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J

Jay Liedman

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In the last two days I have found two calves killed--pretty much torn apart. The first was quite young, probably only 3-4 weeks old. The one today was bigger, more like 3-4 months old. We have quite a few coyotes in the area (central Minnesota), but I have not had any calves killed before. Are the coyotes the most likely culprits, or is there some other predator in the area?
 
We live closer to true wilderness than most folks will ever experience. Nearest neighbor has cattle scattered here and there. He has a hand-off approach to his livestock and doesn't even check on cows when they drop calves. It's literally like he doesn't care. Wolves, coyotes and bear all around, but also other food sources. Not saying we hear all the news around here, but in 15 years have never heard of him or other neighbors losing calves to coyotes.

Maybe not enough other food in the food chain in your area, but might also be a pack of wild dogs?
 
I've never heard a confirmed case of coyotes killing a calf but have seen dozens of cases where dogs attacked or killed calves. I believe coyotes get the blame because they are seen feeding on dead animals. Don't you have a small population of wolves? I've heard the DNR will investigate alledged wolf kills and pay damages if confirmed.
 
I've had calves killed by Coyotes and have to keep Livestock Guard Dogs or they'd kill all my goats in short order.Here in Virginia and most of the Eastern US we have
the Eastern Coyote which is a Eastern Red Wolf/Coyote cross according the Game Dept that has done DNA tests. They can easily weigh over 60 lbs and are very good at killing livestock.Western Coyotes are a smaller animal not as deadly to livestock I've read.Also if you have Cougars in your area that is a possibility.Bears can easily kill calves that size,years ago mountain folks in my area would have trouble with bears killing hogs frequently.
 
Coyotes will kill calves. They will also attack and eat the back end out of a cow while she is down having a calf. We have had a terrible time with coyotes in this county. Many times folks will run a donkey in the field with their cows. Donkey has no time for a coyote, and will chase them down and kick them to death.
 
I've seen Coyotes try to run down half grown deer while working in hay fields the deer can out run a Coyote,on the other hand a goat,sheep,calf etc are very slow compared to a deer and are easy prey.The only time coyotes are really successful at killing deer are when the fawns are small.If a Coyote kills a calf very little is left of it in a couple days and then things like foxes,bear and coons will eat pretty much anything that's left of the calf.A fresh Coyote kill is a great place to predator hunt with a rifle and a night vision scope.
 
Coyotes will get them here, happened to my cousin. I've seen coyote kill a fawn. Anything dead or wounded here is gone in 48 hours.
 
I have seen a coyote trout right throught a herd of cattle and they hardly notice. Let a dog top a hill 1/4 mile away and all heads come up.
 
Coyotes can't outrun a deer, but deer are sprinters, not long distance runners. Coyotes work as a pack to kill adult deer. One takes the track and the others stay ahead of the deer to ambush it. Coyotes most definitely do kill adult deer. I'm talking about the eastern variety of coyote, which is not a pure coyote in the western sense. They have red wolf blood in them. I also believe the DEC DNA tests revealed some dog blood also. Just how that particular makeup of blood line occurred is open to speculation. (especially since dogs and coyotes hate each other with a passion) I have also seen coyotes walking among our cattle and the cows pay no attention to them at all. Never lost a calf that we can definitely attribute to coyote predation. Considering coyotes affinity for fawns, however, I sure wouldn't bet against them taking any calf they thought they could get their jaws on without endangering themselves. If you listen carefully to coyotes howling at night you will notice there is always one howling some distance away from the pack. That is the driver communicating with the pack as to where he/she is with the deer it is trailing.
 
3-4 months old seems bigger than even a pack of coyotes would tackle. Unless they were on the brink of starvation. Not saying they wouldn't, just saying if easier prey is available they wouldn't take a chance on tackling prey that large. Do you have bears, wolves or cougers in the area?
 
A 3 or 4 month old calf is s lot easier prey than a full grown deer would be a lot easier to catch and kill.Once any predator starts on a certain type of livestock they usually
will keep killing them until they are stopped in some sort of fashion.
 
9 times out of 10 it's dogs. I won't say coyotes never kill calves, because it can happen. But it's certainly not common. Especially a 300 lb calf, it's just not something a coyote would normally mess with. They usually get the blame because they're seen eating on the carcass, but dogs are more often than not the actual killers.
 
We call them coydogs around here. Shoot on site they usually have a path to their feeding site. Looks like they found a new one. They are smart and will stay out of sight. try traps or long range rifle.
 
Any bear sign? Here in Stearns County they were around this spring & summer, but no sightings lately. Where in Mn. are you?
 
