Ramblings and Such From Hunting Coyote

[nicholasjohn]

Reemty J , I kind of hesitated shooting him . I do respect them all but as you stated he had courage to take on some thing 100 times his size knowing what the out come would be . Nicholasjohn , isn't it interesting how animals all have a language of their own , most people don't get the time or chance to learn much about what they have to say .

It's very interesting, but a lot of guys don't even give it a thought. Then they wonder how guys like yourself get so much more shooting than they do at called-in animals. "Oh, some guys have all the luck." Yes, they do - because they learned the language and make their own luck. They say that luck is when opportunity and preparation coincide. Studying the language is where your preparation makes all the difference.

 

[Reemty J]

well, when you know its your time and you are looking at your enemy, what do you have to loose? had a buddy years ago chasing a coyote on a snowmobile on the lake ice, he hit a pressure ridge, got thrown off the sled and landed on the coyote.........that ol coyote bit his teeth into my buddies winter boot and wouldn't let go, until the life left him........Buddy said he about peed his pants when he realized he was flying thru the air and going to land on the coyote.

 

[Reemty J]

Seneca, ancient Roman scholar, is credited with the statement "Luck is what happens, when preparation, meets opportunity".......Vince Lombardi, Green Bay Packers, used Seneca's line!!

 

[DMP25-06]

We got up on him he stopped turned around and ran straight back at the chopper , We were maybe 6 or 8 feet off the ground he got up close then lunged at the skid of the chopper . It was a rare occasion that a coyote would attack instead of continuing to run .

DSheetz ,

" I have had enough of this **** , DEFEND YOURSELF ." might have been his last thoughts , if you could have read his mind .

That is an incredible story .

DMP25-06

 

[DSheetz]

I have often wondered what kind of stories they could tell about their lives especially the ones missing a leg , eye or with a leg that was crippled up . I am pretty sure the coyote has more will to live then a lot of people and am sure that they have a very strong will to keep their pups alive and pass on their genes . I have seen some that were wearing a snare that they had broken the cable free from it's anchor point and it had cut into them leaving a gaping wound and some that the wound had healed over . The world of animals is a harsh one and very interesting to me .

 

[nicholasjohn]

I have often wondered what kind of stories they could tell about their lives especially the ones missing a leg , eye or with a leg that was crippled up . I am pretty sure the coyote has more will to live then a lot of people and am sure that they have a very strong will to keep their pups alive and pass on their genes . I have seen some that were wearing a snare that they had broken the cable free from it's anchor point and it had cut into them leaving a gaping wound and some that the wound had healed over . The world of animals is a harsh one and very interesting to me .

I think that part of the reason animals are a lot tougher than people is because a large part of the "pain" we feel when injured is the fear factor. For example, as soon as some guy breaks a leg, he starts thinking about how long he's going to be out of work. Will he lose his house ? Will he be able to feed his family ? All very scary thoughts, none of which would go through a coyote' mind. His main concern is getting away from the noisy helicopter, or breaking loose from the snare. If he breaks a leg, all he feels is the physical pain - not the mental anguish that people are burdened with.

I couldn't tell you how many times I've shot deer that only had three legs. When a front leg is missing, it doesn't slow them down a bit. I stacked up a bunch of does one time, and two of them only had three wheels operating. Each was missing front leg; all healed over. I didn't even notice this when they came running through the woods, and the two with missing legs were going just as fast as the others. They must have gotten them broken jumping a wire fence, or maybe got hit by a car. In any case, I don't think they were too worried about it. One reason people are so soft relative to wild animals is because we think too much. We know what could happen if we get injured, and they act on instinct. They just know that they need to get away right now. Another reason is that we have a much easier lifestyle, living mostly indoors. They live out there in the elements, and it toughens them up considerably.

