A fruitless endeavor?

G

gostovp

New member
The areas I try to hunt have dog runners that pound the same areas

I thought with the ultra deep snow this year the dog runners were having a tough year... Just drove by a farm saw about 20 yotes piled in the snow back

I keep asking myself if is even worth trying to call in areas that have dog runners... A fruitless endeavor?

Seems like every square inch of WI gets pounded by houndsmen.
 
Please don't give up. That's what they want cuz that means the one or more that you get will be less for them. I have the same problem in my area and just keep plugging away. I go at it so much that the runner in my area knows me and knows my rout to work so he hung 3 from the tree in front of his house just to get under my skin. I found out he did this for me from a neighbor. I didn't let it bother me and 6 land owners in "his" running area kicked him off and called me to come in and take over.
In short just keep at it and you never know what will happen.
Good luck
 
Jumping on the wagon isn't such a bad deal really. I spent years calling and only managed to call in a handful of yotes and basically thought there just weren't many around. Hunting in a group changed that thought in a hurry. Around there if the yotes even hear or see a truck a mile away they are heading for the next county.

I personally would rather shoot coyotes in a group than not shoot any or very few. The lack of pheasants, rabbits, and fox make it worth it. The land behind my parents place USE to be an absolutely incredible pheasant habitat. Birds were everywhere. 5 years ago or so the coyotes moved in and pheasants and rabits are now non existent there. I ran the dog there a few times last year and I won't bother going back this coming year. I'd been hunting there for 15 years. A lot of guys now pound that section for coyotes but there seem to be more and more every year. It's just a losing battle it seems.
 
I watch the dog hunters see if they missed or I stop to see if they gave up on any. Or if the coyote gave them the slip it will most of the time hide till dark. So I then go back just before dark get in with a good wind make very little sound setup and call. My thinking the coyote is tired, hungry from running and a easy meal is worth a look. Its worked for me a number of times. Good luck and stay after them, it will come together for ya.
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Thanks for the responses, encouragement, and tips.

While I have no ethical objection to using dogs in the hunt...its just not something I'm interested in doing. While I don't think dog running is in itself unethical, dog running groups can be less than ethical ( I'm sure we all know of groups that have little to no respect for property rights/boundaries...)
But, not mcuh I can do about that here in WI though.

Just venting some frustration I guess with my lack of success this year I guess...that's why in another post I asked about hunting them in other times of the year....I'm thinking that late Nov/Dec of this year might be a good time to try.
 
My not saying jump right in and be there buddy. I've watched very constructive ways of hunting dogs on this website. Looks encouraging to me. I really don't believe in turning 15-20 dogs loose and letting them tear up the county, but just 1 dog trained under the right circumstances looks to be the key to future success. Enjoy!
 
I agree...using a dog to aid in the hunt can be very productive (coyote hunting, pheasant hunting, grouse hunting, duck hunting, etc), and I love watching a well trained dog do thier thing.

As I think about it some more, it's just another variable I need to account for and adjust my hunting accordingly...gotta learn to hunt smarter.
 
Originally Posted By: gostovpI love watching a well trained dog do thier thing.



That's what got me back into pheasant hunting actually. I enjoy watching the dogs work their magic more than I enjoy shooting roosters.

The tip about going back after coyotes after they've given others the slip sounds like it might work really well. I've seen lots of coyotes bury themselves under a cedar tree and hang tight. They won't come out unless you crawl under there yourself.
 
I actually saw a coyote this year crawl under a cedar tree....

Watched the dog runners get one behind my house back in December...

My wife just happens to be looking out the patio door window andsays "Hey, is that a coyote running across the farmer's field?" ... instantly I spring to attention and sure enough, there is a yote loping across the field at a pretty good clip (east to west)...its out about 250 yards. Heading west it gets about 1/8 of a mile from the road and stops, and turns back where it came from...I'm thinking it saw something on the road so I run to another window and sure enough there is a truck parked on the road...I now know its the dog runners. So the coyote starts heading back east, but he knows the dogs are on his trail (I can't see them ... yet). So the coyote goes 1/8 mile back east to an old fense line between fields, and he turns north like he wants to escape through the farmer's pature. There must be another truck or something to the north because he goes about 150 yards, stops again, and comes back south...Now, on this old fense line there is a lony old cedar tree, about 12 feet high and about as wide...from my vantage it looks like he dives in there.

About 2 mins later here comes the first tracking dog. This dog followed that coyotes trail EXACTLY where he ran...first to the west, then stopped, then back to the east, then stopped, then to the north, then back to the south (as the first tracking dog is heading back south right for the cedar tree the coyote is in, two other dogs show up...) By this time the first tracking dog is at the cedar tree and the other two join up with it and they are barking because the coyote is bayed. Seems like a minute or two goes by and here comes a guy walking from the east. Walks up to the cedar tree...and at this point I think he had pistol or something because he was on the backside of the tree, because the next thing I see is him pulling the dead yote out and heading west towards the truck...

Overall is was kinda neat to see I guess, but it didn't seem all that sporting.
 
I would like to watch dogs work like that personally. For me seeing dogs work like that (when I pheasant hunt them) is seeing all the work and training pay off. It's great watching a pup learn how to use his nose and then progress to realizing his nose is better than his eyes.

I've never run coyotes with dogs but I understand how some guys would really enjoy it....and others wouldn't at all. I think calling is definitely more of a hunt. I know when I go pheasant hunting it's a lot more for the dog than it is for myself. The pup LIVES to chase birds. Maybe the guys than run coyotes with them are doing it more for the dogs than themselves also?
 
Watching the dogs trail the coyote was cool... After it was bayed it was pretty anti- climactic

Even when pheasant hunting I still have to do my part....when I know my lab is hot on a bird I still [beeep] near poop myself when that rooster flushes
 
I heard the dog hunters really did well this year because of the deep snow.The coyotes would just run the roads making them easy prey.I would guess there was plenty of illegal shooting from roads.
 
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