# Coyotes during deer season



## Tomkat (Mar 13, 2006)

I knew I should have brought the 22-250 tonight instead of the 30-06. We got 2 more dogs while deer hunting. We were sitting on the southern edge of a corn field waiting for some deer when another hunter on the northern side started up his E-Caller and shortly after we had dogs singing all around us. First there was a little yote that came from our west. She ducked into the corn before we could get a shot. Next there was a huge male who came in from the east and I was able to place a nice little shot just below his chin. He weighed in at 39.6 lbs. Finally another small female came in from the west. She gave me a pretty easy broad side as she was checking out the male coyote laying dead just 100 yards in front of her. So big THANK YOU to the other hunter who made my day just northeast of Edmunds tonight! I will have to post the pics when I get a chance tomorrow. 
~SN


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

Why o why are so many guys calling so early? ESPECIALLY considering all the cover thats still out there right now. :-?

Gonne be a lot of educated coyotes before we even get any snow.


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## LeviM (Dec 3, 2006)

barebackjack said:


> Why o why are so many guys calling so early? ESPECIALLY considering all the cover thats still out there right now. :-?
> 
> Gonne be a lot of educated coyotes before we even get any snow.


Why not call right now, its the best time to call. Just because theres no snow on the ground doesnt mean you cant call coyotes.

Lol

On the other hand yes everyone please wait till theres snow on the ground!!!


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## SDHandgunner (Jun 22, 2004)

Congrats on the Coyotes TK. Heck our Deer Season in South Dakota hasn't started yet, we have had snow 3 times but none of it stayed on the ground and I have managed to call in and take 6 Coyotes and 1 Red Fox so far.

Larry


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

I don't haven't called since mid October. However we kicked 6 coyotes out of ONE grove of trees on Saturday when pushing deer. I won't tell you how many made it into the back of the pickup!


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

LeviM said:


> barebackjack said:
> 
> 
> > Why o why are so many guys calling so early? ESPECIALLY considering all the cover thats still out there right now. :-?
> ...


Its not a matter of snow, its a matter of cover. LOTS of coyotes being called at right now in all the cover, never being spotted and being educated.

Same goes for the september/october calling. :eyeroll:

Should just call it early season educating.


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## kvernum3 (Aug 8, 2005)

Maybe thats just a problem on your side of the state with all the standing crops, but your definately missing out on the BEST calling of the year.. We have killed 30+ dogs this year calling.

And the fur already is looking great over here. skinned plenty.


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## LeviM (Dec 3, 2006)

I disagree, your right there is alot of cover, but you should also be able to call them out of the cover. As far as educating them, if you make your shot, then you dont have to worry about educating them. Mitch is right september, Oct, and November calling is the absolute best!!!

My furshed is also full! I am not worried about the cover and educating them.


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

Im gonna disagree with both of you on early calling heavy cover (corn/soybean/heavy green CRP) coyotes.

Out west, with less cover, your right. But where theres heavy cover nope. Ive seen FAR to many guys call and call and call early in the year with a coyote hung up just inside the (insert cover type here) that they cant see. They get up, and mr wiley coyote watches em walk away, and he just learned a lesson. Educating em without even knowing it. Its very difficult to call a coyote out of extremely heavy cover. And with "early season" cover, your never seeing the animal your educating. 
Its like night hunting under less than ideal conditions. Sure your gonna see and get some, but for each one you do see, theres several that boogered on you without you even knowing it.

I wish theyd at least wait for the cover types to dry down some, and with a touch of snow, that coyote hung up five rows into a standing corn field sticks out a lot better.

But, with all the yahoos out "calling" these days, their pretty educated by early December. So, guys start tooting at em earlier and earlier each year hoping to get em before theyve heard that song and dance.


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## LeviM (Dec 3, 2006)

LOL

If you are calling me a yahoo, so be it, your expertise isnt going to change my mind that early fall calling is very productive, I dont care what cover is out there. and for educated coyotes, every coyote can be called in, some maybe tougher than the next, but a good caller can adapt, and make it happen. If you locate your coyotes, I dont care if its fall, winter or spring, if there are coyotes in the area, they can be called in. Dont blame us Yahoos, for educating the coyotes because you dont want to get out early.


