Straight Shooter
Well-Known Member
Dave, I don't plan on using my knives to castrate calves. The horror of it all. You uncivilized western heathens.
Ramblings and Such From Hunting Coyote
- Thread starter DSheetz
- Start date
Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum
Tagging back in, something messed up with the system on my end n I'm having to reenter everything…
That will happen now and then with this stuff . It's called the www for a reason and there are some really interesting types around the world some of which like to mess with things like our computers . I still have to get my grandsons help to post pictures but I do know how to turn mine on and off or read my mail lol . I grew up with out a phone in my home now I carry one in my pocket how the world has changed since the 50's and 60's .
The skills that we us for hunting are perishable . Walking quietly , placing our feet intentionally , not rubbing brush and such that will make a lot of noise , paying attention to breezes and wind direction as we move , paying attention to the sun ect as we move . Being actually observant to our surroundings , hearing changes in the noises as we move in the world . seeing things as they change , the animals and birds moving because of us , These skills are for the most part things that we can learn and come naturally to some but not most of us . We can use all of these skills in our every day life so as to keep them at their peak and probably in todays world we would be better off keeping them sharp and tuned up . What do you look for when you are out in our world shopping , eating at a restaurant , going for a walk in the park or along the street if you live in town . Not all of us are living in the country on a piece of land or on a farm or are out away from others every day where we look for snakes , cow crap , cactus as we step we walk on hard surfaces mostly but we still look for things on the pavement as we walk , sadly we need to look for where people have spit and other disgusting things , rock or gravel that will twist an ankle if we step down wrong on them sand that will make us slip on an incline , wet or icy places . We need to watch other people that are acting in ways that tell us that they may be looking for a target , they may want to rob or assault us , they may be looking to do a mass shooting or some other thing not so friendly to us . NO!!! we don't need to be on high alert or condition red at all times we just can practice our hunting skills as we go along with our lives and keep our power of observation skills sharp so that as we go out in the field for an enjoyable hunt they are there for our use and enjoyment and tend to feel like a natural part of our lives from day to day .
In all my years of being on roads driving I don't recall seeing any crows or magpies hit on the road . Saturday we had winds gusting over 85 mph . I had a magpie driven by wind downward nearly hit my pick-up truck and saw a crow that wasn't making head way dive down to land beside the road . Down the road another 60 miles there were 3 simi trailers blown over and a magpie laying beside the road having been hit and killed , a first for me but then I don't put as many miles on driving as several people do . I also saw a young of the year coyote hit and killed on the road the wind affects them also and they do some strange for them , things . This is our third year of La Nina suggesting that it will be another windy and drier winter so all you have a safe and interesting coyote hunting season . I don't have to get out in the weather now if I don't want to but 
might .
might .So an odd season it has been for me here. Over the summer I was the last 2 coyotes I got. We NEVER seen a coyote during all of harvest and the neighbor only seen 2 while they were harvesting. We had the best fawn crop in years too. After harvest, it took over a month before I even seen one and that was during field work and while deer hunting. Last time I heard the evening howl, I only counted 4 individual calls. Now don't get me wrong, I love to shoot and hunt them but to not have them around at all is no complaint either. I'm not niave enough to think I've got them all out the area but is my persistance finally paying off, Idk, maybe. I guess time will tell. Late this week we have the BIG CHILL and first snow coming like most of the country and would think it should stir the pot if anything will and get them moving and visible. I haven't heen out to chase them specifically yet this season but haven't had any sign to chase yet really so have been just staying back and watching from a distance. Anyway, just thought I'd ramble a bit on what's up in my world and hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and stays safe. Sounds like this front is gonna be pretty serious for most of the country and at a time when alot of folks will be out and about when most of them should stay in out of it.
Nature will do a better job of controlling coyote then I could even ever think of doing, mange, parvo, rabies ect. a hard storm during the time they are having pups when the pups get wet, and chill kills a ton more in a couple of days then I can in a year of hunting, trapping, aerial hunting and snaring. Thursday is to be a high of -10 and a low of -26 here a coyote with a messed-up fur coat from mange will have a hard time surviving even if they go in a hole to lay up. Stay warm and safe celebrate the Holidays responsibly have a designated sober well rested driver if you intend to partake of intoxicating substances or go without sleep for extended periods of time .
nealm66
Well-Known Member
My buddy over in eastern Washington just told me yesterday he's hardly seeing any coyotes compared to other seasons
Guys how is the small prey base where you are. Do you have a lot of mice, rabbits, and other small animals around? How has your weather been, was it a really dry year, or was it wet and chilly in the spring? What is the other predator's populations looking like, do you have a good population of racoons, skunks ect.. What do your bird populations look like are they also lower than usual. All of these things are tied to each other and form a chain reaction that affects each of the other populations as you already know. Bird flu not only affects the wild and domestic bird populations it affects all the other animals that feed on birds when their numbers are down as well. Here I have seen where prairie dogs would get the plague and wipe out large populations of them. Then it would do the trickle-down thing, swift fox populations would fall off, red fox populations would decline, as would coyote, bobcat, owls, hawks, mice and rabbit populations would also fall off. Is there some disease in the coyote population in your areas or is there a disease in the prey base that is affecting the coyote numbers, or is it that the weather wasn't conductive to them having large litters of pups? I think that we pay attention to the other animals and conditions that they are living in as we are out and among them more than the average person. When our population was agriculturally based people watched these things more and noticed the subtle changes as they were occurring because it affected them to a greater extent than it does us for the most part now, that is just one of the reasons I say to observe not just look at our surroundings as we go about hunting the predators, our lives are connected to theirs, just in a smaller way today then generations past . As a very wise person once said history is destoned to repeat it's self if we don't learn from it, and that applies to the populations of coyote as well as the rest of the animals in our world. You all have a good and safe Holiday Season; in my area it's going to be deadly outside for the next few days if you can it would be best to stay in out of it or dress properly for it as we will be having wind chills of up to -60. Yes, even a young healthy person can, and have died, in temperatures well above that. Here in the higher elevations people get in trouble every summer by not being prepared for rapid weather changes. They leave their cars for a hike it's in the 70's, they get a couple of miles from the car it clouds up pours rain and snow mixed the temperature drops to the 50's or 40's the wind picks up and they aren't dressed for it. They do the same type of things in the winter they leave home for a ride and don't go prepared get stuck in the snow drifts without a shovel, extra clothing ect., some even set in their vehicles running without keeping the exhaust pipe cleared, or they left town without filling the tank and run out of fuel. Oh, darn I'm rambling and way off the original subject please excuse me, just be safe and have a good Holiday no matter where you go or what you do.
I can't say I've noticed any big changes in the coon, skunk, etc, or birds of prey populations. Rabbits are thin every year here. We did have a wet spring but thats somewhat normal too lol. Summer was a drought. That's what is odd to me. Nothing really sticks out to me. The last 2 I got over the summer were healthy with no signs of being sickly or hungry. Wife hasn't had any reports from local or state on any abnormal disease findings this year either. Just wierd lol. My friend in KS said they're covered up with them in his area. Way above normal for his area.
