Deer in poor condition undoubtedly were more vulnerable 

 to coyote predation than deer in relatively good condition. 

 Our data were not sufficient to indicate the relative degree 

 of selection by coyotes for deer in poor condition over other 

 deer. However, because more deer, both fawns and adults, 

 generally died during winters when deer were in relatively 

 poor condition, some selection must have occurred. 



Circumstances and site conditions were also indicated to 

 play a role in predation such that relatively high numbers of 

 "healthy" deer were killed by coyotes during years such as 

 1975-1978. The situation referred to earlier, where 1 fawn 

 killed by coyotes on 7 March 1978 had a FMF content of 43% 

 while another fawn killed 1 week earlier, on 27 February 1978 

 had a FMF content of 90% indicated that relative condition of 

 the deer was not always the overriding factor determining 

 predation rates. Both of these fawns, as well as a whitetail 

 fawn killed on 7 March 1978 (72% FMF), had FMF contents equal 

 to or higher, for the same time of year, as most of the adult 

 female population during winters 1983-84 and 1984-85. 

 Relatively high mortality owing to coyote predation on this 

 area did not necessarily mean that deer were in poor condition 

 or that most of those killed by coyotes would not have 

 survived winter. 



Deer condition fluctuated throughout the period 1960- 

 1987. Combined evidence from antler measurements, weights, 

 fat indexes, and fawn birth dates (see Chapter 5) indicated 

 that deer were in better than average condition during late 

 1962 and early 1963, 1978, 1979, and 1987. Deer were in 

 poorer than average condition during 1961, 1984, and 1985. 

 More limited evidence suggested that deer may have also been 

 in relatively good condition during 1986 and relatively poor 

 condition during 1964 and 1970. The available data also 

 indicated that deer were in average or above-average condition 

 during 1973-1975 when fawn mortality was high. 



The condition of adult females did not always coincide 

 with the condition of adult males. Cumulative reproductive 

 and lactation stress was apparently such that after several 

 years of recruiting above average number of fawns, female 

 condition declined even if forage condition were relatively 

 good. Female condition recovered (1962, 1985) after 1 or 2 

 summers when few fawns were recruited. Even with relatively 

 stable forage conditions, it is unlikely that females can 

 sustain high rates of fawn recruitment while maintaining good 

 body condition and high survival . 



Deer killed by coyotes during winter were not necessarily 

 in poorer condition than their cohorts during the same year or 

 in other years. At least some deer killed by coyotes were in 

 better condition than survivors during other years. 



109 



