coyotes becoming a problem

[gm]

in the cleveland area, they are attacking hikers and a coyote was tested and it tested positive for rabies. theyre getting "sharpshooters " to kill them up there but I doubt they will get all of them as coyotes are rapidly becoming a pest all across the state. I plan on going out this summer and getting a few as coyotes are ruining the place I go to hunt rabbits and other game, they dig up everything and are seemingly worse than woodchucks. so......


what tricks do I need to outsmart these elusive critters? I have seen them but usually they are a long ways away and by the time I bring my varmit set-up and glassing them in the crosshairs, theyre moving like a freight train and cant get a decent shot.

Ive got a nice .223 varmiter that Ive had accurized to an extreme but it aint worth spit if coyotes wont stop for a second and turn around like woodchucks will do.So who has hunted them and how did you get one?

 

[dakotasin]

if they are close and they bust you, they won't stop moving until they are a ways out there. if they are a couple hundred yards out and moving, a shrill whistle or blast from a rabbit squeeler will usually stop them for a second or two.

get a rabbit call or two, and try calling them in. there's a lot of art behind that, but it does work. this time of year they are easier to call than later in the spring or summer because they are looking for food and dropping pups. best time to go after them is after a fresh snow and/or when it is extremely cold. however, that probably won't happen for ya for a few more months. go out now, glass for 'em, hit 'em w/ a squeel, and then hit the switch.

 

[Art Eatman]

We've had numerous thread both here and at The Firing Line.com. Do a search on "coyote hunting" or "coyote calling", etc.

There are also several varmint-hunting websites with loads of info.

Get a mouth blown call. Practice on your local cats and dogs. Consder wind direction; sit still, call, and see if Ol' Wily comes in...Coyote hunting is sitting hunting.

Art

 

[Bigjake]

Hey dakotasin, we're about to get that snow you mentioned.... the blizzard of april is about to put us up here in the buckeye well over the record.. :banghead:

 

[dakotasin]

we're in a drought here. got snow twice last week, but it didn't stick... did help put out the first major fire of the year. firefighters did an exceptional job, mother nature helped, and only about 800 acres burned...

if you're getting snow, grab your 22-250 and spotting scope, and glass up and down fencelines in the fields. you'll see one...

 

[Bigjake]

i plan to

should i be doing this at dusk, or any old time? i've seen coyotes out in daylight before, but its rather rare around here

 

[Art Eatman]

Coyotes don't read Art's Rule Book, so there's no such thing as always, but: When there's a lot of moon, they'll hunt a bit later in the early morning, on a bit past sun-up. They'll commonly start a bit earlier in the evening, before the sun goes down...

My opinion about this is that prey animals can see Ol' Wily better when there's a lot of moon, and it takes more work for him to get a meal...

Art

 

[Chawbaccer]

Before you clear up the coyotes, let them clean up the feral cats and loose dogs running around. They are good for something. Turkey calls is another good call for them too.

 

[El Tejon]

Was in Cleveland this weekend (yes, I survived the snow!) and read about that in the Plain-Dealer.

Good hunting, gm. When I was a kid I killed them on my uncle's place in Southern Indiana. Used a Sako .223, a Ruger .220 Swift, and sometimes an old SP-1 (all Uncle Sonny's weapons).

Where I shot it was very hilly and wooded so shots were inside 100. I still practiced scent discipline (clothing separated in bag filled with pine needles, rabbit skins, etc.) and painted my hands and face. Sometimes used a "poncho" (as my uncle called it), like a mini-ghillie suit thrown over a person, to break up my profile since I usually shot from sitting (so I could use a call). Set up near tracks (usually water source), not on them, or near dead body of calf (mask scent).

Commerical calls work, but Uncle Sonny taught me on a glass bottle and wet, hardened cork, sounds like a squealing rabbit. Uncle Sonny always told me to be careful about my scent and not to shoot the first time you see him because he will spiral in and you will get a better shot.

 

[Bigjake]

i'm a couple countys away from where they are having the coyote problems, and i had a visitor again tonight. dogs were raising all hell out behind the stable and that sucker was out in the field not 75 yards off the house yippin and howling. Thats the 2nd time he's come this close up to the farm to cause trouble. I gave chase on the 4 wheeler with my 11-87, but the damned snow was comming down so hard i couldnt see anything. I'll get him next time. wish i knew why he keeps comming by and causing a fuss.