How much do coyotes eat?

[KySongDog]

I was wondering ( I wonder a lot) about how much does a coyote eat per week on average.  I know there is going to be good weeks and bad weeks for 'ol wiley but on average how much?    Numbers of rabbits, birds, mice, voles, turkeys, deer, etc. ??    

Also I am trying to get a feel for how much effect the coyote has on game populations.   Big, little or no effect.   

[HaMeR]

The only number I've seen was by the pound. I read somewhere they can eat as little as their body weight per week up to 3x their body weight per week. I know this isn't what you asked but it's the only thing I've ever read.

The only place that even comes to mind was when I 1st signed up on that "other larger more significant board"  & I think it was yellowhammer or whoever it was that had the title of Wildlife Biologist under his name.

[alscalls]

Till they are full would be my guess.......
I have pics of coyote scat with grass, plastic, seeds, bone, fawn hoof.....and numerous other unknowns....I think they will eat anything at all, so why not fill up.
It would be interesting to know more about the clock their belly runs on but I do not know if it is truly possible. I aint a big fan of studies as they can sometimes lean to much toward #'s and $$

[possumal]

They need a lot more to eat in extremely cold weather. Takes more to run their engine so to speak.  At the same time, they are expert at not wasting energy hunting when the critters aren't moving.  One of the biologists with the Kentucky dept. of fish & wildlife said that on average, every adult coyote will take down 5 deer a year, all ages of deer included.  That seems like a lot of deer but they sure get after the fawns hard and heavy in June around this part of the country.

[KySongDog]

The only number I've seen was by the pound. I read somewhere they can eat as little as their body weight per week up to 3x their body weight per week. I know this isn't what you asked but it's the only thing I've ever read.

Thanks. That is a start and is what I am looking for.   So if I figure the average coyote weighs, say 20 lbs, then the varmit is eating 20-60 lbs per week?  Seems like a lot. Not saying it isn't true cause I don't know but it sure seems like a lot.   20-60 lbs per coyote per week is a BUNCH of game, berries, persimmons, etc.  That has to affect the small game animals quite a bit.  

For 10 coyotes per year, that would be  10,400 lbs up to 31,200 lbs or 15.6 tons!!   

[LBLDOG]

Semp I wish I could remember where I read it Outdoor Life Or Field & Stream. They did a study on Fawn deaths , Natural death ,Predator Deaths and so on and they said Predator % was way up there. I have never read anywhere about a study on how much they eat.

[HaMeR]

And if that is true then you can double the intake for a 40lb northern coyote. And as possumal said,, colder weather dictates a higher intake. Now figure that by the smaller warmer weather southern & SW coyotes. Gets kinda confusing quick. It would be interesting to know what their average weekly intake is per year & by region.

[JohnP]

Also I am trying to get a feel for how much effect the coyote has on game populations.   Big, little or no effect.   

I think that if the deer herd, rabbit populations, etc is healthy coyote predation does not have that much of an impact.  If your deer herd is in bad shape, hard winter, over browsed forest, then I believe coyotes can do a lot of damage to your herd.  I know out  here they take a heavy toll on our antelope fawns and in some antelope areas hunting is almost non-existent.  I normally do not call/kill coyotes during mating and pup raising time - except in the antelope areas, then we hit it real hard. 

I have no idea on how much they eat but we will cut open the stomach on about every 3rd or 4th coyote we kill to check.  Mostly grasshoppers, mice, rabbits to include jacks.  We do find deer hair but it is unknown if it was killed by the coyote or if they just took advantage of an already dead deer. 

[possumal]

Semp, you could get in touch with George Brint and find out contact info for Gary Cook, his hunting buddy and a member of the Tennessee Dept. of Wildlife (Last I heard of him).  Gary knows a bunch about coyote depredation on game.  George makes the Predator Supreme decoy and lives at Bolivar, TN.

[alscalls]

Our browse line here has been up around 6-7 feet in certain areas.....but as the coyote population increases I can see it dropping down a bit.....but we are allowed two take a lot of deer each season as well so who knows. I have found a lot of fawn scraps in coyote scat.....and I do find a kill once in a while.
I have been kicked by a deer a few times while using fawn distress at night so I know the deer dont like em....

[Jimmie in Ky]

It seems to me I read what the percentage per day was somewhere back when I was working on state trapping issues for various folks. And danged if I can remember it now. But we do know all mammals require a certain percentage just to maintain body weight. If it were 10% a 20 lb animal would require 2 lb's per day. Even at that rate a single coyote could put away a few ton per year of various items in nature.

And I have already learned that deer predation has more to do with the coyote population . When they are at high numbers the number of deer taken can be as high as 3 per week. And they have a technique for doing so when htey deer hunt. Those of us who have been to the LBL hunt have experienced it at one time or another. This is why I hunt up til mid april. There is no way I can get every female but I can have a major affect on certain areas. Jimmie

[pitw]

I don't know how much they eat in weight.  Right now the chokecherries are ripe and you can't find any scat that doesn't have seeds all through it.  The coyotes are hard on our upland and water fowl here as they wander around the sloughs looking for nests.  They can eat off a dead pile so that their stomachs are distended and I'd say some are 10lbs heavier leaving than coming.