danged coyotes

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I had to walk the goat pasture fence this evening and at one point I let go a ferocious sneeze. Darned coyote barked back at me from the far side of the field 1/4 mile away. The guard dogs heard it, too. When I got back to the gate, there was a dog on either side of the herd of goats facing the direction of the bark.
 
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Maybe, I've tried everything else.
It's about "that time" for the local yotie population. I heard a 'female invitation howl' last evening and you know what that means. I was hoping for some snow cover and moderate temps for now but don't think that's going to work out. In addition, it appears I froze bits of a couple of toes a while back during an extended time outside in below zero temps. Headed for the Doctor Thursday to see how that plays out but certainly walking is painful.
Oh well, just more challenges.
 

contender

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Yep,, it's that time of year again. I'm gonna try & slip around my place & see if I can sucker one or two into believing I'm an intruder,, or maybe a inviter,,, ! But I'd prefer to nail the females as much as possible.

Watch that dern weather. Freezing body parts is NOT a way to stay healthy. Did you see the story in the Lounge about the skier who got frostbite on a sensitive body part? OUCH!!!!!!!!!!
 
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Night calling, episode 1: PsuedoSon's boys went big bucks and bought nightvision scopes so they could call in the dark. Apparently went too well on their first outing. Had 5 coming in on their first stand and MISSED everything. AARGH, what a deal.
I should have gone out calling last evening(warm and zero wind) but remembered I had to replace a hydraulic hose on the brush grapple and the temperature was warm enough to work w/o gloves.
 

contender

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A lot of folks have gone to using night vision stuff to get coyotes & hogs. Works quite well,,, until the yotes figure that one out too. Many years ago,, (1970's) I went out night calling for foxes. I was using a normal spotlight with a red lens. I set my call up,, settled in,, waited about 10 minutes,, then hit the cassette player. My light was off. I gave it about 30 seconds,, flipped on the light & I had 5 gray foxes at a run towards me. Freaked me a little,, but I did manage to get one,, and saw where they ran. Apparently,, I had set up near a den. Traps helped me get a few more.
It's wild when a crowd of critters all come running,, fast,,,!
Tell them to focus on nailing one at a time,, being sure of the shot.
 
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I don't know if this is the right direction but I/we decided to go to the 'night vision' alternative. Son and I had been discussing the possibilities and then I had a sheep owner call yesterday about coyotes in his sheep lot. I'm not sure I can help him due to the distance involved but if the NV works he might be able to handle it himself.
From the discussions I've heard, using a handheld thermal viewer to locate the varmints and a NV scope to positively identify and aim is the optimum combination. My state allows the use of an illuminator during the prime 'removal periods' (after game hunting seasons) and that gives the user 200 yards (or more) of range to target.
 

contender

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Sounds like y'all are on the right track about serious night hunting. A thermal unit,, hand held is good,, and easily used to scan areas. (Plus you aren't pointing a firearm at an "unknown" warm body. (It'd be bad to accidentally find a human out there,, and even worse to point a loaded firearm at them.)
I use a hand held thermal unit,, and I've found that heavy brush & such create obstacles to it reading things. Your area is more likely to have more open ground. We have thick cover all over here. Then,, once you find a heat signature,, you can learn that coyotes are smaller, and move a certain way. A cow, sheep, or a deer move differently. Study size & movement in the thermal images.
Then,, using the NV scope,, you can determine for sure if it's a coyote,, and get it.

If it happens to be a human,, then you can really surprise them by sneaking up on them & giving them an "education" on WHY they shouldn't be out & about at night in that area. :D
 
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contender said:
If it happens to be a human,, then you can really surprise them by sneaking up on them & giving them an "education" on WHY they shouldn't be out & about at night in that area. :D

Why would that be? They have as much right to be "out and about" as anyone, assuming they are not trespassing or illegally hunting out-of-season critters.

And "sneaking up on" someone, in the dark, while armed, seems like a really bad idea.
 

contender

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I was thinking about poachers. In my business I hear a lot about poaching & stuff. If you were out hunting,, and were to get an image of a human,, you can use that info to determine just what's going on. But I was also thinking of the safety issues of gun handling; "Don't point a gun at anything you are not willing to destroy."
You can use the thermal to study things,, and THEN determine if you need the NV that's mounted on the gun.

Sorry for any confusion.
 
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Ale-8(1) said:
contender said:
If it happens to be a human,, then you can really surprise them by sneaking up on them & giving them an "education" on WHY they shouldn't be out & about at night in that area. :D

Why would that be? They have as much right to be "out and about" as anyone, assuming they are not trespassing or illegally hunting out-of-season critter.

And "sneaking up on" someone, in the dark, while armed, seems like a really bad idea.

Unless of course you are getting paid for it.
 
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NV scope arrived today and I'm going to take it out tonight just to see how all the buttons work. Family commitments prevent actual use for a couple days but maybe by Sunday I can decide which rifle it sits on best and get it zeroed. The primary candidates are a Savage 22/250 or a 22 Nosler AR 15.
Both have a similar trajectory but the Nosler barrel's muzzle is threaded which is a consideration.
 

contender

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I'd choose the Nosler.
Why?
You can EASILY have more than one yote show up at once & you want to get as many as quickly as you can. ESPECIALLY if you use a can on that one too!
 
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Jeepnik said:
Ale-8(1) said:
. . . in which case it doesn't apply to this discussion.
You brought it up, I just added a qualifier.

The ongoing discussion was among non-lawmen, concerning nghttime hunting and related night vision equipment. Nothing in that discussion involved law-enforcement personnel who might have justification for involvement. I had qualified my statement by "assuming they are not trespassing or illegally hunting out-of-season critters."
 

Rick Courtright

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Hi,

Coyote is a common character in the lore of indigenous peoples all thru the West and Southwest. He's always portrayed as a trickster full of mischief. Sounds like his Midwest cousin is cut from the same cloth!

Rick C
 
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Back in the mid 1990's, I had sheep and goats. Plus a friend of mine had an extensive flock of sheep also. I mounted a NV scope on my .308. The only thing I could get to come to our calls was a Great Horned Owl. I used rabbit in distress calls and had a caged rabbit to boot.
gramps
 
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