Fun in the NH woods

[browning204]

I guess anything is possible!!

I am thinking maybe using less aggressive howls?

[THO Game Calls]

A pack of wild dogs would have most certainly attacked.  They have little fear of man.

They are the most dangerous animals in the new england woods.   

Al

[browning204]

All I know is that it is weird. They get all fired up but keep their distance.

[THO Game Calls]

Have you guys pulled up a good topo map of the area?   

The coyotes are not going to cross 2 or 3 feet of powdery snow to get to anything.

With all the sign you found in the area before the snow, and with no sign there now, it sounds like it is a travle area with animals going from one place to another to feed.   If you have moose, you should have some clear cuts somewhere around.  Turkeys, some fields.   Deer, something is making them go from one place to another.  Especially the deer.  They are so perdictable it's silly.

You said you found them about 2 miles away.  Is there high ground where you found them? Creek bottoms running anywhere through there? 

The snow means the deer are in the yards,   The coyotes here live off them when they are in the deer yards.  Find the deer yard, and you will find coyotes.   

Also start looking for the creek bottoms.  The coyotes will use them as travel lanes when there is deep snow on the ground.   

Look for edge cover, anthing that will break up the drifiting snow and allow for easier travle.   Old fence lines that keep it from drifting, 

It's a scouting game now.  The place to start is with a good map and then do some leg work.

Good luck

Al

[HaMeR]

Just a thought. I do like the idea of finding the deer yards tho. And probably use fawn distress. If you can find an old fence try rattling the fence while the fawn distress plays too. Might help.

[Omega47]

THO

There are deer tracks everywhere throughout the property.  The deep snow doesn't seem to bother the deer at all and they go everywhere.  I'm surprised at how many tiny fawn tracks are still out there following along with the does.  Surprisingly, there were even moose tracks crossing the property yesterday too.   There were no dog tracks in any of the usual places so we started off down an old logging road.  First we saw some deer tracks in the road, then just after those turned off into the woods, we found a set of coyote tracks walking down the middle of the road.  We followed the coyote tracks for over a mile until they turned right into the woods just before a bridge over a creek.  Another set of coyote tracks coming from a different direction joined these where they went into the woods.  That's when we parked the sled and started following them in. 

The tracks went over a small steep ridge and down the other side into the middle of a snow covered marsh where they were joined by still more sets of tracks.   The open marsh went out about 400 yards in front, 200 yards to the left, with a peninsula on the right front  at about 100 yards.  There is about a 10' wide creek bed running from where we came in out into the middle of the marsh and out past the peninsula. 

The coyote responses were coming from well behind the peninsula, probably 1/2 mile behind and to the right.   First they responded with long strings howls and barks until finally cutting in with what sounds like a pack of pups all yelping at the same time, then dead silence from that point on.  This is the exact same call behavior/pattern the first sets of dogs have been doing to me since September. 

Today I purchased the 1:24,000 topo map CDs for NH and am going to spend some time studying the area more thoroughly.  I think we are going to have to trek deeper into the woods away from the road, but the going is rough with all sorts of boulders, fallen trees and creek beds hidden under the deep snow.   The farthest we've gone is our first stand site which is about 1/4 mile off the road.  There are no human trails anywhere in the vicinity and I get tripped up a lot.  Maybe we will need to get snow shoes.  Browning can tell you how exhausting it is just to hike in the short distances we do now.   

If I wasn't so protective of the location of this piece of land, I'd invite more people to try it  but if we don't get something soon, I might extend an invitation to someone a little smarter than we are 

[THO Game Calls]

There are pretty good maps right on this forum in the menu bar right under the search box.


There are hundreds of places to hunt in NH.  Part of the fun is going out, trying stuff and seeing what works and what doesn't.  Once you figure an area out, you can hunt it that way every year for the most part and do well. as long as you dont do things to change the animals behavior.

The more places you find to hunt, the less chance of that happening.

The more places you hunt, the more siturations you solve that help you with new places.

Over time, it gets a bit easier.  Nothing however, can take the place of time in the woods.

If I could make one suggestion, it would be to get a good GPS, gppd map, and a note book and keep accounts of your hunts.   Study what you have done, where you have set up and what results you have gotten and then plan the next hunt based on what you know.

Heading out in a few myself. 

Al

[browning204]

This area has turned into a hot topic!! So many ideas from people to try. I think Omega is right, we gotta go deeper into the woods and maybe attach them from a different angle. I think they are gonna start remembering our routine and approuch routes. Sooner or later they are just gonna poop on our truck tires!!!

[THO Game Calls]

This area has turned into a hot topic!!

Yeah, I guess.  I just read all about it on aniother board. 

AL

[browning204]

yes you did, I am trying to get a bunch of opinions on it.

If We don't shoot one soon, I think we should lay off at least till mating season.

