Coyote Den

TonyTebbe

TonyTebbe

New member
I got a call, last week, from one of the farmers that I call on his land. He's been seeing a couple coyotes on a consistent basis, while working the fields adjacent to his house. He wanted me to come out and take care of them for him. I told him that they probably had a den near, as he's got 4 dens on his property that I know of. I let him know that I'd come out on Saturday and call, but I explained why I'd only shoot a male coyote, this time of year. He understood and agreed. It's our responsibility as hunters to educate others.

Before sunrise, my buddy Scott and I went out and setup on the end of small treeline that ran out into the center of this 1 x 2 mile section. It was the only trees in the section. The treeline was littered with good coyote sign. I was testing a prototype mini howler and let out some howls right when it was almost good shooting light. I got vocal responses 4 different areas (on and off his farm). I went into a series of puppy distress, hoping to pull an agressive male in. But no takers after 30 minutes.

We picked up and made another stand, closer to the farmer's house. This is where I was getting a good series of challenge responses from. This time, I went right into puppy distress. After a couple of minutes, I spotted a hard charging coyote coming at us from 1/3 mile away. Before I could get the video camera on it, it slammed on the breaks and cut back from where it came. Scratching my head, I finally seen why it did the turnaround. The neighbor farmer was walking across an open field to head for his tractor and planter that he left in the field, from the evening before. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif Not wanting to take any safety chances, we picked up and moved across the road to a large hayfield that the farmer owned.

We hiked 1/2 mile out to the end of the hayfield and made our third stand. After 5 minutes of puppy distress, I spotted the glimpse of a coyote. It was pacing back and forth frantically, at the end of the hayfield, not more than 100 yards from the farmer's house. After a few minutes, we decided to slip right in and get closer. We ended up finding the den but no coyote. I didn't want to disturb the den, so we took a couple of pictures and then backed out. It was under 150 yards from the farmer's house and a main county road. Well hidden because of the hillside slope, you couldn't spot this den, unless you were walking the field.

As I was trying to peek in, without getting too close to spoil the den, my buddy Scott pokes me in the rear with with the ends of his shooting sticks and growls loudly. I about crapped my britches, as I was already on high alert. He fell on the ground laughing his butt off. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I've been bitten by 30-40 coyotes when I used to run them with foxhounds and greyhounds, but this is the 3rd time he's gotten me on this in the past 4 weeks and I keep falling for it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif

den1.jpg


You can get an idea of the den hole size, based on the coyote tracks in the foreground. If I had no ethics or brains, I could have belly crawled inside of this one.

We made one more stand in a new spot and spotted a hard charger that hit a treeline but never came through. After a 20 minute standoff, we headed home.

I decided not to tell the farmer about the den, as I'm unsure if he would destroy it or not. I like helping him out, but I like calling more coyotes in the fall better. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

Tony
 
Congrats on finding a den Tony! Hope you can get some video of it and its occupants soon! How old do you think the pups are right now? Good Hunting!
Trashcan
 
I would have thought that they would be emerging from the den by now, but this one only had adult tracks in and out of it.

The only way we found this den was by it's scent. I could smell it from 40 yards downwind of it.

PS. I'm shipping your little "project" out on Wednesday.

Thanks...Tony
 
You should GPS it's location and check it out further when it is safe. Could be a forgotten cave entrance. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Are ya sure thats a coyote den? Did ya huff the hole? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
What kind of farmer is he exactly?? Cattle? He is a lot nicer than some of the folks that I have had the pleasure of hunting on. If I had told some of the farmers that let me hunt on there land in the past that I would only shoot a Male, I would no longer be welcome. They don't care about the population... High Numbers, equal higher problems.. Too them.

But that den is pretty cool, I have a couple here in Cali, figured out, along with two Kit Fox Den's which we can't shoot, but it's still really neat to put the sneak on them at night and just watch..
 
He's a grain farmer with a few cows and hogs that are in feedlots. He doesn't have a depredation problem like free range cattle ranchers. I hunt on plenty of cattle ranches across the country, where you are correct about the rancher's feeling on coyotes. I'm not on an ADC job with my local farmers.

