Coyotes

[ligonierbill]

Well, not a gun question. Got that covered. My question for the coyote slayers is: Do you tan the hides? If yes, what advice do you have for a novice? There are few commercial tanneries in operation, but I have a good book on the subject (The Ultimate Guide to Skinning and Tanning by Monte Burch). Pelts should be prime now.

[GeauxTide]

I just put the 75gr VMAX at 3300 from my 243 to 'em and let the buzzards eat. Blows 'em up.

[Scorch]

Don't try to tan the hides yourself. Tube the dogs (turn the pelts inside out as you skin them), poison the pelt, and stretch the hides on a frame until they're dry, then take them to a taxidermist. Or go to the taxidermist and ask him how he wants them before you ever shoot one.

Be careful skinning them, their skin cuts easily from the inside.

Coyote pelts are best in November and December, they're starting to breed now so the pelts will be rubbed.

And just shooting them and leaving them is wasteful. A lot of people do, I don't because I respect life. And before some whiny beeches start calling me a bunny hugger or some similar stuff, I shot hundreds of coyotes back in the 1980s when the pelts were worth real money, bought a Toyota 4x4 pickup with the money.

[ligonierbill]

Thanks. I'm a "bunny hugger" myself - unless I have a hankerin' for hasenpfeffer. Regards coyotes: They're treated as varmints here in Ohio as elsewhere. I used to think of them as a nonnative predator, almost an introduced species, but I'm reading that they've been here about 100 years. In fact, they have not run off the foxes, and we have more than enough deer. But they are a good hunting challenge available year round, and though I'm not about to start eating dog, the pelt is, to me, a good trophy.

I will call around to the few taxidermists here. Before I went to Africa, I struck out. The biggest one in this area "no longer mounts wild animals". There are a few commercial tanning operations, and one in central Pennsylvania will take retail business. But I may still give it a run myself.

[Pahoo]

And just shooting them and leaving them is wasteful. A lot of people do, I don't because I respect life. And before some whiny beeches start calling me a bunny hugger or some similar stuff,

This is going to open up a bunch of discussion. Disposing, shooting, harvesting and killing for the sake of killing, is not hunting. That said, every animal on this earth, has a right to live but none will live forever. Nothing is ever wasted and will replenish something. I have eaten dog and cat but not by choice. I don't need to eat a dog but depending on conditins, I'd fight you for the last bite..

I am a Hunter Safety instructor and cover this subject. I once passed on a Bobcat as I had no need or desire to shoot. When I told the landowner, he really gave me a hard time as he had been trying to get that cat, for a long time. I would have shot it for "him" and that's fine.

Be Safe !!!

[Paul B.]

" am a Hunter Safety instructor and cover this subject. I once passed on a Bobcat as I had no need or desire. When I told the landowner, he really gave me a hard time as he had been trying to get that cat, for a long time. I would have shot it for "him" and that's fine."

I used to run around with an old trapper/prosector that was tickled pink when he caught a bobcat in one of his traps. Told me they were one of the best tasting wild animals around. He also like Mountain Lions as food. He also said he's rather starve that eat a coyote. Said they were extremely vile tasting. Must not be all that bad as a buzzard will eat a coyote but a coyote will apparently not eat a buzzard. Found a dead buzzard that was probably hit by a train an aRR crossing. Lots of coyotes around but that buzzard just eventually dissolved into some kind of goo. I also noted that no buzzards when after that bird either.
If I ever shoot a bobcat or Mountain Lion I definitely want to try a steak of two of them.
Paul B.

[taylorce1]

I used to shoot most coyotes out of prime pelt season growing up. We had lambs from Feb-Mar for 4-H projects, and we had coyote issues from time to time. I've seen more than a few coyotes slip through a flock and come out the other side with a lamb in their mouth. So I left a lot of coyotes lay or drug over the hill away from livestock pens, I didn't feel bad or wasteful about it and I still don't.

We were mainly a beef operation growing up, and never had much issue with them killing calves. It did happen on occasion, and we'd have Parks and Wildlife fly the property with government shooters. My family owns a few sections of ranchland (640 acres per section).

We've had them kill over 40 coyotes at times on a section of ground. Back when furs were worth something we never had an issue like that. We also now have mange issues in our coyote populations, there isn't any worth to them even during prime pelt season.

To some there is a value to killing coyotes even if they are left where shot. It's also beneficial to the coyotes to manage the population, by stopping diseases like mange or rabies. I like a few coyotes around as I enjoy their howls, and they're good at keeping the a property cleaned up. As much new life is on a farm and ranch there is also death, and coyotes clean up the losses in short order most of the time.