Coyote pop increase?
- Thread starter LoessHillsArcher
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sureshot
The Hunt Never Ends....
I agree with many of the above posts that the bobcat's are putting a real dent in a lot of the game species that we enjoy chasing each spring/fall. I know that there aren't half as many turkeys 'down south' as there used to be in the areas I hunt. It's not due to hunting pressure either, and I realize there are many variables involved, but letting the cat population increase is not in our best interests in my opinion.
coyotekiller
New Member
Pleeeeeeaaaaaassssssee, pretty please...........ck
coyotekiller
New Member
If it only snows real well this winter, I hope it's right before breeding season. This is like the rut for deer. Males are thinking of one thing only and they're out all day "lookin for it, hee hee". Not uncommon to see several males chasin one female. The snow arenas they make, fighting in the snow really are something to see. No question about what went on there. Finding blood n fur is common. I've seen whole fields cratered by these. Pretty cool............ck
I should add that when you find a lot of these arenas, it's a sure bet you have a lot of old males around. They are the smartest, which makes them the hardest, which makes them the funnest........ck
I should add that when you find a lot of these arenas, it's a sure bet you have a lot of old males around. They are the smartest, which makes them the hardest, which makes them the funnest........ck
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blake
Life Member
Coyote Hunting = More Coyotes
Coyote Hunting just Breeds More Coyotes
Bill Keebler knows coyotes. He can follow their tracks, even in deer trails, and he knows their scat and wily ways.
And for a price, he'll help you kill one.
"They can hear a mouse squeak at 300 yards. And they can see you blink from 100 yards,'' the 52-year-old Tooele County outfitter tells The Salt Lake Tribune.
Keebler says the best time to hunt the elusive animals is in winter when they spend more daylight hours on the run, though hunting coyotes is legal year-round.
"The coyote is one of the most challenging things I've ever hunted,'' Keebler said.
"They're predators. They do the hunting.''
Utah wildlife authorities respond to complaints from ranchers and others by killing as many as 5,000 coyotes a year, but it doesn't seem to lower their numbers.
Project Coyote, a California educational group, says coyotes respond to hunting pressure by reproducing faster.
The death of even one coyote in a pack can trigger breeding in adults that normally defer to mating by an alpha male and female pair, said Gina Farr of Project Coyote.
That observation brought no argument from John Shivik, mammal coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
"Controlling coyote populations through hunting them is like digging a hole in the ocean,'' he said.
Most nuisance coyotes are shot from the air, but on the ground it's almost impossible to get close enough to the critters, Keebler said.
To get a clean shot off, Keebler sits low in sage brush, heavily camouflaged, sprays himself with coyote urine and blows reed calls in an effort to lure the predators from afar.
For Keebler, coyote hunting is a pure sport, and he doesn't pay much to attention to the politics.
As part of his service, Keebler will guide hunters who want a pelt or bounty offered by most rural Utah counties. He said coyote hunting is growing in popularity but most hunters fail at it.
"There is no instruction manual for this. It's very hard without experience to get a coyote,'' he said. "If they have no experience, I offer training. But even then, you can't expect to go out and get a coyote the very first time.''
Ranchers hate coyotes, but naturalists say the predators are misunderstood. Coyotes are known for attacking calves and sheep ewes, but they also keep the rodent population down.
They also eat gophers, which dig holes that trip up horses and cattle.
"When it's birthing time, the ranchers want all the coyotes dead,'' Keebler said. "But when it isn't calving season, they want them alive because they eat the gophers.''
Bill Keebler knows coyotes. He can follow their tracks, even in deer trails, and he knows their scat and wily ways.
And for a price, he'll help you kill one.
"They can hear a mouse squeak at 300 yards. And they can see you blink from 100 yards,'' the 52-year-old Tooele County outfitter tells The Salt Lake Tribune.
Keebler says the best time to hunt the elusive animals is in winter when they spend more daylight hours on the run, though hunting coyotes is legal year-round.
