Predator behaviors

[1oldcoyote]

Eventually I will being sharing my experiences/opinions on Red Fox & the coyotes. Hopefully some of you who read my ramblings will gain an edge. To becoming a better predator hunter.

 

[bwanakubwa]

I can't wait

 

[1oldcoyote]

I will start out by saying. I started predator hunting 1964. We hunted open rolling cropland with no other cover. Other than grassy weedy draws/sloughs. I hunted with my Dad & his two hunting buds. Land sections were typically 1 square mile. Sometimes much larger than 1 square mile. Those land sections were surrounded full circle, by gravel roads. The gravel roads allowed us easy viewing most often from any angle. So when/if a Red Fox or coyote was other otherwise dug into deep snow. We could lay eyes on them from one angle or another. We would glass those hills looking for a "bedded" down canine. Then stalk in on them. We used only sighthounds back then. Which have keen eye sight & quickly became experienced dogs. I branched off on my own when I turned 16. To make my own hunts & mistakes.

When I was a young hunter. I got right to the killing part. Not paying a whole lot of attention to the Red fox & coyote behaviors. In my latter yrs. I chose not to focus on the killing part. As much as learning their behaviors "un-molested" from being shot at/killed. It is those latter yrs of just observing them. That has given me the most satisfaction.

More later today.

 

[1oldcoyote]

A little on both canines scenting & hearing ability (ref; Red Fox & coyotes). I view them both as top of the line. As good if not better than most animals. Speaking of canine scenting ability (in reference to domestic dog breeds). Google that topic & read for yourself.

Both Red Fox & coyotes have upright "front/forward facing" ears for the sake of argument. Neither canine likes any amount of wind blowing into the front/(I call it "cone area" of their ears). Any wind stronger than a slight puff, annoys them. And they will angle their head & or body. So that wind does not blow directly into the cone area of their ears. Knowing this, a hunter can use that behavior against them. The above is NOT to say they do not, will not travel with wind in their face. Because they will & do. However they will not travel far into that head wind. Until they eventually angle or "cut" into that wind. Thus reducing that wind blowing into the cone area of their ears.

As for both canines hearing ability;
It is top of the line in my personal experiences. While stalking both canines on frozen soil & snow, sometimes "loud" snow. They have both busted me from long range. While I was out of sight & they could not scent me. They busted me at very long range. Coyotes more so than Red Fox. Because Some Red Fox will dismiss certain noises. As they do not tend to take that ground cover noise. As a warning/danger sound. Whereas the coyotes take most all noises into consideration. Even the coyotes that did not immediately run. When they heard me sneak in for a shot. (I sneak in like a cat stalking a bird). As I go very slow & methodical. Watching where I plant each foot. Listening for any sound I may cast. When I would slowly top the last rise separating us. They were looking right at me. So they had a "bearing" on that slight noise & could tell IMO. Something was coming closer & put them into alert mode.

 

[RobertD]

That's a great insight about wind direction and ears.

 

[TOGIE]

paging chris hansen

 

[1oldcoyote]

To me it is the most important behavior. More on that later.

 

[1oldcoyote]

Any given day 9 out of 10x from what I have experienced. Coyotes will choose to bed down in ground cover vs out on the open areas. Red Fox same behavior. From Fall harvest into early Springtime. I've hunted most ever day. Except during blizzards & other extreme weather. I'll drive 40-60+ miles of gravel roads. Scanning the hills left & right. Sometimes driving into the low hundred. Looking to catch one out in the open. Back in the late 70's into the 80's. I would see on average 40-60+ coyotes a season. Pop was high during those yrs. I have seen into the low 70's into the low 80's a season during those time periods. I was a hunting addict back then.

When bedded down unless pressured from their bedding spots. Most often both canines would lay in the same spot. On the down-wind side of hills, ridgelines, ect. Their muzzles 99.99 % of the time would face an angled down wind direction. (Remember they do not like the wind in their face). Even using ground cover. They will still face a down wind direction.

Both canines will get up from their bedding spot & commence to hunting throughout the night & into the early morning hrs. Most getting up around dusk to hunt for the night. Next am, most are either bedded back down pre-Sunrise or otherwise still on the move hunting/traveling. Up to around 9-10am. Few coyotes on the move after 11am.

Over all of my hunt yrs. I've had 2 hunts each. Where I seen 14 canines in a day. 9 coyotes & 5 Red Fox. I've had numerous hunts where I would see 9-11 in a day. When I was younger few escaped my eyes.

 

[1oldcoyote]

Out hunting one winter day, during breeding season. I seen a string of coyotes following a distant fence line. The lead coyote(a female). Stopped to pee. All of the following coyotes also stopped & did not break rank. They were pretty evenly spaced apart. One by one they walked up. Then each pee'd on the same area as did the lone female. Each male remained in line as the other males took their turn peeing.