Active coyote den

Slagiatt

Active member
Found this freshly dug den today. TONS of yote tracks around all over and heading in and out of den. Some fresh dirt on the snow around it. How would you guys call near a den site? Challenge howls? Distress? [url='http://i.imgur.com/jq8sdX6' t=_self]
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I wouldn't get that close to it again. Don't want to leave any human scent near it. They may abandon that site and make a new den. The last thing they want is to raise pups where humans go. I would try some pup distress and play on their natural parental instincts if they've begun denning. JMO. Others may disagree.
 
Had no idea it was there, then i saw a bunch of tracks on the snow and some reddish brown stuff i thought might be old blood. It was dirt that had been kicked out of a hole. From 30-40 yards off, when i spotted it, i thought i had spotted a kill site. By the time i got up to where i could actually see what it was, i was already right there. No intention of walking up to it again, but since i stumbled on it already i figured oh well, might as well get a pic cause the damage is already done.
 
That's completely understandable. I would've snapped a pic if I stumbled on it too. I wasn't trying to imply any wrongdoing. I would definitely hit them with some pup distress. I would love to know where a den site is. Lol. Good luck with that honey hole. Let me know how you do.
 
The calling will be interesting anyway. Also found a few sets of coug tracks, one of which was significantly larger than most, couple sets bobcat tracks, and some wolf tracks that i followed for a while. 2 wolves traveling together. Checked a tcam near the den and had 1 daylight coug pic, and thats all for predators, but ive had yotes, wolves, cougs and bobs all on that cam before. Thats a .357 rd in the wolf track. [url='http://i.imgur.com/VNnfomb' t=_self]
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That's impressive! Nothing like that in my neck of the woods. Just coyote, fox and bobcat here. Cougars and wolves would be awesome!
 
Originally Posted By: BowhuntI would post up where i could see the den from a good distance. Late afternoon or early morning.

Flat with thick timber around the den. Im going to try calling early afternoon from a bench below the spot thats like .15 miles away from it. But if calling doesnt work then ill move up to a spot that i can watch the general area around the den with my thermal monocular in the dark. Being where i could actually watch the den just wont work, id have to be way too close.
 
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is the opening size small enough that a coyote would have to crawl in? seems like the snow near the opening should be disturbed if so.
 
Drove 30 miles to get up there today only to find 2 rigs (shed hunters) parked at the gate. The den is about a mile as the crow flies, but i didnt want to risk having some shed hunters blow my setup. Ill just wait.
 
That's disappointing after the long drive. I agree, it's better to wait. I had a setup blown Wednesday morning by some guy randomly "extreme running" through the woods. He apologized. I said that's ok, don't worry about it. Figured I would call anyway since I had hiked in and was already setup. It was all for naught. Just going to file it away in the "odd hunting story" files.
 
I found an active coyote den on a farm once while deer hunting. I asked the old farmer if I could come back and hunt them. He asked me where and I told him. He them made a pipe bomb and blew it up. Crazy old goat!
 
I think the "cat" track is the most impressive part of that whole story! I'd love to see something like that in part of the world. As for the "ol farmer" blowing up the den site? He should've filmed it!
 
If it is legal in your state, a hand full of moth balls down the hole, then get ready to start blasting.

Some years ago, I ran into an old coot that was setting gopher traps out on a huge field of ground squirrels, a little red flag would go up when the trap had caught one. Bounty on the gophers was $1 each. The old boy ran out of traps to set, and he was pulling a pretty good size propane tank behind his 4 wheeler. I thought to myself that the old coot had converted his 4 wheeler to run off of propane.

I complimented the old coot on his propane conversion on the 4 Wheeler and he just started dying laughing. He told me to follow him. We found an active gopher hole, he pumped the gopher hole full of propane, and he had an igniter attached to a cord. We backed off a ways, then he ignited the propane, the ground blew up! This was back in the 80's, probably illegal now.
 
A local did that with propane and not only got the gopher but cracked some sprinkler lines and broke his own leg.
So I think the moral of the story is easy on the throttle.
 
Originally Posted By: tripod3A local did that with propane and not only got the gopher but cracked some sprinkler lines and broke his own leg.
So I think the moral of the story is easy on the throttle.

Before reading your comment, Tripod, I asked the wife just how do you know you're not standing on the tunnel?

I was licensed to load/unload LFG (Liquified Flammable Gas, such as butane/propane) and did so for 15 years (500,000 gal. barges, 2 at a time). Really stupid idea IMO.

Regards,
hm
 
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