I just want to make sure that what I said was clear. I don't believe a large pack of coyotes cornered and killed 5 deer in one night.

However, it is very plausible that a pack of 3-5 coyotes killed 5 deer over the span of 2-3 weeks, especially in thick areas where deer can't escape as quickly. I see coyotes circle around deer to prey on all the time, and its a chore for the deer to get away unscathed, most especially when there are 2-3 coyotes hunting together. Much less january-march when coyotes are mating and need the protein to roam about in the cold snow and ice.

As far as natural causes, the above is what I believe happened. It is entirely possible that poaching/dumping/poisoning happened as well. If they were poisoned, I would suspect you should find dead coyotes, crows, vultures, opossums, racoons, etc. in the area as well.

I think we need to look at the impact of coyotes a little deeper. They are well ahead of wild hogs in terms of sheer numbers. Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they are not there. It is not that common for me to get trail cam pics of coyotes, but each time I go coyote hunting I see no less than 4, and often more. One evening I saw 9 different coyotes in less than an hour and that covered about 200 acres that I could see. The area I hunt is surrounded by land untouched and very thick in areas just as mentioned in this scenario.

I just suggest you take a deeper look into your coyote numbers, that's all.