This is topic Regional reports? How's your season going? in forum Predator forum at The New Huntmastersbbs!.
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Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on December 25, 2006, 07:03 PM:
So let's hear it. How's everyone's season going so far?
I'll pony up first.
SUCKS!!!
People are wearing shorts and T-shirts, the weather is so warm. Haven't had a snowflake in this part of KS and the damned tulips are emerging. The only thing we've seen on most stands this past three weeks has been mosquitoes and gnats. That's just wrong.
To make matters worse, the local Mallard Marshall advised us that he's being deluged with reports of sick coons from what looks like distemper. That is consistent with the short numbers we're seeing this year.
Last weekend, Matt and I launched the ATV's nd leap frogged our way thru nearly ten miles of river bottom, calling 'cats one way and coons back to the quads. In 7 hours of calling, we only saw 1 squirrel. We didn't bump a single deer, coyote,... nothing. It was so bad, in fact, that we came across a small possum in a 220 bucket set that was still alive and we set it free since the trap wasn't properly tagged. Therefore, we not only aren't killing anything, but by setting that grinner free, we've placed ourselves into some sort of net negative kill quota thing. Absolutely bizarre.
Please, God, send me some snow?!?!?
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on December 25, 2006, 07:31 PM:
Pretty slow here as well, too many projects around home to keep me out of the field. Then when I get caught up around the house, the truck breaks down again. ( Joyce had to tow me home again yesterday )
Do you have any grey fox in your area? I'm hearing that grey prices are really going up this year. Enough that I'm considering giving up on catching a bobcat in a cage, and changing over to trapping some fox.
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on December 25, 2006, 08:53 PM:
Its been really slow here. picked up a few more birds this week. Hopefuly things start to shape up next week...
[ December 25, 2006, 08:54 PM: Message edited by: TA17Rem ]
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on December 26, 2006, 04:31 AM:
TIm B,
A few greys run in eastern KS but I've only seen one here and that was twenty years ago from a deer stand. What fox we see and get are reds in and near town.
Posted by TOM64 (Member # 561) on December 26, 2006, 05:21 AM:
Just getting started here, I've been deer hunting every chance I've had since October, I only saw one coyote and heard very few.
Saturday, I had my cousin drop me off two miles from the house, we first saw three coyotes sitting on top of some hay bales, he got one of those, I went off afoot. Made three stands and called four coyotes, pairs on two stands. Lots of sign all the way back to the house. This area was hunted by the gov trapper just a month or so ago. I had to call it quits and start my Christmas rounds.
Have to deer hunt again this coming weekend, so we'll see if it was just a fluke in a couple of weeks.
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on December 26, 2006, 11:03 AM:
Tom,
LMAO.
Last year, when showing my gunner Matt the ropes, I advised him to always be watching those big roundbales since coyotes often like to lay up on them and sun. As luck would have it, we haven't seen a single coyote on a roundbale and Matt never misses the opportunity to interject it into some part of each day we hunt. For example, "Last night, I was out with the girlfriend just hanging out and look! Over there. There is no coyote lying on that roundbale." ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
Posted by Brad Norman (Member # 234) on December 26, 2006, 11:12 AM:
I thought I was the only one that shot them off of round bales. It amazes me how often I see them up there.
Tom - Is your govt trapper Bryant Farris?
Posted by 2dogs (Member # 649) on December 26, 2006, 12:34 PM:
Since Oct 19th, Seen 21 coyotes. Seen a few of the same ones later in the wk. Killed 1, put a rd in the ribs of a another.
I expect to spot mid 40's by the end of snow season.
[ December 26, 2006, 12:34 PM: Message edited by: 2dogs ]
Posted by TOM64 (Member # 561) on December 26, 2006, 01:26 PM:
Cdog, we used to drive by one particular "hay stack" and stop, 9 times out of 10 a coyote would run out of the hay and across the pasture.... unless of course you told someone "watch this".
Brad, I'm not sure who the trapper is over there, here in this county we have 2, Stanley Oglesby and a fellow named Hatton, can't remember his first name. Last year my cousin killed 60 something there and supposedly the trapper took 40 or so, according to a landowner there. It's a good place.
Posted by Kelly Jackson (Member # 977) on December 26, 2006, 05:25 PM:
It has been ok here........I have taken 21 coyotes and 6 cats......slow today....hunted till noon and only took one coyote.....last Saturday was our best day ever on cats we took 4 and one coyote......that does not happen often here. Regards Kelly
Posted by TRnCO (Member # 690) on December 26, 2006, 05:41 PM:
Been descent out here so far. Almost too much snow now. Last Saturday, I wore snowshoes to go calling and I wasn't in the mountains. That's a first for me. But we haven't drawn a blank day yet on the eastern plains of CO. Only got in three sets on Sat., and called in one triple, killed two.
I'll say some prayers that this next storm skips us here in CO. and makes it's way to KS. If we get 6" of snow and wind from this next storm, we'll be worse off than the 24" that we got from the last storm!
Posted by JeremyKS (Member # 736) on December 26, 2006, 06:33 PM:
We have been doing alright in western Kansas but not keeping very many coyotes. We have been seeing lots of mange still. We had 3-6 inches of snow in the area.
TR you can keep that 24 inches of snow, that would make the St. Francis contest pretty slow going.
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on December 26, 2006, 07:10 PM:
Sorry to hear about the mange, Jeremy. Our coyotes here are in pretty decent shape, just not answering calls. Just tonight, I had a landowner leave me a voice mail to let me know that this morning, he had three healthy coyotes rasslin' below his barn. We've called that area in the past two weeks and I know that they're the three survivors of a group of four I called earlier in the season. We've thrown everything at them that we can in what I know to be thier core area and nada. He says that every night at 6:30 or so, they're down there raising hell. Go figure.
Just the other day, a guy I know called to talk taxidermy and he said another buddy of his had spent the entire day out calling and got nothing. At one spot, he could see for a half-mile in all directions and called with distress for about 30 minutes. Ended the stand with a lone howl and almost immediately, five coyotes answered him back from as close as a couple hundred yards to as far as 700 yards. He spotted one sitting and watching him, but none of them approached the call - whether it was distress or howls. Sometimes this shit just doesn't work. Right Tim?
Posted by keekee (Member # 465) on December 26, 2006, 11:17 PM:
Slow here as well! Damn rain is killen me here! Warm temps and rain!
We have killed a few coyotes and 2 cats, have not got to go fox calling yet plan to this weekend if it dont rain? Weather man say rain Sat, Sun and Mon...Go figure!
But we really dont get cranked up good till Jan, and the deer seasons go out.
Brent
Posted by Nahuatl (Member # 708) on December 27, 2006, 05:56 AM:
Great season so far. Coming up on the hundred mark on solo called shots. They were running yesterday.
Posted by TheHuntedOne (Member # 623) on December 27, 2006, 07:46 AM:
Our average low temps this time of year are around 9 degrees. This season, we have been averaging 15 to 20 degreees above that. With several 50 plus degree days in December, it has taken a toll on the hunting. The coyotes have their winter coats, and I think it is just too hot for them to move around much during the day.
Combinded with the lack of snow, or no snow actually, the woods are all brown. Mice, chipmonks and other small animals that are normally burrowed up under the snow are having a ball running around in the woods. There seems to be a lot of food available for the coyotes and they aren't having to work hard for it.
To sum it up, hunting is tougher than normal. On the plus side, the abundant food should keep them in good health and the litters be should be good this year, and that means more to hunt next year.
There is always a silver lining ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Al
in sunny tropical New Hampshire
Posted by RagnCajn (Member # 879) on December 27, 2006, 03:49 PM:
North La reporting. Been extremely dry and warm. Havent been out much. Have only been out calling four different days. Called in something on every trip. Beginning to get some rains and the temps have dropped in the last week. Deer Seasons shut down in about a week. Can hit it harder after that.
Posted by TRnCO (Member # 690) on December 27, 2006, 05:21 PM:
quote:
TR you can keep that 24 inches of snow, that would make the St. Francis contest pretty slow going
Well, the weatherman is predicting another 10"-20" starting tomorrow afternoon and ending some time on Sat. I knew I should've kept that snowmobile, sold it last year! ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
Darn snowshoes might get another workout next weekend, won't be anyone going anywhere if this storm really does produce that much this weekend. There is no ground cover to catch any more, so we're going to have wicked ground blizzards, even after it stops!
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on December 27, 2006, 07:48 PM:
Sounds like we're supposed to get the same thing starting as rain tomorrow night, switching to snow sometime Saturday and into Sunday. If that happens, I'll be in bed by 10 on New Year's Eve and ready to hit 'em hard Mon and Tues and see if I can find one that's ready to stretch his legs. They've got to get hungry or curious at some point. If you can spare, say, 4 inches of snow TR, we'll take that off your hands. You can keep the wind.
