PREDATION OF THE WHITE-TAILED DEER (ODOCO ILEUS-VIRGINIANUS) BY THE COYOTE (CANIS-LATRANS) IN A DECLINING WINTERING AREA OF EASTERN QUEBEC

Coyote predation was studied on White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginia nus) in a declining wintering area of eastern Quebec during a mild win ter. Remains of deer occurred in 98% of the scats (n = 319) collected in the area. From 16 January to 31 March 1992, 32 Coyote-killed deer w ere found during 33 days of field work. Among these. sex ratio favored bucks. Proportion of fawns in this sample differed markedly from that in hunter-killed deer and from that observed in similar studies. They were underepresented. Old deer (more than six years old) dominated am ong the preys. Most deer killed by Coyote were in good physical condit ion. A high Coyote-deer ratio seemed to be responsible for the heavy p redation observed on deer despite a mild winter.