# Goals for this season



## saskcoyote (Dec 30, 2006)

Been viewing the 'Anybody been out yet' post. No, I haven't been out yet although the blood's boiling when those yotes start howling every evening.

Been going over my maps, phoning landowners, have both the .223s sighted in, etc. but the hides here are still 'blue'. Don't know about you guys down there but it'll be another three weeks before the yotes here are furred out and the hides prime.

In the meantime, I guess I'll have to console myself with a Montana pheasant hunt, chase a few Ruffed and Sharp Tailed Grouse, and whack a bunch of these big Canada Geese (just to educate them and give you boys down south a bit more of a challenge LOL).

Got a few different things I'm going to try this season. Over the years I've had plenty of zero-dog days, lots of one-dog days, oodles of two-dog days and even a few three-dog days.

Never have I had a four-dog day (although I had my chance one day last November -- missed two easy shots, one middling shot and the fourth was a long one).

My goal this year is to make good on that and get four dogs in one day. What are you guys hoping to do this season? Find new territories? Have a higher percentage of call-ins? Get out more often? Test out new ammo?

What are your goals?


----------



## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

My goals for this season:

1. Get a higher percentage of call ins.

2. Shoot a coyote with the shotgun.

3. Get out more.

4. As for numbers....I would be happy with 10 or more coyotes for the year.

5. Call in a fox (have shot a fox but never called one in).

6. To finally hunt in a tournament where we DON'T get a flat tire and have to change it during the tournament (happened twice last year-I was only in two tournaments).

7. Shoot a coyote with a pretty enough pelt so I can get one professionally tanned for my TV room.

8. Christen my new .223 the first weekend I get out.

9. Get faster at putting up fur.

10. Meet some of you people on here at a tournament or two!


----------



## thepain1 (Dec 20, 2006)

MY goal this year is to get 100 coyotes and not to lose a single one. Good clean kills every time :sniper: :beer:


----------



## Danny B (Jun 6, 2006)

I've already meet all my goals, nothing left but to remember I did it :wink: Yeah, I look at a few of my old trophies I have left and a few old pictures just to re-assure myself I really did and do that kind of crazy hunting.


----------



## DVXDUDE (Apr 3, 2007)

1.call in and shoot my first coyote.
2.take a coyote with the shotgun
3.take a coyote with my crossbow
4. Shoot more coyotes then my brother lol


----------



## LeviM (Dec 3, 2006)

Win a few tournaments

Get a few more coyotes than last year

Have Fun with the buddies


----------



## fingerz42 (Aug 13, 2006)

Danny come out over here in the east.. See how ya do in PA..


----------



## Jiffy (Apr 22, 2005)

thepain1 said:


> MY goal this year is to get 100 coyotes.......... :sniper: :beer:


  Not asking for much are you. :lol:

My goal is to just get out more this year. :beer: I wouldn't mind trying a tournament or two.


----------



## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

First off, a serious goal is to find my box of calls, cant remember where I left em last february.

Kill more yotes than last year. (That was also last years goal, and I made it, by two).

Kill more than last year with a bow (If I get three im golden).

Get my buddy to stop educating em.


----------



## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

barebackjack said:


> First off, a serious goal is to find my box of calls, cant remember where I left em last february.


If you can't find them let me know I have a bunch you could buy! LOL


----------



## litko609 (Dec 13, 2006)

As I am farily new (2 "years" of varmit hunting), getting out maybe a half dozen times each year, here are my goals this year:

1. Get out at least 2 x's a month beginning in October;

2. Shoot my first coyote

3. (If sucessfull with #2) Take at least 3 additional yotes this season

4. Spend time with hunting buddies... :beer:


----------



## glv (May 31, 2007)

I am looking at being more successful in October. By the end of the season I would be happy with 10 coyotes.


----------



## Bloodyblinddoors (Oct 25, 2006)

1. Have a call in % of around %25.

2. I'd be satisfied if I shot half as many coyotes as last season. 14 and a red. (I done got spoiled last winter)

Life time goals are to...

A. Shoot 1 Grey fox. Hopfully one good enough to get tanned and on the wall.

B. Same with a Bobcat.


----------



## fingerz42 (Aug 13, 2006)

25% call in rates... thats crazy... you guys need to come out east so you can experience more like 3% call in..


----------



## 308 (Jul 10, 2007)

fingers what part of pa. are you from :sniper: :beer:


----------



## big_al_09 (Feb 26, 2007)

I have one goal and one goal only... GET A FLIPPING COYOTE!