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on December 27, 2006, 08:20 PM:
We had the wind all day today, it's just died down in the last hour. That storm is supposed to hit here in the morning. We just ate Dinner With Andy and his family, ( They are out for the holiday ) and on the way home, we were watching lightning flashes to the West. We are supposed to get snow on the mountains and rain here in the valley, we sure could use it.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on December 27, 2006, 10:42 PM:
I left the house, 12:00 P.M. headed for Banning; 56 miles. I think Bannings's about ten miles from Palm Springs, which is low desert? At the time, clear/partly cloudy skies, here in Upland.
It took me 2½ hours to get there. Rain, heavy rain, hail, sleet, and slushy snow on the windshield, by degrees.
Wonder if that weather is/was what you are expecting, Tim? And now, it's windy and cold.
Good hunting. LB
[ December 27, 2006, 10:43 PM: Message edited by: Leonard ]
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on December 28, 2006, 02:20 AM:
I got called out at 12:30 AM the winds and storm broke a couple of Crossarms. I'm waiting for a crew to get here to show them where to go.
When I left, it was cold, with a driving wind and mixed rain and snow, now at 3:20 it's calm and has warmed up quite a bit.
The way that wind ripped though here, it won't have any problem making it to Kansas by this afternoon. Those folks up North can keep that snow, but I sure did like to see the rain.
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on December 28, 2006, 04:44 AM:
They say it's slowing down a bit, which means more rain and more snow piled where it travels. This is another good thing about this forum; all you guys to the west and southwest of me can give me the heads up on these storm systems as they're approaching.LOL I'm hoping the wind holds up so it'll keep em pinned down for a day or two. Looking forward to Sunday and Monday. Tonight? K-State game against Rutgers.
Posted by Rich Higgins (Member # 3) on December 28, 2006, 06:47 AM:
It rained off and on all night here, no wind. Every time the rain would stop the coyotes out front of the house would yip-howl for a minute or so. All night long.
Posted by Az-Hunter (Member # 17) on December 28, 2006, 08:55 AM:
The last three or four weeks here, the coyotes have been running real good. Last week, I tied my best day calling coyotes(calling,not killing), called in 12 coyotes by 2pm. Only two singles, all the rest were multiples. Got out tuesday morning specifically for fox, we called two greys and one coyote. The coyotes and fox seem abundant, cats, on the other hand, have been hard to come by? Ive only called one big old tom, the rest, I presume, are in cages at Tims house.
Posted by Michael J (Member # 468) on December 28, 2006, 11:31 AM:
It's been slow here where I live in Texas, but I went over to eastern Arkansas for a coyote expedition and tore their arse up.
Friday evening Dec 23, called in a bobcat shot him but he got under some heavy vines and briars. I was able to jump him out of there but didn't get a good look to where he was headed, we ran out of light.
Sunday, first set called in a triple and I got 2 out of three. That afternoon called in a double and they went DRT.
I think they are starting to pair up because I got a male and female at each of the two stands. When I skinned them, the males had bite marks all over there heads and under their necks. I could only see these marks on the inside of the skins and not on the outside.
Wanted to hunt on Monday but had a 10 hr drive to make back home.
It sure was nice to work some unmolested coyotes for a while. I going back before the season ends this winter.
[ December 28, 2006, 11:35 AM: Message edited by: Michael J ]
Posted by sdyote (Member # 814) on December 28, 2006, 02:52 PM:
Surprising as it is the calling was good last week here this week. Temps have been upper 30's with lows in the 20's so it has been very mild to say the least but the coyotes have been responding pretty well. We killed 14 coyotes calling from Saturday thru Wednesday and still fit a couple family Christmas's into the schedule. Not huge numbers but considering no snow and mild temps I was pretty happy with the outcome. If anybody can give me a clue how to post a picture I'll post a couple pictures of a few of the coyotes we called and shot.
Posted by Rich Higgins (Member # 3) on December 28, 2006, 03:15 PM:
Michael, why do you think the males had bite marks around their necks and heads?
Posted by Kelly Jackson (Member # 977) on December 28, 2006, 07:33 PM:
could it be foreplay Mr Higgins??
