Bobo On Coyote Hunting

The coyote of N.B. is large and cunning. It can be heard howling at dawn and at dusk as well as through the night, hence the handle "song dog". We have several specimens that have been taken weighing as much as eighty pounds and 40 to 60 pound yotes occur regularly. Since the 30's the coyote has been in the East and gained its present status as early as the 70's which is too many yotes. Often referred to as Coydogs because of thier willingness to crossbreed with wolves and domestic dogs and the abundance of larger prey food is the reason for thier doubling in size to thier Southwestern cousins.

The coyote presents quite a challenge for the Bow Hunter. It is not easy but it can be done. Here are some of the tricks I have learned over the years. 1. If you have an iced over pond, river or lake, set up a bait on the ice approximately 15 to 20 yards from your treestand or ground blind. Even if you startle the yote he cannot get good traction on the ice and the target remains a little longer. 2. If you have a red fox tail, secure it to a stick, dig a small hole in the field about 20 yards from edge of woods and stick the stick in the hole. Tie a strong cord to the tail and pull it once in a while to make it move, as you use a wounded animal distress call. If thier are any coyotes within distance of your calling and they see that tail they will come on the run. 3. Another set-up calls for saving throughout the year in your deep freeze any leftover turkey, chicken racks and ham bones, etc. Take this bait to a hardwood clearing and dig a shallow pit and place bait in it, covering lightly. Hang a few pork chops from nearby trees for scenting purposes about 5 feet above the ground at bait site. The coyote upon approaching and discovering that the food is buried, will become quite relaxed while it is digging the food up as we believe he thinks you are hiding it on him.

There are many calibers available for the coyote and the 22.250. .223 and the .243 are the most popular in N.B. but to save money I purchase Remington Accelerators, 55 grain, in my 30-06. Damn but they are a zippy little devil.