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## Longshot (Feb 9, 2004)

Early season? I thought my license was for all year. :lol: :sniper:


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

LeviM said:


> LOL
> 
> If you are calling me a yahoo, so be it, your expertise isnt going to change my mind that early fall calling is very productive, I dont care what cover is out there. and for educated coyotes, every coyote can be called in, some maybe tougher than the next, but a good caller can adapt, and make it happen. If you locate your coyotes, I dont care if its fall, winter or spring, if there are coyotes in the area, they can be called in. Dont blame us Yahoos, for educating the coyotes because you dont want to get out early.


Is that what I said?

Not everythings about you Levi. :lol:


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## saskcoyote (Dec 30, 2006)

This year's been an exception -- as I explained in Game On -- but I usually start calling toward the end of October, snow or not.

I like to get out before the deer hunters, and past experience tells me the most productive time up here is from then through to the end of November. 

Snow helps but mainly for finding sign. BBJ, I agree less cover, white background can be an asset in spotting yotes but darn it, I hate busting through snowdrifts when the temperature drops to -20.  That's about the time I like to spend sipping Margueritas on the beaches of the Dominican. :beer:


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

saskcoyote said:


> This year's been an exception -- as I explained in Game On -- but I usually start calling toward the end of October, snow or not.
> 
> I like to get out before the deer hunters, and past experience tells me the most productive time up here is from then through to the end of November.
> 
> Snow helps but mainly for finding sign. BBJ, I agree less cover, white background can be an asset in spotting yotes but darn it, I hate busting through snowdrifts when the temperature drops to -20.  That's about the time I like to spend sipping Margueritas on the beaches of the Dominican. :beer:


Oh come on man, coyotes trump island girls ANYTIME! :lol:


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## kvernum3 (Aug 8, 2005)

Hey, If you like waiting until December and three feet of snow to start calling, thats fine with me!!. Ill just keep putting coyotes down while you guys wait 8)


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## lyonch (Feb 26, 2006)

BBJ i can see where your point comes from, but not every coyote hangs out in crops! As Levi mentioned in a previous post, all coyotes can be called in. Yes some are tougher than others, but they can be called. if i am reading everything you posted correctly you are telling me, that there will be the so called "call shy coyotes" in your area come december. I hate to say it but there isn't such a thing in my opinion. Just because he heard ones guy song and dance doesn't mean that you will be doing the exact same thing joe blow down the street did, next time you call that area. You might be on location when you call and the coyote might try running you over. The reason i really enjoy calling in the fall is becuase it keeps the idiots that road hunt and run them down with trucks, snowmobiles, and whatever motorized vehicle they may have, at home because they can't see them so easily in the snow. So how would you respond to the same coyote being called in more than twice in a day? Was it the mentality of the coyote on that given day? Who knows, but it has been done before. Also what better time then to get a youngster out on his first hunt when the weather is tollerable for him and you have some dumb pups that turn into some fast action/hard chargers. If you want to contend with runnin and gunnin hunters that run them down so be it. Oh and the first coyote of the year for me was spotted at approximetaly 600 yards coming to a call in a bean field and watched all the way in till he hit the 100 yard mark and got the 55 sierra spitzer right in the chest :sniper: .


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## Longshot (Feb 9, 2004)

After deer gun season I believe many of the coyote are a bit more wary after all the gunfire and number of hunters out and about. Also many are not as desperate for a meal considering all the gut piles and wounded deer.


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## verg (Aug 21, 2006)

i've called a couple out the crops so far as well. this is a great time here in SD. Call them out of the crops. As a friends father in law said..this is the best time cuz all other critters are in crops too so yotes might be having a hard time finding/catching food as well. And here, no gut piles yet. think they are hungry right now.


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## ImpalaSSpeed96 (Aug 25, 2008)

I tried to mouth a group in a few weeks back and they weren't the least bit interested. I personally don't think a lot of them are hungry enough to respond to the calling yet. I'd wait for the snow, but I'm also not up for messing up my property w/ gun shots yet. From my deer hunting, Ive patterned the yotes where I hunt and know exactly where the den is. If I had shot my deer, I'd just get them as they do their rounds... They do the same thing almost every night. Now that the flowers are down, I'm not sure what they'll be doing. Freakin dogs are crawling around everywhere out here... I'd think no one hunts them lol.


