This is topic Second verse, same as the first in forum Predator forum at The New Huntmastersbbs!.
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Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on July 24, 2004, 08:10 PM:
I made another foray into the realm of depredation control this evening, this time with the assistance of one of my gunners", Duckndawg. I was at a church function last night when one of my regular landowners approached me to tell me he had coyotes chew on a calf in his corral and had been hearing them pretty close, pretty regularly. I called DnD, picked him up at 7 tonight and ahuntin' we did go.
It's really nice here this weekend with highs in the mid-60's and rain all day. We were facing a 15 mph northeasterly wind so we set up a half-mile due north of the farm looking out across thick grass and pasture ground toward a pond and brushy ravine where I suspected the pack was hanging out. Either there or anywhere in a half-section pasture a quarter-mile to our east.
DnD sat on my right using his 25-06 while I had my new pet, the Howa 1500 .22-250. man, I love this gun! Anyway, I started the stand with a mature dog lone howl, followed a few minutes later by a pup howl. Several minutes later, I charged in with a short series of high-pitched puppy squeals. Moments later, Dawg had a visual on a punkin'-headed red faced coyote charging in from our 2 o-clock. Line of sight problems with a distant group of cattle kept him from making the shot before the coyote got our wind, spun around and beat his way back to the ditch he came from.
I continued on the way I had with a mixture of puppy yelps and old dog howls when number two came leaping through the knee-deep grass on my side crossing in front. I whispered to Dawg that I had one at my 9 and saw that he was going to let me take the shot, so I shouldered my Howa over my sticks, found center mass, and fired. Bang. Flop. 29 yards. Called a while longer before we gave up the game with plans to go back.
This was my second complaint to work over in as many weeks - something I haven't had to deal with in fifteen years. The first spot, I popped a one year old female that had never nursed and my guess was she was a beta in that pack. this one will have a better impact as tonight's coyote is probably the alpha bitch with evidence of having nursed and dried up. This is one landowner that will be very happy tomorrow.
Oh, and BTW, I'd like to introduce my friend Jeff Collie, AKA Duckndawg. He's the ugly one with the serious look on his face on the right. Won't be long and I'll have him broke off those flying carp and focused on predators. LOL
[ July 24, 2004, 08:14 PM: Message edited by: Cdog911 ]
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 24, 2004, 09:11 PM:
Good story, Lance. Thanks for sharing. You gonna pick this stuff up before too much longer! ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Good hunting. LB
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on July 25, 2004, 05:14 AM:
Yeah, I know. That's only the second one I've ever been that close to, and ya know, "they're not nearly as big as they look from a long ways away."
I really don't like shooting them at this time of the year and would rather wait until fur season. Last night's came in, bounding to get above the grass and craning her neck to find us, and my first thought was how pale she was and how good that fur would be come December.
But, as I get my permissions each year, I make it a point to tell each of the dozens of landowners I am forced to deal with that I appreciate them letting me on their ground, that I don't have any money to lease ground with, but what I do have is experience and the know-how to handle those same coyotes in the spring and summer should they ever become a problem. Calling them in and putting them down triggers a mix of elations. One - that I got one, and two (most importantly), that I was successful in helping the property owner out and that he'll be happy. If there's one way to open doors around here, it's kill a coyote that likes beef or mutton. A lot of guys can sure empathize with that, huh?
Posted by Norm (Member # 240) on July 25, 2004, 10:29 AM:
Lance, you are doing a great job... relationships with land owners in your area is worth its weight in gold...
Great story...
Posted by varmit hunter (Member # 37) on July 25, 2004, 11:10 AM:
Lance. Good job. I am faced with the same situation as you. They need to be dead when the land owners wont's them that way.
You have to love those Howa's. I have three. Very few people know there barrels are hammer forged with cut rifling. My 243 sporter shoots .244" at 100. Just a little over 3" at 600 yards with a 75 gr V-Max.
Ronnie
Posted by Bryan J (Member # 106) on July 25, 2004, 04:07 PM:
Thanks again for helping those of us stuck out of the field get our fix! Are you going back for the others?
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on July 25, 2004, 05:13 PM:
Bryan,
Certainly. I told Dawg we'd give 'em about a week or so to settle into life without mama in hopes that knocking off one of the alphas will make dad's task all the more challenging and him, more vulnerable.
I've still got this other pack south of Abilene that are only down one beta and still needing my attention. Might get down there tonight or tomorrow night.
Posted by Az-Hunter (Member # 17) on July 25, 2004, 05:52 PM:
Just curious....how did you "know" that the coyote you shot, was the offending coyote? Did you perform an autopsy and find ears or tails or meat in the gut, or did you see this particular coyote on the carcass? Just wonder how you guys pattern these calf eaters, and know your indeed killing the right coyotes?
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 25, 2004, 07:34 PM:
Maybe it has something to do with population density? Not that hard to keep track?
Not like McNeil where you have two dozen per acre. Or was it, per square mile? Something like that. lol
Just kidding, folks. Vic is a little sensitive about living in coyote paradise, doesn't want the word to get out.
In fact, hunting has really dried up there, lately. Wonder who's been killing them, what with JH being semi-retired?
(lol)
Good hunting. LB
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on July 25, 2004, 07:41 PM:
Well, I don't "know" that this particular coyote chewed on that calf, but I do "know" that she died two hundred yards from the backside of the corral where a coyote chewed on the calf which sits right next to the owner's house from which he has watched coyotes travel back and forth - the same guy that instructed me that he considered any and every coyote seen in that pasture to be an offensive coyote and that he wants the whole bunch gone. Wrong place at the wrong time for her, but the owner's just as happy and that's what I'm out to do. Now, if I was driving forty miles one way to help him out for anything beyond permission to hunt his ground come fall, i.e., fee for service, I'd probably perform a necropsy although I don't think he'd really care. He just wants to see dead coyotes and that's what I gave him. But, thanks for asking.
