Everything I thought I knew about coyotes changed last night

[Inkognito]

I live in a fairly remote location in Kansas. There are other farm houses, but the closest one to me is over a mile away. I am down in a valley and my house is set in some trees. About 200 yards from the back of my house is a fence line where it turns to open prairie. My place is surrounded by coyotes and I hear them yapping almost every night.

Last night I heard them and they sounded very close. It was nearly a full moon so I grabbed my rifle and went out to check it out. My dog was already running around barking at who knows what as she usually does. I walked back to the fence that overlooks the prairie. I was looking through my binoculars to see if I could see any movement. My dog kept running around with her nose to the ground barking, I figured she was chasing a rabbit trail or something. I kept hearing something over my should back in the trees. I thought it was probably a rabbit or a raccoon. Then, all of a sudden, my dog got very serious. She stopped running around in all directions and made a bee line straight for me and started growling ferociously. Then when she got within about 20 yards from me, 4 coyotes darted out. Two of them were in front of me in the tall prairie grass about 20 yards in front of me and they ran away from me into the prairie. Two others were behind me where I was hearing the noise. I don't know where one of them went, but the other one ran right behind me. I spun around and he was about 15 feet away from me when he quickly turned and darted back in the direction that he came from. I think my dog had gotten around in front of him and scarred him back into the trees.

It all happened so fast I did not even get a shot off. My dog kept running around me growling ferociosly. I got my flashlight out and found a pair of eyes looking at me about 100 yards out in the prairie. I tried to get my rifle on a rest and hold the light to get a look through my scope and I saw the eyes moving around and looking in my direction for about a minute and then they disappeared.

I always thought that a coyote would know I was near long before I ever saw him and they would just slip away without me ever knowing they were there. But now I'm thinking that at night, maybe they aren't so afraid of us but rather just sit there and observe? I'm very excited about this prospect if it is even close to true. I love hunting them at night, but mostly its just been me out enjoying the full moon because it is so rare to actually see one at night without night vision. But if they want to hang around in my back yard, I'll play.

 

[shorty]

Coyotes seldom encounter humans at night, so they become less cautious after dark...till the gun goes off anyway. lol

Don't know for sure but I suspect they could have been after your dog, not uncommon for them to do in a farm dog if Shep doesn't watch his back!

Can't use lights of any kind here so am limited to moonlit,nights preferably with snow cover. Sure beats long nites with crappy TV.

 

[Inkognito]

We cannot use lights here either, that is why I did not take the shot with the light. I thought about them being after the dog, but I think they just toy with her mostly. She is an Anatolian Shepherd and I got her to protect my chickens and hogs.

 

[rooster740]

Here in Montana we can use lights, but I have a great time on full moon snowy nights killing coyotes and fox, without the use of lights. Snow is the key to the deal, if you have snow and a good moon the buggers look black especially if you get the moon behind them. I have found several times that you can have something come in and if you shine them the animal can actually be harder to see. Once I had a big cat actually appear, to disappear when I would shine a light on him, that was real weird, light off and it was a big black cat, light on and it was just two eyes. I did this several times, got a little freaked out, then scrambled to my truck like a gazzell just sure I was going to die.
The coyotes are so brave at night, but they catch on fast. November and December are great hunting, Janurary is good hunting 75ish percent pups Feburary thru March they are tuned up.
I smoke every coyote I see near my house no matter what time of the year, and have had them come right at my dog while with her in the pasture, the buggers get brave when they live close by.
Good luck

 

[ShooterMedic]

Wow that will get the hair on your neck to stand up.

In Idaho you can spot light on private ground with land owner permission.
I have had a few come in close but that is close.

Adrenaline, it lets you know your alive.

 

[the shotty]

Last youth season my brother and I were going to try some calling and were hiking to a spot I wanted to try out. We were walking some railroad tracks walking on the rails trying to be quiet when all the sudden the crush rock exploded in front of us. I thought Crap we spooked something and flipped on the spot light. Much to our surprise we had three younger yotes running strait at us at about 15 yards and closing. One jumped into the corn field to our right, one went left into the creek bed and one just turned broadside at about 10 yards and stares at us. It scared my brother so bad he couldn't figure out what the heck it was as I was yelling at him to shoot it! He finally let go with some OOO buck and hit it in the butt he was shaking so bad at this point I realized I should use my weapon light and shoot rather than deal with the stupid spot light and drilled him with my .17 hmr as he was on his way out. I have had a number of other close encounters at my home which is in a development in the middle of berry farms with my neighboring houses within 20 yards of each other where I have caught coyotes traveling through our yards at night despite a number of large dogs next to the houses. There are definitely A number of our local coyotes that have adapted just fine to humans and could care less. Which makes my job all the more fun

 

[mhiltz]

Some good stories here!

The other day I was out calling in the early morning. I was camoed up, was even trying out a new face mask hood combination. I was laying in a patch of tamarisk trees and looking out over a wide prairie. I couldn't here much because of that darn hood, everytime I moved my head it would make so much noise. I surely didn't think one would come up behind me. There I was laying blowing my call, and after a couple of minutes I thought I could hear something behind me. I turned around, and there was a coyote standing at my feet! It must not have been able to figure out what I was. It scared the heck out of me because I surely wasn't expecting that. By the time I swung my rifle around and got around the trees he was gone. He lives to die another day!

 

[bthomasb1]

I have noticed a lot of animals dont seem as afraid at night especially if your not using a flashlight,i run into deer and bear on my property at night i some of them act like they just dont care your there.