Fishing

I know it's a little off the topic of fishing, but does anybody here hunt coyotes? I have had a few up behind my house, and have tried hunting them with no success. Any tips? Any good spots?

If anyone ever wants a hunting buddy, just let me know!

Coyotes are very difficult to hunt. If you've been out trying and know how to call you've probable had them to close for comfort but didn't see them. Try different areas and always watch your back. I'd take a friend with you just in case you get attacked and take a few shots.

The best way to learn is to keep trying and do different set-ups and calls. Get a few tapes on coyote hunting and really study what they doing not just the shooting.


Fish ON

It's kind of scary. I hear them howl and yip everynight, usually after 1:00 am. When I went scouting, I also found ALOT of big mountain lion tracks only about 50 yds from my back door. We don't let my dogs out after dark now.

You'd better be careful depending on where you live, and what your shooting them with. you don't want to shoot into anyones house or car by not knowing the range of your rifle. The best way I've found to call them in is with a recording of a rabbit squeeling. There are several recordings but this has always worked best for me. Another problem you have is that it will also attract the mountain lion. Do NOT go out hunting alone! Are the coyotes actually bothering anything? I used to love to go sleep outside just to listen to them. I found it kind of soothing. But then I'm a little different. One other word of caution, if your hunting partner happens to be a woman, and your playing tapes of hurt animals (rabbits squeeling) make sure she isn't menstrating. Not being funny here at all, the animals can smell it and if your calling them in with a hurt animal you could be asking for trouble. Al

thanks for the tips alan, I hunt them about 1/2 mile away from my house, and I am up on the bench in Farmington. Our backyard is the mountain, it's great. I have 3 different predator calls, and have read that when used in conjunction, it works great. Of course, I don't go alone. I have seen many cougars, bobcats, and coyotes up there, and by looking at the tracks, there is more than one.

If you do a lot of calling you'll have some serious trouble with any predator. You'll get plenty of close calls but thats half the fun. Here's a couple our close call stories.

Last year a group of us were calling for coyotes and had a bobcat slip past us. It attacked the guy calling and he made a quick motion shot to finish it. He was luck since he didn't see it until it charge at 15 ft.

Calling elk last year we had many coyote packs come in and they didn't leave even after we stood up. They would circle waiting for a chance to attack. I wasted many broad heads shooting them. They would only leave after the shooter came walking back to the caller.

Predators aren't the only ones you have to be worried about. My younger brother has had bull elk charge him instead of running away. Our hunting party listen on radios to the last one. It was scary for us just listening to that bull crashing through the trees and the bull screaming. We all took off in the general area and the bull didn't leave him until we all showed up. It was a huge bull and was awesome to see this bull but considering the situation I'd shot the bull once I felt my life was threatened.

Good luck and be safe.


Fish ON

I have used night vision equipment to shoot dogs out by Toole off of I-80

Sounds Like A great place to live! I live in the middle of Salt Lake City so I don't get that kind of action in my back yard. Just maybe some ferral cats or transiants!
---TIBBZZ----

I used to call in the dogs a lot years back but have not done anything for quite a while. I still have my cassette calling tapes and have been thinking of bringing them out of mothballs again. I like the tapes because you can play them away from where you are set up, and I have had the wild dogs go after the player in the bush. I think there is something about the noise coming in from a place so small that it cannot hide a human. I spend a lot of time in the mountains east of Davis County in the fall and I have not come across coyotes, bobcats or cougars. I know they are up there but we never cross paths. I wouldn't mind taking a crack at a yodel dog with my 25/06 again.

I'd recomend using a rabbit in distress call, or a fawn deer/elk call. I usually do hunt yotes alone. I've found that you can position yourself on side hills so you can see a large area, and hunt them safely Also, if you put a dead jack rabbit a hundred yards down hill from you, they move strait to the blood. I've never had any problems with coyotes. On occassion, though, hunting deer and elk you see some predators that scare you. I had a nice little bobcat a couple years back that jumped up at me and stole a dead chukar right out of my hands.

the jensen kid

"Just maybe some ferral cats or transiants!"

Hehe I have a trap that works great on those damn ferrel cats. I live pretty much in the middle of slc to and Its pretty fun to catch them. They will be out and abour soon with it warming up.

Better be nice to them kitties. I have 6 cats that run around. I actually had some guy try to shoot my fluffy boy with a pelet gun at my old house. I sued him big time for the work my poor cat needed. Now hes all crippled up, and has the worst case of arthritis in his rear end I've ever seen. Needless to say, he moved away a week later. Plus, I think that the humain society has a thing or two to say about harming domestic cats and dogs.

the jensen kid

Cats make great shark bait. Nobody here wants to hurt somebodies pet. I've had to kill most of the neighbors cats because they were killing my birds. I could of sued them for the cost of the birds but I figured since they lost a pet then it wasn't worth the trouble.


Fish ON