Ramblings and Such From Hunting Coyote
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Redfoot Ranch
Well-Known Member
TR, I'm glad to hear your "thermal scanner" comment. I just mounted a NV scope ( for positive ID when I have the dogs with me) on a new build, and after looking through the thermal scanner I think that setup will get the nod for the first and last stand the day. Good to see another familiar face here!
TRnCO
Well-Known Member
Ya know, I'm not sure exactly what to attribute the lack of response to when I can see them and they don't come. I've seen it many times over the years where I had coyotes that could hear the call out near a mile but wouldn't come. It happens with distress about as much as it does when playing vocals. I've found around my stomping grounds that if I can get to within a half mile, my chances of calling the coyotes in goes up dramatically. Will a coyote come from a mile, sure, have seen it, BUT I've seen it many times where they wouldn't come but if I'm able to cut the distance, I can get them to come on in.
I've always heard the theory that they don't want to cross boundaries but I just don't think that's the sole reason. I just think a coyote has to be really motivated to travel a mile where as a half mile seems to require much less motivation. These coyotes have large enough territories that I don't think the boundary line is the hold up in most cases. It's something else.
TRnCO , Have you ever seen them marking their areas then seen another coyote from another group mark the same place ? Have you had them stand out there and bark at you from a distance pee on a bush and take a crap then do kick backs ? Then in a day or two gone back into the area that they were doing it or as you did in what you just wrote about and moved to where they were but didn't come to you then had them come to you ? What else would you use to explain it I want to keep learning and you have a ton of experience that I would like for you to share with me and the others here . I have seen coyote travel a 6 mile circuit to kill lambs to feed their pups but they weren't traveling through another coyotes home range to do that . It's a fascinating subject and much to be learned about it . Please share some of your observations about it with us . Thank You . Dave
Is it possibly just coincidental that they had already been where you were setup and moving on to other parts? I've had this before that the timing of the day was just off. I know with turkeys, you have to be in front or parralel with direction of travel or they just aint gonna do it. If you're behind, well you're just behind lol. I do agree closer is better regardless as it takes less effort on their part to come and investigate.
TRnCO
Well-Known Member
Yep, absolutely agree that trying to call them back to an area that they just left is futile. Getting in-front of them is the way to go, no doubt.
I don't have a good answer Dave, as to why I've seen em not come a long distance and yet if I can cut the distance they do. Seen it happen enough times though that I just can't blame it on territory boundaries, at least, not every time.
I don't have a good answer Dave, as to why I've seen em not come a long distance and yet if I can cut the distance they do. Seen it happen enough times though that I just can't blame it on territory boundaries, at least, not every time.
I have to agree that it isn't always boundry lines . I was hoping you might have another thought as to why . I have had them try to lead me out of an area several times by displaying , barking doing kick backs ext. , I did find in most of those cases they had cleanouts for pupping or pups in that area and it was a defense tactic of that area much the same as a lot of birds do . I have often seen a mated pair heavy with pups do the same thing trying to lead me out of their home range . Often I have had them just set and bark at me from a distance
When I had coyote setting out at distance and talking to me I found that when it wasn't due to them trying to lure me away from where I was it often was too much volume and by simply lowering my volume and still using the same sound they often would come on in . With my hand calls I could use my hands to muffle the sounds or just a pair of brow jersey gloves on my hands or change the direction that I was blowing towards . It is a complex world that they live in and so much of it they haven't shared with me yet . At times for me just stopping calling for awhile 10 - 20 minutes then starting with lower volume has worked all the while watching what the coyote were doing . I let them say when to start calling by when they would move away or toward me .
I did control work on the same sheep ranches for over 36 years . When I started on one ranch they were docking 70 - 72 percent lamb crop . With in a couple of years of doing hard work , denning , trapping , snaring and calling coyote, fox and bobcats they were docking 84 percent , and in the end they docked 112 percent when I retired after they sold their sheep , and were able to run sheep in pastures that they hadn't been able to in 30 years , due to depredation . I worked on the predators 12 months a year not just during the fur season because that was my job , to kill predators and protect livestock . It takes a different mind set to do predator control work . First you need to not think about fur values , you need to think about livestock values . I did it per predator taken the same price per animal 12 months a year , fur in the prime was a bonus not the goal . The killers were the primary targets . Tracking and knowing where they were living and coming into the livestock , which ones were doing the killing what type of animals were doing the killing and targeting those animals to get the killing stopped was priority one . Next was to target any other predators moving in from the surrounding areas that didn't have a control person working , but most often had fur trappers when the fur prices would allow them to afford to . When I started to learn to do control work ( before uncle Dick outlawed the use of poisons ) there were a couple of old government trappers around that I got to visit with and learn from . They taught me about denning as one of the better control measures , because the biggest reason predators killed was to feed their young . Next came the older predators that were past their prime of life and were taking the easiest food . They taught me about tracking the animals what print belonged to what animal and to tell the subtle differences in each animals prints . That way you can tell that you are in-fact targeting the offending animal . Control work isn't for every one , it is hard work takes determination and the desire to learn about the predators you are targeting . It can be very frustrating trying to get animals that are well trained and intelligent and wanting to raise their young . There are times that you will need to travel long distances on foot , to find the den . People that don't know or understand what it is that you do it for will say that you are a heartless b12342D for taking the pups out of the equation or for taking the predators in general . It's long days in the hot , cold , windy and so many beautiful days outside . It is an addiction and the rewards are many , mostly satisfaction in doing a job well and saving the lives of stock and other wild life . You have so much to learn to be effective at control work . It isn't all about calling or hunting predators , you need to learn how to fine tune and set traps , snares , track and have the patience to let the animals tell you , who you are dealing with and who to target first .
cornshank
Well-Known Member
Sounds like fun to me , all of it! , nice post .
cornshank
Well-Known Member
You were lucky to have run around with rifle in one hand ,a trap in the other and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in your back pocket.
My kind of stuff!
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- Nov 25, 2012
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The work us still out there. It's still fun, hard, interesting work.
Go to https://www.usajobs.gov and do a search for "Biological Sciences Technician". That's the politically correct name for a Government Trapper.
Ed
