Coyote/fox hunting

[axp817]

So I got my NH hunter safety card after passing the exam a couple of weeks ago. I can now get my NH hunting license and go hunting. I would like to start with small game like coyote, which are in abundance in NH, and hence have an open season.

I plan on using a 12 ga. shotgun with #4 buckshot (since rifles for hunting are not allowed in the county I am in, due to residential buildings in the vicinity) but suggestions, tips for rifles are also very welcome.

I found out that John/Grumpy does quite a bit of varmint hunting, especially fox and asked if he would like to give us some advice and share his stories on the forum, to which he happily agreed.

Since I have never gone hunting before (well, except for the one time when a friend and I (complete novices) went crow hunting and did everything wrong and ended up spending 3 hours wandering around a sand pit and the woods behind our club), I don't have any specific questions, and would like to hear anything and everything people have to say about coyote or other small game hunting. Topics could include, but are not limited to - gear/equipment, shot placement, gutting, skinning small game, removing and taking care of the pelt, etc.

I will keep posting updates from my side too, as I start preparing to go.

Thanks,
Naren

[mundaire]

Hmm, I guess for any such outdoor activity you should start off with a pair of comfortable and rugged shoes. Clothing should be appropriate for the weather, of course one must take care to choose clothes that do not hamper movement, so as to allow you to "mount & swing" without snagging your gun in the loose folds of your clothes... Carrying a decent supply of snacks and drink is also a good idea if you plan on spending several hours on foot - needless to say, be careful not to litter the wilderness A Swiss knife or similar tool is always handy, but for skinning you would probably want to keep a more appropriate knife with you.

Question - Do you intend to skin the coyote?!! Whatever for?!!

On the safety side of things, be sure to know where your fellow hunters are - be aware of them at ALL TIMES... you most certainly don't want to repeat the mistake made by your veep

Cheers!
Abhijeet

[Mark]

Naren,

If you are planning on using a shotgun, I suspect you will be hunting at night. Please check if this is the legal way of doing it in NH, but this is how a lot of it iis done in the midwest-

At night, you'll have someone call them in with a rabbit or other squealer call. You can use a spotlight, some use a red filter and some don't, but the technique is the same. Once you see their eyes, a person will keep just the edge of the light beam on the coyote DO NOT EVER LET THE COYOTE GET OUT OF THE BEAM! If the light is always on the coyote he cannot see the people and will not know you are there. If he gets out of the beam he'll see you right away and be gone. They will also spook if you point the light directly at them, so don't do that either. It depends on what you are able to do with your gun, but 30 yards is a good range to pull the trigger.

Don't worry about coyote pelts until the snow has been on the ground for a little while, the fur will slip otherwise.

[axp817]

Thanks Abhijeet, for the tips.

Question - Do you intend to skin the coyote?!! Whatever for?!!

So I could make use of its furry pelt. It would be a shame to just toss the animal in the dumpster after killing it.

Coyotes are in abundance and are hunted to control their populations, since no one eats their meat, they are mostly tossed (?) or used for fur.

Well skinned and tanned coyote fur can fetch upto $35, I've heard.

-Naren

[mundaire]

So I could make use of its furry pelt. It would be a shame to just toss the animal in the dumpster after killing it.

Coyotes are in abundance and are hunted to control their populations, since no one eats their meat, they are mostly tossed (?) or used for fur.

Well skinned and tanned coyote fur can fetch upto $35, I've heard.

Ah, never did know coyote fur was of any value/ use ... guess one lives and learns

Cheers!
Abhijeet

[axp817]

Mark,
Thank you, that is some real good info. for a beginner like me.

If you are planning on using a shotgun, I suspect you will be hunting at night. Please check if this is the legal way of doing it in NH, but this is how a lot of it iis done in the midwest-

The county I live in is 'shotgun only' due to the proximity of residential buildings to the public hunting land. I plan on doing daytime hunting only, for now, and unless I hunt in a different county, I will have to stick to shotties.

It depends on what you are able to do with your gun, but 30 yards is a good range to pull the trigger.

I was thinking of 25-30 yards too, not beyond that.

Don't worry about coyote pelts until the snow has been on the ground for a little while, the fur will slip otherwise.

ok, I didn't know this but will keep in mind.

Also, pardon my ignorance, but what do people usually do with coyotes if they can't be skinned? toss 'em?

I plan on going out looking for coyote this coming weekend, probably Sunday, early in the AM, more to scout the area, lets see how I do.

thanks,
Naren

[Mark]

Some of the western states used to pay bounties for coyotes, I do not know if they do it nowadays or not.

A strip of white adhesive tape along the top of the barrel is a big help at night.

For all- Coyote fur is the material of choice for lining the hoods of winter jackets, as frost does not form on coyote fur (from your breath) as it does on the furs of other animals.

