Coyote Memory
- Thread starter Ermine
- Start date
I'll wait at least two weeks but that's just a me thing. I don't think it probably even takes that long. It may be as simple as calling from a different spot to kill that same coyote you missed. Every coyote is different. They're all driven to do the things they do by the same things. But one coyote you called in and missed might come bounding in a week later and you kill it at less than 100 yards. Another you might call in a month later from a different spot and it'll travel a long ways just to get downwind of you. It really just depends on the coyote. You can call the same spots for years, I have. And still have coyotes bust you because just like people or anything else on earth, some are more intelligent than others.
That's just my opinion. But to answer the question in a simpler way. Forever, once a coyote gets into the habit of doing something it's not going to stop doing it. That's how it has learned to stay alive. Also the longer that coyote is alive the more it will learn. Not only from you but anyone else. There are different levels of educated. Some you won't kill. They'll bark from a distance unknown every time they hear a call. Those coyotes will die of old age.
That's just my opinion. But to answer the question in a simpler way. Forever, once a coyote gets into the habit of doing something it's not going to stop doing it. That's how it has learned to stay alive. Also the longer that coyote is alive the more it will learn. Not only from you but anyone else. There are different levels of educated. Some you won't kill. They'll bark from a distance unknown every time they hear a call. Those coyotes will die of old age.
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derbyacresbob
Well-known member
One of the Black Labs that I have had chewed up a water hose when she was a young pup. I yelled at her and zip tied a 3 foot piece of water hose to het collar for 3 or 4 hours and then removed the hose from her collar.
For the next 15 years my Black Lab would not get near me when I had a water hose in my hand.
I am pretty sure that coyotes have very good memories.
For the next 15 years my Black Lab would not get near me when I had a water hose in my hand.
I am pretty sure that coyotes have very good memories.
Icedtea
New member
What a great thread. I've been hunting coyotes for over 50 years. In the first years I missed a lot of marginal shots. I never noticed any behavioral change in the coyotes. But then I had a captive audience, I thought, as I lived on a ranch. Over the years I did figure out that if you took a shot that missed completely I could come back in a month and call one in, was it the same coyote, who knows.
Now, after learning a lot from real pros, I have a better understanding of their behavior. Rich Higgins was a member here years ago. I learned most of what I know about their behavior from him, as did a lot of others here. The rest from personal experience. The frog banned him.
Bottom line, if you shoot at a young one, that might last a month. If you shoot at one and bullet fragments or dirt and rocks fly up and hit him, he will remember that a lot longer. Now, if you burn one through his hide, he will never forget that.
I haven't lived on the ranch for many years. But when I go out there, I know where the coyotes are and where they are not. Where they live has never changed in all these years.
Now, after learning a lot from real pros, I have a better understanding of their behavior. Rich Higgins was a member here years ago. I learned most of what I know about their behavior from him, as did a lot of others here. The rest from personal experience. The frog banned him.
Bottom line, if you shoot at a young one, that might last a month. If you shoot at one and bullet fragments or dirt and rocks fly up and hit him, he will remember that a lot longer. Now, if you burn one through his hide, he will never forget that.
I haven't lived on the ranch for many years. But when I go out there, I know where the coyotes are and where they are not. Where they live has never changed in all these years.
i don,t think the is a really good answer to this unless you got a radio collar or some other means of identifying them there is no way you can tell if it was the same coyote. this year i killed 8 coyote from the same field . and i missed a few. my thinking is if you spook them that bad they just won,t come back .if the food is good there other younger coyote will take there place trying to get there own territory
I think their memories are like ours...a strong emotion and they'll remember it for a long time.
But in the end hunger probably overcomes those memories.
We tend to apply our understanding of memories to animals but we have choices that allow us to apply memories to the situations. Coyotes can't just go to the grocery store when the feeling hits them...without people freaking out...
But in the end hunger probably overcomes those memories.
We tend to apply our understanding of memories to animals but we have choices that allow us to apply memories to the situations. Coyotes can't just go to the grocery store when the feeling hits them...without people freaking out...
K-22hornet.
New member
Originally Posted By: derbyacresbobOne of the Black Labs that I have had chewed up a water hose when she was a young pup. I yelled at her and zip tied a 3 foot piece of water hose to het collar for 3 or 4 hours and then removed the hose from her collar.
For the next 15 years my Black Lab would not get near me when I had a water hose in my hand.
I am pretty sure that coyotes have very good memories.
I've had bird dogs that would find a pheasant in a bush one time, and then every single time we hunt that same area, the dog(s) would check out that bush, for many, many years, even if they never found another bird in it.
Is it 'memory', as we know it?
For the next 15 years my Black Lab would not get near me when I had a water hose in my hand.
I am pretty sure that coyotes have very good memories.
I've had bird dogs that would find a pheasant in a bush one time, and then every single time we hunt that same area, the dog(s) would check out that bush, for many, many years, even if they never found another bird in it.
Is it 'memory', as we know it?
K-22hornet.
New member
Originally Posted By: Icedtea
I haven't lived on the ranch for many years. But when I go out there, I know where the coyotes are and where they are not. Where they live has never changed in all these years.
