ground hogs vs coyotes

sittinpretty

sittinpretty

New member
A lot of times when I go around and ask for hunting permission and get turned down.its because the farmer wants to keep the coyotes because he seems to think they eat all their ground hogs. I'm not stupid and ya I know I'm sure they eat a groundhog or two, but how many do they actually eat. I don't think its as much as the farmers think. I've had a lot of them tell me this, so it must be somewhat true. Was wondering what u guys thought, or how u might persuade a farmer from thinking that. Or is it the truth and I can't do anything about it. Already tried telling them my 223 would take more groundhogs than any coyote, but that don't seem to work
 
I live and travel through farm country in NY state. It is my opinion that the coyotes have taken a huge toll on woodchucks. Except for the grassy stretches along highways it's rare to see one in a farmers field anymore. (Part may also be due to the change in farming practices - the farmers who turn their fields more often have less problems with woodchucks getting established.)

No offense, as I don't even know you, but I really doubt your .223 would take more woodchucks then the coyotes would. Every little bit helps though, as it only takes one big woodchuck hole to cause damage to tractors and farm equipment.

Good luck.
 
None taken. I shoot a ground hog every chance I get to help the farmers out. Probably around 50 a year I would say but I never keep track. Very rarely do I see a coyote around here during the day, rather alone with a ground hog in its mouth. During the night its a different story, the coyotes come alive. Ground hogs aren't out at night, atleast I've never seen one. Thats the only reason I ask. A farmer told me that he knew their were coyotes around because he shot 13 ground hogs in His barn this year. Just wondering what u guys thought.
 

I can't say for sure that coyotes are responsible for the decline in the groundhog population here, but I can say with authority that we don't have as many groundhogs now as we did several years ago. They used to be thick in the areas I hunted. Now I find one or two, if I'm lucky.

Seems the timing of the arrival of the coyote in any measurable numbers correlates to the timing of the demise of groundhog populations. Maybe it's coincidence. I can't say for sure, but everything sure does point to Wiley as the culprit.
 
I've been turned down a couple of times by cotton and bean farmers saying the coyotes are eating the deer that are eating his crops. Makes perfect sense, but come on.
 
I've been turned down a couple of times by cotton and bean farmers saying the coyotes are eating the deer that are eating his crops. Makes perfect sense, but come on.
 
Originally Posted By: 6mm06

Seems the timing of the arrival of the coyote in any measurable numbers correlates to the timing of the demise of groundhog populations. Maybe it's coincidence. I can't say for sure, but everything sure does point to Wiley as the culprit.

Noticing the same thing here. I was seeing 20+ a day when I started hunting the one farm in particular. Now I have to cover a lot of ground to see that many in a couple weekends. I also see more coyote sign on that farm and have more call-ins than I use to.

I'd ask to hunt both. They both need to be controlled. For every coyote you shoot, you need to take a dozen or more chucks. I explain that once the chucks are gone, lambs, calves, and fowl are next as well as the wild stuff like fawns, rabbits, and turkeys. I've got a few spots that I can't get within 200yds of the chucks den, I know a coyote isn't sneaking in on them. I usually have to wait them out and kill them from a distance. Some are dug into rock ledges, a coyote isn't likely to dig them out either. They may take the dumb ones off the fence rows, but I notice the holes in the open stay populated until I take them out. Even at that they seem to get restocked each year.
 
Unfortunately like Freddie said usually the ones that turn u down are the grain farmers and they want all the deer, turkey, etc gone. They are more than happy to have coyotes eat everything.
 
Yup, know the kind. They're the ones I laugh at when the coyotes run out of deer and turkeys and fido or fluffy come up missing to those "do good" coyotes. Upon rejection, I usually thank them for their time and wish them well while protecting their pets and children in a polite way. Coyotes show no predjudice
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Right there with ya. Nothing u can really say to them either. I respect their decision and thank them for their time, but I laugh as I get in my truck cause I know its just a matter of time something comes up missing they didn't want to come up missing.
 
I have a farm close to my house that I hunt coyotes and groundhogs on. The part east of the highway is about 50 acres and is surrounded by water on 2 sides and roads on the other 2 sides. I have shot around 30 groundhogs out of 2 fields and a barnyard on this part yet I have never seen a coyote there. The other part of the farm is to the west of the highway and is surrounded by hundreds of acres of adjoining farmland. I have never seen a groundhog on this side of the farm but I have killed 6 coyotes out of the same field in the last few years. Makes perfect sense to me. I've noticed that my good coyote spots dont have many groundhogs and vice versa.
 
