Catching coyotes

Mobuck · August 25, 2017, 06:35 AM

The pitbull "catch dog" thread reminded me of a funny coyote catching story.
Back in the days when we hunted coyotes with hounds 4-5 days a week, the "Sunday hunters" would sometimes show up (un-invited) and join the chase(s). We(the regulars) always put the fur $$ in the "kitty" for whatever we felt the need but the weekenders had the "you shot it, the fur's yours" mentality.
Any-hoo, it was a Sunday afternoon, the weather was great, and the snow soft---perfect conditions to bay a coyote. It happened just off a main gravel road against a hog wire fence. When I arrived, there were 5 dogs in a 1/2 circle around a yote with his tail against the woven wire and three weekenders with rifles pointed at the group. In the background was a hog house, machine shed, and occupied dwelling and the ground was frozen. I was yelling "DON"T SHOOT" at the the top of my lungs and picked up a stick about the size of a broom handle as I approached the pending fluster-cluck. At that point, I wasn't sure who/what I was intending to hit with the stick. Common sense took hold and guns were pointed skyward and I just waded right through the dogs to arm's reach of Mr. Yotie.
If you "tap" a yotie on the bridge of the nose, he lays down pretty quietly. W/o missing a step, I "tapped" him but my stick was a wee bit rotten and the "tap" wasn't nearly as influential as I expected but was enough to stun the critter allowing me to grab him by the scruff. This definitely got the attention of the weekenders and they cleared their rifles and headed back for the road.
Upon reaching the road, I asked one of the regulars to get my 22 so I could finish the yotie as he was getting pretty upset. The weekenders seemed to think the critter was "theirs" and a little huff ensued. With no reasonable end in sight, I stomped the yote's hind leg breaking it and turned him loose figuring we'd just turn the dogs on him and catch him again pretty quick.
Mr Yotie ran under the weekenders' pickup and forted up so I pulled out my rifle. The weekender whose pickup was in jeopardy was yelling and the regulars were laughing and we told the guys they could have the yotie while reminding them it wasn't legal to shoot in/from the road. Needless to say, the weekenders didn't come back for a long time.

Jonboy88 · August 25, 2017, 12:34 PM

That pretty interesting man I have never seen a bulldog catch coyotes and I grew up with dog trades so I know not to believe everything a guy says about his favorite dog but I figured hey anything is possible just wondering how many and what kind of dogs were you guys using back then

Mobuck · August 25, 2017, 07:25 PM

"just wondering how many and what kind of dogs were you guys using back then"

Mostly tri-color Walkers of various lineage. Probably 20-25 hounds all totaled but usually only 3-6 on trail at a time. We only had a few dogs that would bay and as often as not, the dogs just walked away from a holed up coyote unless we were watching closely.

Scorch · August 25, 2017, 08:25 PM

A guy I met in Nevada said he ran coyotes with greyhounds, claimed it was very interesting to watch. I was interested, but never enough to go see (I hunted coyotes the "old fashioned" way with a squealer and a 22-250).

alex0535 · August 25, 2017, 09:44 PM

My breed of choice is a black mouth cur, and while it's not his job some work as decoy dogs.

Predator call is sent out, decoy dog lops around acting as competition for the distressed rabbit he had heard. Dog antagonizes coyote into following them back towards owner with a rifle.

Jonboy88 · August 25, 2017, 10:19 PM

So when you say he is not a decoy dog but he your breed of choice does that mean you use him for stuff besides coyotes or do you use him to track down coyotes instead of decoy work

kraigwy · August 26, 2017, 08:21 AM

When I was a kid I had a friend who's father had a couple of coyote catching Grayhounds. A smaller female who was fast, she's catch and hold while the larger male would come in for the kill.

We took the dogs out one time (when his father wasnt home). Not finding any coyotes, and bored we set them after jack rabbits. Jacks were easier to catch and more plentiful.

All find and good until a couple days later his father took the dogs out and all they wanted to do was chase jackrabbits.

Needless to say we got out A$$'s beat.