+1
I haven't lived on the ranch for many years. But when I go out there, I know where the coyotes are and where they are not. Where they live has never changed in all these years.
+1
JTPinTX
Custom Call Maker
Good question. My opinion is that like most things with coyotes it can only be answered in generalities. There is no such thing as always or never when it comes to coyotes.
I would say for sure there are smarter coyotes, and dumber ones. Just like people. Ones that make the same mistake twice (or more), and ones that don't. Ones that make mistakes multiple times usually don't have a long lifespan though.
My general belief is that the harder the lesson you gave them the more likely they are to remember it. Burn one with a bullet, blow rocks in their face, stand their hair on end with the muzzle blast of a 300 Win Mag at 25 yards, those things they will remember very well. A wide miss with a suppressed 223 at a couple hundred yards, probably not near so much.
I tend to think of it in combinations as well. One of the old timers on here (maybe DAA, maybe someone else) made a statement once that I really like. I know I am not getting it 100% correct but I will throw it out there anyways. It goes something like "They can hear you 3 times, see you twice, but only smell you once." Very accurate IMO. So couple that statement with the sound you are using and how hard a scare you gave them. Throw in the variability between individual coyotes and the combinations are huge. Which is why I say only generalities apply.
Did they see you, smell you, and then you gave them a near death experience? That one is going to be pretty hard to call back up anytime soon. Or did it just see you from 300 yards out? You have a pretty good chance of coming back a few weeks later and using a different sound, and calling the second one back up.
And we haven't even touched on yet whether it was a transient coyote moving through, or an alpha in the core of their own territory. Yet another factor.
Or like Mo said, how hungry is it? Is it breeding season and are you using territorial sounds? Just so many factors. Which is one of the things I love about calling coyotes.
I would say for sure there are smarter coyotes, and dumber ones. Just like people. Ones that make the same mistake twice (or more), and ones that don't. Ones that make mistakes multiple times usually don't have a long lifespan though.
My general belief is that the harder the lesson you gave them the more likely they are to remember it. Burn one with a bullet, blow rocks in their face, stand their hair on end with the muzzle blast of a 300 Win Mag at 25 yards, those things they will remember very well. A wide miss with a suppressed 223 at a couple hundred yards, probably not near so much.
I tend to think of it in combinations as well. One of the old timers on here (maybe DAA, maybe someone else) made a statement once that I really like. I know I am not getting it 100% correct but I will throw it out there anyways. It goes something like "They can hear you 3 times, see you twice, but only smell you once." Very accurate IMO. So couple that statement with the sound you are using and how hard a scare you gave them. Throw in the variability between individual coyotes and the combinations are huge. Which is why I say only generalities apply.
Did they see you, smell you, and then you gave them a near death experience? That one is going to be pretty hard to call back up anytime soon. Or did it just see you from 300 yards out? You have a pretty good chance of coming back a few weeks later and using a different sound, and calling the second one back up.
And we haven't even touched on yet whether it was a transient coyote moving through, or an alpha in the core of their own territory. Yet another factor.
Or like Mo said, how hungry is it? Is it breeding season and are you using territorial sounds? Just so many factors. Which is one of the things I love about calling coyotes.
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I had an AWS(American Water Spaniel), we hunted a tidal creek that ran under the interstate twice. From then on whenever we drove down the interstate when we got near going over the creek she would sit up and stick her nose in the vent of the truck, even if she was sleeping in the seat. She never forgot the smell of the area.
Dogs have long memories, snake break a dog and even if he doesn't run into a snake for years, avoiding snakes is there.
I tend to think that a traumatic experience will stick with a coyote a long time, BUT there are others in the same area that will respond because they haven't had the same experience.
Dogs have long memories, snake break a dog and even if he doesn't run into a snake for years, avoiding snakes is there.
I tend to think that a traumatic experience will stick with a coyote a long time, BUT there are others in the same area that will respond because they haven't had the same experience.
derbyacresbob
Well-known member
This thread reminded me of another story about another Lab. My rancher friend's Lab went coyote calling with us for a full day. He was a great dog and just stayed in the truck bed while we were calling coyotes.
During that day I gave the dog some peanut butter and crackers and some beef jerky.
Six years later I saw the same dog at the cattle rancher's branding get together where there was at least 30 people helping with the branding.
When we were done with the branding and eating lunch, that same Lab was right next to me while I was eating. I had not given that dog anything or to eat or even seen it for six years. That Lab chose me to sit by out of about 30 people that were eating that day.
That dog definatly remembered me from six years earlier when I gave it some snacks.
During that day I gave the dog some peanut butter and crackers and some beef jerky.
Six years later I saw the same dog at the cattle rancher's branding get together where there was at least 30 people helping with the branding.
When we were done with the branding and eating lunch, that same Lab was right next to me while I was eating. I had not given that dog anything or to eat or even seen it for six years. That Lab chose me to sit by out of about 30 people that were eating that day.
That dog definatly remembered me from six years earlier when I gave it some snacks.