Thanks...Tony
 
Cool den there Tony/Scott. Are ya going back to get some video time in?

I once heard, just because there are tracks around it.
Doesn't mean it's a "den" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif

Also heard this "A horse is a horse, a horse of course, nothing but a horse of course" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif.
 
Quote:
I once heard, just because there are tracks around it. Doesn't mean it's a "den"



Birds don't live in nests, either. Coyote dens are like bird nests, in that they are just used for breeding purposes. After that, they are just holes in the ground, and wads of sticks and grass. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
NASA,

I don't disagree with your own terminology/understanding, as it is yours.

The way, I look @ it is. Last or current occupier of whatever hole in the ground, is [that] animals den. Not just when "currently occupied, raising/rearing young". As the word "occupied" is fluid.

The word "den" does not necessarily mean a place where an animal rears young. Take the terminolgy, "abandoned den" for example. Why do [educated]people use that term.

Non-occupied a person could use the word "abandoned or empty" ie;Abandoned/empty "den". An occupied, human house is often called a home, castle, pad, crib, ect, ect[Thats what I'm saying].

some people call, Fox babies; kits, cubs, pups. Which word is the "correct" word. If one of them is correct. Shouldn't our Government abolish the other two.

Obviously our langauge has many meanings for just one word.

Anyone who spends time in the field. Can/will come across tracks up & around a "hole". Doesn't mean that animal that left the tracks, occupy it, [agreed]. When an animal, sleeps/beds[even for one day/night], raise's it's young, ect, ect in a hole. I call that, that animal's den.

Were slicing the same tomato, just different widths /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Quote:
Were slicing the same tomato, just different widths /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif



I just love watching you two go around and around on this topic. Different posts...but same topic. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Kirby, there is definately some filming plans. I plan on filming the life of a coyote. From den emerge, growing up all summer, to death at the end of my gun barrel in the fall. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

Tony
 
Kirby, we're just going to have to meet, so we can discuss this subject rationally over a case of Bud Light! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
On the idea they only use the den for the pups, I find many times in the winter they hide in culverts from us hunters and the wind. Most of the time it is a female in the culvert, once got a pair out of the culvert, one male and one female. If it is real windy and snowy out I look in a couple dredge ditches for tracks near the culvert entrances, then I look inside to see if there is one in there. I then shoot it and pull it out with barbed wire.
Sometimes I take maybe 10% of my coyotes out of the feeder tubes.T.20
 
The use of a culvert, sewer pipe, hole, hollow log, hay stack, or any other form of shelter during inclement weather (or pursuit by dogs/hunters) is not called "denning". It's called "refuge" or "holing-up", and cannot be considered a "residence". A coyotes "den" is its residence during the breeding season. It can certainly be called an "abandoned" den thereafter. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
This will make you think twice about crawling in a coyote den.

May 1943...Barney Roussan, a government trapper, was in critical condition after being pinioned by a fallen rock for six days and nights in a coyote den near Meeteetse Wyoming.
Dr. R.C. Trueblood who termed Mr. Roussan's ordeal "the most gruesome I've ever heard of", said the trapper had eaten from one to three coyote pups raw before the rescue and had slashed his arm and a rib trying to find an artery after giving up hope of rescue.
Mr. Roussan, about 40, crawled into the den seeking coyote pups. He was trapped by rock falling on his back and legs. A search was started after the man's dog returned to his home carrying Mr. Roussan's cap. The dog would not return with searchers, but to small boys found the hillside den where Mr. Roussan was trapped.
This came from Stanley P. Youngs book The Clever Coyote pages 119-120.
 
OK, NASA. Here is what I have found, doing a little research. I looked up the definitions of the following word's.
Source: Webster's New World Dictionary [Third College Edition]

1. Den
2. Lair
3. Hole

No where, did I find the word "denning" or "rearing" or "occupied" or "non-occupied". In reference to animals.

BTW, an ice cold Bud Light. Would be swell /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
NASA,
Did you really mean to say "Breeding season"? I didn't think coyote dens were used til "whelping" time. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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