We can discuss good shot placement on whitetails till the cows come home. Everyone wants to (or should) take ethical shots on deer. Does that change when you are shooting at a "less desirable" animal? Meaning you don't like yotes and you are willing to take a greater risk wounding one to try and kill one? Is wounding a yote not nearly as bad as wounding a whitetail? Or are all animals the same to you?
Great question. My answer is generally yes, although my reasons and reasoning may or my not justify it. The first reason you covered, generally I am more concerned with killing them then recovering them. I am not sure that 100% ethical, but I am stating the truth. Also in some respects their size allows you the mostly just hit sufficient body mass and kill them.... I have only killed two coyotes with a bow, both were shot at and in the vitals...I have shoot probably 75 with rifles and shot guns, both calling and running them with hounds. I am much less picky with my shots with gun in my hand. I
I believe I covered this pretty well in another thread. Seems only a couple of us felt the way I did. It'll be interesting to see how people respond to this thread. http://forums.bowhunting.com/showthread.php?30308-Just-plain-wrong!!
Dan, I didn't read that thread much but I think this is a little different. I saw there that it was discussed that the anatomy of a bobcat and a deer are different thus you can't take the same shot. I understand that. I'm hoping to get answers to if people would take more chances on a coyote because........ well.... it's a coyote. And let’s be honest, most people would rather have less of them around. They are a dime a dozen so to speak. Or, is wounding an animal, no matter the species, the same? Just wondering. People always feel terrible about wounding a whitetail. Do people feel the same if they wounded a coyote?
I don't like to wound any animal. Even when I shoot red squirrels, I feel bad if I make a bad shot. Same with gut hooking a fish. It's different for sure, but I still don't like it and certainly wouldn't purposfully do so.
I feel its about the same, but I'll play here. Yes, I would fling an arrow at a coyote 100 yards away riding a bicycle.
I would really try to Kill the animal and in my opinion taking a shot at the vitals it the best way. Now that being said, its a yote. I want to get rid of them on my property. A yote, if I am using a big enough rifle say a .300 or .308, yeah I'm shooting and as long as I hit it, I am good with that. A bow is different. If I can't hit the vitals no matter what the animal, I am not shooting.
I didn't read the whole thread so maybe it is the same. Glad to you see you are honest. I bet many won't be.
I'll be honest. I will fling arrows at a coyote just hoping to hit him and have him run off and die somewhere. I will extend my range from 35 on a deer to 50 on a coyote.
I would shoot a coyote no matter what the shot angle. I hate those things and any decent shot will kill them. If you are to shoot them quartering to their is no way the shoulder will stop your arrow going through. I dont know of any one who eats coyote either so taking a bad shot and wasting the meat is exactly the same as taking a good shot and wasting the meat.
I would try to put a killing shot on any animal. With that said I think the risks grow smaller as the animal gets smaller. I would stack my pins to try and shoot a fox, squirrel, crow or woodchuck (no coyotes here). If I hit them, they will die.
I'd try to catch that coyote alive. I mean, imagine the money you could make with a bicycle riding coyote! As for the question. Yes, I would shoot at a coyote if I could, even if the distance and angle were at best, iffy. A broadhead is more likely to kill a 30lb coyote on a bad hit in fairly short order than a 150lb deer. And honestly, I consider coyotes vermin. Kendall shot one on the property here with a .22 cb. Heard the 'whap' of the hit but the coyote ran off, leaving no blood. Neither one of us cared if the coyote later died later... as long as it didn't come back. I also put poison out for rats that takes about 5 days to kill them. Don't lose sleep over that. Every year I have dozens of carp pull off my arrow before getting all the way back to the boat. Sometimes, I'll still have their swim bladder or other important parts stuck to the point. Other than in a tournament where I wanted the fish for the competition... I don't weep for mortally wounded and lost carp. So yeah, I have a value system for critters .......and some have value as targets and not much more. Sorry, but I don't care if that bothers some people.
There are very few coyote in my neck of the woods so population control isn't an issue, maybe if it were. As it is though, my son and I are just getting into predator hunting and would really like a pelt so killing shots are the goal.
If I don't have a good killing shot,I don't shoot.Don't matter what animal I'm taking aim at or what with. And when it comes to yotes,I enjoy hunting them just as much as I do deer and turkey.So I give them the same respect.
As long as I feel that I have a realistic shot at hitting the coyote, then the string is coming down. I wont waste and arrow shooting at one running 80 yards away, but I will send one down range at a walking yote 50+ yards. Yes, without a doubt I will take ALOT of shots at a yote that I wont take on a deer. With a gun, there is not a shot out there that I wont take on a yote, not a sinlge shot. I do not like them, and treat them as vermin.
I'd take a shot on a coyote that I wouldn't take at a deer. I would on a hog too for that matter. Like Michael said, I'm not going to waste an arrow on an unrealistic shot, however I won't be as picky on my shot selection.
