Talk me into Coyote hunting

[TheGrayRider]

Called a couple in yesterday in South Dakota. Got one but missed another coyote running. They busted me this morning. Smart critters at times. Happy hunting, TheGrayRider.

 

[Nick87]

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Called a couple in yesterday in South Dakota. Got one but missed another coyote running. They busted me this morning. Smart critters at times. Happy hunting, TheGrayRider.

Love that picture

 

[Jbills]

probably doesn’t do much on overall yote numbers but it’s fun anyway.

 

[tormenter]

1st time calling a few years ago. Had a big male coming running from 800 yards and never stopped until I shot him right next to call. Couldn't believe what happened. Last year a female showed up at my call within 2 minutes of calling, I had to wait for her to move or I would have shot my call. Just try it and you will be hooked! Start softly with the calls. PM if you want some assistance.

 

[KSBorn]

We have local fur buyers that buy pelts. I sell all sorts of fur, beaver, Coyote, muskrat, bobcat, fisher, and others! There's fur buyers all over across the country

Does this require a fur harvester permit, If you are selling the pelts, or skinning them at all? I imagine I guess it different in every state.

 

[Muleyfanatic]

We hunt them fairly hard in PA with thermal. Kill an average of 40-60 a year. Only ever do anything with 2 or 3 of them. They aren’t worth much here and not typically hunting them for the fur. It has for sure opened up some new properties thru farmers. The only farmers who actually have losses to them here are the sheep farmers. I’ve never seen a loss on cattle but they definitely hang around cattle. Now that thermal has become more affordable and more people are investing there is definitely more people doing it. We are still able to stay around same numbers every year. They typically go into landfill. We don’t leave them in the fields of properties we hunt.

 

[rjthehunter]

Does this require a fur harvester permit, If you are selling the pelts, or skinning them at all? I imagine I guess it different in every state.

No you do not in MN. I can't speak for other states.

 

[Misguided]

I decorate with them, give some away and have sold a few. Handling fur is a lot of work just letting them lay doesn’t set well with me.

 

[Birddog08]

Considering trying out coyote hunting as a way to hunt through the off season, and work on predator calling in hopes it’ll help come bear season.

My hang up is, what the heck do you do with it afterwards? I’m not going to eat it (unless that’s a thing?) so it seems kinda wasteful. The fact that they’re dogs doesn’t help either. I get that they’re undomesticated…but they’re still a dog. Similar to how everyone was shooting the wild dogs in Afghanistan, just doesn’t feel right.

I’ve heard or read that they aren’t hunted/controlled enough, and their predation is part of what’s leading to the slow growth (or decline even) of the blacktail, turkey, and elk populations. Is there any data to show that hunting them actually makes a difference in reducing the overall coyote population, or helps recover deer/elk/turkey populations?

All the points you’ve made have a point. That being said, it’s probably the easiest permission to get for hunting. If you put all of the cons aside it’s pretty fun to come up with different “set ups” to try and make it happen. You will look at your ONX much differently after you spend a few hours trying to out fox the Wiley Coyote. I’ve gotten a lot more serious about hunting them the last year and I can tell you it really has its ups and downs. But I’ve learned a ton! I consider it a bonus hunt with my buddy’s. As far as the waste goes, I skin mine when the coats are good and keep them in a bag in the freezer till I get a pile then turn them in for not much. Other than the hunt, it’s pretty fun to chat up all of the landowners and try and line up a morning or night of hunting.