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Coyotes

2K views 22 replies 14 participants last post by  Daoust_Nat 
#1 · (Edited)
On TV a few nights ago, Night Hawk, I think, program, where they hunt coyotes with calls, from a platform on a pick up truck equipped with bank of powerful lights, they showed coyote activity, during the day, while a Farmer was cutting hay.
As the Farmer cut hay, he may have killed many rats, or he may have just made some of them more visable. Coyotes were every where following the mower, gulping down lots of big rats and mice.
They came back at night to hunt them with the light setup and had no problem in killing several coyotes at one time.
It is apparent, that killing all the coyotes is probably not a good thing. How many rats they got while the hay was tall, apparently was not many. Hard to bee quiet and sneak on mickey in tall grass. The coyotes serve a very useful purpose. They are controlling rodent populations in the hay fields of Texas as elsewhere as do bobcats. Rats multiply like..well very fast and besides eating foods we like spread deadly disease.
Here in the east coyotes are here now since the 60s and in big numbers since the eighties.
I think that thanks to the Mississippi River we were not taken over before by coyotes.
or eons Bars, Cougars, and Wolves, preyed on the few coyotes.
Now all those are gone and coyotes are the predominant predator species.
So much so that all the turkeys here seem to be gone.
They were close to the house two evenings ago.
I have figured out if I want the Hawks and Eagles back, I need to let the field opposite the house grow tall and let a bunch of ice take over. That is what they were feeding on.
Big tall trees on a hill overlooking it all and the water where they sat and swooped down on them.
When I last cut the field in Sept, I think a few places in the spring area had mice running out as the mower approached. I ran over several. But a couple on one patch looked like , to me a native and now rare, not rat but a type, of native rodent. I would have to go back looking for it on the TWRA site.
The Hunters went to a Fox Pro, brand of coyote call. Distress calls at first then coyote calls like little ones in distress and had numbers off coyotes come and be shot at one time.
They coyotes were not afraid o the farm machinery or Farmer. They had learned just like crows and hawks and eagles etc that the machinery turns out rodents or
bugs for the birds and rodents when plowing. Interesting that no Hawks were taking part in the feast. have they all bee poisoned out.
 
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#3 ·
I remember sometime in the ate seventies coyotes moving into eastern part of middle Tn, from where the dirt bags released them a hundred mils further west, Went looking for dove field, in an area I was familiar with. Saw a 3 coyotes trailing a cow, about to deliver. They sometime just got the afterbirth but three of them would get the calf.
Cyanide bombs are not an option if fields with your livestock. They kill or injure anything or anyone that bumps it etc. They use them on ope range or public lands,whee they don't care what gets killed. Sometime some cattle on pubic grazing lands do get killed by them.
Interestingly in the early days in the east in many places they fenced to keep the threats of bears and wolves and so forth out.
Such it was on Wife's Ancestor's farm south o the old Sioux Trail o now US 12 in Michigan. About twenty miles south near in Ohio near the Indiana line.
They had fencing of some wood construct and at night they were brought into a high stockade field or paddock. I don't remember the language at the moment.
This was 1850s, not that long ago. No one fences to keep any wild life out. I'm not sure how high a coyote could jump, but perhaps 6 ft.
Which would seem a reasonable investment on a 640 acre square. They spend that much on wood fence or white plastic fencing that keeps nothing out and sometimes cattle don't observe it either. One strand of barb wire and they figure out the sting only last a few seconds or don't care and just decide my grass needs cropping, which I don't ind but don't like the presents they leave.
So everyone uses cheap 2 or 3 strands of barb wire, and shoots all the wildlife or poisons them in the area or State and Feds do.
Neighbor has shot some coyotes among his chickens and feeder cattle. I do think a 6 ft fence would keep everything out but deer and mice and maybe rabbits.
At this stage of life I won't be starting my farm like I should have but I wouldn't have cats, packs of dogs, and coyotes getting to them, not even the diggers. Cost more but 2 ft of buried fencing, and a trencher would pay for itself. And... a coupe of donkeys.
 
#13 ·
They certainly got me out of raising layers. It is rare that you see one in the daytime, but at night they will raise hell with all of the howling. The came to North Florida probably in the 80s. I know the first one I saw was around '84.
Those critters and rats are the only animals I will kill on sight.
 