Jonboy88 · August 26, 2017, 10:24 AM

Interesting I have wondered how a pair of sight hounds would do working with the tracking dogs I just wondered if they could be running with the tracking dogs or would have to get ahead of the tracking dogs and let the sight hound loss as a coyote want be

August 25, 2017, 06:35 AM	#1
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	Catching coyotes The pitbull "catch dog" thread reminded me of a funny coyote catching story. Back in the days when we hunted coyotes with hounds 4-5 days a week, the "Sunday hunters" would sometimes show up (un-invited) and join the chase(s). We(the regulars) always put the fur $$ in the "kitty" for whatever we felt the need but the weekenders had the "you shot it, the fur's yours" mentality. Any-hoo, it was a Sunday afternoon, the weather was great, and the snow soft---perfect conditions to bay a coyote. It happened just off a main gravel road against a hog wire fence. When I arrived, there were 5 dogs in a 1/2 circle around a yote with his tail against the woven wire and three weekenders with rifles pointed at the group. In the background was a hog house, machine shed, and occupied dwelling and the ground was frozen. I was yelling "DON"T SHOOT" at the the top of my lungs and picked up a stick about the size of a broom handle as I approached the pending fluster-cluck. At that point, I wasn't sure who/what I was intending to hit with the stick. Common sense took hold and guns were pointed skyward and I just waded right through the dogs to arm's reach of Mr. Yotie. If you "tap" a yotie on the bridge of the nose, he lays down pretty quietly. W/o missing a step, I "tapped" him but my stick was a wee bit rotten and the "tap" wasn't nearly as influential as I expected but was enough to stun the critter allowing me to grab him by the scruff. This definitely got the attention of the weekenders and they cleared their rifles and headed back for the road. Upon reaching the road, I asked one of the regulars to get my 22 so I could finish the yotie as he was getting pretty upset. The weekenders seemed to think the critter was "theirs" and a little huff ensued. With no reasonable end in sight, I stomped the yote's hind leg breaking it and turned him loose figuring we'd just turn the dogs on him and catch him again pretty quick. Mr Yotie ran under the weekenders' pickup and forted up so I pulled out my rifle. The weekender whose pickup was in jeopardy was yelling and the regulars were laughing and we told the guys they could have the yotie while reminding them it wasn't legal to shoot in/from the road. Needless to say, the weekenders didn't come back for a long time.

August 25, 2017, 08:25 PM	#4
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	A guy I met in Nevada said he ran coyotes with greyhounds, claimed it was very interesting to watch. I was interested, but never enough to go see (I hunted coyotes the "old fashioned" way with a squealer and a 22-250). __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

August 26, 2017, 08:21 AM	#7
kraigwy Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2008 Location: Wyoming Posts: 11,061	When I was a kid I had a friend who's father had a couple of coyote catching Grayhounds. A smaller female who was fast, she's catch and hold while the larger male would come in for the kill. We took the dogs out one time (when his father wasnt home). Not finding any coyotes, and bored we set them after jack rabbits. Jacks were easier to catch and more plentiful. All find and good until a couple days later his father took the dogs out and all they wanted to do was chase jackrabbits. Needless to say we got out A$$'s beat. __________________ Kraig Stuart CPT USAR Ret USAMU Sniper School Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071

August 25, 2017, 12:34 PM	#2
Jonboy88 Member Join Date: August 22, 2017 Posts: 25	That pretty interesting man I have never seen a bulldog catch coyotes and I grew up with dog trades so I know not to believe everything a guy says about his favorite dog but I figured hey anything is possible just wondering how many and what kind of dogs were you guys using back then

August 25, 2017, 07:25 PM	#3
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	"just wondering how many and what kind of dogs were you guys using back then" Mostly tri-color Walkers of various lineage. Probably 20-25 hounds all totaled but usually only 3-6 on trail at a time. We only had a few dogs that would bay and as often as not, the dogs just walked away from a holed up coyote unless we were watching closely.

August 25, 2017, 09:44 PM	#5
alex0535 Senior Member Join Date: November 4, 2012 Location: Georgia Posts: 908	My breed of choice is a black mouth cur, and while it's not his job some work as decoy dogs. Predator call is sent out, decoy dog lops around acting as competition for the distressed rabbit he had heard. Dog antagonizes coyote into following them back towards owner with a rifle.

August 25, 2017, 10:19 PM	#6
Jonboy88 Member Join Date: August 22, 2017 Posts: 25	So when you say he is not a decoy dog but he your breed of choice does that mean you use him for stuff besides coyotes or do you use him to track down coyotes instead of decoy work

August 26, 2017, 10:24 AM	#8
Jonboy88 Member Join Date: August 22, 2017 Posts: 25	Interesting I have wondered how a pair of sight hounds would do working with the tracking dogs I just wondered if they could be running with the tracking dogs or would have to get ahead of the tracking dogs and let the sight hound loss as a coyote want be