Why coyote hunting?

[jdouglasj]

I don't mean to make folks groan and roll their eyes, but I've never hunted coyote and I'm curious what you fellows like about it. I grew up hunting white tailed deer. Really we just did it for the sport, but we always ate all the venison, even though I was never crazy about venison.

So some questions:

Do you eat coyote meat? Do you use the hides, if so, what for? Are the coyote hunted because they are a nuisance that ranch owners need to rid themselves of? If so, what problems do they cause?

Sorry for being so obtuse; I just don't know.

 

[xdeano]

Good Questions.

Why I hunt coyotes will be different from others. I hunt them for the challenge, they're a lot more fun because they are smarter that anything else that an average person will hunt. They hunt you which is nice. Deer become boring and not much of a challenge after a while. Coyotes are always changing so you have to think outside the box and change as well to keep up with them.

Most hunt for the fur, the fur some years, not the last couple, is worth a bit of change. Fur can be sold on the carcass (round), case skun (green), or fleshed and stretched (put up). you'll get more money by putting up fur. Most fur is sold in Fur Auctions to foreign countries that are still in the fur trade. They use the fur as trim, which would be the fur around the cuffs or hoods of coats, boots etc.

Some guys like to have their fur tanned to hang on the walls, mainly as a conversation piece. So like to have them mounted, also a conversation piece.

Many Ranchers like to rid their property of coyotes due to the fact that they can and will cause losses to his livestock. Many calves, sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, etc are kill each year do to coyote depredation. So they try and reduce the losses by reducing the numbers of coyotes on their property.

Some are more interested in deer management and tend to reduce coyote populations to increase fawn populations in a given area.

Then there is sport hunting, such as calling contests where prizes are award to the teams that bring in the most coyotes.

I would not suggest eating coyote.

hope that helps clear things up.

xdeano

 

[royinidaho]

My reasons are dependent upon where I am going after the yote.

If I'm after them "behind my place" its for protection of white tail and mule deer fawns. We got a dozen of them one year and the next couple of years each does raised ALL of their fawns to maturity.

If I'm after them out on the desert its for the shear sport of it.

Hides are worth little and cost to get tanned.

The meat doesn't seem too pleasing to eat. They have the wrong kind of muscle for good taste and texture. And the smell worse than a duck when cleaning them.

The single good thing I can think of about the coyote is that it, every once in a while, gets a cat.

Feral cats are another problem. We seem to have as many of them as we do yotes.

 

[chuckmaster]

To hunt coyotes, you have to be on top of your A game. You have to be in the right spot so that they don't wind you or spot you and you have to be quick to spot them and a good shot to hit them. I can't think of any other animal that will hone your shooting skills. It pits you against an animal that has far greater hearing than the average house dog, better eye sight than turkeys, and they are a far better hunter than most of us.

They are a preditor and they are responsible for the decline in our woodchucks, turkeys, and white tail here in upstate New York. I can't count the times that I have been out hunting turkey and have a coyote ruin the hunt. They are great stalkers and work great as a team to flush out game.

Until you try it you won't understand what a challenge and rewarding feeling it is to bag one.

 

[jdouglasj]

All great answers. Thanks guys.

 

[243yote]

To sum it up it is the thrill of the hunt! They are a worthy animal to hunt. Just when you think you have them figured out bam, they do something new and you have to try and figure out how to get them back in to range again. Plus you can hunt them most of the year so you can get alot of practice in the off season with your gun. You can tune you shooting skills on them.

 

[Herky]

Hi there guys. First post. I have a similiar question if I may piggy back. I totally get the why, I just don't know what to do with them after the harvest. I'm a long time hunter and have just recently decided to try coyote hunting. My deployment schedule has me missing the better part of big game hunting in WA for a while and I see this as a way to get out into the field. Most of the places I have lined up to hunt want the yotes eradicated. That's fine I suppose, but I don't think I'm comfortable just piling them up in a ravine. What do you do with them after the kill?

 

[John56]

I like the challenge of hunting them and as long as they are not mangy, I work them up and send them to auction along with my other fur.

 

[Chas1]

Herky, welcome, glad to have you here. Lots of good folks and lots of good info. You could put them them in a dumpster, bury them I suppose but, they'd probably get dug up or drag them into an open field for the buzzards and such. Enjoy.

 

[sp6x6]

Herky, I tanned a few and hung them on a peg in shop or trophy room, trapper style, have bear hides the same way. You can sell them also. When my son was little he played animal games for hours with my lion,bear,and yote hides. They also sharpen your shooting skills, I took one this winter a 540 yrds, 223gun)If I had kept them all my wife could have a fur coat

 

[Herky]

So how many coyotes are guys averaging a year? If you tan the first couple what do YOU do with the other dozen? If the general consesus is they're varmits, toss them, I could probably get over it. I just didn't want to disgard them if there was a simple solution like donate them to a shop or if the hides were in any kind of demand.

 

[Chas1]

Herky, there may be someone in your vicinity that will take them like another hunter. Who knows maybe someone right here on LRH.

 

[Herky]

That would be great. Cleaning game is my leat favorite part of hunting. I updated my location so anybody close by can chime in. I might also pose the question on some local boards.

 

[roninflag]

JDJ - You don't eat them. they are the most challenging and exciting hunting hyou can do. where do you live??