Originally Posted By: Infidel 762Originally Posted By: GCNice video! Despite the hunting store gossips, coyotes aren't great turkey hunters. I was fortunate to witness a coyote grab a jake once. It was turkey season and I was set up in the corner of a field calling and this jake was responding. Young gobbler was walking maybe ten yards from the edge of the woods down the field toward me with his attention directed at me. Big coyote blasted out of the woods and hit that jake like a linebacker. There was a flurry of grass, dust, feathers and whirling fur and within thirty seconds the coyote was trotting back inside the woods with his prize. That was a rare thing to see. Coyotes are willing to turkey hunt, they respond to turkey calls often. It's just that their hunting style isn't the best for gobbler grabbing. Bobcats on the other hand...
I have never seen a coyote take a turkey but I have seen them trot by a flock and get within prolly 40 or 50 yards. A lot would think the turkeys would all freak out and run or fly but they just got real alert and watched him stroll on by. I'm sure if he was running straight at them it would have been different. I have seen similar reactions with deer and cattle, sometimes they run, sometimes it's like they read body language and are more tolerant to their presence.
A lot prolly won't believe this, when I was a kid I was deer hunting over a feeder. It was getting dark and a group of coons showed up. I remember one kinda set up and sniffed the air and then lunged at a clump of weeds and chased off a bobcat I did not know was there. I am sure if that cat wanted to it could have shredded that coon. A lot would not believe that I have called in jackrabbits with rabbit distress even after starting a stand with coyote vocals...
I don't remember exactly how long ago it was but I snuck up on a group of turkeys on the other side of a row of trees,probably 3 or 4 years ago. There were a few toms and quite a few hens. They were all clucking and seemed nervous. I looked through the trees and saw a big bobcat sneaking along trying to get close to the turkeys. That bobcat helped me get a turkey that day. They never paid me no attention.
The first coyote I ever killed came in to a box call when me and a buddy of mine were out huntin one Spring. My buddy called in a bobcat with the same box call another time. It was close enough I could have threw a rock and hit it. So I know both will seek out turkeys and try to eat them.
I've also had jackrabbits come into a call to check things out so I can believe that. I had a coyote coming into the call a few Winters ago and it stopped all the sudden,turned around and ran back to the milo field it had just came out of. That coyote bounced over the milo and my buddy and I heard a jackrabbit squeal. The coyote left with his rabbit and we packed up and left. I tried to trick that sucker into coming to a fake rabbit and ended up helping it catch a real one. Lucky son of a gun.