"The coyote is one of the most challenging things I've ever hunted,'' Keebler said.
"They're predators. They do the hunting.''
Utah wildlife authorities respond to complaints from ranchers and others by killing as many as 5,000 coyotes a year, but it doesn't seem to lower their numbers.
Project Coyote, a California educational group, says coyotes respond to hunting pressure by reproducing faster.
The death of even one coyote in a pack can trigger breeding in adults that normally defer to mating by an alpha male and female pair, said Gina Farr of Project Coyote.
That observation brought no argument from John Shivik, mammal coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
"Controlling coyote populations through hunting them is like digging a hole in the ocean,'' he said.
Most nuisance coyotes are shot from the air, but on the ground it's almost impossible to get close enough to the critters, Keebler said.
To get a clean shot off, Keebler sits low in sage brush, heavily camouflaged, sprays himself with coyote urine and blows reed calls in an effort to lure the predators from afar.
For Keebler, coyote hunting is a pure sport, and he doesn't pay much to attention to the politics.
As part of his service, Keebler will guide hunters who want a pelt or bounty offered by most rural Utah counties. He said coyote hunting is growing in popularity but most hunters fail at it.
"There is no instruction manual for this. It's very hard without experience to get a coyote,'' he said. "If they have no experience, I offer training. But even then, you can't expect to go out and get a coyote the very first time.''
Ranchers hate coyotes, but naturalists say the predators are misunderstood. Coyotes are known for attacking calves and sheep ewes, but they also keep the rodent population down.
They also eat gophers, which dig holes that trip up horses and cattle.
"When it's birthing time, the ranchers want all the coyotes dead,'' Keebler said. "But when it isn't calving season, they want them alive because they eat the gophers.''
I spent several years now trying to figure out how to kill yotes effectively, and its not near as easy as it looks on tv.The yotes around here dont seem to respond well to calling during the day.To hunt them at nights difficult because in Iowa you cant use a spotlight.
Leghold traps are effective if done right, but its a lot of work, they will smell the trap at a dirthole set if everythings not properly prepared and dig it up or avoid the set all together.
Snares I had better luck with but again it doesnt take much to alert the yotes that somethings wrong, if you leave a lotta scent around they will avoid that spot for weeks.I was after a huge male south of town here for two years.I caught half a dozen other smaller yotes in the process but could never get him.One day I put a snare out right before a snow storm in the ditch and when I came back the next morning in the fresh snow the tracks told an interesting story.He had come up to the snare, Im talking he almost had to have had his head in it.Then he took a step back and sat down right in front of it.You could actually see where is butt was in the snow and his tail was going back and forth behind him.He apparently sat there and studied that trail for a minute, decided he didnt want to be caught, urinated on my snare, and then walked around it.Same one had also dug up half a dozen of my legholds and quit using a couple other trails all together I had snares on while I was after him that year.Never did get him and he dissapeared last year.
Trying to kill them sometimes can be a lesson in patience and can be quite hunbling when you fail repeatedly lol
Leghold traps are effective if done right, but its a lot of work, they will smell the trap at a dirthole set if everythings not properly prepared and dig it up or avoid the set all together.
Snares I had better luck with but again it doesnt take much to alert the yotes that somethings wrong, if you leave a lotta scent around they will avoid that spot for weeks.I was after a huge male south of town here for two years.I caught half a dozen other smaller yotes in the process but could never get him.One day I put a snare out right before a snow storm in the ditch and when I came back the next morning in the fresh snow the tracks told an interesting story.He had come up to the snare, Im talking he almost had to have had his head in it.Then he took a step back and sat down right in front of it.You could actually see where is butt was in the snow and his tail was going back and forth behind him.He apparently sat there and studied that trail for a minute, decided he didnt want to be caught, urinated on my snare, and then walked around it.Same one had also dug up half a dozen of my legholds and quit using a couple other trails all together I had snares on while I was after him that year.Never did get him and he dissapeared last year.
