Straight Shooter , We may have crossed paths in the past some where . One thing I have noticed about working around professionals in many different fields is that most of them have this in common . They are perfectionists scary isn't it lol .
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Ramblings and Such From Hunting Coyote
- Thread starter DSheetz
- Start date
Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum
I have been very fortunate to have lived most of my life not in towns but out on farms or ranches associated with animals of all kinds . I have seen them born and die all a part of the cycle of life . I have been honored and privileged to be associated with some people that are more at home in the country side and forests then in towns or cities we called them the little people and yes I know it just pi@@ 's some people off for me to make references to this but it played a big part in my learning and life at that time . This all plays a part in my looking at things when I go out on a control call . We know that by their very nature most animals will take the path of least resistance so first off they will take a trail that has been established . So when I go out and it's located in some real rough country my mind says there are ways in and out of this place so lets find the trails that should be here in the easy traveling places going in down from the high ground . Animals don't always make big tramped down trails , cows and sheep do because there are so many of them in a heard the rest of the animals will use these as they are like our paved roads to them but often predators will travel on only a 3 inch wide trail that so many people would mistake for just a rabbit trail . Most times animals will not go into blind holes so if they are going in they will be coming out in another place . Often down and out but also out to the sides . I set on the top and study what the area holds in my area it's semi aired and we do have some small brush and junipers as well as pine ridges . So the next thing I know they will have to have is water so then I'm looking for a green spot if there isn't a stream running and there wasn't in this area just a small green area so I knew they had a spring there . Then I'm also going to look at what other animals are here ,rabbits , deer , antelope , mice , birds they tell me that this is a good place to live for the natural animals . I want to know what kind of cover and concealment they have in there cut banks , trees and brush rock piles ect. . Now I'm ready to look at the lower end of this place . Are there roads that run through it in this case there weren't as it was so rough and steep . Over about half a mile west there was a road going down and to the north there was a road that followed a power line but not going where I figured it would be useful to me . While you are up on the high ground look to see what and where the major draws are coming out the bottom and your best route to get to them . Now I'm ready to go down to the bottom and look around for the trails leading out . It wasn't hard to see from the top that there were two major draws coming out the bottom so they were my starting point . The draws both had good trails in them but the one to the east had the most coyote tracks in it telling me that was my best bet . When you are close to the den normally there will be abundant tracks coming and going and there was . As the pups had been out of the hole there was mashed down grass and puppy scat around it plus I could smell the little ones they smell like a bunch of dogs in a kennel . Please have a good week end and enjoy your family and friends .
TRnCO
Well-Known Member
Boy, this change of weather, or something, really got the coyotes willing to play, or at least most of em, for us yesterday. Buddy of mine went along with me and we only did 12 stands but we saw coyotes on all but two stands for a total of 21 or 22 coyotes. Not all of em came to the call but for late Feb, the action was pretty dang good. We managed to kill 7, should've been 10. They came to howling, to fights, to rabbit, to bird, you name it.
Couple of my favorite kind of stands happened where I start with lone howls and get a vocal response, and end up getting them called in. On one stand I started with lone howl and got an immediate response from a single over 1/2 mile out. Didn't take long to get our eyes on her and she was trotting her way to us. She stopped and howled 3 different times and I answered each time, and eventually killed her at just 70 yards.
On our first stand of the day I started with lone howl and got an immediate response from a group that was just over a hill maybe 500 yards out. I then switched to pair howl to get a little more aggressive with them. Really had em fired up, then switched to Luckyduck's *** which is like a bunch of coyotes yappin' it up, and here they come flying in. 3 coming but as so often is the case, one was hanging back while the other two charged all the way in. Got em stopped and my partner dropped the female and I only managed to get one shot at the runner and missed, and before we could do anything else with em, they were back over the hill and I couldn't get em to show themselves again. But boy what a rush.
Had another stand where I started with lone howl and soon after got my eye on 3 out about 700 yards. I was going through a series of vocals trying to get em to break. Nothing would make em break our way. Finally decided to try some rodent and then bird distress. Shortly after switching to prey distress my partner opens fire back behind me. Turns out that we had another 3 come flying in through the back door. Partner only managed to kill one of them and of course with the shots, the 3 that I had been watching headed out.
Even this late in the season we still kept 4 of the coyotes because they still looked worth skinnin'. The crazy thing of the day is that 6 of the 7 that we killed were females.
Couple of my favorite kind of stands happened where I start with lone howls and get a vocal response, and end up getting them called in. On one stand I started with lone howl and got an immediate response from a single over 1/2 mile out. Didn't take long to get our eyes on her and she was trotting her way to us. She stopped and howled 3 different times and I answered each time, and eventually killed her at just 70 yards.
