No ground shrinkage on today's coyote

[603Country]

It never fails that when I see a big coyote, and blast him, he's gotten much smaller by the time I've walked over to him. I've tried walking faster, but 'ground shrinkage' is faster than I can walk. I've laughed about ground shrinkage for years. But...this morning I had a big one come past me at a brisk walk and I "260'd him", and when I got to him he didn't shrink at all. Biggest coyote I've ever shot. Normally they seem to run in the 20 to 30 pound range, though I'm guessing the weights. I didn't want to guess on this fellow, so I brought him to the barn and weighed him. He was right on 50 pounds and was 36 inches from nose to butt and 51 inches from nose to the tip of his tail. Some serious teeth on that guy too. I really didn't think that coyotes ever got to 50 pounds, and I've been shooting them since the early 80's. Is it just that central Texas has little coyotes? That can't be, since everything is bigger in Texas.... What size coyotes do you guys have in your respective hunting areas?

[armoredman]

I have never weighed one, nor managed to shoot one, but it SEEMS the ones I see out here in Southern AZ might be about the same 50 pound size, medium dog sized.

[rickyrick]

I think its the excitement of the coyote showing up and the tunnel vision. Funny you mention this cause I've thought the same thing a few times. This week I had the same thing with actually getting a large male. I hunt in the dark, so I think that intensifies the effect.

Many times I guessed the yardage way short too, I always count it off as I walk to the carcass. It's of no ballistic concern because of the fairly small clearings for making shots.

[warbirdlover]

We got a pretty good one last year deer hunting...

[cornbush]

I would say around here a "real" (not internet forum) average is about 35 lbs.

I personally saw one killed by the state trapper in south eastern Idaho that was 63 lbs on a post office scale.
It was definitely not your normal coyote, mixed with something, just a genetic freak, or very, very well fed?
In over 40 years of trapping and shooting coyotes he had never seen one that big.

It is now a rug on his wall....

[huntinaz]

AZ dogs are pretty small. I'd guess the average is like 25-30lbs, some a little bigger. I'm not weighing them though. But according to game and fish, average is around 20lbs. They are small, but fun to shoot!

Hey, you get pics of your 50 pounder?!

[Ridgerunner665]

I shot this one yesterday...I guess he weighed around 35 or 40 lbs (about normal for here)...I have shot a few that were 60 lbs, but not during the winter months.

[603Country]

Now I wish I'd have taken a few pictures, but I just plain forgot to do it. I just weighed him, measured him, and made sure my wife got to see him ("Honey come look at the monster coyote") and then took him to a back pasture. Thursday afternoon he'll be ripe and the buzzards will have had some time with him, and if history is any indicator, more coyotes will come for a late evening meal. I'll be waiting. Earlier this year I had shot a couple of coyotes that I had considered to be big ones, but it might be a while before I see another one this big. I just stood and looked at him for a while. He was twice the size of some I've shot this year. Any doubts I ever had about a coyote taking down a full grown deer are gone.

I googled up coyotes and found that 46 pounds would be the top side of 'normal', but that the record (a northern US coyote) was almost 75 pounds.

["JJ"]

Here in NE Texas our average is 35-40. It seems most of the coyotes out west are a bit smaller like huntinaz suggested. I think it may have something to do with the size of their territory. In the west they are covering something like 25 square miles. The calories they get from one little rabbit just don't do much for bulking up. But that is just my opinion. An local old timer told me about a legendary coyote they claimed to be a "coydog" that weighed 68 lbs! Back when they could hunt with dogs in Texas he had killed several of a well known hunters dogs. He got a hold off a reject coyote dog. Reject because he wouldn't just "bay" the coyote he would kill it which would destroy the hide. So after this "coydog" killed the "coyote kiling dog" the locals formed a posse and hunted it down! The old man told me you knew when you saw the "coydog" because it looked just like a giant coyote but it had white "socks" on all four feet! Another "old timer" said he believed the coyotes in the east were bigger because they were crossed with the Red Wolfs thats use to run these parts!

["JJ"]

And you can forget about the 104lb coyote shot in Missouri! They(game and fish dept) did DNA test the said is was full blood coyote! Although, if you google it, they showed a pic of it laying in the back of a truck and it looked a lot like a Timber Wolf! But, they don't have Timber Wolves in MO!

