“Should I shoot that coyote?”
“No coyotes until after 9:00 am” was The Old Man’s response. He was guiding for a longtime friend and duck hunting partner.

It’s a regular occurance for us to see a coyote while hunting. I told you about The Old Man laying the smack on 3 during one sit during the 2008 rifle season. I didn’t tell you about this mangy looking thing I shot during the 2009 turkey season:

I have no idea what skin problem she had but it was ugly and extremely foul smelling.

Anyway the point is, what should you do when you see a coyote? Obviously weigh your hunting interests. That was the point of the 9:00am rule. But what about the biology of the whole thing? Coyotes eat deer and turkeys so you should kill every one you see right?

It’s not necessarily that simple according to Mike Bodenchuk of the USDA’s wildlife services who argues that the occasional killing of a predator really does not impact populations or predation:

… coyotes have a 60 percent annual mortality rate in some cases, whether they are hunted or not. In order to have an impact, it’s vital to remove either 70 to 80 percent of the entire population, or to remove the right coyotes at the right time.

Randomly killing the occasional predator might help in such extreme situations. However, it’s critical to maintain a high level of predator management for several years in order to have a lasting impact. Researchers working on the National Bison Range in Montana found that deer and antelope fawn mortality increased substantially only a few years after coyote control efforts stopped, because coyotes filled the void left by those taken out of the population. When coyote numbers fall, they tend to produce larger litters to make up for the decrease in adults. And other coyotes will move in from surrounding areas. Killing a couple of coyotes in a single season will likely have little noticeable effect on your deer numbers or the quality of the bucks.

You can read the whole piece from Whitetail Journal here.

In Kansas there is no closed season on coyotes and they can be killed in a variety of ways including running them with dogs. Over the years I’ve tried several times to call them in the late fall or winter when their coats are thicker and I’m bored. I’ve had very little sucess. I suspect that they’ve been hunted hard by that time of year and dumb ones are all dead. For me it’s much easier to find them like this (from last week’s turkey hunt):

Then do like the hunter quoted at the beginning and wait until all your likely turkey opportunities have resolved themselves:

I just finished the whitetail European mounts from this past fall today. Over the past several years I’ve done them a few different ways.

First, you need to clean the deer. Cut the head off and cape it out. For whitetails you need to get rid of the lower jaw, tongue and throat area tissue. Also remove the eyes and any extra muscle tissue you can find. All of this needs to be done around the time you kill the deer unless you want to deal with a disgusting mess at some later date. Once the hide and large chunks of meat are gone you can decide what you want to do next.
(more…)

We are welcoming a new SM blogger, Chuck, of Bear Country Blog. I’ll let you get the details over at his place, but he certainly has a unique residence, occupation, and outlook. I’m excited to see what he can bring us and look forward to following along.

I ran into a small covey of quail Saturday afternoon in the rain. This guy was nice enough to stick around briefly for a picture. It was nice to see them, I saw exactly one covey in all the days I hunted eastern Kansas this year. We used to hunt them several days each year, and could expect to get into a few coveys in an afternoon. Now it’s unusual to see a quail anywhere.

I’ve been turkey hunting or bowfishing since Friday at 2:00. More on turkey hunting later. Saturday afternoon I waded into a flood, in the rain, with a bow. Here’s part of the haul:

This afternoon The Old Man and I tried it again, but the river was on it’s way down and we struggled to find the right combination of current, depth, and fish. We shot a couple and saw a few of these friendly guys:

… and you know what that means! More bowfishing. I did a few minutes of shooting today and stuck a few gar and a buffalo, but mostly I was scouting. I didn’t have enough daylight left to set up shop but hopefully I’ve got a plan for tomorrow morning before more rain gets here.

Rumor has it that Montana wants to allow as many as three times the number of wolf tags in 2010 as they had last year. Hunters killed just over 70 last year and this year they are hoping for around 200. Big game numbers in the wolf recovery area have been crushed in recent years. There is talk of closing some moose units and even some of Montana’s elk areas. When elk tags are cut you know you will motivate hunters and conservationists. The question is whether or not the Parks and Wildlife Commission will approve the recommendations, and if the federal government will object. Remember that Wyoming lost its own wolf hunt last year because they refused to operate within what the federal government considers reasonable.

More here.

The Washington Post recently ran a lengthy obit for an old German named Paul Schaefer who died at the age of 89. It turns out that old Paul wasn’t exactly the type of guy you look up to. He was:

- An evangelical preacher – I’d say hit or miss on this one;
- Who led, “the world’s most notorious anti-Semitic and apocalyptic sects” – not good.
- Who was serving 20 years for sexually abusing children – neither good, nor surprising.
- Suspected in the death of an American mathematician – weird, but definitely not good.
- Fought for the Luftwaffe in WWII – he was born in Germany, we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt here…
- Traveled the German country side preaching abstinence after the war – Red flag!
- Until he was accused of molesting two boys and fled to Chile – Of course.
- Allegedly tortured political dissidents during the rule of Pinochet – German roots run deep.

I could go on… read the piece yourself if you want to know all the details on what a quality human being he was. But here’s the fun part:

He had a glass eye, having accidentally gouged out his right eye while trying to untie a shoelace knot with a fork.

Perhaps it’s just bad luck, but I’d like to think there’s at least a little Karma working here…

Today was the type of day a Kansas turkey hunter dreams of. 45 degrees at sunrise, partly cloudy, slight breeze, perfect. It’s the type of day where you can be sure to find a mid-season tom strutting across a bright green pasture and gobbling every minute or so.

But, alas, I’ve got a wedding this weekend. Last night was the rehersal dinner. This morning I got up planted our garden. Tonight was the wedding. Tomorrow is Mother’s Day brunch. I’ve got trial a week from Monday.

The good news is that I have a turkey story to tell, complete with good pictures. The bad news is that it’s looking bad for filling all 4 of my tags… Check back for details when I find time…