COYOTES

[westcliffe01]

I find lectures a lot less annoying than "sitting out in freezing pre-dawn conditions for hours, waiting for the coyotes to show up only seeing one for every 6-7 trips to the field before dawn."
If nothing surfaces after 30 minutes calling I move on and if there's no action after 3 or 4 set ups I cut my loses by going to do something else then try later with different calls. I haven't damaged the population over the past 10 years as much as my Grandson and the hired hand. Every year about this time during breeding season they keep rifles in reach while plowing and feeding to pick them off crossing open ground during daylight. I assume those are alphas but I'd never considered the difference in consequences between killing them and others but it makes sense. Maybe I should contribute to their silencer and thermal fund to up the odds of getting both animals and really upsetting the pack's apple cart.

If you went out 15x with a caller and never saw a coyote, yet the sheep get attacked several times in the same period you would conclude that all the coyotes are "educated" and trying to get them to come in during daylight is a waste of time. That leaves only the option of night hunting and ambush. The ambush at dawn worked to kill 5 alpha coyotes, but it did involve spending a lot of time sitting in the freezing cold waiting for first light and being skunked most of the time. The time investment had the desired effect. predation dropped to 3 adult sheep a year, usually in summer in the daytime with what I referred to as "pup training". By that point, I built the owner of the property a 243 rifle and scope combo and she has managed to take care of any bold coyotes that have showed up ever since. It helps with her being on the property 24/7/365 where I have to make a 20 min drive one way and my time is limited.

 

[MossRoad]

If you went out 15x with a caller and never saw a coyote, yet the sheep get attacked several times in the same period you would conclude that all the coyotes are "educated" and trying to get them to come in during daylight is a waste of time. That leaves only the option of night hunting and ambush. The ambush at dawn worked to kill 5 alpha coyotes, but it did involve spending a lot of time sitting in the freezing cold waiting for first light and being skunked most of the time. The time investment had the desired effect. predation dropped to 3 adult sheep a year, usually in summer in the daytime with what I referred to as "pup training". By that point, I built the owner of the property a 243 rifle and scope combo and she has managed to take care of any bold coyotes that have showed up ever since. It helps with her being on the property 24/7/365 where I have to make a 20 min drive one way and my time is limited.

I think there's only 1 alpha female and 1 alpha male in a pack. Do you mean adult instead of alpha?

 

[Rockbadchild]

I think there's only 1 alpha female and 1 alpha male in a pack. Do you mean adult instead of alpha?

you are right Mossroad there is only two ''alpha'' or one breading couple per pack and the rest is mostly their pups and/or subordinate individuals just like wolves.

 

[westcliffe01]

I think there's only 1 alpha female and 1 alpha male in a pack. Do you mean adult instead of alpha?

We are talking about a period of over a year. 1 shot at a time. I only ever had 1 double, 10 years ago. The coyote with his nose out front and closer to danger is generally the alpha. Shoot that one and 2 months later you are looking at the next alpha.

 

[lman]

About 1/2 hour after I put my dog in the garage last night, he started barking and I figured there were coyotes nearby. I opened the front door and immediately saw a coyote about 10 ft. outside the door. He turned around and took off. My German Shepherd would have loved the challenge of going after him. I'm sure the coyotes are hungry this time of the year.

 

[jaxs]

We are talking about a period of over a year. 1 shot at a time. I only ever had 1 double, 10 years ago. The coyote with his nose out front and closer to danger is generally the alpha. Shoot that one and 2 months later you are looking at the next alpha.

If that answered Mossy's question about alpha pairs maybe someone can explain it to me because I didn't get it.

 

[MossRoad]

If that answered Mossy's question about alpha pairs maybe someone can explain it to me because I didn't get it.

Originally, I thought he meant he shot 5 alpha coyotes at one sitting.

What he said is that he shot 1 alpha coyote, then days (don't know how many)later another, and so on. As the pack replaced alphas, he shot them.

Make sense?

 

[Yander]

I have chickens and I let them free range for a couple hours or more each day. I've yet to lose one to a coyote even though I know we have them on both sides of us because we hear them and see them.

Once I lose the first chicken it will be all hell breaking loose for them, I will buy a night vision scope, call them, trap them and it will be my new hobby. I will track them to their den first snow. I haven't bothered them because they haven't bothered my chickens. I come from a family that foxed hunted and/or coyote hunted every weekend as a kid.

I believe we haven't had issue with them because we also have hog farms behind us and in front of us and generally there are dead hogs for them to eat. That was the case where we hunted when I was a kid also. They seemed to hang out close to hog farms.

 

[westcliffe01]

Originally, I thought he meant he shot 5 alpha coyotes at one sitting.

What he said is that he shot 1 alpha coyote, then days (don't know how many)later another, and so on. As the pack replaced alphas, he shot them.

Make sense?

If you see how fast they light those afterburners when the first shot goes off, then you would know why one is not shooting more than 2 in a string. Not unless there are 10 people shooting... and in my case I never saw a group bigger than 2 in the day either. Usually the Alpha male with the Alpha female or just a second male. My double was 2 males. Shot the leading dog, second took off but made the fatal error to stop and look back to see what became of the boss.

 

[MossRoad]

If you see how fast they light those afterburners when the first shot goes off, then you would know why one is not shooting more than 2 in a string. Not unless there are 10 people shooting... and in my case I never saw a group bigger than 2 in the day either. Usually the Alpha male with the Alpha female or just a second male. My double was 2 males. Shot the leading dog, second took off but made the fatal error to stop and look back to see what became of the boss.

I've watched videos of it. They are fast.