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## kirsch (Jul 6, 2009)

Early Fall can be one of the best times to kill problem coyotes. If called correctly, the alpha pair is much easier to pull in than later in the year as they are still very protective of their pups from my experience.

Coyotes can be educated any time of the year if the hunter doesn't know what they are doing. If a hunter considers the time of year and changes his tactics, on where they call, how they call, etc, I do not believe I will educate more in the Fall than Winter or Spring. Cover has been talked about and I actually like the cover. If the coyote is in heavier cover, they are easier to approach, they feel more comfortable coming to the call, and I can almost put an X on the spot where the coyote is going to lay dead after the stand is done due to this.

Also Impala, it very well could have been younger coyotes you were calling to. Some people think early hunters mainly kill young coyotes and personally if the caller is experienced, I would say the opposite as a lot of young, dumb coyotes, don't really even know what the sound is. My ratio of adults to pups in the Fall is extremely high. Less than 10% are pups and some of the biggest coyotes I have ever shot have come in the Fall. Each their own, but a bad coyote hunter educates coyote no matter when they go hunting.

Deer hunting season can make coyote hunting tough as coyotes get stirred up. It does take awhile after but they are still able to be called in. Again, where you hunt and how you hunt is affected.


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## LeviM (Dec 3, 2006)

Kirsch - Great Post, agree 100%


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## moneyshot27 (Jan 13, 2009)

here's a fall coyote hunting theory...

a lot of people think that the dogs become wary during deer/elk season with all of the activity and gunfire. i disagree. i think that coyotes are less afraid of gunfire in late fall than they are at any other time of year.

when a deer hunter shoots and hits their mark, a gut-pile is left behind. after a while coyotes and other predators start to figure this out. thus, the gunshot is less of a death sound and more like a dinner bell.

and as far as all dogs can be called in, i don't know if it's worth it. the dogs that are difficult to call in are breeders, i won't waste my time on them unless i'm doing damage control.


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## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

Iffin we here in lower Michigan waited for all the cover to bwe gone we would lots of times wait till late January or like last year early March when they finally took the corn off.
Me I call them any time of the year cause I don't sell the fur but I don't care for they to get so bold they come in the yard during the day like they once did.

I agree on the dinner bell of a rifle shot. I have often wondered what cleaned up the youte gut pile we left on the edge of the corn feild.

 al


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## tikkat3 (Jun 27, 2006)

I'm with BBJ on this one I know of a few groups of high school kids that have been around my area throughout the early season and I think the coyotes have gotten the better of them. Just gonna make it harder for everyone else. I still dont get the point of shooting a sept/oct coyote what are you gonna do with it, eat it? I shot one with my bow in september let a healthy one walk by then this one came with a limp and mange.


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## Longshot (Feb 9, 2004)

tikkat3 said:


> I'm with BBJ on this one I know of a few groups of high school kids that have been around my area throughout the early season and I think the coyotes have gotten the better of them. Just gonna make it harder for everyone else. I still dont get the point of shooting a sept/oct coyote what are you gonna do with it, eat it? I shot one with my bow in september let a healthy one walk by then this one came with a limp and mange.


Everyone started as a beginner tikka3, just like you did. I see no problem with some new young guys learning to coyote hunt. You may see it as a burden on you, but it's not all about you. What are you going to do with a coyote tikka3? The fur isn't worth anything and some of us enjoy calling and shooting them regardless of their health. I believe my license and everyone elseâ€™s is good for year round.


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## kvernum3 (Aug 8, 2005)

longshot. I totally agree.

The simple fact is, if your going to educate a coyote in october, your going to educate him just the same in december. The simple fact is October is the BEST time for having success calling. and to be honest I have put up 20 furs that I shot in october and they look pretty dam good.

And if your going to rag on some high schoolers getting out and enjoying the outdoors calling, :eyeroll: and learning JUST like you had to.. well thats just not right..