Posted by Az-Hunter (Member # 17) on July 25, 2004, 08:22 PM:
Fair enough Lance, I misunderstood the premise I guess? I thought you were performing depredation work, instead of supression. I was being totally serious, not meaning to ruffle your feathers. I was just interested how you knew you were killing the coyotes that killed the calf, and share your insight on how you guys figure that stuff out?
I don't have any trouble with when a guy wants to shoot predators, his business, not mine.
Leonard, you tickle me:) Some day, Im going to invite you this way, so we can dispell that awful myth you continue to spread. I only wish, Cochise county had the number of coyotes you think we have:) In all seriousness, the number of coyote callers in our area has dramatically increased. The coyote numbers have not been as high as in the past. Had to happen sooner or later. Lots of ink and lip service given to contribute to the growing number of predator callers, and their invasion to my area.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 25, 2004, 09:16 PM:
Yeah, I know. But, I'm a little screwed up, I still think it's funny. And, I try to help perpetuate the "myth". Some people only wish they had problems such as you have.
Good hunting. LB
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on July 26, 2004, 05:29 AM:
No feather to ruffle, Vic. Gota wear a hat on stand to prevent "shine". Suppression is the best descriptor for what I'm doing. Admittedly, I don't have the xperience to identify and isolate the offender, but hold a great deal of regard and respect for guys that can. Our coyote pop'ns are makiing some good numbers growth now and I've not had actual complaints from anyone for a decade. I don't like shotting them at this time of the year either. In fact, as this bitch came bounding in over the tallgrass, I thought about how light colored she was and how much I wished this was December. But, this small pasture right next to site where the calf was chewed on is somewhat landlocked by barren plowed fields and it just seems unlikely that it would be anyone but the ones we saw. Besides that, the landowner might shoot me if I stopped by the house and told him we passed up shots on two that we called in his backyard because I didn't think they were the "one". He just wants to not see them anymore.
Again, nothin' ruffled.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 26, 2004, 11:28 AM:
postscript:
Vic, if and when we iron out details, set a date; I'd be more than happy to make another rendezvous such as we had last year. Everybody had a great time, so I'm told? Invitees can, and should start kicking it around via email.
Good hunting. LB
Posted by Norm (Member # 240) on July 26, 2004, 01:36 PM:
Leonard, maybe it could be in CA where there are more coyotes than there are in SE Az;
Posted by Lonny (Member # 19) on July 26, 2004, 06:40 PM:
Lance, Glad to hear that new .22/250 is working out for you. Nothing like starting off with a couple of kills to raise the confidence level in a new rifle.
I know the feeling Lance. I shot a couple coyotes the other day, one was a really nice big pale male, it kinda bothered me thinking what that big boy would have looked like in December. I pretty much had to do it though to save face with the landowner. Oh well.
Posted by Greenside (Member # 10) on July 27, 2004, 11:03 AM:
Lance,
quote:
Called a while longer before we gave up the game with plans to go back
Have you made it back there? I'd think you would of headed back there the next morning or next afternoon. My gut feeling is that the litter would probably talk back to you, if you hit them with a howl or two. They can be real suckers for a howler in circumstances like that. I'm quessing you would have a good chance on them if you you could get reasonably close and lip squeaked or used a a K-KALL mini or a AP1.
Dennis
[ July 27, 2004, 11:09 AM: Message edited by: Greenside ]
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on July 27, 2004, 11:31 AM:
Dennis, No, I haven't. I've got a major, major problem on the home front with new neighbors in a rental property next door and spent my day off yesterday lobbying city officials on upgrading a local ordinance. I hope to have this issue in hand by mid week which will free me up to go back.
Although I appreciate the fact that the farmer is incurring a loss of a goat or two, my problem involves a Rottweiler that has escaped his pen and attempted to attack two letter carriers in the past week, and I have a five year old little girl that can't play on her own playset in my backyard at the present time without her mother or I out there covering her back. I was witness to an 11 year old that was attacked and killed by Rotts in '97 and to say that my defensive/ protective instincts are at an all time high, not to mention my stress levels, right now would be a gross understatement. I've got my Winchester 12 secured inside the back door with four rounds of 00 buckshot next to it and by God, I'm waiting for the one time that dog crosses onto my property. He'll only get one shot at me. When I get done hunting Rottweilers, I'll go back after coyotes. I got my own depredation problems to handle right now.
Posted by Yellerdog (Member # 356) on July 27, 2004, 01:20 PM:
Lance,
Good story and way to go helping out the "Cattle Farmer" ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
I know what you mean about not really wanting to shoot them until the fur is good, but it sure keeps the property owners happy. I figure if I don't shoot them I'll just be replaced by someone who will. ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
[ July 27, 2004, 01:22 PM: Message edited by: Yellerdog ]
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on July 27, 2004, 06:24 PM:
Lance,
I have a link to a good Canadian Meatball Recipe that really helps with problem neighborhood dogs. ![[Mad]](mad.gif)
If you are interested, drop me a note.
Tim
Posted by varmint101 (Member # 41) on July 28, 2004, 08:24 AM:
lol flying carp. You know, ducks and geese don't taste that bad really. In fact...oh nevermind lol. Good story!
Matt
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