coyotes upwind? With pics of hedge tree!!

stevecriner · September 20, 2006, 09:48:41 AM

How many have you all seen go up wind to get around ya. I was out filming this morning and on two diffrent stands i had a coyote come from downwind and cross to the upwind to get around me. I was just wonderin if anybody else has bad luck,cause it made it a B%$## to film these coyotes. Needless to say after kicking my camera over and shooting a hedge tree there were no kills.

Jeb · September 20, 2006, 04:14:23 PM

LOL Steve

!! Sorry to hear this bud. Down here they always go downwind

, trust me LOL
Jeb

FinsnFur · September 20, 2006, 06:50:32 PM

Steve, did ya happen to get any pics of the hedge tree?

Jrbhunter · September 20, 2006, 08:06:14 PM

I have seen coyotes circle upwind in territorial and mating situations... when using coyote vocalizations... in the rut/pre-rut phases. Never in the spring/summer months.

Is it possible they were using thermals or did you have a signifigant wind direction? Thermals change everything- with the temp changes I've seen this week it has really turned up the thermals and made animals less predictable. We're a sunny 65-68 in the day and 38-41 at night.

stevecriner · September 20, 2006, 09:08:18 PM

Heres a few frame grabs..

FinsnFur · September 20, 2006, 09:22:34 PM

NNNNNNnnnnnnnice

What kind of camera ya using?....and when's this film gonna....I say when ya gonna be done with this movie?

stevecriner · September 20, 2006, 09:31:34 PM

I shoot a GL2. And im hoping to have it out around febuary or march!!! Got to waite on my montana trip!!

Jimmie in Ky · September 20, 2006, 10:48:35 PM

With what I can see and making a fair guess, it followed the cover available. You were trying to force it out in the open if it went down wind. It followed the fencerow and the dip in the terrain to get closer to the sound.It used what cover there was available to it. Jimmie

stevecriner · September 21, 2006, 07:00:45 AM

Jimmie, I think you hit the nail on the head! I never thought about it that way. See you can learn every day.

Rich Higgins · September 21, 2006, 09:15:48 AM

Jimmy is right. Look at it's posture in the top frame. It is in the open and in the light and it is uncomfortable. It's ears are in a defense mode back and to the sides. In the second frame it is in shade and closer to cover with it's ears in forward focus. If you had left it alone and it couldn't get a visual ID on you, it would have eventually wound up downwind in the open.
Did you skin out the hedge tree you shot or did you leave it lay?

stevecriner · September 21, 2006, 05:42:40 PM

Rich, I left the tree laying i figured since i just wounded it , it would get back up! Also them are frames from two difrent stands. The bottom frame,that coyote ended up in my pants just about. Thus me getting excited and shooting the tree!

And in the top frame this coyote i do recall him acting diffrent,so i just learned alot. I still would of got that coyote killed if i wouldnt of kicked over my camera!

Thanks for the replies.

FinsnFur · September 21, 2006, 07:22:32 PM

I got just a few more details to work out for our boards trophy page, and she'll be all set.
Steve, your tree will be the first entry.

I just wish you would have gotten a picture of yourself kneeling by it with your rifle.

Jeb · September 21, 2006, 07:25:18 PM

Good pics there Steve !!
Jeb

stevecriner · September 21, 2006, 09:24:20 PM

If i promise to get you a pic will you really let me be first? LOL

FinsnFur · September 21, 2006, 09:32:26 PM

Well of course

fuzz624 · September 22, 2006, 03:45:11 PM

This seems kinda unfair to me.Why does steve get in first? Ive killed dozens of trees over the years and all of mine were bigger than scroney little twig. :roflmao:

coyotehunter_1 · September 22, 2006, 06:45:54 PM

Yep. drilled a tree or two myself... It's simply amazing how fast those darned things can jump into the line of fire.

:roflmao:

Mallardsr · September 22, 2006, 07:37:12 PM

fuzz,Do you have pictures of those confirmed tree kills? :roflmao:

FinsnFur · September 22, 2006, 09:03:15 PM

Yeah, fuzz do ya?
C'mon we need to get our trophy tree page up. You too Mallard.

Jimmie in Ky · September 23, 2006, 06:31:35 PM

Rich has an advantage over the rest of us in the east. He has had the oportunity of seeing not just a few hundred animals come to the call, but a couple of thousand. There are things he knows that have become almost an instinct to him. So much so that he can just look at an area and decide on where to setup.He has spent the time and asked a lot of questions to learn what he has over th years.

I myself haven't learned enough yet on the animals postures. I have to go by what I see and relate it to where I am.Your photo shows things that are familiar to me. Pastures , terrain features and other cover.When you give a coyote the option of going into the open to get down wind or use the cover to get closer, it will use the cover everytime.If you do not give it a way to aproach the sound, it will go to the downwind to check it from a distance. This is just coyote habit, it's what makes them such a thrill to hunt. Most of the time we outsmart ourselves and miss the oportunity to learn more. I am still guilty as hell of this myself.

I guess I should go back and check on that last littel cedar I shot. It took most of the bb's in the pattern and was wounded severely. I should go back and confirmn my kill for the trophy room