September sure... the fur is just not there, but there not worth a thing anyways. I will take advantage of every month I can get to kill some dogs and learn as much as I can. Its fine with me if you guys who have it figured out wat for later months :lol: . Ill knock down your coyotes for you. :sniper:


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

I got a news flash for you guys though. Most coyotes arent prime till the END of October, and even then, alot of your pups arent prime till early November.


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## LeviM (Dec 3, 2006)

so instead of a $8 prime coyote your shooting a $5 unprime coyote, better stay home!!!!


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## tikkat3 (Jun 27, 2006)

I wasnt trying to rag on them.. I waterfowl hunt with some of them just saying the only thing that came out of there early calling was a good education. A lot of the coyotes they educated they may have gotten if leaves were off trees and the ground was white. And dosnt it bother you guys just a little bit to shoot and kill a coyote, walk up to it, see where you hit it, snap a few pics, and walk away!?!?! :eyeroll: I know it sure would bother me


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## lyonch (Feb 26, 2006)

barebackjack said:


> I got a news flash for you guys though. Most coyotes arent prime till the END of October, and even then, alot of your pups arent prime till early November.


Then why does the fur buyer i sell to, tell me that October coyotes are the best show furs when it comes to tanning them. There is no flaws in the guard hairs and the pelt looks clean and not matted. A late season dog with a thick underfur althoug might have prime leather on the underside he could be missing over half of his guard hairs and have bad matted underfur. To each there own. If it was up to me everyone would stay home in the fall months and leave all there areas to me.

Kvernum3 are you setting that date yet on when Levi and I are suppose to come out and stack up some fall dogs with you :wink: :sniper:


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## tikkat3 (Jun 27, 2006)

Your a long ways east of me, every buyer I've ever sold to has said they wont take them until deer season. I'm not quite sure if I believe the best lookin fur in oct thing either because we have shot damn nice looking coyotes in February/ March.


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## Longshot (Feb 9, 2004)

tikkat3 said:


> I wasnt trying to rag on them.. I waterfowl hunt with some of them just saying the only thing that came out of there early calling was a good education. A lot of the coyotes they educated they may have gotten if leaves were off trees and the ground was white....


You weren't trying to rag on them, thanks for clarifying.



> And dosnt it bother you guys just a little bit to shoot and kill a coyote, walk up to it, see where you hit it, snap a few pics, and walk away!?!?! :eyeroll: I know it sure would bother me


No, it doesn't bother me in the least. They aren't worth anything and don't eat them, but their numbers still need to be controlled. I don't know about where you're at, but there is no shortage around here and most areas around ND.


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## lyonch (Feb 26, 2006)

there is only one furbuyer in western minnesotat that i would sell north dakota, montana, wyoming pelts to, only because he understands the market well enough. Everything else goes from there to central north dakota. Good luck proving to me that you shot a coyote in late february and march that has a flawless pelt. you will be missing some guard hairs guranteed if it was shot in north dakota. Also what is wrong with snapping a pic and walking away from a coyote? A coyote is a predator. I am not partial to the animal and wont loose any sleep over it. there are a lot of benefits that come from people walking away from something that they dont understand how to prep for the fur industry. So when an ADC guy takes a den he isn't suppose to snap a pic and walk away so he can have it on record. If time permitted and my lifestyle allowed it, i would hunt coyotes year around. Just becuase you take a den doesn't mean that coyotes wont be back.


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## tikkat3 (Jun 27, 2006)

So why not let them live 2-3 more weeks and then shoot them and do somthing with them really how many deer are they gonna kill in 2-3 weeks. And what kind of damage will they do. With your mindset Snow geese are overpopulated lets just shoot em up and leave em lay Deer are overpopulated in some places lets just shoot all the does we see in the head or better yet just get a bullet in them and not worry about it they'll die eventually. :sniper:


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## lyonch (Feb 26, 2006)

Everyone posting on this subject is barely above average to a rookie coyote caller. Here we all sit at our desks and computers complaining about peopel educating coyotes during the deer season when all of our numbers combined wont even match what one ADC guy does in a year of killing coyotes. So how does an ADC guy get it done after the rancher has had several failed attempts. Well i wish most of you good luck because it looks as though you are going to need it. There are a couple indivicuals who i wished would have chimed in on this, but i guess they are smart enough to stay away from a topic that only the every third saturday weekend warrior will attempt to debate.