[THO Game Calls]

I think, and this is just my opinon mind you, that you should continue to hunt it every chance you get, as much as you can.  Wear them out.   Give them absolutely no respite, no reprieve, no rest!  Pound 'em!  HARD!

Al

[THO Game Calls]

By the way, you didn't tell them the whole story.  I think if you had, the suggestions you recieved would have been a lot different.

Just a guess.

Al

[keekee]

How many times have you hunted these Coyotes? And in what time frame?


Brent

[Jimmie in Ky]

I am thinking call shy. And yes they can and will get call shy to howlers too.  That many acres of public ground, somebody is hunting it. I am having some of the same problems with one group in particular. Vocal as they can be during the day even. Yet they cuss you all the way out of the area. And these animals have back doored you several times already.

As THO told you study your maps of the area real well. Pick several aproaches depending on winds if you can. Now here is what is going to bother you, don't use the howlers at all. Switch to a high pitched bird distress or baby cottontail type of sound. Preferably do it with a mouth call. If you just have to use an e-caller use grey fox distress or coyote pup. You won't get the old dogs with these tactics but you will take out a few of the pups.

Every once in a while you will run into a group that just loves to hear themselves howl. Not often but they do happen even on this side of the river. I have only run into two groups like this myself. Both were in the LBL, public hunting grounds.They would howl when it got calm, overcast and a bit muggy. Occasionally other groups will answer them and allow you to locate them as well. Jimmie

[browning204]

How many times have you hunted these Coyotes? And in what time frame?


Brent

Myself, maybe 4 times in 4 weeks. Omega has been at them since September.

[browning204]

By the way, you didn't tell them the whole story.  I think if you had, the suggestions you recieved would have been a lot different.

Just a guess.

Al

What did I leave out?

[browning204]

I think, and this is just my opinon mind you, that you should continue to hunt it every chance you get, as much as you can.  Wear them out.   Give them absolutely no respite, no reprieve, no rest!  Pound 'em!  HARD!

Al

Not Funny!

[Jrbhunter]

Ok, we went out again today and found the pack of dogs had moved about 2 1/2 miles down the road to a new area.   

As always, they responded to our calls with howls and barks, but would not come any closer.   Same lazy pack of dogs as last time.  Wind was to our face and we were well concealed, but that has never been an issue before either.   Anyone know how to drive these dogs in rather than just converse with us for hours on end?

There's no doubt these coyotes have been burnt multiple times in multiple ways.  A repeated disappointement in distress sounds and constant confusion over elusive vocals are going to make for some wary coyotes.  Ain't no two ways about that.

They're not lazy, they just aren't motivated enough to commit as hard as you're requiring them too.    The wind at your face is not always a good thing... in fact, you need to be VERY comfortable with a particular area of deep cover/forest in order to setup with the wind in your face.  Depending on the location of your caller, wind in your face often leaves little wiggle room for an incoming coyote to work.  It's not that he can't, it's that he won't.

A lot of callers are perplexed why coyotes won't come into a situation that requires the wind to blow up their tail, in other cases they wonder why they don't see coyotes coming to the call in swirling or excessive wind.  Callers sometimes spend too much time looking at the situation as it pertains to themselves and their needs for success.  I believe they need to take a look at the situation as if their a coyote that wants to survive it.  If *he* is unsure what the wind is going to do, how will he use it to his advantage?   If it's blowing scent across his nose at the speed of light, how is he supposed to interperate it?  If *he* has to give up the wind in order to investigate that sound- why would he?

It all comes down to motivating a coyote and putting realistic expectations in front of him.  It's hard to find a hard charging coyote with the wind at his back and 800 yards of waste deep snow to cover.  Especially when he's been dinked with repeatedly for four months.   Those coyotes are getting smarter... treat them that way.    I'd try to locate their general vicinity (although that can be hard) then setup as tightly as possible in anticipation of a leary, slow working, wide circling, patient coyote.   In this situation- I'd use ambient sounds like crows/ravens/magpies at great length.   Occasionally a small rodent or bird distress, then more ambience to draw curiousity.  If nothing else, run one of your typically unsucessful stands to locate or move the coyotes... then coordinate a better plan of attack once you know what you're dealing with.

Your intense calling pressure has created a monster.   Luckily, it's a fairly predictable monster.

[Jrbhunter]

PS: I wouldn't let up on em'... you're in too deep.  It's not like their going to forget these lessons in days or weeks.

[browning204]

Good write up Jason, Not sure if the line " run one of your typically unsucsessful stands" is a shot or not, but good right up anyways.

As I said, we may take a crack at them once more before we lay off until mating or later. I think we are gonna slip in there as close as we can, where I suspect they will move a little bit at ease. If there wasn't so much walking in Deep cover and snow, I would bring my tree stand in there to get a better look around.