#6 · (Edited)
?....... There is a video on the net now of a Hunter with someone with a camera behind him calling coyotes with just his hands and mouth. He was real good. Sounded like king of the coyotes. Called in what sounded like a dozen coming in on his right. Didn't show the coyotes though just their singing and then them coming in.
Feel free to come shoot these perhaps dozen coyotes behind us. I'm not physically able to do it now.
 
#7 ·
KY is overrun with the critters. Used to be a 25 dollar bounty on each one you killed .

They stopped that probably because it was costing to much.
But it's still open season on them year round.

Our late 13 ur old son used to call them in by mouth just to hear and see them.

I don't actively hunt them but I'll kill one if it makes itself a target.

Just too many of me here.

Oddly the Turkey population is thick here too so Coyotes here must not have that much affect on them.

Rabbits are scarce though.
 
#8 ·
you can build fencing to keep out just about any predator, if you have the money, time or can afford to pay someone to build it. also, it leads to much more difficult fence upkeep and repairs. the more difficult and more materials to build a fence, means it will be more difficult and expensive to repair. so it boils down to how much you are willing or can afford to spend building a fence. how much is a person willing to do themselves.

i would also suspect anyone who hasn't done their fair share of fence building, probably doesn't have the first clue as to how much work is involved in clearing for the fence line, building the fence, and maintaining the fence. BTDT many times.

and one of the best deterrents for coyotes, is either a guard dog, of which there are several breeds that are quite well adapted to this job, or a couple head of donkeys. guard dogs work well in this capacity, but donkeys will pretty much mingle with the herd and can eat the same thing as the herd usually.

next best solution for coyotes is a good rifle and scope, and kill any seen on sight, and let the buzzards take care of the carcasses.
 
#9 ·
We have coyotes in Virginia, and they are raising hell with any ground nesting birds. The turkeys, quail and dove are hurting, and the whippoorwill, an icon of Southern nights, is gone. I mean gone.

I have a .220 Swift, a .17 HMR, and night vision equipment. Mr. Coyote steps lightly around Rancho C3.
 
#10 ·
i like to call in coyotes using a distress call and shoot them with No. 4 buckshot. Got to be careful if you're calling from the ground. A local guy got bit by a coyote that came barreling in.

Most fun i ever had was working coyotes with a female college classmate on her ranch. She has two mutts that are sent out in a field to play around. A coyote don't like dog looking animals in his/her theatre of operations and they chase after the dogs. The dogs lead the coyote to the shooter. We blasted 11 coyotes that day.
 
#11 ·
In my neck of the woods (central Ky), if coyotes are roaming singly, the population is within control, but when they are thick enough to start running in packs, that poses a very real threat to rabbits, turkeys, newborn calves, goats, chickens, or hogs. When in a pack they also lose their fear of man, and a child or even adult could get attacked. I haven't actively trapped since teenager years, but I've found the best way to control them is by calling them in to shoot. If you call 1 in and miss, it just became educated, & immune to that exact particular call. Several years ago I realized just how great of a coyote rifle a bull barreled exquisitely accurate AR is. I was able to nail 3 coyotes out of a pack at 1 time! If I'd had my bolt action 220 Swift I built on a Browning A-Bolt, I'd have not gotten over 1, perhaps a distant chance of a second if they had stopped at a distance (which happens very rarely). After I busted the 1st 1, they was hauling ***, and if you shoot at a running coyote or jack rabbit, they grab another gear! They never seem to run out of more gears! The 1st was almost stopped standing, and it took me 4 more shots to get the last 2, nailing the 3rd at around 350 yards. If you've never called coyotes in with a superbly accurate AR or Mini, it should be on your MUST DO bucket list!
 
#12 ·
Where I'm at (north of Nashville, near KY border in TN) we sometimes hear packs of them at night - esp. if an ambulance siren or such sets them off. Occasionally I see one cutting thru the yard, but of course I am never ready when they do. We have alot of turkeys and deer around here. I too am concerned for my dog - he's just a little 12lb-er - but he's really an indoor pooch. Just goes out for his business...I keep thinking that one of these times something might happen...
 