----------



## saskcoyote (Dec 30, 2006)

Hello, Fingerz42:
First of all, my hat's off to you. When you talk about a 3% call-in rate, I don't think I'd have the patience or the perserverance to keep after those yotes if that's the situation I faced out here in Saskatchewan. Keep at 'em, your tenacity is admirable.

I've noticed you've raised the percentage thing (East vs. West) a number of times on a couple of forums and from I can pick up, you're probably spot on. By the luck of the draw, some of us yote addicts have had the good fortune to live where there are plenty of them; some of us have been extra lucky to live where there are even larger populations (Danny B comes to mind); and some live in areas where yotes aren't very plentiful. From what I pick up, callers in the East have to work extra hard. If you live in Arizona, New Mexico, California, Utah, Idaho, etc., you might be living in dog heaven.

I don't reside in dog heaven but I guess I'm lucky in the respect that there are good populations where I live plus the fact there's not the pressure from yote callers here that others encounter.

Bloodyblindoors says his goal would be calling in 25%. That's a realistic goal where he lives although you say it's an impossible goal for PA. I can understand that.

I've kept track of my percentages up here and they're pretty close to what Bloody is hoping for. Last year, for example, I had just over a 35% call-in rate. Now that's not saying I got shots at them all. Some hung up out of range, sometimes they came in in pairs so I only got a shot at one, and other times I didn't get a shot away because of my set up.

I'll clarify further. That 35 per cent of call-ins means total stands vs. total coyotes. While I had multiple coyotes on some stands I also had plenty of stands that were dry. My records show if I made 2.4 stands, one of them would be dry.

My goal is to get four coyotes in a day (or maybe half a day because I only hunt til noon). So how am I going to accomplish this? A number of ways.

I told you in my post I missed those four. Terrible day (ouch). Zero% shooting success. But overall when looking at the call-ins and then factor in the ones I shoot at, I rug about 80 per cent of the dogs I draw a bead on. What I'll be concentrating on this season to get that four-dog day is to shoot better (100% would be wonderful) but also to get some of the call-ins that I didn't shoot at into shooting position. If I can get them into position, I'll generally whack 'em.

So how do I plan on doing that? I'm going to refine how I set up -- concentrate on the little things. I'll be more careful about getting a better field of view, do a little thinking before hand where they're like to come in from, pay a bit more attention to the wind. And I'm going to improve on my call mix. I've found the last few year my success has gone up by using more coyote vocalizations instead of relying only on distress calls.

Before actually hunting, I do my pre-season work. I'm always looking for coyote sign like scat on the back roads. I talk to plenty of farmers-ranchers and then get permission (In fact I was out touching base with a farmer tonight who told me he doesn't have any barn cats left -- go figure LOL). I'll make a few trips howling just to get an feel for where they're gonna be.

Also, I'm always looking for new territories but it's helpful to know the territories you already hunt and when they produce. My records tell me where I've been, when I've been there and how well I've done.

There are so, so many variables to putting a yote on the ground. I'll relay a little story at this juncture. The very first time I ever went coyote hunting I called four stands. I called in three yotes on three of those stands and tipped over all of them. The fourth was dry. The rest of the season, I must have made more than 100 stands and got only three more (just like you, fingerz42, a 3% rate). I was discouraged and disheartened but just kept at it.

Fingerz, living in PA is a much tougher hunt than in many other places. Many of the guys you'll encounter on this forum have to work very hard for a dog, others seem to have good success most or all of the time. What the majority of us who have the bug know is that if there's a common denominator, it's that of hard work. Just enjoy what you're doing. Good luck to you, and good luck to everyone else who's chasing Ol' Wiley. Saskcoyote


----------



## fingerz42 (Aug 13, 2006)

I'm from near bradford, pa.. I agree that it does take alot of patience and persistance to keep hunting in pa.. and in the area i live its worse than the good spots in pa.. I go to school in a place that has quite a few coyotes, in central pa.. im gonna hit the yotes there and i should have some luck.. I go out soooo much,and my success rate is literally more like 1%... I've killed 2 dogs in about 3 years.. Total stands has to be around 150-200.. I've gone through about 5 hunting partners who have said im a fool to be out and that its pointless.. but im the kind of guy that doesnt let anything defeat him and i keep at it because in the coyote hunting game i want to win for once.. and im gonna keep at it until i can consider myself a good coyote hunter for eastern states.. So i'll keep at it, and wish i lived in north dakota lol.. good luck to ya guys, and always be wishin me luck... i need it...

Goals of this season.... see a coyote..


----------



## weasle414 (Dec 31, 2006)

I'm gonna shoot me a coyote! YEEHAH!

Yeah, so my goal is to get a dog this year. I picked up a Song Dog for $10 on Friday and I'm excited to try it out.


----------

