Utah Coyote Hunters! Help!

P

Porter Rockwell

New member
Hello All,

It has been a few years since I tried one of my favorite coyote digs out in Vernon Hills. I took my buddy out last Monday. Now granted, it was a holiday, but I ran into four group of Rabbit hunters.

Even though I was 3-4 miles away from the last group, you could still hear the shotgun report all the time. Eventually after calling for the dogs for an hour or two we gave up. We saw tons of track, some fresh, some old. I figure they would not come though because of the guys pushing rabbits only a few miles away.

My questions. 1)Are the Fairfield, Vernon and Faust areas always this bad? I know we could have called up some coyotes if it had not been for the reports and pressure. Are they any better on weekdays?

2) We have tried the Nephi area, but with not as much sign. Anybody had any luck near Nephi?

3) How about Fillmore? I hear the hunting is pretty good down there.

4) Any luck in the high timber near Daniel's Summit or out near Vernal way? This would be one of my first choices because there is tons of sign there also. I go X-Country skiing around there. My hesitation is the .223 report bringing down the snow. I would not have worried about it so much in the past few years, but you all know this year is a different story!

Help me out guys! As I told you on the Ranch post, I have a pretty accurate New Mini 14 that needs some targets!

Thanks in advance.

Porter.
 
First of all you have some huge cojones for calling yourself porter rockwell. Second, Vernon gets quite a bit of pressure from coyote hunters and from rabbit hunters. I have had many trips out there ruined by bunny blasters....so ya just gotta go where they dont....and they dont go anywhere that they have to walk more than a couple hundred yards. Get up at the bases of the bench...that is where you will find the most coyote activity....and the fewest bunny hunters. You will have to do quite a bit of walking to get where the bunny hunters wont be a problem....but it is worth it, and there is a healthy population of coyotes along the benches of the vernon mountains....get away from the roads.... a long ways. You will find that the longer your walk...the more successful you are apt to be. Good luck and good hunting....Porter.
 
223 will bring down snow. I brought down rocks as big as my car and almost got killed. Stay away from that type area. Lots of coyotes around Fruitland and Roosevelt and no hunters. Good luck.
 
Bluedog and GP,

Thanks for the info. Bluedog, we were off the road a good mile. We were at the benches and moving up the Hills. Are there any particualr spots in Vernon Hills that you think are best? We were a mile or two down off road 36 and then turned off near one ranch and drove in nearly a mile. Thank goodness for the 4X4.

GP,

I don't know the Roosevelt area real well at all, just the roads going out to Vernal. Any particular areas you think are good or would recommend?

By the way, the Porter Rockwell moniker has been around for a long time, (I just happened to find this board recently and kept the same moniker as I have on GT and some other boards) but I sure as hell would not say I can even come close to shooting like the man did. I just like how he took a stand for what he believed and defended it.

Thanks in advance for your help and info.

Porter.
 
Well, I just couldn't resist a post about Utah coyote hunting and by someone with the moniker of "Porter Rockwell," no less. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Part of my firstborn's name is in homage (however the hell the french spell it) to Mr. Rockwell.

First and foremost, welcome to the board! This is by far the best place to learn about and discuss predator hunting. There's more than a few of our fellow Utahoos around here and even more from neighboring states. So again, welcome! Good to have you around!

Now to address your points. Let's see here...

Vernon: Lots and lots of pressure, some by yours truly, for coyotes and bunnies. Why there are so many bunny hunters there is beyond me, especially since there is a killer spot a little ways from there, that's even a little closer to the big salty city. But that's all I have to say about that... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif Bluedog nailed it. There are coyotes to be had around there, but plan on walking to spots where the bunny hunters wouldn't be. As far as Faust goes, I've never had good luck there myself, but there's some 4x4 spur roads that kind of shoot off to the western hills not far from the JWFWMA that I'd like to check out a little more. I think the state does a fair amount of predator control around there with the WMA for upland game and waterfowl, but I'm not certain. I will tell you that I came across a carcass of a young pronghorn, with it's hind-parts caught in a barbed wired fence in the Faust area. That thing must have bawled something fierce. Strange thing was, the carcass was about 95% intact, with what looked like only bird and rodent predation. Certainly no sign of canine predation. No other coyote sign around there on that day either.

Juab county can produce some good results, just venture out a bit from Nephi. Go west, young man, west of the Tintics and thereabouts.

The Central (of course, everything south of Provo is "suthun' Utah" to most folks around here) and Southern parts of the state, i.e. Millard County, etc. ought to be good bets. But as a general rule, you can get a map, measure out 150 miles from Salt Lake in every direction, take a compass and draw a circle at that 150 mile mark and you can just about count on the coyote hunting improving drastically outside of that circle.

Daniel's Summit and the Strawberry area is going to be pretty hard to access right now, but could produce providing you can get back there. Last time I was through there, the snow was pretty deep. I'd stay out in the open country around there and not back in the peaks and that. You don't want to be another story in the news.

Where are you at in Utah? Like I said, there are quite a few folks from the Wasatch Front that post regularly on here. Some of us hunt together from time to time, in addition to heading out as a group after prarie dogs come Spring. Let me know.
 
Scattergunner, isn't that you, BigJ?? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

I went out near Duchense on Monday, called in one coyote (missed) and saw LOTS of deer and elk. I only made 4 stands in about 6 hours, the snow was up to my chest in some areas, when I go back I should have snowshoes.

