The bird hunter blues

Megalon

Megalon

Well-known member
Now this is no way, shape or form saying anything bad about bird hunters. However, every year when upland game bird season hits up here I always find that coyote hunting is dang near impossible. Hunters show up with 6 to 8 dogs and hunt the state land and block management. At this point everything is running for their lives. As soon as bird season starts to die down, it is like a switch gets thrown. Suddenly coyotes come out like crazy. Anyone else have this problem? Like I said, nothing against bird hunting. I am glad to see people hunting
 
It's the same here with big game season. Coyotes and birds have very little pressure but as soon as Nov 1 hits there is truck or boot tracks over every hill, hummock and holler. Coyotes that a week ago would come barreling to the call are shell shocked and timid until about 3 weeks after the season closes.
 
That’s interesting. I don’t think it has anything at all to do with dogs, I’d think in your case it would just be human scent everywhere.
Heck, according to a trapping forum I’m on, dog turds work great for them attracting coyote's where they don’t encounter them often.
Down here on a wild bird plantation the deer and predators pay absolutely no attention to the dogs. Of course with that said, dog turds do nothing for my trapping either.
When we had hogs and would let some hog doggers come in, the coyotes would sound off if they ran a hog through their area. I was pin dropping fool, lol.
Good dogs only go after the game they’re trained for. I’ve literally watched these dogs walk right past a doe and fawn. The doe didn’t know which way to go because dogs were on either side of her. Those dogs cared nothing about deer scent, they were after hogs.
It’s the same with our bird dogs. They jump deer up all the time and never give chase. Occasionally a rabbit might catch their attention, but only for a second or two then it’s back to quail.
 
I hunt on public land and ran coonhounds for over 33 plus years but I hunted at night after midnight and would stop one hour before daylight.

I stop running hounds, but Predator hunt, Deer hunt, Fish, etc on Public Land.

First I don't hunt the first month of deer season, etc. because I want things to settle down. 2. Game Wardens are out heavy the first and last month of deer season so I wait until things settle down. 3. I walk 2-6 miles a stand because most hunt near their vehicle and I want to hunt where I can be most successful with the least amount of people.

Regardless, all outdoorsmen/women have the right to hunt, fish and be in the great outdoors. Where I have issue is with poachers, litterbugs and those that think their beyond the law, etc and make it difficult on those who do things right and fair!
 
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Like I said I support the bird hunters right to hunt. Just saying that it seems like a switch is thrown with the coyotes when they are done. I would never say anything bad about another hunter unless they were a moron. And that’s usually a case by case basis
 
Pheasant season opened in Michigan today. The state releases birds on state land. I'm gonna take a few nights and catch up on my sleep.
 
Well, things are different everywhere, but wouldn’t wounded game actually help. We can shoot a field for dove and I know not all birds are found and the day after all that scent and shooting is a prime time to call. Coyotes are roaming that field feeding on the unfound birds.
It seems after deer season here I have a lull in catching coyotes because of deer shot but not recovered, but calling was good last year at that time.
Now with that said, this is all private lands. We don’t have public land we can call on down here.
 
When I bird hunted in MT we would take a break and call coyotes, public lands. My partner even killed a couple while bird hunting with his shotgun. It was usually later in the season as we drove through snow most years. We hunted around Winnett and Scoby.that must have been ten or twelve years ago.
 
I have spot and stalked coyote from before pheasant season opener to March. Only real change in daytime behavior (mostly sleeping/bedded during the day) are full moon periods and breeding time. The last week of January and first week of February, much more likely to see daytime "restless" behavior/movements. Males fighting/posturing. Females getting "checked". Highest hunter numbers, deer opener weekend and Thanksgiving bird hunters/muzzleloader deer. During firearms deer, orange(hat/vest) is mandatory so everyone sees you and may pull over vehicle to watch. That change in motor/tire noise will get a coyotes attention, plus the center fire rifles are not allowed to be in possession so I'm using shotgun or 22mag. Need to be a bit more sneaky getting within range.
 
I have been hunting public lands for coyotes for many years now, and I have settled on calling towards the private land at the very edge of the public.

If I go to a State Wildlife Area (SWA) after a fresh snowfall, it can look like coyote heaven with fresh coyote tracks criss-crossing the area.

However, the coyotes don't stay on the SWA during daylight hours, due to all the other hunters coming in. Instead, they will head to the private lands for the daylight hours, and come back down after dark.

So, I hunt the edge of the public lands, calling to the private, and do pretty well. I have been known to take the shot even though the coyote hasn't quite crossed the fence to my side, lol.
 
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