Trying to kill them sometimes can be a lesson in patience and can be quite hunbling when you fail repeatedly lol
firepoggy
New Member
This is my first year of dedicated yote hunting. I've shot a few in the past during deer season but never left the house looking to do so. Bought an AR and a choke tube for the scatter gun so far. The guys I hunt with take care of the rest so I haven't had to purchase a call yet. But I will agree that tv makes it look easy. Between Les Johnson and Fred Eickler it would appear all you have to do is turn on the call and here they come. I keep telling myself if it was easy, everyone would do it.
Sent from my iPhone using IW
Sent from my iPhone using IW
Look at the areas the guys on TV typically hunt, not a lot of people around. The coyotes in Western NE, SD, WY,MT, etc will let you get a lot closer and they're hungrier. Also not as many groups of people running them in sections with roads where they can be surrounded or running them with dogs. Makes is tougher around here for someone trying to call them in.
For me lately it's been the increase in coons, I don't think anyone's hunting them anymore. I've never seen so many out in broad daylight while in my stands.
For me lately it's been the increase in coons, I don't think anyone's hunting them anymore. I've never seen so many out in broad daylight while in my stands.
Daver
PMA Member
We have killed about 40+ coons on our place between this year and last year and I was still seeing fresh tracks in the creek bottom yesterday. Sheesh, what does a guy have to do to knock them out, they seem to come from all over and be an endless supply.
Bowtech84
Well-Known Member
Its pretty easy just go to a timber or creek bed and look for holes in a tree or in the side of the creek bank and set the caller on the oppisite side of the hole or the tree. I use a foxpro but honestly if you didnt want to spend the money you could use a small cd player. I start out with a baby coon distress and let that play for about 2 minutes then if nothing i switch to two boar coons fighting. You will know if anything is in the hole within the first couple minutes. They usually come barreling out pretty upset so keep that in mind when your picking your spot to sit. If you want it to be in your face hunting you could sit with the caller in your lap but i wouldnt suggest it :way:
LoessHillsArcher
PMA Member
Ended up seeing three different bobcats three days in a row this past weekend. Mised a yote I called in Monday morning - to make a long story short I brought the .204 with us and my friend was done deer hunting I was going to turn the yote call on and see if we could get any of the problem dogs to come in. I didn't bring the shotgun and buckshot because I didn't feel like dragging two guns along (like I always do when yote hunting). Sure enough I put the call out 10yds in front of us, hit it two times and nothing comes in. I hit it a third time and I notice a lone dog sprinting in about 90yds out. I had the .204 on a bipod ready to make a long shot and I was completely not ready to make a close shot, the dog got to 10yds away in about 1 second and saw us obviously. He turned and was trotting straight away, I had a good shot at him through a little brush but missed... I wasn't too happy.
Ended the weeks hunt with two loose dogs clearing the field of deer. If it isn't coyotes it is always something else bothering the deer and hunting in the late season it seems.
Ended the weeks hunt with two loose dogs clearing the field of deer. If it isn't coyotes it is always something else bothering the deer and hunting in the late season it seems.
Daver
PMA Member
I don't know for sure, but I will say that in times past I have hunted pheasants in areas with strong pheasant populations AND strong coyote populations, year in and year out. That's not scientific, but it suggests to me that both can exist in good numbers in a given area. That is not to say that a coyote wouldn't enjoy a meal of cold pheasant whenever he could.
But my sense is that they DO NOT single handedly destroy the pheasant population.However, after having watched multiple coons and possums and some skunks "work"/hunt a draw or fenceline, etc, it is quite conceivable to me that few nests will escape unscathed if one of those beasts gets downwind of a batch of eggs. My hunch is that these nest marauders probably kill more pheasants annually than coyotes, but again, I really don't have any science behind that, just multiple observations.
In short...I could buy that.
LoessHillsArcher
PMA Member
I agree with Daver's comment. Those little critters raid a nest and there goes a whole bunch of birds real quick.