coyotes hunting

songdog · December 27, 2007, 08:30:47 PM

I watched something yesterday at lbl that i have never seen before. I just thought i would share with you.

I got off work early, around noon, so i thought i would go to lbl and do some bowhunting for deer.. I found a new spot over there last weekend. As a matter of fact i saw 2 nice 8 points running does around. I figured i would get there early to beat the deer to the small field. I got to the field around 1:30 and naturally they would be standing in the field.... I waited and waited for the deer to leave the clover field, but they wouldnt leave.. I eventually got up and ran them off so i could make a blind.. After all i still had about 3 hours to hunt.

The deer ran off so i proceeded in making my blind where i had seen them the most. I had a perfect wind to hunt where i wanted to hunt. I cleared off a spot and sat down and waited.. Well about 3:00 i started hearing footsteps in the dry leaves, and sure enough it was the 6 does i ran off. They came out in the clearing behind me and started eating. I guess they ate for an hour never getting no closer. I waited for them to make a move to the next clearing and i got up to move.

The dry creek bed just below where i was sitting winded right where i wanted to go, towards the deer.. I moved quietly through the creek bed ducking and popping up to see if the deer had picked me up.. I guess i moved around 100 yards through it to get to the spot where the deer stood the most. I was hoping that one of the two eight points i had seen earlier would follow the does . If in fact he did i would be right where i wanted to be.

I got to where i wanted to be and just sat down on my knees. I couldnt clear a spot because the does were less than a 100 yards. I sat there on my knees and put my bow on one of them. I watched the does to my left until they moved in the woods heading toward the nearby cornfield. I guess i sat there for another 30 minutes when i heard footsteps coming off the hillside to my front left. Sure enough it was another doe, then another , then another.. I ended up with four does in the field with me.. Mature does at that.. I watched them till almost dark when i decided to take one of them when i had a good shot.. I waited and waited, no good shots.

It was starting to get dark fast when all of the sudden i heard a dominate male coyote let out a howl. He was a good half a mile from me so i didnt think nothing about it. Just as quick as he stopped i heard some footsteps running through the woods in front of me. I quickly raised my bow so i could draw on the big buck running straight at me......WRONG!! Out of the creek in front of me pops out a giant coyote.. He takes out across the field after the deer and stops dead in his tracks and looks at me.. I never moved, and i thought i was very well hidden.. Not to him i wasnt.. He takes off after the deer, and two more coyotes pop out. They both did the same exact thing only i was ready this time. I was at full draw with my mathews when they stopped, but they didnt stay stopped long enough.. They proceeded the same direction after the deer..

I guess i sat there for about another 10 seconds when a deer went flying across the hillside with a coyote on her tail.1 coyote.... I watched them till they got out of sight, then i heard a death moan from the doe.. I figured it was time to go to the truck knowing that i had enough time to get there before it turned pitch black. Especially since i had to walk by the place where the coyote had the deer down. I kept a sharp eye out for the other two coyotes that might be coming to the cries...Sure enough i saw the deer laying on the hillside that the coyote caught.. I didnt see the coyote so i walked to the deer to see what it looked like.. There was hair everywhere around the dying doe and scratches around the flank and neck areas. I then proceeded toward the truck ....

I am sorry about the book, but i have been coyote hunting about 12 years and i have never seen nothing like that happen... Especially by a single coyote.. The doe was a mature doe, and not a fawn, and she could flat out run... She evidentally couldnt run fast enough.. I just wondered if any of you have seen anything like that before.. I guess i have a spot to hunt in feb, and i might just have to use a deer distress... Dave

KySongDog · December 27, 2007, 09:14:42 PM

Thanks for that story. That's real interesting. I found some deer bones down on the south end of LBL yesterday and figured coyotes had been in the carcass. Maybe they took the deer down as well. But I thought it would take more than one coyote to do the deed.

jimneye · December 27, 2007, 09:25:26 PM

Neat story Dave, nature can be cruel at times.

songdog · December 29, 2007, 03:33:51 PM

Nature is cruel at times semp.. It was almost like the alpha male that was howling was ringing the dinner bell for the coyotes to attack. I might have never believed a single coyote could take down a mature healthy doe until i seen it for myself. I have to say all the times i have coyote hunted over there i have never used a deer in distress sound. It might be a good time to start.. I wish i would have have a camcorder to film the action. I think i am gonna do a little more research on the area that i was hunting, because on my way out i heard many more lone howls coming from the general area. After all feb isnt really all that far away..dave

FinsnFur · December 29, 2007, 03:52:34 PM

That IZ a good read

Nice little event yo have under your belt, thanks for sharing it. That woulda been some cool footage.

hammeryotes · December 29, 2007, 05:10:22 PM

Awesome story! I was asking Jimmie about that very topic a couple of weeks ago. I'm from Oregon originally, and in that country(OR<WA<ID<MT) the coyotes tend to do a pretty good number on the fawns in the spring but usually don't target the mature deer. It seems that the Lions and wolves take care of that duty. It is almost as if these LBL yotes operate in the same manner that a pack of Wolves would in Northern Idaho. It is very interesting that a single Coyote would have the strength, stamina, and tenacity to take down a mature Whitetail. Makes me believe that a fawn in distress would work well over here. Cool thought; thanks for sharing. I'm going out in the morning over there and I just might try the deer distress for a set or two!

Jimmie in Ky · December 29, 2007, 07:57:47 PM

He wasn't alone in the deed Songdog. He had assistance you didn't see because they were busy setting up the next ambush after the first missed. Those coyotes eat deer regularly. Especially in bad years for other food sources. If you look long enough in that area you will find other kill sites as well. Once found five in an area of about 800 yards in one valley. They don't leave much when they are done with a kill. You will only find hair. They even take the skull off to chew on . The few scats I found thursday were full of deer hair.

