I used to trap a dead pit for hogs . The fact that I’ve caught many coyotes over the years that we’re packing a lunch when I caught them says they don’t have to be hungry to get they’re attention.

Tejas, do you think that the coyotes that are going back for a third helping are actually eating that much or caching some of it?

I’m assuming regular pigs not feral if that makes sense? Just curious cause our coyotes won’t touch feral hogs.

It’s amazing the amount of meat 4 or 5 yotes can pack off in one night. But I don’t see that behavior on placed baits very often at all. The times I’ve seen massive amounts of damage such as an entire deer eaten in one night has always been on wounded or unrecovered deer. Don’t know if this is a competition thing between yotes or just because it’s fresh. They have to be eating and then going and burying it I would think. Twice I’ve seen deer that were wounded and left till morning for recovery reduced to a skeleton by dawn.
I’ve also caught a few yotes that brought snacks with them to the set. This one had his lucky rabbits head with him. Also had one with a fist size piece of deer once.

Rob I’ll hypothetically talk on that “ amazing amount of meat eaten”...I think it is a entire family unit still intact. Around here I think the family units stay pretty much together for most of the year. I know what the theories say but in my findings unless an adult or two are killed the unit stays tight. Now if mama gets spooked or trapped it MIGHT drastically change things up. I just trap too many family groups to think differently.
So once a family finds a carcass of a deer it is dinner like always adults eat then the kids until everything is cleaned up.
Your thoughts guys?

That’s interesting, I’ll bet your on to something. Wonder if yote family units stay together longer in more urban environments. Don’t they do a lot of studies on yotes in Chicago? Have you seen any of that data?

I had 2 yotes clean up a road killed deer in 2 days 2x. Both where adult does. Greed and curiosity killed them all.. In my mind there's no such thing as a hungry coyote.

According to Slim they take chunks and stash it; some never return to get the stash.

Coyotes will eat dead feral hogs here. I believe our feral hogs provide the main food source for a lot of our coyotes. A few years ago, a friend shot a doe right at dark. We lost the trail a few hours after dark. This was in late bow season - February. Came back the next morning and found her - nothing but a skeleton. BUT, there was a single 12” long fetus laying 15 ft from the doe skeleton without a tooth mark on it. We all thought that would have been a prized delicacy

Good info in those stories guys...WhiteCliffs that situation occurs all the time around here. Rob I haven’t actually seen the data just stories about the numbers of coyotes living in the city...Chicago and all the rest of suburbia. Think about it if there is plenty of food available in an area and no pressure from other predators or man ...why move out? But again just my theories...

Yeah I hear stories even around my county where trapping doesn’t take place, of deer being left as short as three hours and the coyotes already finding them.
We’ve had to cover hogs with dirt after a month when the buzzards wouldn’t even mess with them, especially when quail season is in and we’re hunting. For some reason Pointers LOVE to go roll on a dead pig, lol!!!

SPC, I can say with a good deal of certainty that where I am at the vast majority of meat is consumed on site and not taken to another location.

I think they camp out and/or make repeat visits to top off the tank as much as possible because they never know what will be left by the next sunset. I have no doubt they realize the urgency to get more than their fair share before the sun comes up and the birds descend upon the carcass. Rival coyotes make up the other part of that equation. That somewhat covers the greed factor side of things.

I also believe they will avoid stashing food in part because some birds have the ability to find it no matter what. Add that to the fact that any coyote getting downwind of a stash will have no problem locating it as well.

The bottom line is, in this environment meat is a lot safer stored in their stomach than it is hidden out in the brush for others to find.

When they do happen to yank a chunk of flesh or bone off the carcass, they’ll quickly consume it and come right back to the bait. If they don’t eat it right away a rival surely will.

Great topic/discussion fellas.

MChewk , I agree with you on the pups hanging around a lot longer than many folks say.

In my area I don’t see the early fall “pup dispersal” that trappers talk about. They disperse when I teach them to “load up” in the bed of the Polaris.

I've noticed that for the most part pups/juveniles will usually just pick at a cow carcass. They spend most of their time keeping an eye out for who is lurking in the shadows. Their fear is well warranted. I do not see them gorge on a big carcass with limited access. in many cases their vision will be obstructed if they commit to eating like in the photo below. That will get them hurt quickly. A small or skinned carcass is a different story. Still, I rarely see pups or juveniles dog-bellied like the adults at the end of a night’s feeding.

Big quantities of meat are consumed by a lot of big adult coyotes. It’s no surprise that all 15 coyotes caught at cow #1 were adults.

That kind of hostile environment is no place for the young guns.

I've seen the family group together at a carcass in early season. I bet the only reason they were there together was because the male was a tail kicker. His presence kept other coyotes at bay.

Here is what I believe to be a family group with Dad out front, the youngsters in the background, and Mom to the far left.




I have little doubt that an active carcass is the most dangerous place a pup or yearling can be.

Even dad at their side doesn’t guarantee them a pleasant dining experience.

These two pups were nightly visitors and spent a lot of time at the carcass. With all the time they logged there they never seemed to eat very much.

Check out the injured left hind quarter on the pup lying down. That wound occurred on that same evening

This is the other end of the spectrum. 19 yotes have died here and this pup came in without hesitation. Got him a snack and laid down with it between his front legs. I like Tejas, like happy endings so he became #20. Lol

I believe/ agree with a lot of the studies and theories made by veteran trappers and biologists. But there are times when something’s just don’t add up. Example...in the Spring the young of the year are born. Had a robin nest near our window. The bird was crazy constantly banging off the glass and was a pain in the butt when we had to walk past the nest to get to the hose to water plants. So after the eggs hatched and the chicks were born the nest was removed in late May. Well she’s back and nesting again? Huh?
Recently trapped a female possum with 9 babies in the pouch....in mid August? Several times over the years I have caught juvenile raccoon in December? Few seasons back I had a coyote pup caught in January? So...never say never and never say always.

I think a lot of smaller birds nest multiple times a year. Pretty sure I had one bluebird pair that raised at least 3 different bunches and hve seen house wrens do the same.
There are exceptions to mammals breeding too
For example, the main whitetail rut here is around the first wek of Nov. but the does that miss getting bred will come in estrous again 28 days later. Heard of a doe being shot in December that had a near full term fetus in her. Gestation for them is 201 days which would have put her being bred in late June to early July.
MChewk you are correct, there are no absolutes in nature

This is a great thread James, lots of information in these kinds of threads

You’re welcome BT.

As stated earlier; the folks that join in and contribute are the ones who make it what it is.

Here is another big male that takes the term dog-bellied to another level.

I guess he thinks if he empties his bladder he can belly up to the bovine buffet one more time.

I've found that males with a good fight game tend to gorge to the maximum simply because they can.

It's been my pleasure Mac!

I’ve heard you put a major hurt on those big timber coyotes not too many years ago.

My guess is you’d do well in any location where a coyote makes tracks.

Even so, you see the benefit of keeping an open mind and are always looking to learn even more.