[Grumpy]

Sorry for the late arrival - I didn`t realise that you`d started the thread.
I`ve never hunted Coyotes but from what I`ve heard they`re pretty similar to Foxes in habit.
I thought that you intended to use your .223 rifle but maybe NH is shotgun only ? I don`t like the use of shotguns on Foxes as you have to call them in very close but if you have no choice in the matter...........
Over the years I suppose that I`ve shot two or three Foxes with a shotgun - I doubt if it`s any more.
The most effective call that I`ve used with Foxes is a Rabbit `Squealer` which simulates the sound of a Rabbit squealing in pain. If you are patient - and still/quiet - you can bring them in very close. I was once sat on a stump using the call when I heard a `snuffling` to my left and just behind - it was a Fox that was no more than 4-5 feet away. Didn`t even get a shot at him as he lit off as I turned.
All the Fox shooting that I`ve done - apart from the rare instances above - has been with a rifle. I`ve used a .22 Hornet, .222, .22-250, 6mm PPC and .243. I`ve even used my .17 HMR successfully on a couple of occasions when I`ve been out rabbitting. Those were head shots obviously and at no more than 50 yards. Using a 22-250 I`ve had Fox out to 300 yards; With a .243 around 400 yards and with a 6mm PPC around 600 yards. I think that I`ve mentioned before that there`s a guy near where I live who has a new Land Rover Pick-up set up as a mobile Foxing station and he`s had Foxes out to around 900 yards. He`a currently using a 6mm wildcat of some description. The Fox that I shot at just over 600 yards was with his old rig - a 6mm PPC from a Land Rover Series II.
If you are going lamping at night - make sure that is legal where you are as I know that in many US States night hunting isn`t allowed - you`ll find that the Coyote/Fox will often `freeze` as the beam hits it. That`s the best time to shoot. Sometimes they`ll then promptly leg it but other times they`ll move off at a normal pace and will often stop to look at the beam. You need to keep tracking them as - like Mark says - they will run off at top speed if they see you. Using the call as you track the animal in the beam will usually stop it in its` tracks - Foxes are opportunist and curious.
Nearly all the rifles that I`ve used for Fox shooting have been fitted with moderators - `Silencers` in other words. Very useful and really allows you to keep hunting when otherwise every Fox for a mile in all directions disappears as soon as they hear a shot. I even have a T8 moderator on my new 6.5x55 Deer rifle. Obviously they can`t suppress the supersonic `crack` of the bullet but 30dB reduction of the noise from the rifle makes a dramatic difference. Unfortunately you aren`t allowed sound moderators in the US.
My current Fox rifle is an old BSA CF2 in .22-250. I bought it ( for ?55 at a country auction ! ) a couple a months ago and then discovered that it looked like the rifling was almost non-existent but cleaning the muck of years out of the barrel revealed that the rifling was deep and crisp and the chamber unmarked. The rifle is even screwcut for a moderator. I took it to the range where I discovered that it would group 55 gr Winchesters into 3/4" all day long. The woodwork needs to be tidied up though ( ! ) I`ve fitted it with a Hawke high/vari-power IR scope with a Deben lamp clamped on top. If you shoot by yourself a high powered spotlamp mounted on top of the scope is essential - you can`t hold and track a lamp in one hand and shoot with the other. You also need to shoot from a rest as the lamp/scope/moderator adds a fair bit of weight to a rifle.
I know that a lot of UK Fox shooting enthusiasts swear by the use of a red filter on their spotlamps but I can`t get on with them - I can`t see properly when using one unless at close range. It is a fact that Foxes are much less likely to `spook` in red light.
By the way, a load of No 4 shot from a tightly choked barrel is likely to make a mess of a pelt.......be more like a furry strainer !
Hope this helps. Good luck and have fun.

[axp817]

Thank you for the detailed and very informative reply, John.

I was about to hit the sack, but didn't feel like going to bed without atleast offering my thanks.

Will post my comments/replies tomorrow morning.

-Naren

[Mack The Knife]

Grumpy,

How far is the throw from your Deben spotlight?

Incidentally, would you know where I could get a real bargain on a Lightforce handheld? Looking for a 170mm Striker or better still a 170mm based Lightforce Walkabout minus the batteries.

Thanks.

Mack The Knife

[Grumpy]

if you remind me this weekend I`ll have a look around.

Thanks, Grumpy. Will send you a reminder on Friday evening - going fishing this weekend.

Mack The Knife

[Grumpy]

Mack The Knife, how did you manage to get rid of my post and replace it with a single quote ? I`m not concerned - just think you`ve done something high-tech unintentionally.

[Mack The Knife]

You mean like this?

just think you`ve done something high-tech unintentionally.

Copy, paste, highlight and then clik the quote button.

[Grumpy]

Er, no actually. Like in `you have removed my post` Mack The Knife and left only a quote from the text.

[axp817]

Mack The Knife,
Look at your post, and then look to the left. Its your post (typed by you) but has the name "Grumpy" for poster's info. I think thats what John is talking about.

You could have been logged in as the moderator and instead of replying to Grumpy's post, you probably 'edited' it, in error.

-N