The groups that pack hunt are very danged good at it. I figure that at their worst they eat two deer a week.

Almost forgot this. When they group hunt, one starts th chase. The others set up the ambush. When you call these groups you will see one or two in front of you. It's the back door you have to watch close. The one that starts the chase comes from down wind every time . You need a partner about sixty yards out for backup. Jimmie

kyfuzzyface · January 03, 2008, 01:13:32 AM

Things like this is what started me Coyote hunting, I lost a 350 lb calf a couple of years ago and when I found her there was only skin and bones, Not saying coyotes done it but she wasn't sick.she was next to a creek bank that was fenced

During that deer season I watched a pack of 8 stalk 3 small doe, 2 circled around them and 3 others came out of the woods and ran the doe's into the others path, I killed 1 and hit another.

I would say Jimme in Kentucky is right

songdog · January 08, 2008, 05:55:48 PM

I normally would say that jimmie was right, but what i saw was what i saw.. I indeed see 3 coyotes, but i did watch just one bring the deer down.. He was a rather large coyote and i guess he was very able to by himself. I was indeed watching my back as i was walking out for the remaining 2 that i seen.. I never seen those 2 again.. Of course i didnt wait around and see if they were going to come to the kill or not. Like i said i wish i had that one on video.. People would change their way of thinking..

Jimmie in Ky · January 09, 2008, 12:01:37 PM

Songdog, I have a lot of questions as to the true heritage of some of those LBL coyotes. We see way too many that are larger than normal and cunning enough that we rarely kill one of them. And yes they are big enough to do the job themselves but just don't do it that often. I have had them try and work me too many times as a group. No, they are not crossed with red wolves. Red wolves hunt like coyote's are supposed to . These hunt like grey wolves or dogs.

How many color variations have you seen in there yourself? I haven't seen one of the blacks but I have seen everything up to and including white. Jimmie

Smith · January 09, 2008, 02:12:50 PM

Great story. I have witnessed alot of things but thats not one of them. I watched a golden eagle take a antelope fawn once, that was cool.

Lucas

songdog · January 09, 2008, 04:21:21 PM

Thats awesome smith... Isnt it crazy how powerful some creatures are?
Bet you wish you had that one on camcorder too...

Carolina Coyote · January 09, 2008, 05:56:04 PM

I have never seen a Coyote actually take down a Doe but have seen single Coyotes and Bobcats chasing mature Does on several occasions and the Coyotes were not that big. The fact that they were chasing them tells me that at times they are succesfull. No doubt Deer are a prime food source for Coyote and Bobcat.cc

DGF · January 09, 2008, 07:08:59 PM

I have been hunting coyotes in LBL since the early 80's , and have to agree with Jimmie, The coyotes that I get there are some what different then the ones I get on the farms around the house. I did get a black one a few years back and seen a beutiful buff colored one with a rediish back and sides in mid December.

Jimmie in Ky · January 10, 2008, 01:05:17 AM

DGF are you noticing teh diference in the build of some of them too? What amazes me is when I see one of those big silvertips with his pups along side of him. It blows your mind just to look at them. Pups are half the size . Jimmie

songdog · January 10, 2008, 03:36:05 PM

The first one that came in to the field was a red, the second was a reddish grey , and the last was a black. The red was actually the one that took the deer down. As for the other 2 i never seen them again, although they probably watched me leave. I agree Jimmie, i have killed many coyotes in the county, but those over there are bigger than most. Jimmie maybe you could help me scout the area out and figure these yotes out. I do know there are multiple packs in the area. Those were just a few of many that i have heard or saw in the general area. I dont know how familiar anyone is with area 10, but i turkey and deer hunt it a lot. I guess no matter what area you hunt over there, you probably dont know it all. I am sure that the yotes that i seen that evening have had many encounters with man, because they are on a heavily traveled road...

Jimmie in Ky · January 10, 2008, 04:17:14 PM

i have been in zone ten four times and most of that just driving around looking. LBL is way too big to hunt it all. Zone fives population is finally going down thanks to many years of repeated trapping pressure. I know it very well from the bridge to Sugar bay. I also know zone one fialry well, at least half of it. I also know some of seven and eight.

If you have an idea of where they came from we can find them easy enough. I will send you a pm later. Jimmie

KySongDog · January 11, 2008, 07:05:20 AM

songdog
I used to turkey area 10 alot. Down by Bethlehem and Henson cemetaries and roads 357 and 356. The last time I was down there (a couple of weeks ago) they had road 174 cut in half down by the lake. Looked like it had washed out. So I couldn't get to where I used to hunt. I have never coyote hunted area 10 but have heard them in the past.

Semp

DGF · January 11, 2008, 04:44:30 PM

Jimmy I have also noticed they seem to be a little bigger in LBL. There have been a few times that I actually doubted if my poor little 22MAG was going to be enough.

Back when I first started hunting LBL a wise man told me the best way to hunt there is to pick a area and get to knew that area as best as you can because the whole area is to big to try and hunt it all. He was right and after hunting there for 25 yrs I still find a lot of new places.

songdog · January 11, 2008, 06:19:45 PM

Semp there is some good hunting down 356 and 357. I actually hunted down 356 this year for deer, around the old homeplace.. These coyotes i have been hearing and seeing are around the Futrel bottoms area just south of Wranglers. I have done more hunting around that area this year than i ever have. I have seen more coyote sign than deer sign in most of the places around there. I just need to go over there and look around for a day and mark some places on my gps. I have done some camping down 350 which is in area 9 and heard a bunch of coyotes around dark. I think it all burnt on the south side of the road a year or two ago. I need to get back over there and look around...

coyotes hunting

jimneye

DGF

DGF