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## Longshot (Feb 9, 2004)

tikkat3 said:


> So why not let them live 2-3 more weeks and then shoot them and do somthing with them really how many deer are they gonna kill in 2-3 weeks. And what kind of damage will they do. With your mindset Snow geese are overpopulated lets just shoot em up and leave em lay Deer are overpopulated in some places lets just shoot all the does we see in the head or better yet just get a bullet in them and not worry about it they'll die eventually. :sniper:


Sorry tikkat3 your use of snow geese and deer is bs, and I would guess you know that. You can eat both, but I would not recommend you eat a coyote. Also it is against the law to waste deer and geese, but is legal to shoot and leave a coyote. It is that way for a reason. I'm sure you already know this, but you are now in a mindset to win a debate rather than rational thought.


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## tikkat3 (Jun 27, 2006)

Weekend Warrior..... Really? LOL I am not gonna argue with you about how much I hunt but I bet you would be surprised I really wish I was one of the guys that took pics of every fricken thing I shot and posted a story on here. Between bowhunting, and waterfowl hunting and coyote calling DURING THE WINTER I would say I probably average 6 days a week hunting. Living in St. Cloud how often do you come to ND to hunt coyotes I'm guessing Weekends! I just walk back behind my house or drive a few miles and I am in some of the best coyote country there is... West Central ND


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## tikkat3 (Jun 27, 2006)

Longshot said:


> tikkat3 said:
> 
> 
> > So why not let them live 2-3 more weeks and then shoot them and do somthing with them really how many deer are they gonna kill in 2-3 weeks. And what kind of damage will they do. With your mindset Snow geese are overpopulated lets just shoot em up and leave em lay Deer are overpopulated in some places lets just shoot all the does we see in the head or better yet just get a bullet in them and not worry about it they'll die eventually. :sniper:
> ...


Ya I guess you are right what it all comes down to for me is I hate to see stuff go to waste and i hate coyotes being educated I should have ended it there


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## Longshot (Feb 9, 2004)

tikkat3 said:


> I just walk back behind my house or drive a few miles and I am in some of the best coyote country there is... West Central ND


You are one lucky son of a gun! I would love to be able to do that. Of course my wife wouldn't care for moving out of town......unfortunately.


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## saskcoyote (Dec 30, 2006)

Good points in the debate. I usually start calling toward the end of October when hides are 90+ per cent prime. Generally whatever is blue is gone by the beginning of November.

I started earlier this year because a couple sheep producers were having problems. I had to leave a few corpses behind and, I'll admit, I felt uncomfortable about it.

The fact is hides up here are worth virtually nothing. Waiting for hides to prime up certainly wouldn't have been of benefit to the sheep producers who invite me onto their land and who were encountering coyote problems. Their problems prompted me to break out the thundersticks.

Plus, the company I sell my furs to -- Fur Harvesters -- sent me (and all other clients) a letter telling us to be very discriminating about the hides we submit because there's no demand for anything except Large and XLarge. They're saying don't even bother sending anything smaller.

Then factor in the damaged hides. I shoot a .223 and a .204 and while most hides have little damage, I make a few bad hits which equate into big holes. So, hides that are virtually of little value decrease in value to nothing when a fur buyer can see evidence of a sewn-up hole.

A couple weeks ago, our Ministry of Agriculture implemented a $20 bounty and pays $20 for each set of paws turned in. To me, the $20 is a nice little touch but it isn't even a factor on whether I continue calling.

I'm lucky -- after collecting the paws -- that I can turn over my coyotes to our local trapper. That way I don't have to discard the carcasses. He skins them and plans on letting the hides sit in the freezer for a year, maybe more, until fur prices rebound.

So, I guess I agree with both points of view. I hate leaving a coyote carcass behind without trying to make some use of it (no, there'll be no yote steaks for me :lol: ) but with the price of furs up here -- and I'm assuming the same scenario exists down there -- there's absolutely no financial rationale for sending the hides to the buyer, at least at this point.

