|
Author
|
Topic: Speculation on what they are doing at the moment
|
Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
|
posted March 22, 2003 07:13 AM
Windy title, but I wonder if you ever thought about what your target is doing, as you begin your first series?
For instance. I'm sure as I need to be that almost every stand, at night my coyote is actively hunting.
I assume, when making a stand at noon on a warm day that a coyote is curled up in a drainage culvert, or other shade, and I need to shake him out of bed. Of course, sometimes he just happens to be passing through, getting a drink, and that is also easy to determine.
So, putting yourself in the position of a coyote, what do you think he's doing, and would that cause you to set up and conduct the stand a little differently, at sunrise, as opposed to sundown; just for instance?
Good hunting. LB
--------------------
EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32372 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
Cdog911
"There are some ideas so absurd only an intellectual could believe them."--George Orwell.
Member # 7
|
posted March 22, 2003 09:02 AM
In and around my digs, the early morning coyotes are heading for their daybeds, or already there after the sun comes up. Depending upon local hunting pressure, they're often still up and foraging for the first couple hours of the day. As the season progresses, they focus more and more of their time on the nocturnal hours and become much more rare in the light of day. Afternoon coyotes are generally starting to get hungry since they've been hiding out all day and don't have as much freedom to move around and hunt. One of my early mentors preferred late day hunting for this very reason. Strictly anecdotal to this point, but I seem to do better with howls in the a.m. (possibly because they're fed and more willing to investigate and be sociable) and squeals in the p.m. (getting hungry by then).
[ March 22, 2003, 09:02 AM: Message edited by: Cdog911 ]
--------------------
I am only one. But still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something; and, because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.
Posts: 5440 | From: The gun-lovin', gun-friendly wild, wild west | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
|
posted March 22, 2003 11:07 AM
In late summer,on the hot Nevada desert, coyotes tend to sleep in, well after nightfall. It's rather common for things to break open several hours into the night; when hunting on their hunting grounds. As mentioned, it is also quite common to see them traveling back toward the hills, come sun up.
These conditions affect what I do. LB
--------------------
EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32372 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
WhiteMtnCur
Knows what it's all about
Member # 5
|
posted March 22, 2003 02:20 PM
I agree with what's been said above, but do have something to add.
I've spent some time simply observing coyotes through a spotting scope. Most of this has taken place in the spring, and during the summer also, so this may not apply to fall/winter when most people do their calling. But, I'll add it in case it has any merit.
I saw what I would assume is a lot of aimless wandering with coyotes. At first light coyotes may be out mousing in a field, or hunting down a wash or through a brush patch, but later in the morning, before they bed down, some seem to just wander. They'll check out anything that catches catch their attention; an anthill, an old car door, a lone cedar tree, etc. This may be because I did a lot of these observations during the spring when coyotes were pairing, and the lone coyotes I was observing could have been transients that were just passing through the area with no real destination mind?
A number of these coyotes would hunt during the early morning, and some would head directly to (what seemed like) a predetermined location where they'd bed down. But others seemed to just wander around, and then when the day got warmer, they'd bed down. On one overcast day I watched a coyote walk around a very large sagebrush flat at around 1pm for well over an hour, and he didn't seem to be intently hunting.
After doing this, I think there are a number of coyotes that I call, that are simply out and about when they hear the call. It seems like right before dusk, all night, and in the early mornings, coyotes are hunting and respond to the call from that. And in the hotter afternoons, they're likely bedded down in some thick brush, or up on a hillside. But late mornings, and to a lesser extent, in late afternoons I've seen a number of coyotes that just seem to wander around and check things out, and at this time, most anything would catch their attention, be it a distress sound or a howl.
Just some of my observations for what they're worth.
Posts: 97 | From: Nevada | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
20t-n-t
Knows what it's all about
Member # 46
|
posted March 23, 2003 01:45 AM
I have hunted coyotes 34 years, the last 5 or 6 have been when I've realy learned the most about them. Like the old saying goes, the first 10 years I hunted coyotes for fun but the last 24 I've hunted them for revenge. Over the years I've come to respect them.
My observations and experiance with coyotes comes from hunting them year round if nessisary, so I've seen them under hunting situations in all seasons. Durring the winter months, when its cold in this country, they tend to be active till around 10am, Mousing and checking out their territory. They tend to sleep untill about an hour before sunset when they resume their hunting activity. They will come to a call anytime durring the winter months, day or night.
When spring comes they are pairing up and seem to need the company more than the rabbi. I use the howler more then along with the rabbit but as summer comes I have found they work better in the early morning than any other time.I kill around 8-10 coyotes every summer that are rogue dogs, {killing dogs, cats, chickens or sheep}. Mid to late summer finds the pups eager to answer the calls.
By late summer into early fall they begin to hunt longer than they do in the summer,[getting ready for winter] I guess. Teaching the pups before they give them the boot. I'm not realy sure what triggers this behaveyor, I just know it happens.By the way, calling in coyotes in the summer months is way harder than the winter dogs.
From Sept. 1st to late November I'm hunting big game with the kids in the youth hunter program so I don't have much time to hunt coyotes but when I run across one I'm shootin. The coyotes of winter seem to be out and about at all times during day or night. I tend to use the shock'em into hunting me down attitude and it works.
well thats my 2 bits," Just some of my observations for what they're worth."
Slydog
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------
Teach a kid to hunt and fish and feed them for a lifetime......
Posts: 245 | From: Boise Idaho USA | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
Rich Higgins
unknown comic
|
posted March 23, 2003 06:12 PM
The only activity I consider when setting up is the possibility that one or more may be napping close by. I start my howls and distress low key to nudge them awake or or tweak their interest rather than blast them out full volume and have a coyote launch 3 feet straight up out of a sleep and land running the other way. I've seen many coyotes exit a wash or cover going the other way for that reason. Whether they are rambling, drinking or socializing doesn't make any difference. I want them to come to the call.
IP: Logged
|
|
Frank
CAN START A FIRE WITH A BUCK KNIFE AND A ROCK
Member # 6
|
posted March 23, 2003 06:57 PM
Leonard;
I can think of three specific incidents of where I Saw coyotes during the day.
The first was in an excellent spot that was green as could be. It was a farmland area with all kinds of crops. We were driving down a dirt road when I saw the coyote sunning himself in the early morning sun on the lower part of a hillside.
I estimated his range at somewhere around 500 Yds. We stopped and began our setup to call him in. As we started calling all he did was lift his head and look in our direction. That's when I decided to let a round fly in his direction.
At the shot he got up and started running parallel to our right. I took another shot whlie he was running and saw him do an a$$ over elbows cartwheel. I was sure that I hit hit him but there was no sign of him as we looked around the area.
The second time that comes to mind was when we saw a coyote "mousing" out in an open field. We could see that he was playing with a mouse by throwing it up in the air and running around chasing it. We made a stand to call him in and the last we saw of him was his tail going over a hill.
The third time that comes to mind was the time I was out riding my motocross bike in the desert. I happened to stumble on a family of coyotes bedded down in a low spot in the hills. As I rode up on them they all scattered in different directions. I started chasing one of them with the bike. He finally decided to cross a road and that's when he was hit by a car. Does that count? Hehehehe
Frank
--------------------
"Truth is no prostitute, that throws herself away upon those who do not desire her; she is rather so coy a beauty that he who sacrifices everything to her cannot even then be sure of her favor".
Posts: 644 | From: North Dakota | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic
