mikegranger

vargy49

New member
I have been trying to find out why people with decoy dogs the yotes fallow the hound so well. Why is it with running hounds they omost always run ??
I might have one yote a year stop on the hounds and wont run. It is always a large male and i really think he is use to fighting off farm dogs and he thinks he is going to whoop some butt. so what makes it diff from a decoy hound and a running hound? that they fallow it back with out running ?
I hope you understand my confiusing question. LOL

Vargy /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
I am not Mike at all eventhough I want to be like Mike, but I bet it has to do with the situation the yote is presented. With decoy dogs there is only one sometimes 2 dogs that work as a decoy. The decoy dog does not go out and "chase" the yote, it simply appears to run out and "retrive" a yote. It acts as bait. In your situation running hounds the purpose is for the dogs to chase it down and kill it, most yotes when faced with larger groups of dogs will turn and run. Your probably right that the only yotes that fight your hounds are older dominate males that have been around the ring a time or two with otehr domestic dogs.

I would also venture to say that areas where houndsmen run yotes would have different results on using decoy dogs. Not to hi-jack your thread, but are there many guys that use decoy dogsd where you run?
 
Good question.

First, several coyotes a year actually run from Bubba. They are always singles and I'm guessing to be either young of the year or submissive females.

Now with that being said, let's think about the environment we're calling in. I usually walk in a ways, the truck is hidden and hopefully coyotes have no idea we're around. Next, I blow a howler to fool them into thinking another strange coyote has entered into their territory. After the howl I start in with a rabbit call which should indicate a strange coyote is eating one of their rabbits. They pop up on a hill to see what's going on and they spot Bubba. Many times they'll stand right there and just stare at him until either I shoot or Bubba spots them and goes over to investigate. When Bubba gets within 100 yards of the coyote, I'll tone him to come back. Most of the time that's all it takes. The coyote just has to follow, curiousity is killing it!

With pairs, once they spot Bubba they almost always come at a run. I'm assuming to whip the strange "coyote" and run it out of their territory. Once they get close enough to figure out he's not a coyote they will actually smell each other (noses outstretched). Only once has a coyote attacked Bubba and that was when Bubba had his head down knawing on the coyote I had just shot. It was a large male, who died a short time later!

To sum it all up, I think it's the situation that dictates the curiosity. With you, maybe the coyote has already seen the pickup or has been run by hounds before. Believe it or not, I've had Bubba lead 6 coyotes back to me at one time. They were all lined up, single file, behind him, trudging through 6 inches of snow!

Hope this answers your question.
 
A good decoy dog will push an ote and then turn tail for "daddy" .......

The ote says .... hey, "game time" .... I'll kick his wus ...... A***!

I lost a very good border collie/australain shepard cross last spring (not to otes) that thought he was a one dog "hound pack" ....... I really sweated his demeaner over coyotes .......

I mean he thought he was Gengass Kann when it came to otes!

And he was not that big ........ but they ALWAYS ran if they were singles ..... he just exudded confidence!

He killed a pup outright, then he ran a second but grown up down to where an employee walked up to 35 yards and shot it. The third was one he ran back towards us and trapped that coyote in our ranch pump house until that same employee got her gun and .... wounded it ... dog was really torqued off for her missing ..... LOL!!

So I would say it's all about reading body language from the dog.

But you should have seen that dog's face (ole Gengass) when we would find bear scat! I would say BEAR! and he had the old familiar ...... "OH $HIT" look and scanned the terrain ...REAL SLOW!!!! ... confidence done ran out! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

God I miss him! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif

Three 44s
 
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I don't see why not, but aren't most coyotes shot back east in timber. Whenever you see them, and they can see the dog, they're close enough to shoot?
 
Vargy,

Looks like there are some good answers to your question. I would like to expound on one of them. I agree with Elks about an area where coyotes are run with dogs. I have used Decoy Dogs in several different areas over the years and where I had the least results was in an area where coyotes were run with trail hounds and sight hounds. I think the coyotes in those places learn they can't whip the pack of hounds, so their only option to get them out of their area is to lead them out.

I tone my dogs back just like Mike described. I've had young dogs get out of range in the timber and the coyote led them out of hearing around the mountain.

jaspa,

Decoy Dogs will work in the heavy timber. That is where I use mine most of the time here in NW Colorado. It takes a tough dog to work coyotes in the brush and timber where they can't see the coyote. It is my opinion that a good Decoy Doy in the thick stuff where visibility is sometimes only a few feet, will also be a good Decoy Dog in the open places where visibility is several hundred yards. However the opposite is not always ture.

I've owned dogs that were good in the open places and they were good in the thick stuff a time or two. Then one day they get roughed up by a pair of coyotes that come out of nowhere. They still hate coyotes and will shake them after you kill them, but they want to stay close to you where it is safe. Staying close to you won't work very good in the thick. The coyote will circle and wind you before he gets zeroed in on the dog.

Larry
 
I have never heard of any decoy dogs around here. I did find out there is a guy just north east of me 15 miles that has a pack of 15 hounds. I have never seen him in the area that i hunt!!

Thanks all for your answers!!

Vargy /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
Hitman and Mike thanks for your answers. I was just thinking that maybe you could keep them close and #1 a dog could let you know when one was coming. And #2 he could work them out of the brush into a clear shot. For example I've called in 4 coyotes in the last 4 days and got 0. Too thick, or out of position. I call by myself 95% of the time.
 
I have taken my decoy dog to Iowa and hunted the same ground where my freind runs Greyhounds.The coyotes react much differently to a single dog than to a pack of chase dogs.With one or two dogs that you can keep close the coyotes think that they can run the dogs off.I also will say I have little luck decoying a single coyote.Most time a single will stand off and bark.Recently I snuck onto a rim to call , and when we started to call there where 5 coyote right in front of us on the flat . Those coyote built to my dog and we killed 3 of them.15yrds 40 yrds and 62 yrds respecively.the next day we went back to the exact same spot and when the coyotes saw the dog and he started barking they came in but only to 150yards.Ithink the coyotes will get wise to the dogs but will still respond to some degree.
 
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