Good luck and shoot straight. :sniper: Saskcoyote


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

lyonch said:


> . Good luck proving to me that you shot a coyote in late february and march that has a flawless pelt.


Ha!

Good luck proving to me you shot a mid-January coyote that wasn't rubbed, let alone a Feb/March dog! Which always makes me wonder about the guys out calling for "fur" that late.

Our coyotes (ND, except maybe the extreme western side of the state) don't have good pelts very long. Our BEST coyotes come from early November to early/mid December. After that, depending on what kind of cover they've been running, you'll see some rubs on the hips.

Some years and in some areas their rubbing bad by Christmas, some years they'll make it to late January, but most years early January you start seeing hip rubs.

Cattail coyotes rub early.


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## kvernum3 (Aug 8, 2005)

BB I think you enjoy disagreeing with AS MANY people in as many threads as possible..

What it boils down to is I enjoy calling. its my passion. I start at the 1st of october and quit in late march.. i skin all my coyotes.. i may get 5$ for some.. I may get 25$ for some.. I just enjoy it.. plain and simple. I dont do it for the money.. I do it because I love doing it. I get out whenever I can.. and learn as much as I can while im out.. I think the guy out for 6 months per year calling, will gain more knowledge than the " fur hunter " hunting three months a year..

Get out and get after them

:sniper:


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## tikkat3 (Jun 27, 2006)

I didnt say flawless I said damn nice, Thats good to hear really good to hear that you skin them all keep it up


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## kdog (Mar 13, 2007)

kvernum,

I have enjoyed your pictures, stories and posts. That is what makes this site fun for many of us. One certainly can tell from those stories/pictures that you love what you do. That kind of passion ensures success. I can only hope that you keep posting the pics and stories, and are not worn down by contrarians. Thank you, and keep whackin 'em and stackin 'em!

Sask,

How 'bout one of your great coyote stories about the one (or more) that didn't get away? Your stories are always so much fun to read. BTW, I plan to be in a coyote calling tournament in mid Dec., and hope to have a story or two of my own to share afterwards. :beer:

KD


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## YoteSlapper (Mar 12, 2007)

kdog said:


> kvernum,
> 
> I have enjoyed your pictures, stories and posts. That is what makes this site fun for many of us. One certainly can tell from those stories/pictures that you love what you do. That kind of passion ensures success. I can only hope that you keep posting the pics and stories, and are not worn down by contrarians. Thank you, and keep whackin 'em and stackin 'em!
> 
> ...


+1

Well said kdog!

YoteSlapper


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## beever trapper (Jan 21, 2009)

lyonch said:


> Everyone posting on this subject is barely above average to a rookie coyote caller. Here we all sit at our desks and computers complaining about peopel educating coyotes during the deer season when all of our numbers combined wont even match what one ADC guy does in a year of killing coyotes. So how does an ADC guy get it done after the rancher has had several failed attempts. Well i wish most of you good luck because it looks as though you are going to need it. There are a couple indivicuals who i wished would have chimed in on this, but i guess they are smart enough to stay away from a topic that only the every third saturday weekend warrior will attempt to debate.


agree 100%, ADC guys are laughing at this whole thread about "educated" coyotes. They can still be called and killed plain and simple. If people are killin coyotes for fur as legitimate income in this day and age, good luck. hope your ole ladys got a good job. it aint easy.


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## kvernum3 (Aug 8, 2005)

If your taking 20 dogs a day your breaking even :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

How long are you guys sitting per stand in early season cover?


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## beever trapper (Jan 21, 2009)

Hunt4P&Y. like anything, dont pull out too early. give em some time to work.

hey do you drive that smaaaashed up red dodge around fargo. you know the one that sounds like its got a sewer pipe for exhaust? :lol:


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

beever trapper said:


> Hunt4P&Y. like anything, dont pull out too early. give em some time to work.
> 
> hey do you drive that smaaaashed up red dodge around fargo. you know the one that sounds like its got a sewer pipe for exhaust? :lol:


So you are talking like an hour.. hour and a half per stand? 
So that those hung up dogs poke there heads out of the 7 foot tall corn?

I do have a red dodge.. but it doesn't get driven much now, unless you are driving it!


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