coyotes

[sweet old bill]

I have tried to get them to come in with a rabbit call of a hurt rabbit. so far they win.

[SteveB]

My brother in Law is a freak with game cameras. I think he likes it more than the hunting. Anyways, spring 2009 he stumbled onto an active yote den. mother and pups. from that time until they left the den 13 seperate fawns were taken into the den by the mother. now that is one den....You do the math

Does he have any pics you can post?

I have heard that same story literally doz's of times, but have never seen the pics.

Would really like to see some.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Let me see if he kept them. Really opened my eyes. I have no idea how many were taken in before he found the den.

[JGaruti3]

that would be awesome to see those pics...id love to find a den....guess i need some better tracking skills to do that

[Culvercreek hunt club]

It was blind luck....about 30 yards from one of his favorite stand sites

[Cabin Fever]

I've read studies and attended a seminar last winter that said that 40-70% of a coyotes diet in the summer consists of fawns! I've also read that turkey populations can drop as much as 80% where there's a good coyote population. Sickens me!

We use to have a huge turkey population on my property and surrounding properties about 10 years ago. On an "average" day of bowhunting, I would see ~50 turkeys. They would be so loud and annoying while I was trying to bowhunt. We had several different flocks of 20-50 birds each. We had more turkeys than we had squirrels!

In the past 5-6 years, our turkey population has steadily declined. If I even see one now, it's a miracle. I also have trailcams out year round and seldom get any pics of turkeys. I've been planting foodplots to try to attract them back in, with no luck. During the past few winters, I haven't even seen any turkey tracks anywhere in the area! I've even started trapping again, just to take out some nest raiders (coons, opossums, and skunks).

The only difference is the increasing coyote population. The neighbors at my camp tell me all the time how they hear coyotes out there howling often. Some winters, I see more coyote tracks than deer tracks! I've taken up coyote hunting, but so far haven't had any luck. I've only tried day time calling, but understand that night time calling is much more productive. I would like to learn how to trap them too.

I think more hunters need to pitch in and do their part to keep the coyote population in check, before things get worse!

[SteveB]

I think more hunters need to pitch in and do their part to keep the coyote population in check, before things get worse!

Hunting them does nothing to control the population. 2/3 need to be taken for several years to have a real effect and trapping/snaring is the only way to come close.

[jkzfixme]

Bill-

Look at this as an opportunity. It sounds like you now have something to do this winter. Get a game caller and see how many of them critters you can get. You can pick up a little spending money that way too.

Doc

Doc,

How can you get spending money for yotes ? can you sell the fur or something ? If so where ? I always just shot them because they were a nuisance and had a lot of fun getting together with the boys. If I can make some loot off it I would be thrilled

[fasteddie]

I think the fur prices are way down . There is a lot of work to skinning and preparing the hide .

[Doc]

Doc,

How can you get spending money for yotes ? can you sell the fur or something ? If so where ? I always just shot them because they were a nuisance and had a lot of fun getting together with the boys. If I can make some loot off it I would be thrilled

I haven't sold a fur for a lot of decades, but there's still a lot of trappers in business who have places to sell their hides. Back then there were fur buyers everywhere. Locally today we have the Genesee Valley Trappers Assn. that holds periodic fur auctions. I'm sure that no matter where you are located there are buyers somewhere not too far away. You might want to make an inquiry in the trapping forum on this site.

I believe Eddie is right. The fur market is not at he top of its game right now. But if you are interested, go to a well stocked magazine rack and pick up a copy of Fur-Fish-Game and toward the back there is always a run-down on what furs are going for. It seems to me that Northeast coyote pelts were going for somewhere between $15 and $25 depending on size and condition (I'd have to re-check that). That should help defray some of the gas and ammo money used hunting those critters. It might even pay to take a few of those dead dogs off the hands of your coyote hunting buddys.

