Hellicopter hunting coyotes?

PredatorSlayer1

New member
Well today I was near one of my GREAT hunting spots and noticed a helicopter circling around the area. I drove closer and heard some gun shots. After they had circled the area about 5 times they landed. I'm not to sure that they were gathering coyotes but it seemed like a possibility. I'm grateful that I saw them because I would hate to spend allot of time hunting that area not knowing that the coyotes were probably cleaned out by a helicopter. I had planned on letting the coyotes in that area raise their young and than hunt them in the fall.
 
Hey, Slayer. On a previous post, I mentioned speaking to aerial hunters while working for a gun manufacturer - usually government contractors and that's their job.

Interesting you were in an area where they were working.
 
i see where texas passed a law where you can go on a lanowners
property w/helicopter and shoot wild hogs also yotes and fox and bobcat. i can see the hogs but why the the other 3?
 
Aerial gunning is effective, but doesn't wipe out all the coyotes in an area by a longshot.

Originally Posted By: PredatorSlayer1I had planned on letting the coyotes in that area raise their young and than hunt them in the fall.

You are managing the coyote herd now?
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Is this public land? (BLM)

BTW, they don't "Gather" coyotes from a helicopter.
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Originally Posted By: rockinbbarAerial gunning is effective, but doesn't wipe out all the coyotes in an area by a longshot.

Originally Posted By: PredatorSlayer1I had planned on letting the coyotes in that area raise their young and than hunt them in the fall.

You are managing the coyote herd now?
lol.gif


Is this public land? (BLM)

BTW, they don't "Gather" coyotes from a helicopter.
wink.gif


rockinbbar, This area is on a very secluded private ranch that is surrounded by houses on all sides. I have permission to hunt this area and from what the rancher has told me, there is not any predation of livestock on his land. I didn't think they would areal hunt unless there had been major issues to take care of.
 
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Originally Posted By: PredatorSlayer1Originally Posted By: rockinbbarAerial gunning is effective, but doesn't wipe out all the coyotes in an area by a longshot.

Originally Posted By: PredatorSlayer1I had planned on letting the coyotes in that area raise their young and than hunt them in the fall.

You are managing the coyote herd now?
lol.gif


Is this public land? (BLM)

BTW, they don't "Gather" coyotes from a helicopter.
wink.gif


rockinbbar, This area is on a very secluded private ranch that is surrounded by houses on all sides. I have permission to hunt this area and from what the rancher has told me, there is not any predation of livestock on his land. I didn't think they would areal hunt unless there had been major issues to take care of.

Maybe try asking the rancher I would think he would know whats going on.
 
The air gunners in Utah are very good at their job. It's hard to find a coyote now days, the ranchers should be happy and the tax payers should be sad.
 
Originally Posted By: PredatorSlayer1

This area is on a very secluded private ranch that is surrounded by houses on all sides. I have permission to hunt this area and from what the rancher has told me, there is not any predation of livestock on his land. I didn't think they would areal hunt unless there had been major issues to take care of.

As far as I know, they don't fly private land unless asked to or have permission to.

As the patriot guy mentioned, simply ask the land owner.
 
I was in Hanksville Ut on Sun of last week and they were flying the Henrys, said they were almost done for the year but still had some money to burn through. It is a combined State, Federal, and private money that keeps em in the air. 8,000.00 ti 10,000.00 a day to keep on helicopter in the air killing yotes. I would do it for half that much.
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I agree me too, I have always wondered who these guys report too. DWR told me they have nothing to do with it, thats fine, it turns out it is the the department of agriculture.

I was curious as to what the coyote numbers are for my area, I would like to know what our numbers are? I figured surely they keep reports, no responses to my emails, no one responded to my letter, who knows, they must have thought I was an anti.
 
Originally Posted By: chazwho2
I was curious as to what the coyote numbers are for my area, I would like to know what our numbers are? I figured surely they keep reports, no responses to my emails, no one responded to my letter, who knows, they must have thought I was an anti.

I have a huge private ranch that I hunt on and they were saying that they had shot over 500 coyotes in that area this winter. I didn't even bother go out and try to hunt that ranch because of that. I find it frustrating that we can not get any info on where they aerial hunt so we can avoid calling where there are no dogs. I know that they do not wipe them all out but the info would be nice.
 
If they shot 500 coyotes in one area in one winter, then they needed to shoot them that way.

I have never heard of numbers like that down here for sure.
 
Someone once said that a predator caller with a rifle is like using a shovel on a lava flow. A gunner in a plane is like using a backhoe. That's probably pretty accurate.

I made a set one day and killed a big male while the ADC plane was flying and gunning in plain view about 3/4 of a mile to a mile away. Twenty minutes later a second coyote came to my calls and I doubled. I figure the plane must have been herding them in my direction! I check in with the ADC folks occasionally especially if I have a contest hunt coming up. I'll avoid the areas they've been flying as well. You can't let it bother you too much. They're flying for the same reason that you're able to get permission to hunt private land--because the landowner wants dead coyotes.
 
I wish we could contact the ADC guys in our area and see where they have been and haven't yet. But I have tried and so far it is alot of chasing ghosts
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! No one wants to say who does it. Yes it gets really frusterating
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!
 
I dunno who, but someone is keeping track of the numbers. Just as someone is writing the budget to fund this activity. No results = no funding. Even if you got the report, just how accurate would it be? Government is always inflating the numbers to justify the funding. 10K per day to fly can pay for a lot of depredation to livestock. But then again the cattlemans association in Utah has a lot of political power.
 
I know several wool growers in Utah who have a politician in their back pocket as well. It's big business here and no joke to these guys. One Rancher that I do ADC work for pays $100 per dead coyote. He's told me that he's getting a bargain at that price too. I'm more than happy to kill coyotes for him but I guarantee that I don't even put a dent in the population on his ranches.

chazwho2, I have to kindly disagree with you on one thing. There are still a lot of coyotes in Utah. A lot!
 
A few years ago I stopped off at a ranch to check in with the land owner. I have permission to call his property but I hadn't talked to him for awhile. When I got to talking to him he said I was welcome to call but he had had the Arial gunners on his place the last week and they had killed a lot of coyotes. Initially I was discouraged but decided to make a loop thru his place to get to some other property. We ended up shooting 7 coyotes on his place that day. I had the best day I have ever had using coyote vocalizations. I figured with the number of coyotes killed that territorial boundaries would have been disrupted and that using vocalizations might work. Trust me if there is any cover and the place has been flown before when coyotes hear the plane or helicopter they will duck into cover. They aren’t going to ever get them all. I have had the opportunity to be the shooter years ago and trust me yea they get a lot of them but it is amazing how many of them will hit cover and just disappear.

drscott
 
Originally Posted By: littledawgI dunno who, but someone is keeping track of the numbers. Just as someone is writing the budget to fund this activity. No results = no funding. Even if you got the report, just how accurate would it be? Government is always inflating the numbers to justify the funding. 10K per day to fly can pay for a lot of depredation to livestock. But then again the cattlemans association in Utah has a lot of political power.

That figure isn't even close. It's not that high....Unless they are using F-22's for the flying.
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Aerial here is about $150.00 an hour fixed wing and $800.00 for the chopper. The chopper is used along the face of the mountains or for the wolves. Some of my best hunting comes behind the aerial people; using a single locator howl and patience. It seems those remaining are looking for lost companions at these times and respond pretty good.

Just my 2cts on the subject.
 


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