There are a ton of coyotes in one of the areas I hunt. And I'd try to legally kill any one I could with whatever weapon I have in my hands. But I do that out of a sense of management- keep fawn populations up and try to help the pheasant and rabbit populations rebound a bit- not because I "hate" an animal that's just doing what it was born to do. It kind of grates on me when I see guys on shows (not naming names) launch arrows at a coyote trotting away at 35 yards knowing full well they are probably going to wound it rather than make a quick clean kill. Aren't coyotes deserved of the same respect as a deer? Sure, coyotes are nuisance animals, especially at their current population levels. But so are the un-huntable deer in my neighborhood. The deer are everywhere, eating up gardens and shrubbery. But I would never consider intentionally tagging one with my jeep (custom front bumper could take the hit no prob) or flinging an arrow at one's butt even if it was legal. Yet I'm sure there are many other hunters who would do both to a coyote and not blink an eye. Isn't every animal we hunt deserved of a quick clean kill?
I agree, just like target shooting a squirrel and leaving it lay it is wrong to kill just for the thrill of it.
I kill every coyote that I can but I won't shoot unless I am going to kill it and am confident in the shot.
I wouldn't always throw every fur creature in the animal kingdom as hunting. If you catch a mouse scurrying across your garage floor the same rules do not apply. Yotes fall into that same category some people. Nutria, groundhogs, beavers etc. managing their property to protect against damage and loss. I won't pass judgement.
Exactly, this was discussed a couple weeks ago. To each there own I say. I don't kill coyotes for tablefare or their pelt prices(although after Lady Forge's coyote video thread I may ), they are a hinderance around here and need their numbers reduced. Going to try and do some managing this year for fun. I will say this. When given the opportunity I do try a humane kill, but at the same time I do not give them the same respect as other game. I will shoot through a bush and if I make a questionable shot I won't fret over not finding an arrow or the animal. If you make a bad shot on a coyote, are you going to trample your prime deer spot looking for it? Wait 13 hours if gut shot and go back in with a blood tracking dog if need be? Bad shots happen, but with me bad shot choices will happen a lot more with coyotes. Don't they all deserve the same effort?
Well, I'm not trying to eat me a coyote, so I don't know that I'd spend so much time trying to recover it if I made a bad shot. But if I flub one it would not be b/c I took a low risk shot- it would be user error or Murphy. I guess seeing our one of our Flagship's pro staffers on Friday flinging an arrow at a 'yote that was clearly alarmed, on the move, and almost out of range really peeved me. That was a pish-poor choice. That animal deserved better. And I'm a die hard hunter - I'll kill anything with 4 legs and fur. My wife, who I am just starting to intro to the sport, was watching and she was like "that was effed up." She walked out of the room and didn't finish the episode; and she was really starting to get into the series up to that point. And I certainly couldn't justify it to her.
I didn't see anything wrong with him taking that shot. It was wide open with nothing between them but air. Bad shots happen but I think the majority of us would have taken that same shot. He did what he could by following it up with another arrow. Good job Tyler!
I don't think too much about it. I got a yote on cam in august. Last month I put a cam over a carcass and gut pile and only saw a TON of foxes. So my last hunt I shot a fox. If I have a decent shot at a yote I will be taking it. However I'm in the woods to shoot deer.
Each of us have our own reasons for why we hunt. Some people kill for an entirely different purpose other than hunting. I will not pass judgement on someone else as quickly just because their reasoning differs from mine. Farmers purposely gut shoot deer so they die out of the field to prevent damage to their equipment. Their reasoning may not jive with your ethics, but well within his morals to sustain his livelihood....which is also the land you lease to hunt. I caution others to look at the bigger picture than the one they draw of themselves. I step down from my soapbox before I fall off.
That's the "to each their own" aspect of hunting. Be it young/little bucks, fawns, does with fawns or xxxx. We all have our own standards and justifications. You live in IL, so I'm sure you are aware of the highly populated coyote population. As I said in the last thread, if a mouse grts into your house and starts creating damage do you do your best to rid your house of it or kill it ethically? Coyotes are a nuiscance, no more or no less. I'll take the humane shot when it is present, and even when shooting through brush I will aim for a quick kill. At the same time I will not dwell over a bad shot, or even stop myself from taking a bad shot. My thought is a wounded coyote is less likely to return. Dead or alive ai won't spend much time looking for them. Like it or leave it, that's my thoughts.
Wasn't that coyote that got shot on bhod yesterday diseased? I would have taken any shot I could at that one. If I can tell that it has some sort of disease I would try to take it out if I can get a shot off. If it doesn't have anything wrong with it I would definitely take my time to try and get the best shot possible especially with a bow.
Just one of those things SSS comes to mind, instead of shoot, shovel, silence it's Shoot, Smile, Silence. I shoot deer to recover, I shoot coyotes to eliminate.
I never said don't shoot them or any other nuisance animal. But sorry, I just don't see taking a shot that has a much higher chance to maim than to kill as being ethical, no matter the animal. There's no shame in making a bad shot; only in taking a bad shot.
Don't worry Illinois boys when the wolves set up shop by you you won't have to worry about the coyotes too much. Our coyote pop. has dropped a lot in the last few years.
To address the "to each, their own" mindset...I get that. We all have very different reasons why we hunt and each of our ethics and values are different because of that too. What I would caution about that mindset is that in the grand scheme of things, our numbers (hunters and 100% pro hunting) are rather small, we are only about 15% of the overall population. The scary part is the Anti's numbers equal our own at 15%. That leaves the bulk of the population being non-hunters that generally support our practice as long as it is done ethically...the kicker is, that's their idea of what ethical hunting is, not ours. With that in mind, I'm not going to chastise someone for taking a risky shot on a coyote BUT, we need to stop shooting ourselves in the foot by posting the videos of such things on the internet. I think we would be much better off if we went back to the days before the internet...where our hunting successes were photos shared with friends and family. Now it seems that everyone wants to be their own TV star and is sharing videos that can really show us in a bad light. Just something to think about...
