It was a cold December day in Quihi, in Medina County, as archery hunter Brady Johanson was eager to harvest a unique deer he had been after all year long.
As the deer was concealed behind a tree, Johanson heard a coyote bark about 100 yards away. Thinking the noise would startle the deer, instead, it stepped away from the tree giving him a clear shot. Johanson took the shot and believed his bow hunt was a victory, until the unthinkable happened.
“Despite it being a good shot, the deer continued to run as if the shot was not accurate, “Johanson said. “I could see where he was going, and he would not stop running. When he finally went down, he was about 350 yards away — which is a long way.”
From what Johanson could see from the tree stand, it appeared the deer was having a hard time dying. For 10 minutes, the head of the deer would occasionally move, but dirt flying, and cold air steam was evident.
“I decided to go to another tree for a better view,” Johanson said. “In the next tree, I saw a flash of a coyote.”
Johanson said during this hunt he carried his rifle with him because, the week prior, another suspicious activity was witnessed through the game cameras.
“We saw another large, mature, healthy buck being bullied by three coyotes,” Johnson said. “Seeing this created the possibility in my head of encountering this situation in person, and in such a short amount of time, I was experiencing something had never seen before.”
Johanson decided to move to a tree 100yards away from the deer and realized he had entered coyote territory.
“A coyote flies by my tree 10 yards away, I shoot him, and then I turn to my left and another appeared,” Johanson said. “It moved so quickly causing me to not get shot at him.”
What felt like hours, this entire situation actually only lasted 45 minutes. Johnson said when he finally approached the deer, it was as if he never existed.
“He was completely eaten — no meat, no guts, just a head left,” Johanson said. “The coyotes smelled the blood the minute
I shot the deer and immediately chased him, took him down, and were eating and dragging him around.”
The reason the deer ran so much after being arrow suddenly became clear.
“Predator control isn’t just for ranchers small game hunters, big game hunters need to be aware of possible occurrences like this,” Johanson said.
In Duval County, Scott Ponton is a guide on the Therman Ranch and emphasized the importance of educating others about predator control.
“Predator hunting is beneficial when it is enforced with a logical plan,” Ponton said. “It is a blessing to have a good group together on the same page who want to contribute and improve the herd.”
Ponton said it is important to have these conversations with others in a professional way as many may not be aware of situations like this.
While biologists say coyotes taking down adult deer is rare, it has been documented an injured, weak or deer exhausted from the rut.
“Like deer, coyotes can be overpopulated or underpopulated at times,” Johnson said. “I have realized where I am hunting, they have become overly aggressive.”
