Coyote Hunting a Conservationist’s Duty

Coyote Hunting a Conservationist’s Duty

By Jacob Smith

I started tagging along with my dad hunting when I was a little kid. I vividly remember when I started getting into coyote hunting. It was something I could do with my dad during the summer nights, and when I was waiting for deer season to approach. Later, I learned about the breeding season, and about hunting January. In some groups of hunters, it’s looked down on hunting coyotes, especially for the hunters that morally believe you should eat everything you shoot. I have never eaten a coyote, and as of right now, I do not plan on adding that to the menu. So, as someone who does eat almost all the wild game I shoot, the question arises: “Why do we hunt coyotes”.

One of the primary reasons is to protect farm animals and livestock from coyote attacks. Coyotes are known to be the most prolific livestock predators in some areas of the USA, causing significant losses to sheep, cattle, and goats. Farmers often hunt coyotes themselves or allow hunters onto their property to take care of the pest. Another reason is to curb the spread of diseases that coyotes can carry, such as rabies, fleas, and other parasites. Hunting coyotes can help ensure that the ecosystem remains in balance and disease doesn’t become rampant among native animal species. Yes, they can pass along diseases to our pets, the ones they do not kill. So, add that to the reasons why you should coyote hunt.

Deer Hunters Should Hunt Coyotes
Coyotes are known to prey on deer and fawns, but the extent of their impact on deer populations is still a topic of debate. According to a study conducted in Minnesota, coyotes killed approximately 24% of the fawns born each year. The study found that coyotes tended to target fawns that were less than three months old and weighed less than 30 pounds. Adult deer were not often preyed upon, but if you search through YouTube you can certainly find footage of a single or group of coyotes taking down a mature deer, even bucks.

Researchers in some Southeastern states report fawn survival rates as low as 16 to 25 percent, meaning 16 to 25 fawns per 100 does surviving their first year. When deer numbers are low, coyotes can keep them there. In fact, they can drive them even lower. In Iowa, we tend to have healthy deer populations, particularly in the southern areas. An in-depth study on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula indicated coyotes kill more grown deer and fawns than wolves, bears, or bobcat. For 3 consecutive years coyotes caught and killed more adult deer. If you’re a deer hunter, you should consider these numbers and find the perfect caliber for you and your needs.

How to Find Coyotes
If you’ve decided coyote hunting is something you can ethically support, you now are ready to go out and find a few. It’s January and the coyotes are pairing up and approaching their breeding season. This is my favorite time to find and hunt them.

Coyotes can be known to travel along regular routes daily, and they have certain jobs along the way. Primarily, they hunt, but they also check scent markings of other coyotes and mark their own territory while patrolling their boundaries. It’s not uncommon to see the same coyote around the same time of day near the same spot for several days in a row as they make their rounds. During hunting seasons, they tend to alter their routes more as they are hunted or have bad experiences in certain places, so seeing a coyote on a regular basis is a great time to ambush them, but keep in mind they’re smart. If they bust you, they will shy away from the area. Additionally, hearing a coyote howl from the same location a couple of nights in a row just after dark may mean you’ve located a den site or regular daytime bedding area.

January Hunting Tips
Coyotes are social animals, and hunters can take advantage of their desire to interact with other coyotes by using howling or a variety of coyote vocalizations, especially during breeding season. When I heard howling coyotes, my previous experience and gut instinct directed me on how to call them. You can appeal to their desire for companionship by using non-threatening vocals or to their territorial defense instinct by mimicking an intruder in their domain. If you’re patient, it doesn’t take a lot of howling to draw in a nearby coyote if even for a look. Keep in mind that once you’ve introduced a coyote vocalization into your hunt, you’ve likely upped the odds that the coyote will circle you in an attempt to get downwind of you.

They have certain tendencies in their behaviors that they will exhibit a larger percentage of time and that’s one of them. One more such tendency they have is making the mistake of looking back once they’ve seen something they don’t like while exiting the scene if they haven’t been shot at or smelled anything wrong. If you’re calling a coyote in and he  sees you move or sees something he doesn’t like, he’ll begin to trot away. As long as you haven’t shot at him, he’ll almost always look back or stop and look back before completely leaving the line of sight between you and him. If you’re patient, wait for him to slow or stop and look back for that last shot opportunity. If he smells you, however, he’s gone without so much as a look!

Read the Coyote
Experience and instinct are both crucial when it comes to hunting coyotes. When sneaking up on a coyote, experience and gut instinct tell you what you can get away with and what you can’t. There are times when being aggressive is necessary, and times when it’s not. In fact, less is often more when it comes to coyotes. For example, in the fall, a few simple short series of calling combined with patience in a good area is all it takes. The same goes for the breeding season of winter months. A few calls are sometimes all it takes if you offer up the right combination of howls to a nearby set of ears.

If you have a vocal coyote, try and determine his demeanor. Is he being bold with his howls? If he is, then maybe it’s a fine time to attack him with challenges, or a domain howl of your own to make him upset that you are in his territory. Are coyotes vocal but not moving toward your calling efforts? If so, maybe it’s time to study the terrain around you and if you’re able to move without being discovered, reposition yourself from a new vantage point and call towards them. Sometimes it’s just a change in location that will get them moving to a spot where you can shoot them. This is especially a good nighttime calling tactic.”