predator control

[Bowsnbucks]

The areas I would be hunting are wooded mountains with openings being power lines or gas pipelines. All surrounded by woods. Would getting up in a tree stand work in a situation like that ( one concealed by pines or hemlocks )? I would have no idea which direction they might come from - could be anywhere.

 

[phil@thesidehill]

The areas I would be hunting are wooded mountains with openings being power lines or gas pipelines. All surrounded by woods. Would getting up in a tree stand work in a situation like that ( one concealed by pines or hemlocks )? I would have no idea which direction they might come from - could be anywhere.

E-callers are great....pretty easy to get the calls you want and lots of variation to them too. sometimes the yotes get used to the same calls if used regularlly and they wont come in...but they might fire up and start howling at you. I use mouth calls...mainly prey distress (rabbits, mice, deer, pups, cats, birds) and occassionally yote vocalizations. I've had far more luck with distress calls than yote vocalizations. Open reed and closed reed calls. Closed reeds tend to freeze up easily in cold weather because of the build up of condensation from your breath as you are calling into them. Open reeds can freeze as well but they are easier to thaw out and keep the ice of the reed because its easily accessible.

They will most likely be coming from down wind. but if they aren't heavily pressured in your area you may luck into a bold one that comes in dead on...that will change fast once you either start shooting them or they come in from down wind and bust you with out you ever even knowing it.

Mo is right...they have a knack for staying just out of range or just in cover and literally sitting down on their haunches like fido and looking at you and sometimes barking at you.

if you approach yote hunting like deer hunting you'll be better off. if you just go out willy-nilly with out a plan or scouting chances are you will just educate them.

we have had some good luck in terrain like you most likely are dealing with by spreading hunters out in a line down wind of the caller. depending on location and the terrain as many as 3-4 shooters down wind of the caller can work out nicely. in wooded terrain with lots of topographic features the yotes will try to use the terrain to get downwind of you...making it difficult to ever see them before they know whats up. that why you have a couple of guns spreadout down wind or slightly quartering into the wind. basically the caller is hoping to swing the yotes in down range of him into the laps of the guns.

go out to camp some night around dusk and listen for them...you could give them some howls to provoke a response. try to figure out where they are located in order to be able to figure out a way to set up on them. you can do the same thing right at dawn as well. kind of like roosting a bird. also start to pay attention to the types and locations of sign you find out at camp. start to build a picture of their pattern of use.

 

[phil@thesidehill]

The areas I would be hunting are wooded mountains with openings being power lines or gas pipelines. All surrounded by woods. Would getting up in a tree stand work in a situation like that ( one concealed by pines or hemlocks )? I would have no idea which direction they might come from - could be anywhere.

oh...and i have hunted yotes from treestands once in GA. I shot two coming to a rabbit distress call that was set up about 150 yds upwind of me. it was a ladder stand in a pine and had really good cover and it was at very last light.....otherwise i'm not so sure a treestand would be too much benefit.

 

[phil@thesidehill]

I have a buddy that uses FoxPro calls and a MOJO Fuzzy Bunny(or some d*mn thing?) motion decoy and he kills between 10-20 yotes while calling every year. Not near as many as running them with dogs or trapping, but a pretty good take nonetheless and fun too.

i have one of those things that i won at a "dark side" branch banquette. Every time i have used it, i have ended up calling crows to circle around it and dive bomb it. i even had a red tail try to snag it...lol. think they would be better on fox and possible bob cat than eastern yotes.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I've heard them lots of times at dusk or shortly after dark just by stepping outside onto the patio at camp. They might be on one ridge one night, and 180 deg. the opposite direction the next night. The distance between those 2 places is about 1 1/2 miles as the crow flies. ( neighboring camps' land w/ LOTS of acreage to roam ) They run the edges of our fields, the woods roads, the ridge tops, the hollows. They could be anywhere on any given night.

If we hear them at dusk or provoke a response to some howls, and the wind isn't good for a set-up given where they are, forget it & try another night?? ( like deer stand approach on bad wind direction )

 

[phil@thesidehill]

I've heard them lots of times at dusk or shortly after dark just by stepping outside onto the patio at camp. They might be on one ridge one night, and 180 deg. the opposite direction the next night. The distance between those 2 places is about 1 1/2 miles as the crow flies. ( neighboring camps' land w/ LOTS of acreage to roam ) They run the edges of our fields, the woods roads, the ridge tops, the hollows. They could be anywhere on any given night.

