Findings on coyotes in area confirm theory

Evidence is mounting that coyotes kill more fawns in the South than previously thought -- and also eat lots of suburban house cats.

The newest findings -- revealed in ongoing research at Savannah River Site and in a study published in the Journal of Wildlife Management -- confirm what savvy hunters already know about the secretive predators that arrived here in the 1980s.

"The evidence we're seeing has been remarkably consistent and it's not changing from year to year," said U.S. Forest Service research biologist John Kilgo, whose coyote studies at SRS are now in their fourth year.

The findings, based upon a sophisticated telemetry program to track and monitor newborn fawns, indicates coyotes are responsible for at least 50 percent, and potentially as much as 80 percent, of the documented fawn mortality.

That's a lot of venison.

In all, Kilgo and his colleagues have studied 84 fawns. Of those, 24 were involved in this year's studies, and final results remain incomplete because he is awaiting DNA analysis to confirm that the fawns killed were taken by coyotes.

Of the 60 fawns studied previously, however, 44 of them died within a few weeks of birth -- and 35 of those deaths were attributable to coyotes.

Although the hard data is all from SRS, which has low deer populations due to hunting pressure, evidence indicates coyotes take just as high a percentage of deer from other lands.

As part of his research, Kilgo used trail camera surveys to study fawn-doe ratios in September, the end of the period in which they are most vulnerable to coyotes.

The studies were conducted both within SRS, which has a lower deer population, and on private, sparsely hunted land, where deer densities were much higher.

"We thought, if there are a lot more deer and a lot more fawns hitting the ground in the spring, maybe the impact isn't that dramatic," Kilgo said. "But what we found were the same percentages -- suggesting that the same number of fawns are dying."

What will the coyote's presence mean for future deer herds in the South? It's hard to predict.

In Western states, where coyotes have existed for centuries among mule deer and antelope, their impact appears minimal.

"In those areas, the whole system has adjusted and evolved under pressure of the coyote," he said.

"Even when you throw hunting in there, the populations are supporting both coyotes and hunting pressure. Here in the Southeast, where coyotes were first seen in the mid 1980s, it's a newer situation."

Coyotes are also impacting suburban populations, according to a study in the Journal of Wildlife Management that shows they are consuming huge numbers of outdoor cats.

Shannon Grubbs, of the University of Arizona, and Paul Krausman, of the University of Montana, observed 36 coyote-cat interactions, of which 19 resulted in coyotes killing cats.

They concluded 42 percent of the coyotes' meals in such areas were cats.

Although the cat studies were conducted in western states, Kilgo said it is no surprise -- and happens here just as often.

"It's pretty well known among people who study urban situations that they do take cats on a regular basis," he said. "They eat pets in general and small dogs -- and a lot of disappearances we see are probably attributable to coyotes."

Reach Rob Pavey at 868-1222, ext. 119 or rob.pavey@augustachronicle.com.