Don't really see coyotes pack up in my area until dead of Winter then I'll see multiple tracks in the snow running together which a lot of times is a litter that was raised together with the female.Get them on game cameras all the time usually one by itself.Also I'm not in a really rural area many housing developments in my area but a mountain and a lot of heavy cover a long the river and grown up land that used to be farms.Deer are pretty sharp I've seen a coyote get after a deer and they will head to the nearest fence row
which they can easily jump the coyote then has to deal with whatever is grown up in the fence row and most times on my place they hit woven wire which is hard for them to get thru by then the deer is long gone.
 
(quoted from post at 02:26:47 09/27/19)Here in Virginia and most of the Eastern US we have
the Eastern Coyote which is a Eastern Red Wolf/Coyote cross according the Game Dept that has done DNA tests. They can easily weigh over 60 lbs....
Click to expand...

Dang! That [i:88595efb0c]would[/i:88595efb0c] be a bad thing for sure!!

Forgot about cougars. Have heard that a cougar will sometimes visit this area. Have a neighbor that said he's trapped a couple. Very rare and elusive in this area.

That said, I have a friend in the Black Hills that can't seem to go a month without a news report of a cougar attack of some kind. I'd be crapping my drawers if I lived there! :shock: ...Would probably also need Pampers if I saw a pack of them 60-pound coyotes also! :shock: :shock:

....We'll just stay here. :wink:
 
Between the bears, cougars, coyote and wolf in our area a carcass from a dead cow will be stripped clean inside of 3 days yet we have very few problems with calves being killed.

Typically the critters may go after a sick or lame animal as it is easy pickings but as far as healthy animals getting attacked about the only problems we have had is cows loosing their tails to wolves training their pups.
 
I?ve seen coyotes out in Wyoming, they looked like toy dogs compared to the coyotes here. In 30 plus years, I?ve seen coyotes on my property once. I have heard them for years, but they are sneaky. I?ve coyotes up north, feeding on a deer carcass, the highway traffic didn?t scare them, they knew.
 
Quick clarification, eastern coyotes RARELY reach 60 lbs. I can count on one hand the number of coyotes I've seen near 60, and all have been pics on the internet. I've caught some really big ones, and the biggest have 45-47 lbs. For the most part, that's the upper limit other than the occasional outlier.
They also aren't a coyote/wolf cross. They contain small amounts of wolf DNA from thousands of years ago. That's not the same thing as a "cross".
 
I am going to guess wild dogs. Lay under the porch all day and kill for fun when the mood strikes. In the early 60's my Uncle gave me a 30-30 Winchester rifle and told me to sit on the hill over the sheep. I never saw a Coyote or Wolf but I killed three domestic dogs, one of which was his. Ellis
 
You're wrong on both counts I've seen dead coyotes that scaled 60 lbs article in VA Wildlife had some larger.Game dept in Virginia has done DNA testing and it shows
a wolf/coyote cross.Matter of fact in Eastern NC in some counties they have outlawed shooting coyotes because they looked the same and the same size of the protected Eastern Red Wolf.
 
Coyotes get a bad rap because they are killers,no dogs roam anywhere in my county.Game Dept and anyone that are on farms see its coyotes.We get them on game cameras all the time,no dogs,hunters with night vision scopes kill them.
Almost everyone in my area has livestock guard dogs and/or donkeys with their animals to keep coyotes from killing livestock,doubt there is a cattle owner in the area that can't tell you about coyotes being a problem.
 
Here is a link to NY State coyotes. Stating large males can be 50-60 lbs. Also says can take calves and sheep. Contest winners by weight run about 50lbs.
NY coyotes.
 
Some of you didn t read closely or don t understand. Again, coyotes rarely reach 60 lbs, and they are not a wolf/coyote hybrid. This is not my opinion, its fact. I suspect there s a misunderstanding as to what a "cross" is. One could make the argument that its a very diluted composite, but its not a cross.
 
Jay northwest of you we have bears, wolves, lynx and coyotes. Most of the calf issues are wolves and bears but a pack of yotes can and will take a calf too. They will go in a clean up a kill from say a wolf or bear too. I'm near Battle Lake and guys up here are putting in mules/donkeys with their herds. Have been for 15 years or so.

While there have been cougar sightings in the area there is no evidence that they live in the area. Most often just passing through according to MN DNR. Don't know if you can believe them or not. They have lied about so many things. Like the bear population, the presents of coyotes, elk (yes elk 5 miles from my door), moose (right in town in Fergus Falls).

Rick
 
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