Posted by Michael J (Member # 468) on December 29, 2006, 06:53 AM:
Rich, after I skinned them I could see teeth marks on the inside of the skin. It was more like brusing or contusions. The marks had teeth patterns. I only saw this on the males. This was the first time that I have ever noticed this, but then again I haven't been looking for it either. The skin wasn't broken all the way through, but the leather was pock marked with red circles with a definite darker center punch in the middle such as the canine teeth would leave with the just about the right distance between the marks. The second male, before shooting him came into teh clearing favoring his rear hind leg. I remembered to look at his limping leg and it had a raw place on it but not serious there was also some hair missing in that area like he had been scrapin.
UPDATE ON MARKS
I was reading on another board and ran across someone else's idea what can make those marks on the inside of the hides. Here is the link with a picture of marks that look just like the ones on the two males that I bagged.
http://coyotesrus.proboards35.com/index.cgi?board=talk&action=display&thread=1167508503
The hides that I have don't have as many marks on them as this guy's hides, but they look just like them. I did find some ticks jumpin ship when I was putting them on the stretchers. They were the size of black eyed peas.
[ December 31, 2006, 01:37 PM: Message edited by: Michael J ]
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on December 30, 2006, 03:24 PM:
I got back from my hunting trip west today.. I saw 13 coyotes, shot three, i lost one of the three. I called in a pair and the rest singles. The area i hunted had been called hard and there were no pups and the females where also in short supply. Dureing the last two days a storm moved in and dumped snow throghout the area, the coyotes where really spooked from all the white stuff.. Hopefully i can get back out there in Feb. and pick-up a few more..
Posted by Butch-1 (Member # 953) on December 30, 2006, 05:40 PM:
Where out west did you go to. Did you see many other hunters?
I'm planing on going to North Dakota next weekend.
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on December 30, 2006, 06:23 PM:
I was out in the Dakotas, and yes i ran into a few hunters. It seems there is getting to be more and more every year. The coyote numbers are up in some areas and down in others. Good luck on youre hunt..
Posted by sdyote (Member # 814) on December 31, 2006, 11:41 AM:
TA,
What part of So Dak were you in? Parts of the West River area has been hit hard with mange again this year. Population is down by 40% in some areas according to a state trapper I talk to. Numbers in the area I hunt have been up this year with little mange but of the 14 coyotes we got last week 3 ended up having mange. It's the first ones I've seen this year but I'm guessing it'll be getting worse now again. Mange usually starts West River and makes it's way east in this state. We also shot a coydog which is the first one I've seen. Wish I would've gotten a picture of that before we sold it. It was a nice female with a red tint to her fur.
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on December 31, 2006, 03:29 PM:
I pretty much hunt and call the whole state except for the national grasslands. If there is a good population of coyotes i will find them.
You got the mange thing all back wards, mange actually came from Minn. and is working its way west and south into Nebraska. West river has only had mange for a few years....
[ December 31, 2006, 03:33 PM: Message edited by: TA17Rem ]
Posted by sdyote (Member # 814) on December 31, 2006, 05:01 PM:
TA,
I'm curious how one would know whether mange originated in MN and progressed to SD from East to West? West river has had mange to some extent for as long as I can remember. It usually gets bad West and Southwest where the coyote populations are much denser and then works it's way North and East.
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on December 31, 2006, 05:53 PM:
I'm not sure where it started, but according to my log books we had a out-break of mange in north central Mn. back in the mid. 70's. back then we had mostly redfox so the mange pretty much stayed in one general area. Then in the early 80's the coyotes moved in and they have a much larger home range, and then the mange spread southward in the state. At the time we had a very high population of fox and the mange really raised hell on them.
We still have mange around but most of it is to the west of where i live, out of 137 coyotes taken last year only 2-3 had signs of mange the rest where healthy well furred coyotes..
As for the Dakotas, i have been hunting there since the late 70's and have never seen or heard of coyotes west of the misouri river haveing any mange. When i did hear of it, the mange was in the East central part of the state some where around the early 90's, give or take a few years. When i heard of the mange on the west river side it was 3-5 years ago, it was'nt to severe untill the last three years. Now mange in the Dakotas could of been around for 50 years as far as i know, but like i have said i have not seen or heard of it untill the dates i listed above.
I have a theorie on what is causeing it, but will save that for a later time... Good hunting
Posted by sdyote (Member # 814) on December 31, 2006, 06:19 PM:
TA,
I'm interested in hearing your theory.
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