All Coyotes... No deer, yet

[Oddmott]

Well, finally culled my first coyote off our farm.

All first week our neighbours/cousins saw little sign and no deer on their 800 acres. My dad got a small 6 that came to him on Tues, but other than that, Nada.

Tons of coyote sign though and on Sat we saw no deer on both properties, but 4 coyotes. So, I dropped the one that came to me.

She was making a bee-line for the turkeys that had roosted near my dad's stand. And she was cruising. She made an odd chuffing sound when she entered the clearing my stand overlooks - nice of her to wake me up - and loped on past my apple/pumpkin pile. I briefly considered letting her go - she was an incredible specimen - but, we've been letting coyotes go for years and our deer & turkey numbers just keep dropping at a surprising rate.

So I gave a little bleat, and she stopped astraddle a downed fence, her head snapped in my direction so quick that I didn't register the movement, and her eyes locked square to my own - at 60 yrds and me elevated 15ft, she had no effort pinpointing me EXACTLY. Broadside with a .308, 150gr.

Made a mess, but was quick at least.

I'll be honest, I don't enjoy pred hunting shows because the kills never look quick/clean - the dogs yipping and snapping, bouncing and twirling, so I wondered if the coyote calibres weren't "underkill"... But I obliterated both lungs, and the heart and a foreleg... And she still did all the yipping, snapping and twirling before dying within 5 seconds, 20 yards from where I hit her.

Up close she was a beaut. Wonderful fur, great teeth & eyes, 50-60lbs (of this I'm confident because I've been lifting my 58lbs pup all week after she was fixed) with no ribs showing, no mange or any other visible ailments.

With the wolves gone (essentially) from our area, it's not hard to see how such a critter would become the next apex predator and ultimate scrounger.

[TurkeyObsessed]

WTG, Congrats. Why have you guys been passing up on them in the past?

[trimmer21]

We never let them go.....never.....not once. Shot-to-he** pelts are worthless,anyway. This is about varmint population control,pure and simple,so,take every one you see. My farmer friends think I walk on water.

[COYHUNTER]

WTG.................carry on

[Oddmott]

WTG, Congrats. Why have you guys been passing up on them in the past?

Plenty of reasons.

Generally only kill to eat.
Don't have funds for predator calls & kit.
Don't have a small caliber rifle to preserve the hide.
Feel bad about wasting.
Don't like making the big boom, when I'm supposed to be quiet to get a deer.
I like coyotes/wolves.

:-D

[Oddmott]

We never let them go.....never.....not once. Shot-to-he** pelts are worthless,anyway. This is about varmint population control,pure and simple,so,take every one you see. My farmer friends think I walk on water.

Our farming neighbours don't care. There are tons of coyotes around and they don't seem to be bothering the livestock. The farmers say kill 'em, sure... But they never make any effort to do so themselves, despite being hunters and having the equipment.