If we hear them at dusk or provoke a response to some howls, and the wind isn't good for a set-up given where they are, forget it & try another night?? ( like deer stand approach on bad wind direction )

you'll never get a crack at them if the wind isnt right...and they will learn from it. do you know if any of the neighbors pressure them at all? they may already be "call shy" so to speak.

like deer they do not roam those locations in a completely random manner. they are in those places for a reason at any given time. how do they navigate the terrain to connect all the 'dots' of those locations?

 

[Bowsnbucks]

When I hear them the most is during archery season. Rarely any snow then so I don't know where they're running to " connect the dots. " When snow's on the ground, we can see where they're travelling, but there doesn't seem to be a set pattern or heavily used trail. Tracks seem to be random - no repetition so you could conclude " they come thru here a lot." I don't know if their patterns change with the seasons either.

I figured I'd try calling out on a power line somewhere just to be able to see further and not " educate " the ones around my camp until I get more comfortable with using calls, watching their behavior ( even if I don't get a shot right away. )

I don't think any of the neighboring camps hunt them, but there are some guys trapping for them at my camp and elsewhere around the area. Prob. getting educated about traps I would think.

 

[dipper]

I was doing some hinging today so I went into my sanctuary. Very few deer tracks In there, all the deer are bedding right up against the fields. My sanctuary was loaded with coyote tracks. Big ones too

I walked up to one and kicked it out of its bed at 40 yards, looks kinda cozy

Of course no gun. It's mating season right now, closer inspect shows she must be in heat. A little blood coming out of her

This is the second yottie in 3 days I've seen blood in their urine

 

[dipper]

We've still been dumping yotes. This fattie was over 35 pounds, easily capable to killing a deer. Even after taking a chest full of #4 buck this guy went 300 yards spraying blood. He took a chunk of skin from the dogs muzzle, before getting his neck broke. Tough sobs!

Gonna rest up this weekend for the big dance. Only in central wi

 

[wiscwhip]

That is one way to take out a bunch of yotes! Free food and beer!

 

[dipper]

That is one way to take out a bunch of yotes! Free food and beer!

There's a big tournament in crandon for a year supply of dog food, they take a temp up the bung hole to keep everyone honest. Hahaha, only in wi!

 

[wiscwhip]

That's funny right there^^^!

 

[scott44]

How many have you taken this year Dipper?

 

[dipper]

The group has almost 40,gotta get 50 this year! That's between trapping and hunting. Wi needs to open trapping prior to mid October,but they don't do that to protect Bobcats.

 

[Tree Spud]

There's a big tournament in crandon for a year supply of dog food, they take a temp up the bung hole to keep everyone honest. Hahaha, only in wi!

Hopefully you are talkin about the yotes ...

Following a menstrual trail is new to me ... :eek:

That s redneckin at it's finest ...

 

[Bowsnbucks]

" Free food & beer "............. That's a line that can draw a crowd for ANY purpose !!! Coyotes is a good one. Good luck to all you guys !!

 

[biglakeba$$]

I just got an electronic call.
I could use general tips as well.

 

[dipper]

I just got an electronic call.
I could use general tips as well.

You need open country so they can't sneak in down wind of you concealed. A coyote is one of the smartest animals you will hunt. They smell, hear and see better than any deer In the woods. those out west hunting shows are like hunting them on a different plantet, at least compared to my area.
I took the weekend off, but the crew was still dumping yotes at 25 below,crazy

This brown dog has some pit bull in him. He won't back down from anything, a 400 pound bear almost killed him a few years back. A yote took a chunk out of his cheek last week.
Be careful out there, a neighboring group had a young girl injured when she was attacked by a cornered yote. Her dad was right there and eventfully killed the yote. Multiple stitches to the face and the painful rabies panel. Still haven't got confirmation on rabies so you have to get all the shots.
The yote must have went after her because she was small and she was its out. Not good

 

[phil@thesidehill]

There's a big tournament in crandon for a year supply of dog food, they take a temp up the bung hole to keep everyone honest. Hahaha, only in wi!

we have a boat load of these every year in PA. Bunghole temps and all. there is one that is state wide, with several check in stations across the state. Our volunteer fire departments run these things as well...good fund raisers for them.

 

[dipper]

Tomorrows our first competition, it's 10 o'clock curfew and no alcohol order. Were a dog down due to a run in with a porkie, Still gonna kick some ass. We just got around a half inch of snow, that's coming to an end now. Gonna be a lot of tracks tomorrow, finding the fresh ones will be the hard part. 0400 start.