The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: MikeBjerum on May 06, 2008, 10:22:04 PM
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The ewes have been out on pasture for less than six hours, and the coyotes are already closing in. Top it off with an rainy day that is starting to break up, but only a sliver of a moon and lots of haze. The spot light will penetrate well enough to get a general shape and get the eyes to light, but not a clear picture. Some shining around and lots of noise have quieted things, but I'm sure we'll be awake a lot tonight.
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Night Vision gear is worth it's weight in gold for ranchers. I know it doesn't seem like a good expense but it is. One of the many reasons I could never see getting into raising sheep. Don't you have any local teens you could pay to hunt the coyotes(bounties work wonders) around there at night? Is your local ag extension guy able to offer any assistance? The more intense and long term the pressure you can put on them the better.It has to be a year round emphasis. Hope you don't lose any.
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We have several people that hunt throughout the winter here, and a few of us that "eliminate" year round. Most people are afraid of getting in trouble for shooting them, but I've talked to the local sheriff, and he told me that if I see ANYTHING that might cause harm to the livestock to "don't ask - don't tell." He also told me that if I get in trouble with the wildlife people that he will back me.
This was a tough winter for hunting them. No one knows where they all went to, because there were very few around. However, late in lambing season they started to return, and now with calving in full swing they are here. I've never lost anything off our place, but we have had packed up wild dogs spook show calves to the point they tore down a fence and disappeared for a day, and we have had many animals taken down on some of the more wooded pastures.
I don't know what is happening to all the hunters and shooters either. I know some of the best were high school students that left the area for school and aren't returning. But, I am one of the few adults left also. I have had more offers to come and hunt on so many places I am getting permission to pass on to others that will shoot. I guess it is just one more area of lowered interest in shooting sports.
Hopefully we can get a few more taken care of this spring before the crops get too tall.
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I have a real HATRED for feral dogs, used to work on a relatives dairy that was within a triangle of three urban areas within an hours drive at the most. Learned to appreciate the 22WMR for its moderate power and low noise levels. Also shot who knows how many feral cats(rather see foxes or bobcats around.) Coyotes probably went where ever the deer herded up for the winter. Good luck with the coyotes!
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We don't seem to have that problem here with either the Coyotes, Wolves, bears, and what have you. We have a problem with the cut loose dogs, as was said before. I am not sure how many my wife and I have shot, and the neighbors as well. I can have the chickens out, and the goats roaming, and the wolves go by right behind the house and the chickens and never give it a second glance.
My wife already did one patrol this morning with no shots fired and nothing to report about.
-Bidah
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Came home this early afternoon from my rifle club and there in crop field was a coyote jumping up and down. I guess going after mice.We have a real problem with them here. A couple of guys I meet at one of our range work days was telling me that they shoot them on regular basis. Still I can't tell you the number of times they howel too close to our windows. One of my wifes dogs almost bit the dust a few years ago. She was cornered by a couple of coyotes. Wife let 3 of her big males out and that stopped that. I have no love for coyotes.
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m58..getting in trouble for shooting them? Harumph! That's a shame. You need a supressor...if your state will allow one.
They keep the busy body interest down.
www.advanced-armament.com
www.gem-tech.com
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I noticed from the avatars the states Wisconsin, Minn, and Montana, are the coyotes that bad? You all have a similiar theme from a large amount of geographic area. and I didn't know it was that intense to have "patrols". Good Luck!
Here in coastal NC, no coyotes, just possums, and raccoons, they harass my cats at night, Grandad's 410 or the tweaked up 10/22.( I have damn neighbors ), or it would be footage like the prairie dog "hang time" video posted some time back. Nothing like more caliber ;D
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We have lots of coyotes here in Illinois also, they are all over my brother inlaws farm. We sit on the porch and shoot them. they take down small deer.
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Hunted them in Wyoming, fun, interesting to hear a guy call them with no tools, just his voice. Only problem is you get up at 4:00AM to do the hunt, and as anyone who has been on this site for a while, I am just not a morning person.
Also had them on the cattle ranch here in ND, always had to listen before putting the dogs out for the nasties little call. Didn't want to lose my Aussie to a pack. They never came close to the homestead though and were infrequent enough that I never needed to hunt them.
Also fun to watch is a herd of pronghorn running off a coyote. Yeah we had pronghorn on the place, especially the spring in the hills.
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Want to hear something funny. I'm on the very tiny tip of NJ where a canal separates our little area from the rest of the USA and....we've got coyotes! They must have come over the bridge with the Canadiens or something.
THey hide in the parks and stuff and every once-in-a-while they'll snatch some livestock or a friggin' poodle. The poodles usually make the front page of the paper.