On our first stand of the day I started with lone howl and got an immediate response from a group that was just over a hill maybe 500 yards out. I then switched to pair howl to get a little more aggressive with them. Really had em fired up, then switched to Luckyduck's *** which is like a bunch of coyotes yappin' it up, and here they come flying in. 3 coming but as so often is the case, one was hanging back while the other two charged all the way in. Got em stopped and my partner dropped the female and I only managed to get one shot at the runner and missed, and before we could do anything else with em, they were back over the hill and I couldn't get em to show themselves again. But boy what a rush.
Had another stand where I started with lone howl and soon after got my eye on 3 out about 700 yards. I was going through a series of vocals trying to get em to break. Nothing would make em break our way. Finally decided to try some rodent and then bird distress. Shortly after switching to prey distress my partner opens fire back behind me. Turns out that we had another 3 come flying in through the back door. Partner only managed to kill one of them and of course with the shots, the 3 that I had been watching headed out.
Even this late in the season we still kept 4 of the coyotes because they still looked worth skinnin'. The crazy thing of the day is that 6 of the 7 that we killed were females.
Tim you had a stellar day, wow! the females are holding the cards right now.
And the breading season has pretty much ended so they are being more responsive . Did you happen to check if the females had lumps on their tubes or just left them with out checking ? They are showing signs of being more territorial so my guess is that the majority of the females you got had pups in them .
For those of us that haven't ever seen a dog or coyote uterus when you open their belly up it is y shaped tubes that will have a round ball shape on the ends of the tubes , the ovaries , When they are bread the tubes will have small purple lumps in them each one is a puppy . In a few days they will be shaped like a lima bean and a few days latter they will have the shape of a small puppy . There is a chart put out that by the USDA that has a scale on it telling how many days along the puppies are . Some of us need to know and it really doesn't make any difference for some of us . It just helps us to understand why they are more responsive now then they were two or three weeks ago is all . And if you need to control the population the bread females are the ones you want to get now .
Ok guys let's have some opinions/experience on running shooting, Dave said a body length per 100 yards once I was wondering about sustained lead in a broadside running coyote, keep in mind I am shooting a 3800-3900 FPS load, seems in the past at 200 yards as soon as my crosshairs passed them I would y
touch the trigger and they would roll....tell us some things that work for you on running shooting, please.
touch the trigger and they would roll....tell us some things that work for you on running shooting, please.
TRnCO
Well-Known Member
I tend to over lead, I think because of all my shot gunning days. I'd much rather have a standing shot at 300 yards then a broadside runner at 100 yards any day of the week. I did get lucky and kill 3 runners in a row earlier this year, but one was coming head on at about 15 yards, so that one was easy. I wish I had some where to practice running shots. I have no iron clad method figured out on how to hit em.
I was thinking of making a cable set up with a metal coyote silloutte on an electric motor so it goes one way and then comes back the opposite way so I can practice both ways..... and so I can be 100-150-200-250-300 yards away. I have seen them on running boar deals. Perfect way to strengthen a weakness. I believe at times I am shooting in front of them.
DMP25-06
Well-Known Member
Ok guys let's have some opinions/experience on running shooting, Dave said a body length per 100 yards once I was wondering about sustained lead in a broadside running coyote, keep in mind I am shooting a 3800-3900 FPS load, seems in the past at 200 yards as soon as my crosshairs passed them I would y
touch the trigger and they would roll....tell us some things that work for you on running shooting, please.
ReemtyJ ,
I tend to think that shooting at running Coyotes is "instinctive shooting" , after they have recognized danger and departed . Much like shotgun shooting at Pheasants , Quail , Chukars , and other birds that flush from the ground , unlike "pass-shooting" at doves or waterfowl , which most shooters use a sustained lead when shooting .
Coyotes , with their crazy broken-field running ( that NFL running backs can only dream about ) to me is more of instinctive , touch the trigger after clearing the animal , than a sustained-lead type of shooting .
Whereas , a shot at a running Pronghorn Antelope would be more of a sustained-lead type of shot , due to a more straight line path of running .
Although , at a MUCH faster speed .
I am no expert by any stretch of imagination , but the ONLY Coyote that I have shot on the run was rapidly departing from his buddy that I shot coming in , and the running #2 was probably LUCK , because he was doing the zig-zag dance at high speed at about 125-150 yards . It was instinctive shooting , with a heavy dose of LUCK .
DMP25-06