#16 ·
Years ago, I took a call from a lady who wanted folks to look out for a lost cat. A couple of days later, she called and said she'd seen a coyote jump her yard fence with her other cat in its mouth. Coyotes got one of our old cats a couple of months ago, left her with about a 4" square hole in her side. They'll be having pups here in a few weeks.

A fellow a few miles from here found a coyote and his dog curled up asleep, side by side, in his barn. Shot them both (as the story was told to me).
 
#17 ·
They pack here. It's normal to hear three separate packs yapping within 300 yrds of the house in all directions at night.
They have never taken a calf or cow around here to my knowledge.
But there is plenty of deer turkey rabbit etc plus scavenging so I guess they don't mess with cattle.

They do send in females in heat to lure dogs away from the house and the pack kills and eats it.

Never saw any gaurd dog or four of them stand a chance against a pack of coyotes except Great Pyreneese. Yes I misspelled it I'm sure.

Now as Dallas said put an old cranky Jack in the pasture and man nor beast it ain't used too is in deep doo doo. Darn things ain't afraid of nothing.
 
#18 ·
I can put up with the howling, 'yotes been here long before I was, but not the wanton killing they do. We don't have many neighbors but the few we have, have had some nasty experiences with 'yotes taking young goats, lambs, cats and poodles.
Up here, there used to be a bounty on 'em. $20.00 for a male and $25.00 for females, but since the fur prices dropped to what they are, and the bounty is over, nobody shoots or traps 'em any longer. The DNR feels they do more to clean up wounded deer from rifle season anyway.
Normally, when calling 'yotes in February, the pups from spring are the first to respond, cause they are dumb to my feeble attempts at calling. You never know what will respond to the dire squalling. It could be fox, fishers, 'yotes, bobcats or wolves. It's winter and these critters will eat most anything. This is the last decent male 'yote that I got a couple of winters ago. Pelt prices were negligent so I had it tanned .

 
#19 ·
Kill all you can and if lucky, you'll keep the population in check.
Fuzzy cockroaches..........be here when dang near everything else is gone.
Buddy popped one in deer season, already got it back from tanning. Came out nice.
We only went after them once, specifically.........this past winter. Waste of time.
Public ground, buddy showed up late........waste of a day IMHO.
I kill mine within 1st hr of daylight, or at noon.
Have shot one in the eve. Mornings seem best for me.
Cheap caller worked great. Got new $$ caller and aint killed squat LOL.

My buddy made fun of me when I showed up with just a handgun. Wwent two or three times that season. The next yr I shot this one on the run, with my cheapo caller blasting.
Buddy doesn't make fun of me anymore.

Brown Air gun Gun barrel Trigger Gun accessory
 
#21 ·
Kill all you can and if lucky, you'll keep the population in check.
Fuzzy cockroaches..........be here when dang near everything else is gone.
Buddy popped one in deer season, already got it back from tanning. Came out nice.
We only went after them once, specifically.........this past winter. Waste of time.
Public ground, buddy showed up late........waste of a day IMHO.
I kill mine within 1st hr of daylight, or at noon.
Have shot one in the eve. Mornings seem best for me.
Cheap caller worked great. Got new $$ caller and aint killed squat LOL.

My buddy made fun of me when I showed up with just a handgun. Wwent two or three times that season. The next yr I shot this one on the run, with my cheapo caller blasting.
Buddy doesn't make fun of me anymore.

View attachment 182181
Hookeye......... I love your revolver. The Colt Python is the epitome of .357 magnum revolvers. I shot my first buck ( 6 point ) with my Colt Python at the very first experimental handgun hunt here in Wisconsin, back in like, 1971 at the Sandhill Experimental proving grounds. .
 
#20 ·
Even in areas of heavy legal hunting pressure, coyotes maintain a decent population.
I wouldn't worry about them getting wiped out.
Even if a local population got nuked, then people would quit hunting (since no more targets) and then new ones would move in.
So...........the best you can do is keep the population low.
You aint gonna wipe em out.
 
#23 ·
Here in Central FL the Yotes don’t howl. You can hear them yipping. I have seen them dead on the side of the road. People lose small dogs and cats, and a woman with sheep has lost lambs, so they are here. Too densely populated to shoot them.
 
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