[Reprinted from original]

With the population of coyotes and a fine price being paid for their fur, one would think they may become extinct. Coyotes, however, are next to impossible to ever overmanage. They are too cunning and breed very often. That is the very reason control by trapping and hunting is necessary.

The low prices on raccoons place them in high densities, and as a result they prey on duck and turkey eggs regularly. Raccoons, opossums and skunks regularly feast on duck and turkey eggs whenever they can get them. Foxes also prey on bird eggs, but foxes are in decline.

Coyotes prey on all three and are a service to all wild birds today. In addition, coyotes will kill a red or grey fox on sight. The reason for this? They compete for their food. That is, both would never pass up a rabbit or mouse. The coyote being the large canine can outrun and kill the fox easily.

So in many ways, the coyote is helping the turkey and pheasant populations in a very positive way. I have been in a lot of arguments with hunters that the reason we don’t have the pheasants we used to have is because of the coyote populations. Years back, we used to travel to South Dakota to pheasant hunt. We hunted in very good cover, and the pheasants were very numerous. In fact, we could limit out in a few hours.

As we entered cover, the birds were getting up all over. When reaching the end of the cover, coyotes would break and run from us. Both species inhabited the same cover, but it didn’t hurt the bird population out there.

In the city of Chicago the coyotes are part of the rat control near landfills and on many streets. In a nutshell, coyotes help control many undesirable species and are a great help for ducks and wild turkeys. The worst case of losing a species is lack of habitat.

Deer and wild turkey have adapted to this in Illinois.