 

[DSheetz]

I was out running snares in Feb . 2009 and picked up tracks that came in from a side road to the two track I was on . The coyote was dragging some thing with it . It followed the road and under a barbed wire gate took a left on the road that I need to take . I checked some snares in the fence then got down to the creek crossing . On the slope going to the creek was a coyote fighting in a snare . I shot him and went down to get him and remake the set . When I got to him I found that he had a number 2 Montgomery dog less step in trap with 8 " of chain and a 3/8 "x 18" stake on his right front foot . I knew of only one person that was still using that type of trap . I use #3 North woods dogged traps with 18" of chain a swivel at the trap , in the middle of the chain and at the end then 3 links of chain so that I can double stake when needed . At the end of the day I drove over to that guys house told him I had a coyote for him said it's got a snare and trap on him not sure whos trap but my snare the trap doesn't have a tag on it so you can have it and the coyote . It's a 750.00 fine for not tagging your traps . He thanked me for the coyote and trap never said any thing about whos trap it was . I got paid for the coyote as I showed it to the land owner .

 

[DMP25-06]

I couldn't tell you how many times I've shot deer that only had three legs. When a front leg is missing, it doesn't slow them down a bit. I stacked up a bunch of does one time, and two of them only had three wheels operating. Each was missing front leg; all healed over. I didn't even notice this when they came running through the woods, and the two with missing legs were going just as fast as the others. They must have gotten them broken jumping a wire fence, or maybe got hit by a car. In any case, I don't think they were too worried about it.

Nicholasjohn ,

You having mentioned 3 legged deer brings back another memory from my teenage years .
My Dad and Grandfather would take several of my friends and me to central Texas every year to go dove hunting and camping on the Colorado River , near San Saba , during the Labor Day weekend , and we would always have 1 night devoted to driving around to look at the thousands of deer that inhabited the Texas Hill Country . Since there were 8 high-school aged boys , all of us football players , we decided that we could capture a live deer , with our bare-hands .
We searched for the perfect deer to capture , and just happened to find a 3 legged whitetail doe that was watering in a stock tank with the dam of the tank behind her . My Dad held the spotlight on her , to blind and dis-orient her while the 8 of us went behind the dam , and then up and over and around the sides to surround the deer .
Phase 1 of our plan worked perfectly , we had her surrounded !!!
Phase 2 began when my Dad began flashing the spotlight on/off like a strobe light to dis-orient the deer while we attacked . When the strobe-light effect began , all 8 of us charged , and perfectly executed a team/gang tackle on the doe . Then all Hell broke loose !!! That 3 legged doe nearly beat us to death . We could not get away fast enough , with our cuts , bruises , and torn clothing .
LESSON LEARNED !!
You did not have to be National Honor Society to run with my group .

DMP25-06

 

[DSheetz]

There are some interesting people and remembrances on this blog and that is a good thing . We have had and are having some good discussions all while acting like adult human beings . Well done .

 

[nicholasjohn]

Nicholasjohn ,

You having mentioned 3 legged deer brings back another memory from my teenage years .
My Dad and Grandfather would take several of my friends and me to central Texas every year to go dove hunting and camping on the Colorado River , near San Saba , during the Labor Day weekend , and we would always have 1 night devoted to driving around to look at the thousands of deer that inhabited the Texas Hill Country . Since there were 8 high-school aged boys , all of us football players , we decided that we could capture a live deer , with our bare-hands .
We searched for the perfect deer to capture , and just happened to find a 3 legged whitetail doe that was watering in a stock tank with the dam of the tank behind her . My Dad held the spotlight on her , to blind and dis-orient her while the 8 of us went behind the dam , and then up and over and around the sides to surround the deer .
Phase 1 of our plan worked perfectly , we had her surrounded !!!
Phase 2 began when my Dad began flashing the spotlight on/off like a strobe light to dis-orient the deer while we attacked . When the strobe-light effect began , all 8 of us charged , and perfectly executed a team/gang tackle on the doe . Then all Hell broke loose !!! That 3 legged doe nearly beat us to death . We could not get away fast enough , with our cuts , bruises , and torn clothing .
LESSON LEARNED !!
You did not have to be National Honor Society to run with my group .

