An Interesting Experience - Poll
Turkey
Had a "first" this morning, took a kid from school hunting. I had called for about 45 minutes and never had a response (usually birds here are extremely talkative). I thought that was a little unusual and soon I found out why. At about 6:45 I hear my buddy say "There's a coyote in the fencerow". Sure enough about 15 yards past the fence sat a big ol' coyote. I didn't get a chance to turn the camera on (I sure wish I did) but I decided to give him a quick yelp to see how he would react. Before I even finished a yelp sequence he covered the 20 yards to the decoys in 3 hops and smoked the jake decoy, sent it spinning and then ran for the hills! I'm sure I'm not the only one who's decoys have had an "encounter" so who else has had this happen? Lets hear your stories!
Years ago, I had a hard plastic deke set out & had several toms gobbling on the roost less than 100 yards away. They would go nuts every time I called but they wouldn't fly down, even though it was way past sunup.
As I was watching the roosted birds, I heard a loud "thunk" out where my deke was set. I looked out & saw my deke rolling across ground & a coyote running the other way, looking back over his shoulder, wondering "what the hell was that"?!!
Wished that I had gotten it on video!
Had one do that about 12 years ago. When he hit the decoy he kept on rolling. I returned the favor and rolled him with my Mossberg 835. Stone cold flattened him like a freight train. Yet, this is just one more reason why I don't bow hunt turkeys. Hard to do that with a bow. Easy with a 3.5 inch load of Federal number 5's. God Bless men
I was sitting in a tree stand waiting on a deer to show up for my ambush. I was moving my thumbs in a circular motion when something caught my eye. I flinched just as a hawk flew past me slapping me in the face with one of it's wings.
It was coming for the movement of my thumbs but it figured out at the last second I wasn't what it wanted.
In years past it was illegal in Missouri to kill coyotes during turkey season - so on the record, I have no stories to tell :-)
Thankfully they changed the law this past year.
--Mitch
I have an interesting coyote/turkey tale to tell. I was deer hunting once and saw a coyote come running along the opposite ridge. He stopped and you could tell he either smelled or heard something. He then lay flat on the ground and kind of nestled down into the leaf clutter on the ground. He was practically invisible as he laid there. It wasn't 30 seconds later and I started hearing the clucks and putts of a turkey flock moving through the woods. They began moving down the ridge the coyote was lying on in wait of his dinner. Eventually 15-20 turkeys were surrounding the coyote. A hen came within range and the coyote exploded out of the leaves at the turkey. Fortunately for the hen she was just a little faster than the coyote and she made an escape. The coyote simply trotted off again in the direction of the scattered flock assumingly to try his luck again. Isn't nature awesome?
I've heard of ocal guys having a bobcat come from behind and pounce on their hands as they are operating a slate.
When I first started chasing turkeys down in Georgia I had someone shoot my Jake decoy. Scared the crap out of me.
I've had 5 Coyotes come to the Turkey calls in less than 6hrs of hunting on one of my spots this year. Four of them caught my wind before I could draw, one lost his "wind". The birds were vocal on the roost, but as others have acknowledged...silent once they hit the ground.
I sat up on an old oilfield road once and put my "widow maker" hard sided decoy out. After calling for 15 minutes I saw a flash to my left and then BAM! A coyote at full tilt smashed into the hard sided decoy and did a somersault. When it hit the decoy it sounded like someone hitting the decoy with a 2x4. I just sat there laughing.
I've also had bobcats stalk my decoys numerous times. One cat ended up thinking my boot lying under the cedar limbs was a rodent and half heartedly pounced on it. You should've seen its eyes as it stared into my eyes in that brief instance. My eyes were like saucers too. Needless to say, the cat left, quickly.
I once had a billy goat grab my decoy with his teeth and took off running with it. I had to chase him for 200 yds before he dropped it.
I had a coyote walk less than 3 feet in front of me and stop, looking at the decoys when calling.
Here's my most recent encounter when calling...I took this picture at 8 feet.
Best of Luck, Jeff
I had to chase down a gobbler one spring that had just soaked a 2.5" mechanical. I was recovering from a broken ankle, fat and out of shape. I ran the gobbler down and finally caught up with him in this nasty tangled mess of a thicket. I lost my release, a few arrows and my hat in the last 50 yards or so.
I had to drag him out of a big briar patch and he was flapping his wings like crazy and making all kinds of racket. I put the choke hold on him while he flapped his wings and started to try to regain my composure and breath. As he flapped I happened to look up to see that a coyote, attracted to the fracus, ran in to within few feet of us. He was so locked in on the turkey that he literally didn't know I was there. I yelled at him and he cowered like a dog you just scolded but he didn't leave. I yell again and this time he sort of snaps out of his spell and runs off about 20 yards or so and stops to look back. He stood there another 10-15 seconds and then finally left.
Had a turkey buzzard hit a decoy once. Must have been really off on my calling.
Last week in Kansas I was watching a big Tom about 300 hundred yards out. I watched him go in to some trees and a short time later come out in a hurry. I thought I saw another Tom chasing him but when I looked through the binos, i saw a big racoon chasing the turkey.
Back in the hard shell decoy days, I had a yote blast outa the brush for my hen deke. Being an apparent experienced turkey hunter, when he launched he "led" the bird by leaping over the top of the decoy. Mouth open and front legs extended.
Obviously, his quarry never flew or jumped, so he missed and rolled ass over apple cart...hilarious!!! He jumped up, turned and looked at the decoy, and seemed to realize he'd been had...I tell ya, those little rascals can really haul ass...lol.
Back in the hard shell decoy days, I had a yote blast outa the brush for my hen deke. Being an apparent experienced turkey hunter, when he launched he "led" the bird by leaping over the top of the decoy. Mouth open and front legs extended.
Obviously, his quarry never flew or jumped, so he missed and rolled ass over apple cart...hilarious!!! He jumped up, turned and looked at the decoy, and seemed to realize he'd been had...I tell ya, those little rascals can really haul ass...lol.
One morning I was watching a big tom walking around the end of a lake when all of a sudden he started sprinting with a coyote hot on his tail. Five minutes later here comes the coyote with the tom hot his HIS tail. Laughed like crazy, guess that coyote was like the dog who chased volkswagons.
I've seen coyotes around turkeys, and they seem to know the odds aren't in their favor. Shortly after fly down one day, all the turkeys looked up valley. Most, then flew back into the roost. But several stayed on the ground as this guy trotted in. He eyed the turkeys still on the ground who just kept their distance, but made no play for them. He then sat down, seemed to ponder the situation and spied my set up. I could almost see him shrug as he decided it wasn't worth the effort and walked off down valley in search of an easier meal.
Had another run-in today, was classing 3 hens about 200 yards off when all of a sudden they all flew up, as soon as I looked down there was a coyote sitting right where the hens were picking
