posted February 08, 2008 08:49 AM                  

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As far as your suggestion that studies be done to await judgment on the decoy's effectiveness, that's a good idea, but impractical. Even doing every other stand like you suggest wouldn't work, because in order for the results to be truly accurate, two groups would have to be considered - those with the decoy, and those without. And each pair would have to be done under the exact same conditions, which is logistically impossible. Therefore, the products are introduced and only time will tell.

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Hey a guy can dream of impartial testing reports can't he? Impractical or not LOL? Maybe one day comsumer reports will start rating predator hunting gear???

And speaking of the decoy's effectiveness. Calvin helped win the contest with I assume the minaska e-caller that also had a prey decoy attached. The other magazine writer you mentioned that had two bobcats come in to the decoy hissing also had a prey decoy glued to his coyote decoy's nose.

Does the coyote decoy's effectiveness seem to increase when a prey decoy is also placed with him or near him?

DAA and Greenside, and many others over the years, have noted a coyote decoy scaring some coyotes away, and in this thread theorizing that it was the posture. Is the addition of a prey decoy lesson the number that will get spooked, or is the posture of this decoy such that it doesn't spook that many?

And did an e-caller placed with the decoy seem to help the effectiveness any?

I know, alot of questions, and if your article covers it just tell me to buy it. I'll try my best to find it. However I haven't found anywhere in Iowa that carries predator hunting magazine this year (the magazine I assume it's going into?). Last year it was at my local walmart and the barnes and nobles. This year it's at neither...

Personally (my opinions to follow, which aren't worth anything LOL...), if a coyote has ever had a bad experience coming to the sound of a distressed animal it's looking for the predator causing the distressing and/or it's circling to smell the predator causing of the distressing. If the coyote sees or smells an owl or a fox or a stray cat the coyote will react accordingly, likely coming in to take the dinner plate from the other predator. If the coyote coming in sees or smells a bigger domestic dog or human he'll likely leave because he likely doesn't need dinner that bad to risk getting hurt or killed. If the coyote sees or smells another coyote it depends on where the approaching coyote falls in the pecking order, his past experiences taking dinners from other coyotes, how hungry he is (fall buffet verses January sub zero ice coating the ground for a week) the approaching coyote might come in or he might flare off. A double would be more likely to come in verses flare off under this thoery.

And of course there is always "curiosity", which sometimes comes from sensory overload, that causes coyotes to do strange things breaking out of the molds we shove them in, like the coyote standing downwind of you and you swung around on and shot while it stood there looking at the decoy and you while his little brain is possibly overloaded with stimuli.

In the end, based on how I think things work, this decoy will cause some coyotes to flare off. It will over load some coyotes in some situations and allow for shots on some coyotes that normally wouldn't get shot. It will trigger a pair or dominant single too see the cause of the distressed animal and come in to take the dinner plate. So it will "work", but like you said, not in every situation, and unfortunately much of it's effectiveness is determined by the coyotes responding to the call and where on the totum pole they sit.

With all that said, any insider news of a fox decoy on the horizon? Maybe a hawk or owl? Maybe a little puppy dog? Any predator lower down on the food chain than a coyote?

later,
scruffy

[ February 08, 2008, 08:51 AM: Message edited by: scruffy ]

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Git R Done

posted February 08, 2008 09:26 AM                      

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based on how I think things work, this decoy will cause some coyotes to flare off

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I agree, but with all due respect, blowing on a mouth call or hitting the "go" button on an electronic caller - regardless of make and model - tends to have the same effect at times in this area by this time of the year, to which I defer further supportive evidence to Leonard.

tl -

Good idea, and with the Lone Howler, you can set him up in three different postures: standing, sitting, or lying down. The legs are removable for whichever pose you want. And I guess a guy could always detach the front legs and put him nose down like he's eating something if he wanted. Hell, I even thought of tying a string to him, or hooking him to the remotely controlled other decoy I have so at the most opportune time, I could make the decoy fall to one side and pee all over itself in a show of total submission.

From what I've seen, they do bring in a few coyotes that other wise may not have been killable. Can I say that in absolute confidence? Nope. I can't re-live those moments and recreate the situation without the decoy. This ain't "Groundhog Day", but wouldn't that be nice.

In truth, my long-term diabolical plan is to do everything I can to encourage everyone out there getting into calling coyotes to buy all the different gizmos and gadgets. Each time something new comes out, it will be the "new, best thing" that you "just have to have". And you will. As each gets used by more and more guys, the coyotes will adapt and become less and less responsive until, eventually, no one will be able to call coyotes!!!

At some point, and who knows when this will be, the trend will abruptly reverse and the newest new idea will be to go minimalist - nothing but a call and you. The coyotes will never see you coming. And me? I'll be having one helluva garage sale! Bwahahahahaha!!!!!!

(Edited to add the Minaska website address, just because...)

[ February 08, 2008, 09:28 AM: Message edited by: Cdog911 ]

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I am only one. But still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something; and, because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.

posted February 08, 2008 10:34 AM                  

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In response to your remark that the Wilsons were using a Minaska (Makers of the Minaska Bandit electronic caller at www.minaskaoutdoors.com ) caller in conjunction with the decoy, my new standard response to that is that I don't have a comment. Otherwise, my editor gets hateful phone calls and e-mails regarding my conflicting affiliations with T&PC and our advertisers. I feel almost certain that any ol' electronic caller would suffice as effectively as what was being used in this instance. Having said that, it stands to reason that if you're taking precautions to draw the coyote's visual attention away from you to a decoy forty yards away, why - pray tell - would you use mouth calls to defeat the very purpose of the decoy competing with it for said coyote's attention? Just something to ponder.

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posted February 08, 2008 11:17 AM                  

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Foam dead cow. That's funnier than hell. But, I'll be sure to pass it on.

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lol, I'd laugh if someone made one.

Of course it might not be as strange as "predator pile". Have you written an article on that yet?

later,
scruffy

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Git R Done