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What Do Coyotes Eat in the Wintertime?

Coyotes are opportunistic feeders and will hunt during both the daylight hours and at night. These swift dog-like creatures, which are found throughout North America, will feed on whatever they find, including spoiled flesh and fruit. Although coyotes are known to kill domestic stock, poultry and sheep do not make up a large percentage of their diet. Coyotes will feed on fish, ground squirrels, rabbits, rodents and a variety of berries and wild plants.

Winter Diet in General
- Coyotes rely on small mammals at the beginning of winter, but they begin to hunt more substantial prey as the populations of small mammals begin to fall. Coyotes will hunt and kill adult whitetail deer during the coldest months of winter. Whitetail deer carcasses are also immediately fed upon by coyotes, including those deer that are killed by vehicles. Researchers at Memphis State University have found that more than 20 percent of the stomach contents of coyotes during the autumn and winter months is deer remains. In southern Texas, deer, wood rats, cotton rats and rabbits make up the staple winter diet of coyotes.
Urban and Rural Meals
- Coyotes living close to human settlements will scavenge for food in the urban environment during the lean winter months. Garbage is attractive to coyotes and easy to access if stored carelessly outdoors. Rats and mice are typically able to survive even the worst winter weather in urban settings, and their large populations also offer a source of food to coyotes. Pets, such as rabbits and cats, are also preyed on by coyotes that have come into urban areas in search of food. Unsupervised farm stock in rural areas will also be predated on during winter months.
Principally Mammalian Diet
- The coyote's winter diet consists mainly of mammal species, because plants, reptiles and insects are no longer available. Coyotes will scavenge on the carcasses of moose, antelope and elk as the opportunity presents itself and will hunt hogs, opossums, javelina and armadillos. Transient and other single coyotes are unable to hunt whitetail deer or larger prey and are more reliant on scavenging and preying on smaller mammals. Coyote pairs and packs are capable of hunting large prey, particularly ill, injured and old elk and moose. Pairs and small packs will also hunt domestic cattle.
Carcasses
- The carcass of any animal is a valuable food source, particularly to a single coyote that is not capable of hunting whitetail deer or larger mammalian prey alone. Carcasses represent an ideal food source during winter when coyotes have limited body reserves to track and kill prey, and once they come upon a carcass coyotes will guard it fiercely.

Animals & Science