This is topic How far can a coyote wind....... in forum Predator forum at The New Huntmastersbbs!.
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Posted by blakyote (Member # 1064) on February 12, 2007, 09:52 PM:
you.I often wondered how far they can wind you.I know different situations can dictate this,so what are your thoughts,or what have you witnessed?
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on February 12, 2007, 10:51 PM:
It depends on the lay of the land and wind currents, and what direction the wind is blowing and the temp. also. I would say if the temp. is 32 degrees or warmer and the coyote is down wind, they could pick-up youre scent out to 1/4 mile or more.. If the temp. is below 32 degrees i would say no farther than 100 yards.
There are alot of variables and if the coyote does pick-up youre scent, some will ignor it and others will not......
Posted by 6mm284 (Member # 1129) on February 13, 2007, 03:07 AM:
ta17, could you give me an example of when a coyote has ignored your scent.I have never experienced such and would be interested in the circumstances, thanks
Posted by 2dogs (Member # 649) on February 13, 2007, 04:39 AM:
Scenting downwind;
Depends on wind speed "primarily", IMO. When I'm out hunting on windy days[which is most of the time].
I often sit up on hills, glassing sections for coyote. I also watch vehicle's going down adjacent gravel roads. Watching the effects of the wind on road dust[pneumatics]if you will.
Gives me a good "visual" of how the wind carries dust ie;scent. It is very similiar to water[river] hydraulics, coursing through it's banks & over dams.
If you don't want your scent to carry far. Go on windless days. Of course, coyotes have very good hearing & sight.
Always something ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on February 13, 2007, 05:01 AM:
6mm
I've had coyotes get directly downwind and ignore my scent a few times. It happens in areas of heavy human traffic. They are so used to smelling people in the area, they take it as a normal odor for the area.
A few years back in Indiana, I caught a coyote in a trap the morning after a light snow. I back tracked him out of the catch circle to the bush with my call lure about 20' away. From there down a hill and though a small valley. You could tell by his tracks that every 20-30 yards he would stop, probably sniffing the air. This went on for about a quarter of a mile, until I got to the end of the valley to a plowed field.
You could tell by the tracks that the coyote had been mousing along the brush on the edge of the field when the wind current brought the scent of my call lure. He had stopped, and paced back and forth a bit before turning away from the area he had been hunting and following the wind currents back to the bush I had put the lure on. From there he walked directly to my main lure and trap.
Posted by Rich Higgins (Member # 3) on February 13, 2007, 06:32 AM:
Hey Tim, I would have thought that scent would carry farther in temperatures below 32 degrees. Cold air is denser than warm air.
A National Geographic show stated that polar bears can detect a seal's breath through an airhole in the ice from 3 miles downwind.
[ February 13, 2007, 06:33 AM: Message edited by: Rich Higgins ]
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on February 13, 2007, 07:35 AM:
Yeah, I tend to agree with Higgins. I have seen coyotes circle downwind of my location 400-600 yards out, in below freezing weather, and they wouldn't do that if they could only smell me within a hundred yards.
But to answer the question, it is variable by all the conditions listed above....but you have to consider that the scent can be blown over their heads in hilly terrain, which might be one reason why they seem to ignore it?
Good hunting. LB
Higgins, go here: http://coyotesrus.proboards35.com/index.cgi?board=calling&action=display&thread=1170333328
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on February 13, 2007, 08:13 AM:
I used to trap fox awhile back and there where three lures that i used, food lure, musk lure and a call lure, the call lure had skunk essence in it. The first two lures where used earliy in the season, (warmer temps)The call lure i used late in the season when snow was on the ground and the temps were 32 and colder. When the temps dropped in order to bring the fox into my set a stronger lure was called for and that being call lure with skunk scent in it. The scent from the other two lures was not strong enough to be picked up by the fox.. Cal or Tim B. could also confirm this...
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on February 13, 2007, 08:41 AM:
Yes, I think you are right, Tim. But, think of it like preserving something in the refrigerator, it tends to shut down whatever causes decomposition, and that is why you need a louder lure when it's cold.
Good hunting. LB
Posted by 2dogs (Member # 649) on February 13, 2007, 08:53 AM:
My remarks earlier about watching dust blow;
[Flat terrain], the speed of the dust up high appeared to be the same speed as on ground level. Provided the ground is "structure" ie;resistance free.
When the dust, came to a hill. The dust from the height of the top of the hill to the ground, [rolled forward...churning, in the direction of the wind].
The blowing dust above the top height of the hill, continued w/o resistance [in the wind], the speed of the wind.
If wind is blowing into a wide area[wide end of a funnel]. The leeward[downstream] end of this area, narrows[constricts]. The same wind passing through the "narrow" end, increases speed.
We do this same principal frequently in the fire service. Expelling smoke from a structure.