DMP25-06

I think the teenage mind is designed to facilitate the natural selection process. I guess that it's a good thing that you and your young buddies went after a seemingly docile animal like a three-legged deer instead of trying to catch subdue an orangutan at a zoo someplace. This may have seemed like poor judgement after the fact ( I hope it did ) but the lesson probably saved you guys from doing something even dumber at a later date. I know that I did some unbelievably stupid things with my buddies when I was in my teens, and when we looked back on the stunts we pulled, we all said "Boy - was that ever stupid. We're lucky we got out of that in one piece."

Another thing that happens at that stage of life is when these ridiculous stunts are in the initial planning stages, often somebody would comment that so & so already tried that, and he was in the hospital for a week. Not a good idea. When kids start to learn from the other guys' screw-ups, they have reached a milestone in life. Sadly, though, some wash out of the program long before reaching that point. I guess I was one of the lucky ones.

 

[BigDon]

All of us that are reading this thread are, indeed, among the Lucky Ones!

 

[74honker]

Sorry to all for the late posts/answers as it's been a LONG rough week for me here. I've been keeping up just not had time to post. Bear with me and I'll try to hit all the bases at once lol.
BigDon,
Amen to what you said!
DSheetz,
Very true as to what you said about learning the language. When it comes to ducks, geese, and turkeys if I can hear them and see them I can usually make something happen from years of learning and listening to them and then countless hours of calling practice till I mastered each note and READING the birds. As for the coyote and more or less self teaching the learning curve has been much steeper. As usual your words of wisdom are soaking in. I've watched several of the videos you mentioned and while they are educational and entertaining they still don't really tell the what to do and why when it comes to the calls. I've learned more from you, ReEmptyJ, NicholasJohn, DMP25-06, and the rest of you from this thread than I ever had anywhere else. I obviously need to get a good call and start that process again.
NicholasJohn,
It really is amazing how much we take for granted when it comes to Mother Nature and all the creatures with their own language. Not many people will ever pay enough attention to learn that. I tto am a lucky one...I think lol.
DMP25-06,
I wish I had a dollar for everytime I said to self "well that was a dumb thing to do" LOL! I'm as guilty as they come on that one. Some lessons are just best learned the hard..and sometimes painful way lol.
Everyone else I'm sorry if I forgot you as it's not intentional. Like I said it's been a rough week lol.

 

[DSheetz]

I must say that I have been very fortunate to have been able to have had the experiences that I have been allowed to enjoy having . I truly enjoy sharing them with others and if they can learn a small amount from me I am that much happier . I have done my share of not too wise of things , like the time I shot a coyote and it dropped into an irrigation ditch then ran into a 2 foot diameter culvert . The not so smart move was when I crawled in the culvert and grabbed it by the tail to pull it out . I did have my pistol out in one hand but then if it had still been breathing it could turn around and I couldn't have .

 

[nicholasjohn]

DMP2506,

I have spent the last couple of days thinking about some of the dumb things I've done over the years, and I came up with this for you : With so many deer running around out there, why didn't I and my equaling foolish young buddies ever have it occur to us that we might try to catch one ??? You have definitely one-upped me, Sir - and that takes some serious doing. I ran with a bunch of yokels who were prize winners when it came to thinking up crazy things to do for a laugh, but we never thought of that one. Next time I have a chat on the phone with my old friend Buster, I'm gonna lay that one on him and see what he has to say about it. The last time we reminisced about stuff like this we laughed heartily for a solid hour, and then we each wondered aloud to the other how we lived to adulthood. It sounds like your upbringing was much the same as my own …....

Nick

P.S. Did you ever ride the pigs when you were a little kid ????? WOW - was that ever a hoot !!!!