[MOshooter65202]

I hadn't seen articles on the 104 lb. coyote killed here in MO.
Generally our coyotes that i've shot here are generally 30-40 lbs size,that's a Monster killed in northern MO.
The most unique coyote I ever saw here in MO. during deer season was a black coyote with white markings similar of a husky,I watched it for a long time has it ambled along a cut bean field and couldn't bring myself to squeeze the trigger on that one.

[The Kill Dozer]

I shot this one about 2 to 3 days ago. He was right around the 50 pound range.
coyote.jpg

[603Country]

Like I recently told my cousin, who asked for pictures of the coyote I shot, that you can't really tell much from a picture. So, let's make this more than "I'll show you my coyote if you'll show me your coyote". Weigh them if you think they'll be at or near 50 pounds or more and let's see who comes up with the Alpha Male Dead Coyote. So far I'm at a weighed 50 pounds on a new and high quality scale, so I'm in the lead. See what you can do. Right now...I'm da MAN and central Texas is in the lead. This ought to be fun, as long as it doesn't violate any Forum rules.

[huntinaz]

Like I recently told my cousin, who asked for pictures of the coyote I shot, that you can't really tell much from a picture.

You can if it's hanging from a scale!!! I brought the scale along the other day when I went out, but came up empty handed. My brother-in-law missed one, and another we didn't get a shot at. I wasn't expecting a 50 pounder though, our dogs are teensy.

[Pilot]

The Coyotes I've seen in Colorado look to be in the 40 lb range. Some a bit bigger, and some a bit smaller. 50 lbs is not that unusual, at least there.

["JJ"]

Well I shot this one late last year.



At the time I didn't carry scales with me.
After this one, I now have a nice set a rapala 50lb scales in my gear bag!
At the gym when I work bicepts, my last set of dumbell curls is with the 40s.
This coyote was way above the 40 lb mark! I would guess him around 48-50.

But, I no longer have to guess!
Since I started carrying my scale I had a 35.4 lb, 33.2lbs and (my smallest) a 30.0 lb coyote.
All of these coyotes I was able to hold up for the photo one handed. Not this one!
You can see held with two hands, it made me question if I set the timer for to long!

[JohnO]

That's no surprise. Isn't everything big in Texas?

[Major Dave (retired)]

are you using in your shotgun for yotes, JJ?

[huntinaz]

are you using in your shotgun for yotes, JJ?

I believe he uses 3" #4 buck. That's what I prefer, works very well. Sorry, not trying to hijack his response but I'm pretty sure. He'll set me straight if I'm wrong

["JJ"]

huntinaz you know me too well!!

are you using in your shotgun for yotes, JJ?

Yes sir I do!

At the time of the pic above I was working on getting my, believe it or not, first rifle.
Having just got into chasing fur in October of 2010(pic was in Nov.) after a buddy lost two calves to coyotes, I just pulled out the old trusty 1100 and went at it. So the coyote in the pic was shot with 2 3/4" #4 buck!
I now use a synthetic stock 870 Express loaded with the 3" #4 buck huntinaz mentioned AND I also carry my Savage .223 to each stand as well!

[jimbob86]

Ridgerunner (post #7)- I realize there is nothing in the pic to indicate scale, but that thing looks tiny........... fox cross?

[Ridgerunner665]

Optical illusion I think...he wasn't huge, but those leaves laying around are Sycamore leaves (fairly big).

I didn't weigh him, but I did drag him out...he was at least 35 lbs.

["JJ"]

I was kind of thinking the same thing.
With nothing but leaves to compare to it did seem small. That does make sense, sycamore leaves are big!

[603Country]

It's 'ground shrinkage', like I said early on. They are almost always smaller looking after you shoot em.

The line about the Sycamore Leaves was a good comeback...

I was honestly surprised to hear that some folks take a scale with them. That's interesting.

["JJ"]

I was honestly surprised to hear that
some folks take a scale with them. That's
interesting.

Well, me personally, I like to know for sure myself. But, no matter how sure I am of my guesstimate, a guesstimate is a guesstimate! If I were to call in another big dog, I would like to have verification! Besides, it was in my tackle box gathering dust!