Will deer avoid an area with fresh coyote scent?

[NittanyRider]

I was out for a few hours last Friday morning and just after 7am, I noticed a coyote standing about 25 yards from my ground blind.  At some point it started walking toward me, but then caught my scent, whirled around and was out of there!

I didn't see any deer the rest of the morning, which obviously could have been due to many factors, but it got me to thinking about whether coyote scent registers as "danger" in the brain of a whitetail.  Just curious if coyote scent is effectively a red flag and causes deer to avoid areas where their scent is strong.

Does anyone have any anecdotal evidence about how deer react to coyote scent?

I think it depends on a few things, like the deer and coyote populations, and the populations of other potential prey such as rabbits.

At my lease I have seen deer get real alert and looking at something. I thought it was hogs coming, as that always get the deer on high alert and makes them run off with their tails up if they get close enough. Then I saw a coyote moving through the brush about 25yds past the deer. The deer never took its eyes off the coyote and I could watch the deer's head swing around as it was following the coyote, until it could not see it any more. The deer then stared in that direction for about 5 minutes, then went back to feeding!

Bisch

[Bowwild]

There have been many times I've seen a coyote and then deer in the same area during the same hunt -- but only once at the same time -- the Button Buck deer lost.

There are lots of coyotes in my area. The coyotes leave little ground unlittered with their scent. Deer can't avoid all these areas.

[Keith Zimmerman]

Doesnt bother them at all.

[Hawkeye]

I do think, however, that deer will avoid an area with a fresh COYOTE!    :rolleyes:

[LB_hntr]

I have had hundreds of trail can pics where deer cone into my coyote urine post sets I make when i m trapping. They come to the urine sticks soaked with coyote urine the same day I set them. It actually got to be so annoying with deer snapping my traps and ruining my sets I stopped using coyote urine altogether.
I also see a coyotes early morning walk by my stand and then minutes later have deer walk same trail.
So in my area deer don't care about coyotes one bit by what I have seen.

[Sam McMichael]

I thought deer were fairly smart, but this surprises me. If coyote scent doe not bother them, does human scent really upset them all that much?

[ishoot4thrills]

I wouldn't think deer would be alarmed when they come in contact with coyote scent. Or they would be freaking out all the time with the number of 'yotes there are around. So, I'm with Roy on this.

As far as what LB_hntr stated, I believe that deer can't distinguish coyote urine from human urine, or any other urine for that matter. At least not enough to be alarmed by it.

I know they don't seem to be alarmed by my urine when I pee in their scrapes!

Where I hunt there are two large groups of coyotes on oposite sides of a river. I am pretty sure that the coyotes out number the deer, the pheasants and the turkeys, as i have seen more coyotes this year than anything else. They seem to run in loose packs. We have seen them take after deer when they were out in the fields.

[ishoot4thrills]

Originally posted by Sam McMichael:
I thought deer were fairly smart, but this surprises me. If coyote scent doe not bother them, does human scent really upset them all that much?

I really don't think that adult deer are all that much scared of coyotes.

Yes, human scent really DOES upset deer all that much and then some! Now THAT I have seen first hand!

[ishoot4thrills]

Coyotes don't hunt in organized "packs" like wolves do. They may travel together in loose groups but they don't hunt anywhere near like wolves do.

[Brianlocal3]

Originally posted by ishoot4thrills:
Coyotes don't hunt in organized "packs" like wolves do. They may travel together in loose groups but they don't hunt anywhere near like wolves do.

Typically this is true, but wildlife biologists have documented and studied the change in coyotes hunting patterns and in certain areas they are pack hunting. Not EXACTLY like wolves, but they will run down deer in packs. Alot has to do with prey availability, pack size and structure and really the personality of the creatures.

[PaulDeadringer29]

I have seen coyotes in the same field as deer and the deer didn't seem bothered, they must be used to them. I don't think a mature deer should, or is worried about a coyote either. Fawns that are orphaned are the most susceptible to coyotes IMO. There's no way a coyote could keep up with, or much less take down, an adult deer.

[achigan]

U-tube seems to have all kinds of vids showing interaction all across the spectrum...

[Michael Arnette]

Here in NE Oklahoma, I have had deer move in the same area as coyotes within minutes. They always go on alert and run away when they hit the exact coyote trail...especially does with fawns.
Also, I have had deer present when coyotes arrive on the scene numerous times, the deer always run away and then stop if the coyotes don't pursue.
All that being said, I think it really depends on the region and prey animal numbers.

A farm woman last year told me about a fork horn buck that was playing a game with two coyotes in her bean field. I assured her that it was no game. The coyotes here, are killing young deer. I wish the fur price would go way up. If nothing else the coyote hunters might break up their home turf.
 

[ak213]

I don't think the odor bothers them much at all. I have seen deer tracks crossing coyote tracks on fresh snow. A couple of weeks ago we found a lion track that had deer tracks over the top of it for a couple of hundred yards. I guess it may depend on the area that you're in

[LKH]

If they did they wouldn't have anyplace to live.

[Tajue17]

based on my experience here YES,,,, I have seen over the years where there was hardly any coyote sign and then all of a sudden there was a lot of coyote sign and the deer where gone.    

I can't say for sure that the deer do avoid the areas completely but when they are sighted they are usually on the move cutting through and nervous not browsing or acting like they normally did,,, we had a surge in coyotes in two spots and the deer have almost completely disappeared..

[NittanyRider]

Thanks for the input!  For all the time I've spent on stand over the years, I've only seen two coyotes.  Both times, I did not see deer after the coyote sighting, so it got me thinking about this.

Anyway, it sounds like deer generally aren't bothered by coyote scent, but that the relationship between this predator and prey is complex and can vary from one location to another.  Thanks again.

David