Predator or Prey?
General Topic
This morning I had a couple coyotes harassing a flock of turkeys behind me while on the stand. Nothing materialized, but got me thinking about which one I’d shoot if I could take a shot. Fresh fall turkey for Thanksgiving would be nice, but eliminating a coyote will help, everything. Which would you shoot?
Any hunt that I'm doing will turn from the original target (turkey, deer, bear, hogs etc) to a coyote (or predator) hunt the second it comes in range.
Any other year I would shoot the yote, this year I'd shoot the turkey.
I always let coyotes walk. They are an overall net positive.
No objections to those that do. I’m just not into killing things I don’t eat.
Whatever steps into the crosshairs first
I just seen on the news Thanksgiving turkeys maybe in short supply. I'd go with the turkey. Stuffed yote and giblets ain't gonna work.
Turkey. Trying to get rid of coyotes is trying to slow the sun from coming up in the morning.
Shoot da turkey wait for yotes to come in to investigate the flopping of da dieing turkey, then skewer a yote.
“ Trying to get rid of coyotes is trying to slow the sun from coming up in the morning.”
Yep. “Shoot all you want; they’ll make more!”
I wouldn’t take a shot at a coyote if I thought it was going to cost me a shot at some thing I was planning to eat, but I wouldn’t pass up a good shot at a coyote without a good and specific reason.
I know one guy (virtually) who never bothers the pair of coyotes that live on his ranch, because he knows that they only prey on nuisance varmints. If he were to shoot those, chances are pretty good that they would be replaced by a pair which would be more likely to bother his livestock,so he’s better off being tolerant of them, and he helps them keep their territory clear of intruders. That makes a lot of sense to me.
The grain and rodents that coyotes eat can quickly turn to fawns and calves when the grain and rodents disappear. I've seen it happen on several large ranches. When they offered a bounty on coyotes for the lining on Air Force jackets, we didn't have a coyote problem according to old ranchers. These studies that show killing them doesn't help, just shows they aren't killing enough of them.
I love hunting them and in most places its like bailing water out of a boat with a spoon in the rain. You can't bail fast enough to make a difference. Thats bad if coyotes are effecting your calves or something else you want to protect but great if you like hunting coyotes. I kill plenty of critters for reasons other than food. Property damage, pelts, invasive species, etc.
Getting a coyote with a bow is much rarer than getting a turkey so no doubt I would try for the coyote.
Never pass a shot at a coyote
Yep. I’m shooting the coyote every single time.
Coyote 99 times turkey 1. And even then, the coyotes getting shot right after the turkey. Never let a coyote walk.
Turkey is $1.58 a pound at Walmart this week, coyote is a threat to other wildlife. Easy call. ;-)
Mostly likely the turkey. It depends on the likely hood of getting a shot at a turkey later. If I could kill the yotethen move in on the bird that would be my choice. I’m with Apauls though. I kill a lot of coyotes but they are like the hydra. For every coyote you kill 2 take its place. I won’t ruin a prey hunt to kill a coyote. I’d just assume come back tomorrow and call the yote in anyways.
I vote for shooting the Coyote!!!!
Looks like I'm the odd man out and just watch the yotes walk by. I often see yotes and deer in the same area, won't risk messing up a hunt to tinker with a dog.
I've shot a coyote early and a deer a little while later. Both used the same trail.........so not convinced that shooting either would screw up a hunt. But then, I'm positive hunts have been screwed up by lots of different factors.
No fall turkey season where I hunt, so given the opportunity, I'd try for the coyote. But then, I've also let them pass too........so it's a decision in the moment, for me.
I was in a similar situation last Saturday. I had 3 does trying to figure me out as they were 50 yards downwind of me on the other side of the creek, I heard something 15 yards to my upwind , and there is the red fox that has killed about 10 of my chickens. Taking a shit on my corn pile ! Now fox season is not in yet , and I really have nothing against this fox , even though he has cost me a bit of poultry investment. He is a fox doing what comes natural to himself. he wound up getting to about 5 ft of me before catching a whiff of me and it was like he got hit with a cattle prod, swapped ends and bolted out of there. it was a cool experience and I'm sure I haven't seen the last of him. Those does that I did not want to spook may have been his saving grace however. The wife was not very happy with my decision making though.
As to a turkey or a yote? turkey taste way better and their wings will make several arrows. so I would pick the turk every time. Then if the yote wants to be a quiver for those arrows I would certainly oblige him.
Coyote for sure! Only been able to kill one with a bow. They're usually too smart to get into bow range.
OK just thinking about this logically (I don't' mean to offend anyone for their decision):
If you shoot the turkey, won't the yotes just grab is and devour it before you even get out of the tree? Then its a net loss-loss?
Had 4 coyotes push a doe by one time. I didn’t know what was pushing her. But, I shot her anyways. About 3 minutes later he cones the pack of ‘yote’s trailing her. I shot one of them. The others jumped at the shot, run around me picking up the first trail, and tracked her right up. She was laying about 70 yards from me dead.
The fur flying was impressive and horrifying. I begin hollering and waving my arms trying to run them off. They’d look at me and go back to tearing the hind quarters of my deer to shreds. I almost literally jumped out of the tree and ran down there. Them suckers watched me until I was almost in the cheat able to shoot. They run off.
I declared nuclear war on them ever since. It makes me happy yo kill them. They ruined that deer for the most part. This all took about 2 minutes. I take great joy in any coyotes demise.
I'm with KSflatlander I’m just not into killing things I don’t eat. Nothing against shooting Yotes So, the turkey is my choice.
"I've shot a coyote early and a deer a little while later. Both used the same trail.........so not convinced that shooting either would screw up a hunt."
Not worried in the least bit about the yotes screwing up a hunt; it's my movement, the shot, the arrow with my scent on it stuck in the ground, etc that I worry about. I see yotes and deer together somewhat often. They generally ignore each other unless an old doe decides to chase a dog off. Would kill me though to let an arrow fly and it result in a white tail and antlers bounding off.
You guys have given me a lot to ponder on. My first thought was shoot the coyote, but I got one a few years ago. Now I’m thinking, shoot the turkey and hope the dog comes in to try and steal it. Then shoot the coyote. Win, win situation.
