in L & M and I had trees that were LOADED. MY problem was that there were too many nuts and apples and the deer were not concentrated.

Coyotes? I have one gut pile that was gone in less than 24 hours. I hear them about every other time I go in the woods and have seen several but have not been able to get one with the bow yet this year.

Not sure what part of the state you are in but we have what seems to be plenty of food, plenty of coyotes and plenty of deer in the south east part of the state.

[browning204]

Omega, I am probably gonna go out in the morning for sunrise.

I have to get to Derry for noonish so It will only be for a couple hours.

If you wanna go out let me know we can set something up that is conveniant for us both to travel to.

let me know and I will call you or something.

[omega47]

We need a better way to communicate. By the time I read this, you'd already finished. I'll pm you my contact info.

[omega47]

regnar said:

Another thing you should learn about NH is that everything is not always as it seems coming from F&G. That is just my opinion. No acorns? I hunt mostly in L & M and I had trees that were LOADED. MY problem was that there were too many nuts and apples and the deer were not concentrated.

Not sure what part of the state you are in but we have what seems to be plenty of food, plenty of coyotes and plenty of deer in the south east part of the state.

I've confirmed the no acorns, nuts or berries in the lakes region north to Whitefield. I've probably hiked 2000 acres looking for any and couldn't find a one.

As far as the southeast part of NH goes, we all know that part of the state is overflowing with deer. That's why they issue an extra 5500 tags for your neighborhood

[browning204]

I E-mailed another Biologist and asked more specific Coyote questions.

We will see what type of response I get. I am interested to see what they say.

[browning204]

I already shared this with Omega but here it is for the rest of you guys.

This is an E-mail that I got from another wildlife biologist:

I am un-aware of any mange or distemper outbreaks in the state of New
Hampshire. The population of coyotes is NH are statewide and believed to
be relatively constant. We do not expect the population to
significantly increase or decline; as the species has been in the state for many
years now and have adapted to any weather/habitat situations they may
encounter. The population is stable statewide with constant densities
throughout the state.

Given the eastern coyotes group hunting style, territorial behavior and
New Hampshire's thick wooded habitats calling coyotes can be very
difficult. There behaviors are very different than the western coyote and
provide for very different hunting strategy.


Talking with other coyote hunters, I have been advised that hunting
frozen swamps during the winter moths works best. Successful hunters set
blinds with in the cattail reeds where long distances can be viewed and
call from there. Though, they have admitted hunting coyotes in NH is
extremely difficult.

Some hunters use bait sites to attract coyotes, this technique may or
may not be suitable for you. If you do choose to use baiting, there are
rules and regulations you need to follow.

To give you a refernece of the difficulty in harvesting a NH coyote;
557 coyotes were harvested statewide last year by NH trappers. The number
of licensed trappers is approximately 370 and not every trapper
targets coyotes. The department does not have records of the number of
hunter killed coyotes, though hunter interest is less than trapping.

[nickpk]

I kill a deer yesterday in wilton. the gut pile was gone this morning!! the coyotes were there all night. there are three packs in this area

[browning204]

I will definitaly take Directions to where those Coytes are at!

[nickpk]

browning204 In january I will take you out