Or some of these. They do more damage to deer populations than wolves and probably more than coyotes in most areas where both are abundant.
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/zG1mbKa.jpg)
No question that black bears are efficient fawn and calf predators. I've seen research that says an adult black bear may kill as many fawns as an adult coyote in a given year, but none that claims they kill more.
However, the Nutty Professor conveniently left out the most important parts of the equation.
In virtually every state that has both black bears and coyotes, the population of coyotes vastly outnumbers the bears. Coyotes are prolific breeders, and their populations are rapidly increasing across their range, while black bear numbers are relatively stable and easily controlled by hunting. Both species will hunt and kill adult deer that are sick or injured, but coyotes often hunt in packs that can easily hamstring and kill even healthy adult deer.
A graphic example is Kansas, that has an estimated 300,000+ coyotes, and essentially no black bears. In Pennsylvania, hunters kill roughly 15 times as many coyotes as black bears, and the coyote population is still increasing. Do the math... or just take a wild-assed guess which species has the greater negative effect upon the deer population.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist, and any so-called University Professor who would neglect to mention those facts would be either ignorant, irresponsible, or deceptive to present such incomplete information.
Such an agenda driven person should never ever be certified to teach young people.