Had a gent who farms soy beans, corn & sun flowers turn me down for the same reason, "nope, the coyotes eat deer & ground hogs that eat my crops.", so I told him I can thin the deer out if he needed, I just got a blank stare from that one.

The whole time the conversation was go'n on we were talk'n about the .243 in his gun rack....just kills me.
 
Originally Posted By: sittinprettyNone taken. I shoot a ground hog every chance I get to help the farmers out. Probably around 50 a year I would say but I never keep track. Very rarely do I see a coyote around here during the day, rather alone with a ground hog in its mouth. During the night its a different story, the coyotes come alive. Ground hogs aren't out at night, atleast I've never seen one. Thats the only reason I ask. A farmer told me that he knew their were coyotes around because he shot 13 ground hogs in His barn this year. Just wondering what u guys thought. There was a Wildlife Cam in PA that ran 24 hrs a day that you could view 24/7 on your putter. I watched it alot and late summer and early fall. After Dark Ground hogs would come to the Corn Bait and eat with Coons and Deer,I never would have thought they came out at night or even got along with other critters like that. Ive had Guys around here that because of the Coyotes the Ground Hogs have moved more towards the Roads,Barns and City Parks.
 
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Ya I would have to agree with ya on that wallbass. I seem to think they move to the barns and areas where they feel safer than out in an open feild. I know around here I've seen more ground hogs in the middle of the woods, than I've ever seen. Never thought a ground hog would come out at night but I guess I'm wrong. So I guess the farmers are right in a way. It still p*sses me off when they say that, but I can't do anything about it then respect their decision.
 
Most of the places I hunt down here are cattle operations or quail plantations, and they actually get PO'd if I don't show up pretty regularly, especially during calving season. However, I know one pretty big rancher that wouldn't let me hunt his coyotes because he says he's never lost a calf to coyotes and that he's heard if you kill off your 'nice' coyotes, you might have a bunch of calf killers move in to take their place. If he's truly never lost a calf to coyotes, I would want to keep that bunch of vegan 'yotes around there too, so I can't argue with his logic. I told him if things change to let me know. For situations like it's probably good to have some pre-printed cards with your name and phone # for them to hang on to.

Edit-I'm pretty blessed because the ranchers tell me to kill every deer I see because they eat their cow's food. I try to oblige whenever possible.
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That's funny u say that kizmo. Had a sheep farmer once, pretty big operation tell me no. From the road I thought for sure it was going to be my new honeyhole. Pulling in his driveway and driving down it I knew something was off just because of the kinda stuff I was seeing. I thought to myself "treehugger" for sure. Anyways I asked and he said he had several different packs of coyotes, but he had scavenger coyotes. He began to tell me the difference between the scavenger and predator coyotes. if u kill the scavenger coyotes than the predator coyotes will come in and take over and start killing everything. I was really caught off guard and knew I couldn't persuade him any other way. I told him since he wasn't haven't any problems with them to let me know if he ever does and was getting ready to leave. When he said well I lost 17 last year and so much the year before and so on, but I think the adults was just teaching the pups how to kill. I tried but to no prevail I lost all hope and just laughed going out his driveway. And ur right some kind of business card is a must
 
Coyotes have a direct involement in the decline of ground hogs and red fox. Both the ground hog and the red fox have had to adapt since old wiley arrived here in KY.

When I started hunting coyotes back in the 80's I would find dead red fox on a regular basis on all the horse & cattle farms. If the coyote was hungry he would eat all but the head. Most times he just killed them and left him laying.

We use to kill a truck load of ground hogs before the coyote arrived here. I very seldom see one now unless he is on very busy roadway, in the barn or very close to the farmers home.
 
Live on a 235 acre beef operation outside of Morgantown ,WV. In years past it was normal to shoot 60-70 groundhogs a year.Our summer sport after 1st cutting of hay is finished .500yd+ shots if you were gunned up enough to make the trip. Nothing to see 75-100 deer grazing on a late summer 2 mile drive across our single lane county road .
Then the coyotes showed up. 3 summers back we got 10 hogs off a 32acre meadow that normally yeilded 35 per summer.Same proportion
on the rest of the farm.Last summer we got none.The few we saw were around buildings and in the edges of my yard where they are protected.
Last summer and through the winter between shooting and trapping
we killed 11 yotes in a 50acre area .Fawn crop looked a bit better this year and we are getting a few hogs back .
I let people hunt hogs and yotes if ya care to contact me.
Forgot to mention that red foxes have been protected here for
over 70 years and we had some nice ones . They are gone too.
 
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