To shoot or not to

jf1073

New member
Curious what others would do in following scenarios-

you've got a tough shot but are 100% sure you haven't been spotted

you've got a tough shot and have been spotted

do you shoot and probably miss, or wait till next time.
Which course of action gives you the better chance of having a "next time"

Unrelated question- any luck in calling yotes out of the scrub and onto nice green wheet pasture this time of year?
 
No shot unless I am TOTALLY certain of a hit. I would rather go home empty handed than have a cripple crawl off and die in a day or two. Lots of coyotes, lots of time, you will never regret doing the right thing!
 
I have been known to take shots others would not. that being said I don't take shots unless I am 95 percent sure I will recover the animal
 
I don't regret missing, i regret shots I am sure that I could make, and didn't take.

Lots of coyotes, and i pass on more shots than most, but its a coyote, i am not going to worry to much. i take it, and if you miss think about what caused the miss, and how or what kind of practice i can do to make it next time.

Big Game is different, but coyotes, i will take the shot.
 
Originally Posted By: jf1073Curious what others would do in following scenarios-

you've got a tough shot but are 100% sure you haven't been spotted

It has always been my policy that I don't take "tough" shots on any critter that hasn't spotted me. If possible, I would try to get the coyote to commit to coming closer, for a better shot opportunity. If that doesn't seem possible, then I let it leave, & try again another day.

you've got a tough shot and have been spotted

Again, as stated above. The only reason I can think of, for me to try a "tough" shot, would be if I had already wounded the animal, and it was getting away. Even then, I don't believe in the "shoot & hope" type of shots. If I can't take another shot that I feel is ethical, then I would watch the coyote for as long as I could, then try to track it.

do you shoot and probably miss, or wait till next time.
Which course of action gives you the better chance of having a "next time"

There will always be a "next time", IMO. Since I don't try to supplement my income by selling fur, the challenge has always been (since learning to call) the fun of actually calling them in. In the areas I have always hunted, there has always been enough competition between hunters, that over-population isn't an issue. So, while carrying a dead coyote back to the truck is nice, it isn't necessary, for me to have a good time.

Unrelated question- any luck in calling yotes out of the scrub and onto nice green wheet pasture this time of year?
 
I take the shot if there's a reasonable chance of a hit. I am only hunting/calling coyotes on the ranch where we hunt deer & upland birds both of which are eaten by the coyotes. During deer hunting we broke up a 3 coyote ring stalking two does & 3 fawns. The rancher wants us to kill every coyote we see. So I take the shot so we'll have more deer & birds next year.
 
Maybe you should have specified you are hunting privately owned land...

If I was hunting public land where I had no control over who was hunting the same ground nor how many people have been there before me I would throw everything at them on every stand and take every shot possible... I would be a lot less picky on my set-ups and make a higher number of stands... However I choose not to hunt public land for those reasons..Like you, all the properties I hunt are private and unless someone is jumping the fence I am the only one hunting predators on that property... For me I think I have a lot better of a chance calling in a coyote again if I don't shoot and miss... It is a sinking feeling when I miss a coyote, not so much that I did not get him but the fact that he is now educated... I really get that feeling if the coyote is responding to vocal-territorial instincts... My thoughts are that is a residential coyote that defends and keeps other coyotes out of that area and will be one of the same coyotes in that area I will be trying to call when I return... I would rather that coyote slip away with an uncertain feeling rather than running off at 35 mph with bullets snapping by him and associating that experience to the call... It does not take that many misses in an area to degrade the productiveness of that spot... You will always have the possibilities of new dominant coyotes establishing residency, transients and the young of the year in your spots but I don't want to just hunt those possibilities... When you are the only one hunting a private piece of land to a certain extent you have the ability to control the hunting pressure, (knock on wood)... You don't know what the property owner on the other side of he fence is doing... But I believe you can call that coyote in again if you change it up and stay un-predictable... As far as not making a clean hit and him running off and dying later... Call me heartless but I would rather him run off and die than run off educated...
 
Originally Posted By: AzDiamondHeatTo those that say no, do you take running shots? Not trying to pick a fight. Just curious

With a shotgun, within shotgun ranges...yes. I can remember once in the last 7-8 seasons I have taken a rifle shot on a running coyote. I missed.


Chupa
 
it all depends on the running shot. if I have already shot at, hit, and/or been busted why not take a running shot? If the coyote is unaware of my presence I will wait and try to call him another day
 
Originally Posted By: reaper4I have been known to take shots others would not. that being said I don't take shots unless I am 95 percent sure I will recover the animal
thumbup1.gif
For me, that normally doesn't include running shots with a rifle.
 
Originally Posted By: yoteslayer77I shoot when the chance presents itself. Coyote are hard to call here Indiana. I might not get another chance for awhile.

Agreed
 
Originally Posted By: basdjsOriginally Posted By: reaper4I have been known to take shots others would not. that being said I don't take shots unless I am 95 percent sure I will recover the animal
thumbup1.gif
For me, that normally doesn't include running shots with a rifle. normally being the key word for me I have been known lol
 
Back
Top