Doc

[gutpile]

The area I hunt there are lots of yotes around. Last year on stand during bow season I saw an avg of fifteen deer a day about what I normally see. The people in town seem to think they're killing off the deer and turkeys. But on the properties I hunt the deer population seems stable while the turkey population is exploding. One winter flock looks to number a hundred or more birds now. I trap through most of November on these properties and I avg 12-16 coyotes a year. What I find interesting is years ago when the farmers were bailing hay it was common to see red or grey fox trailing the bailer catching mice. Now I see coyotes doing the same. And in years with high grasshopper populations they're out in the fields gobbling them up like candy just like the fox and turkey do. I won't just kill a coyote and leave it because its flat out wrong not to mention illegal. Read your hunting manual on "Wanton waste". If you want to hunt coyotes fine but contact your local CO he can either put you in touch with a trappers assoc or tell you where and when they hold their fur auctions. If you saw a $20 bill lying on the ground you wouldn't just walk past it would you? Good pelts could bring you that much. If you cross paths with one during the gun season for deer take a head shot they don't use that part in the fur industry. A 12ga or lg cal rifle slug through the shoulders destroys any value the pelt might have had. My farming friends love the coyotes they've decimated the feral cats that destroy equipment with their clawing of tractor seats etc and spraying in their barns. And I rather catch salable fur than feral cats anyday. Although the few I do catch make great coyote bait.

[A6A6]

What I find interesting is years ago when the farmers were bailing hay it was common to see red or grey fox trailing the bailer catching mice. Now I see coyotes doing the same.

i have a farmer that lets us come to his property and clean up his coyote problem.

unfortunalely , this year out of 5 stands we only took about 8 coyotes..

we should of had more but shooting at night is very hard and these things wont stand still for a second..

even over a bait pile.. they hit and run.

either way.. he usually calls us when he cuts grass in october and we go clean up the coyotes for him in between bow hunting. .

we see fox and an occasional coyote come out and grad a field mouse or whatever else is left after the grass is cut, even a woodchuck once. this june he called us and told us to come down. he cut the grass and then out came a mother coyote and along with her 2 little pups . she was i believe trying to teach them how to grab the mice.. he then took us to his two other properties and we observed the same thing with 2 pups and 3 more pups.. all within a 5 miles radius..

that means this year, we have got alot of work to do..

he also told us about a problem he was having with 2 large male coyotes he predicts to be around 60-70lbs.. he had a few cows give birth to 3 faws all went missing into the woods right thru his fence stolen by these 2 coyotes.

the mother cows were bugleing for weeks after that.

he says those fawns were cost of about 2-3 each.

that guy just lost about 9 grand..

[gutpile]

Livestock predation is a whole different ballgame with different rules. In that case you can shoot/trap and bury the offending animals anytime of year.

[fasteddie]

A few years ago I was talking to a farmer's wife , in Groveland ,who wanted woodchucks shot on their property . She told me "under no circumstances was I to shoot any coyotes because they helped keep the woodchuck population down and also thinned out her barn cats" . She said her barn cat population was down to about 17 ....... ??? .. ??? .. ???

[Doc]

A few years ago I was talking to a farmer's wife , in Groveland ,who wanted woodchucks shot on their property . She told me "under no circumstances was I to shoot any coyotes because they helped keep the woodchuck population down and also thinned out her barn cats" . She said her barn cat population was down to about 17 ....... ??? .. ??? .. ???

;D  Maybe the farmer's wife should have been looking for someone to shoot the barn cats instead of the woodchucks.

Doc

[LEGACYVET76]

