geo4061
Well-Known Member
Great education. Thank you.
Coyote hunting tips
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You are welcome as is any one else that wants to read what I have offered . It's just what I have observed and may be different then what you will find to work in your area . Pleasure hunting and hunting one or two stock killers isn't the same thing as you already know . When you are out there like Ed and myself to kill specific animals you learn different ways of doing things that the average person doesn't need to even think about but in the end it will be of use to the pleasure hunters with more coyote called .
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Not only more coyotes called, but more things seen.
It's interesting to see the non-target animals and birds that show up to your calls and how they react
Don't ignore them, because they will know when the coyotes show up. Sometimes long before you do.
Today is a perfect example of it.
I was traveling on my 4-wheeler, checking around stock tanks for coyote and feral pig sign.
I stopped under a mesquite tree in the shade to have some water and a snack since it's only 102°F.
There were probably 30 cow/calf pairs scattered around the tank, just taking it easy.
All of a sudden, off to my right about 30 feet away, I hear a cow utter a low, short sound, almost like a growl. This was different from the other, usual sounds that loafing cows make.
I have never heard a cow growl before!
I looked in the direction the cow was looking, over to my left and on the other side of the herd, and I saw a young coyote walk out of the brush, walking at an angle towards me, sniffing the cow pies as he came.
I didn't have a clear shot at that moment, so I just waited until he stepped in the clear.
As I waited, several other cows let out short, low growls and the herd turned towards the coyote.
The coyote was so focused on the cows and calves that it never saw me, in the open, sitting on my RED 4-wheeler.
A minute or so later, the coyote stepped clear and I shot him.
Easiest dog of the day.
I wondered if I hadn't paid attention to the strange sound of that one cow would I have seen that coyote before I saw it and spooked?
Ed
Yes Ed , time after time the other animals have told me of predators approaching well before I was able to see them myself . Here magpies are real big tattle tails squawking and swooping on them they love to tell on cats especially for some reason . Cows with young calves are very observant of all predators as you said as are does of antelope and deer .
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In Alaska, the magpies were great at letting you know what else was out there.
Here, it's Kingbirds and Mockingbirds.
We also have Burrowing Owls and they despise any predator, particularly coyotes and badgers.
Watching for flushing Quail and doves is another trick.
Ed
And so we can figure that these are the same things that give us away as we approach our calling stands or as we stalk our targets of choice . Predators tend to pay close attention to what the animals around them are saying to them . If we take the time to just watch some predators when we are out they will show you a lot about how they think and act which will help us to be better at hunting and calling them . For me it was as enjoyable to observe them and keep notes on what I learned as it was to shoot them .
Please explain the last part to my wife!
I learned years ago when I was starting out bow hunting deer to pay attention to cattle, squirrels, blue jays and even the deer themselves. They will tell you when something is askew.Not only more coyotes called, but more things seen.
It's interesting to see the non-target animals and birds that show up to your calls and how they react
Don't ignore them, because they will know when the coyotes show up. Sometimes long before you do.
Today is a perfect example of it.
I was traveling on my 4-wheeler, checking around stock tanks for coyote and feral pig sign.
I stopped under a mesquite tree in the shade to have some water and a snack since it's only 102°F.
There were probably 30 cow/calf pairs scattered around the tank, just taking it easy.
All of a sudden, off to my right about 30 feet away, I hear a cow utter a low, short sound, almost like a growl. This was different from the other, usual sounds that loafing cows make.
I have never heard a cow growl before!
I looked in the direction the cow was looking, over to my left and on the other side of the herd, and I saw a young coyote walk out of the brush, walking at an angle towards me, sniffing the cow pies as he came.
I didn't have a clear shot at that moment, so I just waited until he stepped in the clear.
As I waited, several other cows let out short, low growls and the herd turned towards the coyote.
The coyote was so focused on the cows and calves that it never saw me, in the open, sitting on my RED 4-wheeler.
A minute or so later, the coyote stepped clear and I shot him.
Easiest dog of the day.
I wondered if I hadn't paid attention to the strange sound of that one cow would I have seen that coyote before I saw it and spooked?
Ed
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geo4061
Well-Known Member
One thing we haven't talked about is memory. How long does a coyote remember a certain sound or set up that signals danger?
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I don't know for sure . They learn faster then most dogs I've known and tend to remember as long as they have lived before I killed them some way . I killed one once that didn't have any teeth and he wouldn't respond to any calls when I first got to working on that ranch . I saw his tracks and worked on him for over two years before he messed up and ran through a snare when running from the plane one morning . He never did talk to the siren , howls or any thing else . I took his mates and pups two springs in a row . I really don't know how old he was but he had very distinct foot prints and was smart to what I had to offer him . The guys that had been there before me weren't slouches either and they had been after him for three years they told me . He did keep getting reinforced as to all the stuff being used to try and get him and even evaded the helicopter and plane . He knew not to go through a hole under the fence twice and dug new holes except the last time he ran from the plane .
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All of it's remaining life, by what I have observed.
I agree with Dave, they seem to learn quicker than a domestic canine, probably because their lives depend on it. The unintelligent don't live long.
I have gone into another trappers territory to help out because they couldn't take a particular coyote and that Trapper makes me look like a raw rookie.
It's very subtle differences in our techniques that allowed me to take that particular dog. That Trapper has come over here and helped me with problem critters that I have "educated". We use the same E-callers with the same sounds, the same hand calls, and are very careful, yet the coyotes get used to hearing a certain call and refuse to come in. The other Trapper can sit with me, use the same gear, and get them in. I can do the same thing in his territory.
My goal, particularly this time of year, is to focus on the mature critters. If I can get them out of the way before they pass on too much knowledge, the young will be much easier later.
This makes my sets, this time of year, even more critical so that I don't slip up and educate them.
Ed
Ed , I agree 100 % . We have kind of unknowingly done a selective breeding program with the coyote . We kill the slow learners and then the fast learners survive to breed with other fast learners that have survived . It also ,as you said , is often just subtle differences that will make a huge difference in the out come of our calling the older and well educated coyote .
