Dispersal/scattering of the yearlings;

Numerous factors play into dispersal. If the area and coyotes are unmolested and have little human contact they will stay as a family group until breeding time if the food supply is adequate. If food is short the group will break faster. Here's the catch. Few places in the western US are unmolested. Here, hunting seasons start in September and October and the hills are flooded with people and rifles. Many recreational callers will begin at the same time. That activity, with hunters shooting at every coyote they see, and killing some and many getting away, plus callers calling in family groups or parts of family groups and banging them up is what fractures these family groups. Constantly running into vehicles, atvs, hunters everywhere they get bounced around like ping pong balls. Add to that that there is a certain amount of aerial gunning that goes on at the same times that does more of the same and by November and December, most family groups here are "dispersed". There may be an little odds and ends still together but for the most part they have been broken up to some extent. So whatever Kirby wants to think his "trap" for the experts is, I don't really care. This is what happens here every year.
 
I'll admit I'm fairly new to this site, but I find this most bizarre...
  • Dude demands you answer his question based on your experience, then goes on to say he doesn't care what anyone else has experienced.
  • Then he plays the victim, claiming personal attacks when the worst I've seen is that some dare to cast doubt on his conclusions. Not his observations, but his conclusions.
  • Often replies to his own posts, and rails against "blowhard experts" which seems to be a perfect description of himself.
  • And for a kicker, at one point he implies he's trolling ("the bait was taken. ie; you've been snared").
For a purely academic topic that doesn't seem to have much consequence on actual coyote hunting, this all seems kind of dumb.
 
SupressYourself said:
For a purely academic topic that doesn't seem to have much consequence on actual coyote hunting, this all seems kind of dumb.
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It is for this reason that I have decided to lay low on a downward slope with the wind at my backside.

I have no intention of discrediting anyone’s beliefs, but I’m choosing to use my senses to avoid any conflict. This territory seems to only have one Alpha.
 
SupressYourself said:
I'll admit I'm fairly new to this site, but I find this most bizarre...
  • Dude demands you answer his question based on your experience, then goes on to say he doesn't care what anyone else has experienced.
  • Then he plays the victim, claiming personal attacks when the worst I've seen is that some dare to cast doubt on his conclusions. Not his observations, but his conclusions.
  • Often replies to his own posts, and rails against "blowhard experts" which seems to be a perfect description of himself.
  • And for a kicker, at one point he implies he's trolling ("the bait was taken. ie; you've been snared").
For a purely academic topic that doesn't seem to have much consequence on actual coyote hunting, this all seems kind of dumb.
Click to expand...
I have notice similar behavior on other topics! I also don't join in due to that or I just grow bored with the banter back and forth.

I do enjoy the site and appreciate the knowledge that is shared, and some are good at playful banter that is fun.
 
I was at a hog building the other night ,coyotes dragging dead hogs out of composting material this happens when new little pigs are brought in after building is emptied and cleaned. Young pigs can be under 20#, easy for coyote to drag off. 4:35 am 2 coyote showed up. Pretty obvious they were pups. No dominance display, no hunched back, no tucked tail only playfull "tag". Just before shooting one, I heard the family group to the south(1.5 miles) fire up, those pups stopped eating and were looking all around in the moonlight. After sunrise I went south to see if the pack crossed what most years is a HARD territory line. Here is the scratch post, for the 5(this year) coyote group. Most years same location south side of road ditch on the east/west road.
IMG_20241218_074119241.jpg
 
No, all 5 came from the south, pee'd and left on their tracks. The rest of the pups group, I found their tracks about a mile southeast between the hog building and the pictured territory marker. Until I kill a few more out of the pack closest to the pigs, the group 1.5 south probably won't cross the road. Tracks indicate 7 still together around the building( after killing 2) they actually stay in a creek bottom about 3/4 mile north of the hogs. I can usually call and kill a couple there, I wait until the young and dumb die from my stand near the hogs. That helps reduce the drag offs. Both post/scratch pads were downwind of the hogs(prevailing N.W. wind).
 
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I figured. While there will be an occasional interloper, there are definitely some hard boundaries that only the young and dumb ones cross. Two outer fencelines in particular come to mind and have been hard boundaries for at least 10 years...probably more. The older ones that I managed to call to those fences would approach the fenceline very cautiously and it was evident they really wanted to cross, but would finally retreat without crossing.
 
The way family groups interact or won't is interesting scouting information. But it can all change do to weather conditions. 3-4 years ago we had early and long lasting snowshoeing snow depths. A large male coyote from 5 miles away would follow a drainage ditch system to visit the hog farm, we found his tracks. After my buddy saw him during the day twice, but lost sight of him in the ditch system. We realized(tracks) that he would pop-up on the field edge to check the road before crossing the road. About 240 yards from an old abandoned farm yard that still had grain bins. Next time we saw him headed to the drainage ditch system. I had my buddy drop me off at the grove. I shoed in dropped the snowshoes and setup by a grain bin. I had told my buddy to drive back around and follow as he had before. But not drive back down the road until I called. I was starting to get cold when I saw my buddies truck 2 section roads away thru the binos. About 10 minutes later the coyote comes up over the bank, no idea I'm waiting. He weighed 44 lbs. This was late in Jan. Not sure if it was food or girlfriend related, either way it made the coyote to predictable.
 
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