  i HOPE i DONT OFFEND ANY ONE HERE IF I DO I APOLOGIZE. bUT THE FACTS ARE THAT CYOTES HAVE BEEN HERE IN NY FOR YEARS AND YES THEY ARE ONE OF OUR TOP PREDATORS, BUT I WILL TELL YOU I HAVE BEEN TRAPPING THEM FOR SOME TIME NOW AND THERE ARE NOT AS MANY AS YOU GUYS THINK THERE ARE.WHEN YOU HERE A PACK OF THEM AT NIGHT IT IS MOST LIKELY ONE OR TWO ADULTS USUALLY TRAINING THE PUPS THAT IS WHY YOU HERE THE SHORT YIPS AN LOCATION CALLS. I FIND IT AMUSING THAT GUYS SEE ALL OF THESE CYOTES WHEN THEY ARE IN THE WOODS KILLING DEER AND TURKEYS THEN YOU TAKE UP THE SPORT OF PREDATOR HUNTING AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE YOTES JUST ARENT THERE LIKE YOU THOUGHT THEY WERE. DONT GET ME WRONG THEY NEED TO BE IN CHECK AND TRAPPING AND CALLING IS A GREAT AND FUN WAY TO DO THAT. BUT TRUTHFULLY THERE ARE NOT AS MANY YOTES AS EVERY ONE THINKS THERE IS.

[Doc]

  i HOPE i DONT OFFEND ANY ONE HERE IF I DO I APOLOGIZE. bUT THE FACTS ARE THAT CYOTES HAVE BEEN HERE IN NY FOR YEARS AND YES THEY ARE ONE OF OUR TOP PREDATORS, BUT I WILL TELL YOU I HAVE BEEN TRAPPING THEM FOR SOME TIME NOW AND THERE ARE NOT AS MANY AS YOU GUYS THINK THERE ARE.WHEN YOU HERE A PACK OF THEM AT NIGHT IT IS MOST LIKELY ONE OR TWO ADULTS USUALLY TRAINING THE PUPS THAT IS WHY YOU HERE THE SHORT YIPS AN LOCATION CALLS. I FIND IT AMUSING THAT GUYS SEE ALL OF THESE CYOTES WHEN THEY ARE IN THE WOODS KILLING DEER AND TURKEYS THEN YOU TAKE UP THE SPORT OF PREDATOR HUNTING AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE YOTES JUST ARENT THERE LIKE YOU THOUGHT THEY WERE. DONT GET ME WRONG THEY NEED TO BE IN CHECK AND TRAPPING AND CALLING IS A GREAT AND FUN WAY TO DO THAT. BUT TRUTHFULLY THERE ARE NOT AS MANY YOTES AS EVERY ONE THINKS THERE IS.

I suspect you're right. Those critters cover a lot of ground and lay down a pile of tracks, and in the snow it can look like you are over-run with them.

On the other hand, there may be places where there are piles of them. I have heard of places where getting to your wounded deer winds up to be a foot-race with the coyotes. So I do believe there are some places where the population density is quite high. However, I have found around our area that they are not as plentiful as I once thought. And that fact does make them an extra-special challenge to hunt.

Doc

[growalot]

I suppose that statement would apply as to where you are hunting them...for I having lost way too many goats...been surrounded by them lost a turkey to them ...neighbors below us loosing their turkeys and chickens...neighbors above their sheep....and a  beef farmer not far from us reporting calves snatched AS they were being Born...well we have a different view.....

[gutpile]

You think coyotes are a problem(some places they are). Hope we don't have a feral pig explosion (its coming). Feral hogs are worse on livestock and game animals than wolves not to mention crop damage.

I had a farm I got permission to trap and one day the owner was showing me around his cornfields and woodlots. He told me don't trap coyotes they keep the coons out of the dent corn. Well, we're walking the farmroads and I spot a couple piles of coyote $hit. What are they full of? CORN! We walked some more and found more of the same. He said trap em and the coons; fox will also feast on corn

[wellsley]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/science/28coyotes.html?_r=2&pagewanted=2

Here is a nice article on Coyotes

[JGaruti3]

nice article....im still going to hunt them though

[Cabin Fever]

I know they claim it's fruitless to reduce the population much due to their reproduction habits (thin them out and they just make "extra" the following year), but I would really like to see the studies to back this up? I believe it's possible, I would just like to see what they base this on?

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I think they should open that season up for 12 months out of the year!! Damn thing were howling and yipping outside my back yard fence last night annd i live in a pretty populated area. They get near my neighbors chickens he will open the season up....with or without DEC consent

[nycoyotehounds..BUB]

[Culvercreek hunt club]

wow...nice...love the black one...that sure is a candidate for a mount