Coyotes are an issue, but I know in the SE part of the state the bigger issue is habitat. There is very little crp, the tree rows are being ripped out, and with things being dry and the crops off early everything is being dug black and sloughs are being burned. We better hope for a good winter or our deer could be in big trouble with the lack of cover.
What he said! Good grief, guys. I'm all for whacking as many Wile-E's as you can, but you will NEVER, and I mean NEVER, kill enough of them to replace what has been lost through decreased habitat acres. SE ND is case-in-point. The only habitat available for anything through the winter months are standing cattails (which get burned), tree rows (which are getting dozed) and rivers/streams (which account for very little).
Milder winters will definitely help, but what happens when the bad winters return and the deer/pheasants have nowhere to shelter? History will repeat itself. No way around it. Mild winters give us false hope on the carrying capacity of the land. Try a couple feet of snow and a good month of below zero weather and THEN watch what happens to all the deer and pheasants...
Incentivize landowners/farmers to keep marginal land in cover, promote buffer strips and get some of the tree rows back. They ain't gonna do it on their own. Gotta grease the palms a bit.
Cue GST in 3, 2, 1...