When is the rut?
The rut is the common term to describe the breeding season of deer. Changes in the daily length of daylight serve as the trigger for hormone changes in deer that bring on breeding and the behaviors seen during the rut.
I see a lot of does without fawns; did the coyotes kill them?
Not all antlerless deer will have a fawn or fawns when you observe them in the hunting season. Most of the females 2.5 yrs and older will have fawns, but very few yearling females will have fawns (typically less than 15% will breed as fawns: puberty is related to their weight). Again, regardless of predators, only about half of the antlerless deer seen can even have fawns.
straight from the horse’s mouth
Why is Sunday hunting prohibited? Sunday hunting is prohibited by a Statute, often referred to as a General Law. Click here to view the Statute. Statute vs. RegulationsThe only way to change a Statute is for a bill to pass in the legislature or for a ballot measure to pass. The bill could either address the issue through the bill language or have language that gives MassWildlife the authority to make regulations. To learn more about any current hunting-related legislation you can contact your local...
thumbs up for coyote hunting contests
Coyote hunting contests, which award participants who bring in the biggest – or the most – wild canines during the competition, create quite a stir among the animal rights groups. Generally, I don’t believe hunting is a competitive sport in most instances, but I find nothing wrong with the contests because I don’t view coyotes through rose-colored glasses. I see them for what I think they truly are – vermin, varmints, predators, nuisances and furbearers. Basically, “D” – all of the...
Best Ever Coyote Bow Kills
Best Ever Coyote Bow Kills
Coyotes on Your Doorstep
Misleading data, newspaper stories and letters to the editor have escalated fears and sometimes skirted the facts about coyotes. Statements like “exploding populations”, “not long before a child is bitten” and “live trap and remove” are misleading. Know the facts about coyotes before you make judgments about them.
After 160 years, a wild gray wolf turns up in Mass
A wild Eastern gray wolf roamed Western Massachusetts last fall before being shot to death on a farm, federal and state officials said yesterday. It was the first wolf confirmed in the state since hunters drove the species out more than 160 years ago
How Coyotes Conquered the Continent video
How Coyotes Conquered the Continent
Coyote or wolf? Animals in Massachusetts may be both
Eastern coyotes have been escalating recently, but as reports of the crafty and adaptable creatures have been increasing so have misidentifications as wolves. The recent sightings come during their breeding season, which runs from January to April but is at its height in mid-February.