Posted by 2dogs (Member # 649) on February 13, 2007, 09:02 AM:
I will also add;
When water under pressure is forced through a smooth I.D pipe/tube. Micro, eddies[turbulance] are created on the outer surface of the water & the inside surface of the pipe/tube. This is called "friction loss".
Wind acts very similar to water, hydraulics/pneumatics
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on February 13, 2007, 09:29 AM:
I have been to Az. calling and i got to see first hand how a coyote responds to a caller by comeing in down wind. On the nine stands made half of the coyotes called in came from down wind, the other half came straight in from up wind.
Now where i go calling i don't see this happening to often, if i call down into a drainage the coyotes come straight in. I don't worry a whole lot about wind direction. When i'm almost done with a stand i like to take the electric caller and call all four directions before i pick-up and leave just incase the coyote is'nt useing the drainage i am calling into.
I have had them come in from down wind and flare out at the last 50-100 as they worked there way around me. I had a pair a few years back come past my parked truck and run past me to my left about 50 yds and circle to my right, right in front of me. Did they smell me? I don't know. If they did they did not care..
One week i was out calling and the temps where at 20-32 degrees and the coyotes came right in from down wind to within a 100 yards and stop. I shot one and the other made a clean break.
Later in the week the temp got up to 45 degree's and i had a pair comeing in from down wind they got about 400-500 yards out and hit the brakes and ran back the way they came from. I was sitting low to the ground so i don't think they saw me, i figured they must of got my scent, but i don't know for sure..
So now what i have been doing is call up wind if the temp is above 32 degrees and if colder i call all four directions and it works for me...
Posted by blakyote (Member # 1064) on February 13, 2007, 10:46 AM:
Thanks for the input.I've noticed alot of the same.Do you think they have a better sense of smell than deer,or the same,but just used in a different way.
Posted by Lonny (Member # 19) on February 13, 2007, 11:43 AM:
blakyote, from my experience a coyote has a better sense of smell than a deer. Either that or coyotes are just more fearful and cautious when they do catch a whiff of human scent. In my area deer are only hunted by humans a couple of months a year and coyotes are shot at 24/7/365.
Example; this past fall while on a stand deer hunting I watched a half dozen does walk out into a hayfield 250-300 yards straight downwind of me. I watched closely for any type of reaction to my scent by the deer thru binoculars and saw none. A few minutes later a coyote walked out into the field right where the deer entered the field. I watched the coyote walk unconcerned until it got straight downwind of me and suddenly it acted as if it hit an electric fence and then whirled and ran back into the brush.
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on February 13, 2007, 03:36 PM:
I know that it takes more lure when the temps drop below freezing, and even more when they get down into the single digits and below.
The bad side is if you add extra lure to your set because the temps are holding at zero and below, then get an 1ndian summer, the coyotes will roll on your sets, because the smell is too strong.
Posted by 6mm284 (Member # 1129) on February 13, 2007, 03:43 PM:
Tim b, yes, I thought awhile on that and considered a coyote that has experienced frequent unthreatening encounters with humans and conditioned to accept these close encounters.. See this to some extent in California .. Lots of workers in the fields and the coyotes were more comfortable with human presence in sight,sound and most likely scent.While they did not ignore these senses ,the comfort zone was shorter.Would pass closer to or cirle human activity on the way to calls ,like urban coyotes. Where I live I have never seen a coyote ignore scent and will avoid it to great distances. Temperature may affect scent travel due to the change in volitility as temperatures changes and therefore the amount of scent in the air.
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on February 13, 2007, 03:47 PM:
Have any of you ever seen a coyote or fox hunt mice in a snow covered field. They hunt by site and sound. There ears being used the most.
When i was out calling with Rich and Randy we had a coyote come in from down wind and came in on the same path as us. The coyote was about 5 yards from me when i spotted it, the coyote took a look at Rich who was to my right and then looked at me and started to go back the way he came. Rich let out a bark and i was able to get a shot when the coyote stuck his head up out of the brush..
On a trip west i took along a friend who had never been calling, he asked how close do they come in. I said it all depends, sometimes 15 yds and sometimes 100 yds. On this stand we walked in on a cow trail along a deep drainage, i crossed over to the otherside and set up and my friend layed down on the cow trail. I called for 15 min. and nothing came in, so then i called in all four directions and waited. Here comes a coyote comeing in from the road where i parked the truck and he is comeing in on the same cow trail we came in on.. I waved my hand at my friend to get his attention that a coyote was comeing up behind him. The coyote stopped about 35 yards behind my friend and just looked at him, i finally got his attention and he rolls over for a look, the coyote then takes off up the hill and no shot was taken... My friend said that coyote was close and i replied yes he was with a big grin on my face. The walk back to the truck was a little quiet untill we got to the fence and my friend looks at me and says "don't do that again" LOL
The only thing that comes to mind about the coyote catching youre scent is that some of you guys must really stink! ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
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