My poor airedale was trying to swim behind me in the snow, LOL. First time I've ever seen him tired after a day of hunting. We passed out together at the truck. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

If I can find the time, I'd like to hunt near Lake Powell or on the Escalante monument.
 
Like the others I will confirm that vernon get**** really hard by hunters. I have had quite a bit of success out there this year but like you said, the gun reports are a constant anywhere near a road. Still they are out their.

I've never hunted out by roosevelt, but I hear it's pretty good. I took sleds up into strawberry and got 6 on saturday, they are furred up really nice too. But it is hard to access lots of places. I also have a snow cat that helps get up to the top, a bit slow, but it'll haul me, guns, and whatever else.

Faifield is pretty much off limits now. With Eagle Mountain claiming so much land, the sheriff will be all over you if you shoot your gun. Five mile pass is a no shooting zone, and that ruins a lot of hunting too. Like everyone said, go away from the cities and away from the roads.

Good luck.

C
 
The Vernon area gets hit pretty hard. The first dog I ever called was out in that area but it took about 15 stands and several different trips to get that one. Takes a lot of patience and walking to get dogs out there but it can be done. Been busted by rabbit hunters on more than one occaision out there.

The Strawberry area has a shiz load of dogs but gets hit pretty well when access is good. Your odds would go up drastically this time of year if you can get in there.

Drive at least an hour or two away from the valley, a little more if your going west, and the hunting improves drastically.

Some things to keep in mind when calling these hard hit areas is to find some way to sound different. Every one goes out with their "Sportsmans Warehouse specials" and tries to call. Call a little quieter and find some way to sound different. Onother thing is to stay on the stand longer. Sometimes a half hour or longer. If they've been called at before they will be a whole lot more suspicious if they even come in at all.

Good luck and go kill some yotes.
 
Hey Shane, how the hell are ya?! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

I haven't ventured over to HA.com all that much recently. Barely enough time to get some hunting and shooting in, let alone cruise the better hunting web sites.

My last major yote hunting attempt was out to Vernal area and up in the hills by Matt Warner Res. Had access to some private ground up in the high country, but unfortunately so did some folks looking to fill elk and deer tags. Curious buggers some of them... and easy to see in their blaze orange or behind the wheel of their lifted, custom, off-road special F-250 Super Duties, complete with noisy-as-hell super-charged engine, as they ruin your stands. Shot a few rabbits, fenceposts, shaken-up cans of pop, and a bowling ball, but didn't call anything in except birds and the aforementioned hunters.

We were going to stop and make some stands on the way back from Vernal in and around Duchesne and Fruitland, but ran out of time.

Hearing about you and your pup hunting in the snow around Duchense reminds of the time about 4 years ago that a friend and I decided to walk into Mud Creek on Strawberry to do a little icefishing. The gate was locked at the highway and the snow was deep enough to sink me up around my arse when I inevitably broke through the crust atop the snow, about every third of fourth step. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif The fishing was phenominal, almost worth putting our lives at risk. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif But talk about exhaustion! Snowshoes are an excellent idea for that area around this time of year, definately!

Speaking of Escalante, I have a connection down there. I keep meaning to try that way myself, but never seem to be able to make the time. I think I'll have to wait for the wife and in-laws to want to go down to St. George for about a week, and see if I can sneak off for a day or two. Of course, there's some spots I want to try a little closer to St. George as well.

Well, we need to go hunting again, after that half-hearted "off-season" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif effort last summer you're probably wondering if I even know what a coyote looks like. At any rate, I've got a couple of bobcat tags that still need filling. I've got to get serious about that. Give me a holler if you want to go out sometime.
 
Scattergunner, Shane, big c, STK et al.

Thanks gents for the advice. I'm in Utah Co. Right at the Pleasant Grove/American Fork border.
Vernon has just been such easy access when I used to go out there, I hate to try and give it up!

I mean I can hit Micky D's for breakfast and be to Vernon Hills in 45 minutes or less. I assume this is what everybody else is thinking as well and that is why the pressure is tough.

I would love to get together if anyone is going out. I may be able to take a day off work and go, but Saturdays are about my only day off. I have a couple of guys that would like to go as well. Two here and one in the SLC area. We are all avid deer and pheasant hunters, but are pretty novice when it comes to coyotes. Don't beat on us too hard, I don't think we are educating much other than ourselves. I have put some time into some book and DVD purchases on the subject, but would love some schooling from anyone with experience!

Let me know what you think!

Porter.

Ps. Any of you heard anything more about Cabelas coming to Utah Co? They asked PG City and PG turned them down! I hear land was about to be purchased at Thanksgiving point or possibly at the Point of the Mountain near Micron. Any of you boys got your ears on this one?
 
Yes, I heard the cabelas rumor too. I am originally from Brigham City and about a year or two ago cabela's was talking with Brigham City/Perry about building up there. Well neither town wanted to give them the land, so last I heard they were looking down near lehi. I guess some town will be smart enough to play with them.... I can't imagine a town turning them down, but I might not understand the whole story. Anyway, I would love to see them build somewhere in northern Utah. I guess we can all cross our fingers.
 
Guys just to let you know, you might already, most of the land around roosevelt is resavation. Check your maps, they have been anything but friendly when they have caught me hunting their land.
 
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