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We pack up against them and hunt them by day with dogs, sit in the top of the barn and hunt them with high power lights . Scope mounted lights do work.
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I've only shot two coyotes and it was one day when we chased them down on snowmobiles (illegal harrasment of widlife) and I used my 10/22 to finish them off. Both were wounded with a .243 Winchester but didn't seem to be bothered much by it. It must have been really poor shot placement. We all chased them until they couldn't run any more and one was lying a foot away from me baring it's teeth when I popped him. A fighter to the end. I tossed one over the handlebars and dropped him off with my dad who had engine trouble, then I went and finished off the other one too. I'm ordering a Harris Ultralight bipod for one of my AR-15s and already have a Beta C-Mag. I could shoot coyotes with that and wouldn't have to stop to reload all day. But I need target practice first. Then I'll be glad to lend you guys a hand after I know I can hit where I'm aiming.
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I'd license a suppressor and outfit a nice .223 or Ruger .204 setup with a night vision scope. It'll only take a couple of nights for the coyotes to figure out that this herd of sheep has a special angel watching over them and they'll move on to easier prey.
You'll have the rig for as long as your herdin' sheep so the cost per sheep saved will make it all worth while. And you can only do one other thing that's more fun and you won't be watching the sheep, that's fore sure.
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My normal thing is to drive around a little bit after midnite, and spot light a rabbit or 2, find a good hide, then go out 50 or more yards and split the rabbits and sling the blood around, try to get it 3 or 4 feet up a tree or bush, to put out the scent and then lay the rabbits out in plain sight. Go back to the hide and run the dying rabbit call for a couple of minutes. Go silent for 2 or 3 minutes, and spot them with the red lens covered spotlight. Depending on the terrain, after the first call or 2, you can wait for 5 minute intervals before shining again. I don't have a howler call, but sure want to try one.
Rule #1, never call from a tree, predator calls will work for more than coyotes, An owl coming at you in a tree can kill you!! I have called in owls, bobcats, coyotes, possums, raccoons, and funny enough, rabbits with a dying rabbit call. In the daytime I've had hawks come to a squirrel call, and man were they pissed. No I don't shoot hawks or owls.
Good luck with your sheep protecting.
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I know this is a gun forum, but you should get a herding dog to put out there with them
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I know this is a gun forum, but you should get a herding dog to put out there with them
Trust me, if there are more than 1 coyote, the dog will be killed. They actually will call watch dogs out and then attack in a pack.
I'd go with the .223, or higher rather than a dog.
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I've heard also that lamas work well at keeping predators away - don't know if that is true.
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I've heard also that lamas work well at keeping predators away - don't know if that is true.
I think that depends on the caliber and how good a shot you are. ;D
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I've heard also that lamas work well at keeping predators away - don't know if that is true.
Llamas are excellent guard animals, people locally here use them to guard sheep flocks. They are bigger than dogs and very protective of their charges, including children.
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We've heard the Lama thing, and a few people have tried it. We were looking at getting some for both this purpose and to add to the show stock ... UNTIL ... They worked great until a coyote tore the face right off a pair one night.
Herd dogs work well for coyotes and other varmints, but we also deal with stray dogs. When the dogs pack up in the winter they will attack and kill anything.
We've go full moon coming up on the 27th ;D Should make Memorial Day weekend a fun time ;D I'm even off that weekend and Holiday this year ;D
Got a couple guns set to go already ;D and the new batteries are ready to go in the Phantom ;D
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Here in Western North Carolina coyotes are starting to become a problem. There was none hear since the early 1900's because they all got killed out. But, a few years back the North Carolina Wildlife Commission released them and some other animals in an attempt to return the mountains back to they way they were before. Coyotes have started to maintain and increase their numbers. They do learn quick though.. it doesn't take a time or two of shooting at them before they usually move on or get real nervous. I don't hate them per-say, but they can quickly become a problem that can get out of hand if some of them aren't eliminated. .223's in the head or heart work great. ;)
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They do learn quick though.. it doesn't take a time or two of shooting at them before they usually move on or get real nervous.
They are quick learners. What we have found is that over calling, and it doesn't take much, will make them call shy; shooting and missing is just like hanging out a sign to be more observant and sly; but, killing a few and letting them lay will send them down the road fast.
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If you mortally wound them it scares off the others better than an instant kill. They'll all hear him calling if he's wounded. If he's dead he says nothing.
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If you mortally wound them it scares off the others better than an instant kill. They'll all hear him calling if he's wounded. If he's dead he says nothing.
But if you scare them all away, then you will have nothing for future target practice! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D