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Author
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Topic: I gave up on prey in distress...
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ursus21
2nd place, John Denver lookalike Contest
Member # 3556
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posted October 11, 2010 08:37 AM
I gave up on prey in distress because coyote vocals were working so much better. ![[Wink]](wink.gif) I called in 6 coyotes last Friday by 3:00pm and my pard and I killed 5 of them. I would have liked to keep on calling but had to cut the day short to do a little antelope scouting. Thought perhaps you boys might enjoy a photo or two.
Oh and I did manage to get this buck the next day. Dropped him at 320 yards. One shot, one dead antelope. Very fun weekend! Not bad for a John Denver look-a-like, eh.
Posts: 780 | From: Montana | Registered: Jan 2010
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Paul Melching
Radical Operator Forum "You won't get past the front gate"
Member # 885
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posted October 11, 2010 09:12 AM
Way to go Troy
It should be illegal for people from Montana to post pics ,just make everybody envious.
But thanks for sharing anyway.
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Those who value security over liberty soon will have neither !
Posts: 4188 | From: The forest ! north of the dez. | Registered: Jul 2006
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Cdog911
"There are some ideas so absurd only an intellectual could believe them."--George Orwell.
Member # 7
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posted October 11, 2010 10:07 AM
I agree, Paul. Those coyotes look better already than ours will in mid-December. Nice goat, too.
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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
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted October 11, 2010 12:08 PM
Damn nice pronghorn and I worried before I scrolled down to the photo....did this guy use a machine gun? Needn't have worried, looks like a perfectly conventional sporting rifle. Congrats.
(just kidding, John Denver lookalike)
Good hunting. LB
PS, nice stack of coyotes, too. Tell us about it. Six coyotes. Did they come in fast and early? Or, did it take a while and they were all cautious?
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32361 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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ursus21
2nd place, John Denver lookalike Contest
Member # 3556
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posted October 11, 2010 12:42 PM
Leonard, none of the coyotes came in super cautious. They came in pretty steady except the last pair. Those two came in like a couple of hyper missles. I couldn't get them stopped for anything. My pard shot the big male as he flew by at 15 feet or less. The female was able to narrowly escape into a ravine. She was the only coyote that got away. Three of the five were nice adult coyotes and two were young yotes. The super hard charging male only had 3 canines and of the remaining canine all were broken. His back teeth were worn and he had scars and such. Look like a neat old warrior. Guess he didn't like the thought of some up shot hanging out in his territory. Always enoy killing older mature coyotes as it almost makes me feel like I did something right for a change. On a side note several of these coyotes pitched a barking/howling fit just like I described a coyote doing a week or two ago. The difference this time though, is they pitched a fit and then came in. I still don't know what to make of that type of behavior.
Posts: 780 | From: Montana | Registered: Jan 2010
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SD Howler
taught Huber everything he knows, but not everything HE knows!
Member # 3669
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posted October 11, 2010 02:56 PM
Awfully nice goat, how many inches were the horns? Great job on the coyotes also. Were you using lone howls or how were you talking to these coyotes?
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Steve
Predator Calling
rattler51@pie.midco.net
Posts: 51 | From: SD | Registered: Sep 2010
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ursus21
2nd place, John Denver lookalike Contest
Member # 3556
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posted October 11, 2010 03:14 PM
SD Howler surprisingly both horns were exactly 15 1/8" even though one looks longer than the other. Used a whole series of coyote vocals, not just a single howl. Sort'a approached each stand a little different and adapted for what seemed right for each stand. Although we had some dry stands that nothing came in I think we only had two or three with no response at all. Meaning some stands we had coyotes replying back, but they didn't come in, or if they did, we didn't see them.
Posts: 780 | From: Montana | Registered: Jan 2010
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TA17Rem
Hello, I'm the legendary Tim Anderson, Southern Minneesota Know it all
Member # 794
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posted October 11, 2010 05:50 PM
quote:
Meaning some stands we had coyotes replying back, but they didn't come in, or if they did, we didn't see them.
Where coyote vocals also used on these coyotes??????
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What if I told you, the left wing and right wing both belong to same bird!
Posts: 5613 | From: S.D. | Registered: Jan 2006
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ursus21
2nd place, John Denver lookalike Contest
Member # 3556
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posted October 12, 2010 06:59 AM
Tim, I'm not sure I fully understand your question, but I think you asking if I used coyote vocals when the coyotes were howling, barking, or yipping back. The answer to that would be yes. Sometimes they would break loose and come in other times they were content to just yap and howl away. The country was far too open in most cases to try and stalk in close for a shot. About the only thing that results in is getting busted.
Posts: 780 | From: Montana | Registered: Jan 2010
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted October 12, 2010 11:30 AM
quote:
The country was far too open in most cases to try and stalk in close for a shot. About the only thing that results in is getting busted.
I appreciate the dilemma. Not only are you burning daylight, but they can change their minds and rush in, if you (unwittingly) do the right thing, and who knows when that will be.
You can't sneak up on them because you know they are observant in your direction. BUT!
You might try an oblique approach. Let's say they sound 3/4 mile away and stationery. If you were to move a few hundred yards right or left and then take a new vector towards them, they might not be aware of your advance so you close the distance by however much you can get away with.
