Ohio: Coyotes and General Woodchuck Weirdness

[danny]

What is up with Coyotes and Woodchucks in Ohio? For the last few years I have not been seeing Coyotes but have been seeing increasing numbers of Woodchucks, even in Suburbia. Are Coyote numbers going down and Woodchucks going up?

Today at work I went out in the back lawn and saw a colored blob kind of far away in the grass (did not have my glasses on), but immediately thought "Target" (Woodchuck). I kept walking closer to get a "look see". Well, it was a Woodchuck, a juvenile one. I kept walking up and got right next to it without it being angry, afraid or any kind of reaction. It was lying down on its belly with its hind legs kicked off to the side. I tried touching it with my foot and it scampered about 20' and got back down. It looked almost like it was relaxing in the sun, but I could not help thinking something was wrong with it. With that thought in mind (that there was a problem), I left, then came back in about 15-20 minutes expecting to see an expired body. It was gone...

What was up with that?

Danny

 

[WyleWD]

Similar here. Not been seeing or hearing any (many) coyotes on a widespread basis like we have in the past 15 or so years. Likewise we've been seeing a noticeable increase in 'chucks and rabbits. Also seeing a LOT more red foxes and fawn deer this year than over the last few years.

Coyotes have been hunted hard in this area, and the last 2 I did see last fall had really bad mange. If they're leaving that's fine with me. I like hunting them, but they sure put a hurt on the other animal populations around here. JMO. WD

 

[helmut in the bush]

Same here in NE Ohio, haven't seen a coyote for a long time, since I put an AR by the patio door for quick access, lot more rabbits tho

 

[ckrifles]

Canine Parvovirus?

 

[danny]

Similar here. Not been seeing or hearing any (many) coyotes on a widespread basis like we have in the past 15 or so years. Likewise we've been seeing a noticeable increase in 'chucks and rabbits. Also seeing a LOT more red foxes and fawn deer this year than over the last few years.

Coyotes have been hunted hard in this area, and the last 2 I did see last fall had really bad mange. If they're leaving that's fine with me. I like hunting them, but they sure put a hurt on the other animal populations around here. JMO. WD

Yes! Now that you mention it, I now realize that I have been seeing Rabbits regularly, which I find unusual these days.

Danny

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Nature is cyclic, never static. If prey is abundant, predator # is lower, they will and can rebound rapidly. Some diseases can slow repopulation. Fall dispersal is months away, so you may have to get out and find new areas.

 

[Bocephus]

Hard to say, but here in my part of Appalachia the chucks are pretty much memories. Seeing sporadic(normal) fluctuations in rabbit populations. Turkey poults are WAY down this year. Really wet spring, coons & possums, owls & hawks may be big factors there.

Coyotes and bears follow the food supply, and I haven't seen or heard any in over a month.

Had five mature does in the field a few evenings back, only ONE fawn. Looking ahead a bit, does not bode well.

 

[WyleWD]

Canine Parvovirus?

I do know there's been a LOT of canine distemper in raccoons around the county according to the GW. Two of them showed up in my back yard.WD

 

[danny]

Hard to say, but here in my part of Appalachia the chucks are pretty much memories. Seeing sporadic(normal) fluctuations in rabbit populations. Turkey poults are WAY down this year. Really wet spring, coons & possums, owls & hawks may be big factors there.

Coyotes and bears follow the food supply, and I haven't seen or heard any in over a month.

Had five mature does in the field a few evenings back, only ONE fawn. Looking ahead a bit, does not bode well.

I have also noticed way less Turkey than normal. It seems like they peaked here a few years ago. It was nothing to see 30 at one time cross through my yard in Suburbia. I have not seen them in maybe two years. I have seen them elsewhere recently, but very few compared to recent high numbers.

Danny

 

[mensajd]

Google “Lotka Volterra predator/prey model.” It’s over simplified but instructive. Predator prey population cycles can swing wildly or with sane wildlife management the cycles can be managed to have less variance.

 

[Treerat-sniper]

Wish it was that way in my neck of the woods, used to shoot g-hogs right out my back door... Rarely see them anymore. Turkeys are way down too the past few years. Coons & coyotes are up.

 

[Ohio Varmint Shooter]

I haven't been able to groundhog hunt this season, but just driving around...I guess I have noticed a little increase in the gh sightings. I hope they come back because it seems like the population has really dropped off in recent years in my local area.

 

[JohnJ73]

For the last four or five years on my family farm in Ashland county which is 300 acres of soybeans I struggled to find a groundhog, except for the one who lives in my backstop.
The rabbits were few and far between also.

This year I've seen and shot more groundhogs then the past five years combined. The rabbits are everywhere too.

The locals have not seen a coyote in awhile, I'm not sure if the locals have cleaned them out or disease did but they are gone.

John.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Raccoon can carry and transmit both canine and feline distemper. Seems like about 20% of the coyote in my areas have unusable fur, mange or lice sometimes they are using metal culverts. When using metal culvert during the day,in the winter, the guard hair freezes to the culvert metal and breaks or pulls when the coyote moves. Then you have a very flat back and collar, does not fluff up at all on the stretcher.