Crows giving away sneaky Coyote

W

WeaselCircus

Member
So I was doing a stand yesterday morning trying a spot I'd seen some coyotes. About 5 minutes into the calling I see a couple of crows come in and start circling pretty high above me and around the general vicinity. Then after 5 more minutes the crows suddenly fly down super low over some sage brush out a couple hundred yards in front of me and make a few passes at just 5 feet or so off the ground. I'm watching them do this for a few seconds, then I see a coyote trotting through the brush. He moved into a slight clearing where he could see where my call was and just stood still for a bit. The whole time the crows are buzzing around and sort of dive bombing him. Was thinking back to my last trip out and on the stand where I got my last one there were crows around too. Not sure if there's a pattern to this or if it is a common thing, but I guess from now on I'll be keeping an eye on any crows that come in while I'm calling - might be a coyote sneaking in they'll give away!
 
I've had crows squawking at me and scaring off things I was hunting. As a kid I used to stalk rabbits in orchards, I'd se one clear across the orchard on the other side, go over a few rows and quietly walk down that row where the rabbit couldn't see me. Crows squawking their heads off tended to spook the rabbits.

I've shot quite a few crows as a result of that. I figured the rabbit is gone so shoot a noisy crow instead. I also climbed a Walnut tree and took a baby crow which I took home and raised, Charlie the crow hung around for years, he would migrate somewhere and show back up in a few weeks.
 
In my country I watch and listen for crows, blue jays, pileated woodpeckers, squirrels and deer snorting. All of those critters have alerted me to the presence of incoming predators.
 
Back in May while turkey hunting I called a few times hoping a gobbler would respond. A flock of crows started going crazy about 100 yards from my position so I turned slightly toward that direction.After a couple minutes of listening to them the flocked moved slowly toward me keeping up a ruckus. Pretty soon a large bobcat came sneaking down the trail fixed on my loan hen turkey decoy. When it got about 10 yards from the decoy and 30 yards from me it stopped. With it's tail wagging it watched my decoy for awhile then turned and crept off. Of course the season was closed.
 
My son and I were calling a few years ago. We walked a route through the national forest and at one point came to the edge of a big clear cut. We set up with me watching the downwind over the clear cut and him watching a draw that wrapped around the back of the cut and led right to our position on the ridge. I started screaming on the call and in a few minutes I heard a couple woodpeckers raising cain at the far end of the cut about 300 yards away. They flew into the woods circling toward the draw. They would fly fifty yards and stop, raising heck as they did. Fly another fifty yards and stop, squawking all the way. And repeat as they made their way toward us. I turned to see where my son was watching and he wasn't in a good position. I got his attention by tossing a little limb at him. When he turned to look at me I said in a low voice that he should turn to watch where the draw fed up to the ridge just behind us. Track the woodpeckers I told him. Hitting the call I kept an eye on my side but listened as the woodpeckers closed the distance. Glancing over my shoulder I knew my son wasn't turned enough and was going to get caught out of position. So I turned to watch and within two minutes shot a big bobcat that snuck along a log just behind us. My son said he saw the cat coming but knew he couldn't move or he'd be busted. Lesson learned...

A week later we were set up on the point of a spur ridge in the national forest that dropped off a main ridge line and tailed out into a long winding brushy spring bottom. I started the e-caller and in about three minutes two deer started blowing on the ridge directly across the holler from us, slightly to our right. I saw my son edge around just a bit to look that direction. Thirty seconds later he snicker off the safety of the .243 and "boom!" cracked the rifle. The deer alerted to the bobcat sneaking down the bottom to the caller. My son knew now to get tuned into the woods and it payed off.

I could go on with other stories, but the lesson is to listen to the critters and heed the hints they're giving. It'll pay off...
 
Originally Posted By: crittr gittrYep happens quite a bit. Also keep a lookout for Magpies too, they will more often than not give up their location too.

Magpies are my best friends. When I see one (and especially more than one!), coming in low, flitting from sage top to sage top, I get ready for action.

I have many times glassed coyotes at a distance and seen magpies in attendance too. So often, that when I see magpies sitting around in the sage, but no coyotes, I figure the coyotes probably ARE there but I'm just not seeing them.

This picture I took a few years ago says it all.

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I would never harm a magpie
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- DAA
 
Great picture; says it all!

No crows or magpies down here, but greenjays and woodpeckers are our friends.
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Cattle as well as all sorts of wildlife will also alert to predators. A couple of years ago we were calling in a pasture containing various species of exotics where they were being held to become acclimatized before releasing them to their new home range.

Had never been around Impala before, but a herd of about 20 was grazing at opposite end of a clearing when I noticed they were alerted to a tree line. After a couple of moments, they started vocalizing a warning....sounded like thirty fat boys passing wind simultaneously.
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About that time a large bobcat exited the brush line where they were watching and walked across the clearing. Every Impala head turned to follow the cat's progress.

As big as eland are, have even seen them track coyotes as they passed.

Regards,
hm
 
Definitely. Have had everything from antelope, deer and elk to broom tails and beef, even jackrabbits, alert me to coyote. For that matter it's not too uncommon to have a coyote alert me to other coyote
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- DAA
 
That's a very cool photo, almost looks photoshopped! Will definitely be paying attention to the birds and any other critters that show up. I assume then the crows/magpies must flit around like that hoping for some leftovers.
 
Had a couple of magpies tail an incoming coyote that started(for me) a half mile out. Started southeast, swung west and came in from the right. Magpies talking all the way. End of line for the coyote at 70 yards. Another one to watch for is golden eagles. Their relationship is more of competitive. Killed a coyote or two off of those eagles. Actually saw an eagle with a personal grudge chase a yote 1/2 mile across a flat and actually took the coyote down - dead. Guess if your a coyote? Don't pizz off the eagle!!!
 
I was walking my dog the other day and a crow dropped straight down several times while flying almost unnaturally like he was pointing very closely to a coyote beneath him. This coyote was at the very edge of our neighborhood and has been snatching cats right and left. The crow was letting us know he was there.
 
Cow sounds can also be used in conjunction with prey distress to actually call coyotes, especially in pressured areas. Coyotes don't find crows intimidating and often associate them with a free meal.
 
Definitely Magpies. They are busy birds for sure. There are a lot of washes full of thick vegetation out here. Many coyotes have been given away by grouse, pheasants and partridge flushing just out of the blue.
 
Some areas the crows are such a nuisance. Immediately respond to calls, and drown out the calls. Keep saying I’m going to go out predator calling just to shoot crows. Don’t know why they have protection with limited hunting seasons. They’re not only nest robbers, but prey on young ducklings, poults, etc.
 
In Colorado I was hunting in Rabbit Valley.
Figured there had to be a coyote or two in a place named that. Only thing I called in was a bald eagle. He made several low passes over my foxpro. Probably the coolest thing I've called in.
 
Yup lotsa clues out there.One gets so u pretty much know even how close the coyotes are.For instance on pheasants almost certainly they are very close to where the bird got up vs sharptails where all you get from a flush is a general area at best.
The 99 -100 % warning though is a coyote looking back.
 
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