01/26/2026
Right now, we’re in coyote breeding season, and that timing matters more than most people realize especially if you care about fawn recruitment.
Coyotes typically breed in January and February, with pups being born in March or early April. By late spring, those pups are growing fast and transitioning from milk to meat. Adult coyotes are under heavy nutritional pressure during this window, spending a lot more time hunting and bringing food back to the den.
Now look at whitetails.
Most deer are bred during the November rut, and with a roughly 200-day gestation period, fawns are born in late May and June. That means the period when fawns are most vulnerable lines up almost perfectly with the period when coyotes are most motivated to kill. Newborn fawns are bedded alone, can’t outrun predators, and rely on camouflage, making them one of the easiest meals on the landscape.
If the goal is to help fawn recruitment, timing matters.
The most effective window for coyote hunting or removal is late winter through early spring, before pups are born or while they are still entirely dependent on the adults. Removing breeding pairs or reducing local coyote numbers before peak fawning can lower predation pressure during that critical first few weeks of a fawn’s life. Waiting until summer, when fawns are already on the ground, does far less to improve recruitment.
That doesn’t mean coyotes are “the problem” everywhere. In areas with good habitat and strong deer numbers, predation often replaces other mortality. But in places with low deer density, poor cover, or already stressed herds, targeted predator management at the right time can make a real difference.
Aaron B. Futrell, Author .