Many times, a coyote can't put two and two together. A suspicious howl coming from over yonder is one thing, but another howl from a different direction tripps their response mechanism. This has been proved to my satisfaction, many times. Generally, prey distress, but works just as well with howls, maybe better because a coyote is a sucker for howls, they just have not figured it out, yet.
This solves several problems, one of which is the fact that (for whatever reason) you have been busted, where you are sitting. Maybe there is a territorial boundary they respect? Several variations include one hunter remaining in place, holding the coyote's attention, while the other goes round about. Even if they see you move away, they might respond to the original location, as in "the coast is clear, boys". However, the more productive solution is closing the distance and howling from a different location.
You might want to try this when you run out of options?
Good hunting. LB
edit: a little clarification. It is my belief that when a hunter is busted, the coyote still thinks there is a rabbit over there, but they think the human is killing the rabbit; perfectly understandable, from a coyote's point of view. By the same token, even if you are busted, maybe winded?, and you are howling, that coyote does not believe a human is howling, even if it is not a very good sound. If it is a recording, it is even less a possibility that they think a human is making the sound. I use the word "think" a little broadly, but there is little doubt that a coyote can form opinions in their little brain that motivates them to do certain things. Just remember that, they aren't coming in because they detect humans in close proximity to the coyote sound, or the distress sound. And, by the way, using prey distress on a howl hung up coyote is a valid option, I hope you tried that, before walking away?
[ October 12, 2010, 11:43 AM: Message edited by: Leonard ]
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32361 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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ursus21
2nd place, John Denver lookalike Contest
Member # 3556
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posted October 12, 2010 12:31 PM
Leonard, when the terrain permits I do try and move either closer or try of from a different angle. Sometimes it works and like anything else with coyote hunting sometimes it doesn't. I do agree coyotes don't put two and two together in regards to humans and the sounds not coming from prey or coyotes. Many times I will try a prey in distress with those yapping coyotes, but admittedly I did not think to do that on this trip. I was trying to get in as many stands as possible. There are a lot of coyotes on that ranch I was just moving on to the next stand ASAP if they didn't cooperate fast enough. Had I had more days to hunt I may have taken a little more time. I plan on making another trip or two out there this year, and I will certainly heed your advice and try a prey in distress sound before abandoning the stand.
Posts: 780 | From: Montana | Registered: Jan 2010
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TA17Rem
Hello, I'm the legendary Tim Anderson, Southern Minneesota Know it all
Member # 794
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posted October 12, 2010 05:30 PM
quote:
You might try an oblique approach. Let's say they sound 3/4 mile away and stationery. If you were to move a few hundred yards right or left and then take a new vector towards them, they might not be aware of your advance so you close the distance by however much you can get away with.
Many times, a coyote can't put two and two together. A suspicious howl coming from over yonder is one thing, but another howl from a different direction tripps their response mechanism. This has been proved to my satisfaction, many times. Generally, prey distress, but works just as well with howls, maybe better because a coyote is a sucker for howls, they just have not figured it out, yet.
This solves several problems, one of which is the fact that (for whatever reason) you have been busted, where you are sitting. Maybe there is a territorial boundary they respect? Several variations include one hunter remaining in place, holding the coyote's attention, while the other goes round about. Even if they see you move away, they might respond to the original location, as in "the coast is clear, boys". However, the more productive solution is closing the distance and howling from a different location.
You might want to try this when you run out of options?
Thanks Leonard, you saved me from a whole lot of typeing.
I would like to touch on one other thing.. Instead of opening up youre stand with coyote vocals start with prey distress and then add some coyote vocals..
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What if I told you, the left wing and right wing both belong to same bird!
Posts: 5613 | From: S.D. | Registered: Jan 2006
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ursus21
2nd place, John Denver lookalike Contest
Member # 3556
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posted October 12, 2010 08:43 PM
Tim, that is exactly what I do when hunting around here and it works well. However, everytime I try it on this particular ranch which is on the other side of the state, prey in distress falls flat. I've yet to call in or see a coyote come in to prey in distress out there. Not just me, but with other callers as well, some of which who are a lot better coyote hunters than I am. Now granted I've not been there in the dead of winter and that may change things a lot, but it early fall the coyotes out there seem uninterested in prey distress. I'm really not sure why as they sure seem to respond to it everywhere else.
Posts: 780 | From: Montana | Registered: Jan 2010
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Lonny
PANTS ON THE GROUND
Member # 19
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posted October 13, 2010 03:47 PM
Great bunch of animals Troy ans dandy pics. You Mt guys make it hard on the rest of us when it comes to hunting opportunity.
Posts: 1209 | From: Lewiston, Idaho USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Lungbuster
Knows what it's all about
Member # 630
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posted October 23, 2010 05:37 PM
Nice looking goat. Do you have to draw in MT? or over the counter?
Posts: 225 | From: Idaho | Registered: Mar 2005
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ursus21
2nd place, John Denver lookalike Contest
Member # 3556
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posted October 25, 2010 07:05 AM
Lungbuster, one has to draw in Montana but it is a pretty easy draw. I've drawn 16 years in a row.
Posts: 780 | From: Montana | Registered: Jan 2010
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