Turkey hunting forum for turkey hunting tips

You have worked a bird that is on your hitlist into range, just waiting for a good shot. Then you see a coyote sneaking in. The coyote is 35 yards and the Tom is at 25, opposite directions. Which do you shoot? Just stretching my brain, lol. Z

P.S.
         I shoot the gobbler first and try a follow up on the yote. Z

I plan on eating the turkey sooo........the coyote? Not so much.

Probably shot the gobbler , but the yote gets it to if he hangs around .

If I had been hunting the turkey pretty much exclusively and the coyote came in I would take the turkey. That said Coyote aren't in season and I lost being able to hunt for to many years because of my last car accident and am not going to lose it again to shoot a coyote out of season.

They don't call me wild bill fur nothing

Personal experience that has happened..i don't believe coyotes hurt the turkeys as much as everyone thinks..And ill leave it at that


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Coyote, as i've had fewer opportunities to shoot one!

Turkey, without a doubt.

If it's a hit list gobbler and i had been hunting him for a long time, I'll shoot the gobbler... But i hope in the future the coyote gets run over or hit by a train... trap

Turkey

I thought the hypothetical part was a "hit list" turkey...

I'm shooting the turkey every time. But the similar situations I've had have ended up with both getting away. Dog bumps bird, both flee unscathed.


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Gobbler

Both!


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100 percent, I'm shooting the turkey.


But, I have shot coyotes that came in while working a bird on a couple of occasions. I had one bird fired gobbling on the roost and lightly calling to him when a yote came in to investigate. I killed the coyote and the bird went silent.

Still worth killing it.

I've also shot hogs on turkey hunts

 For sure. :turkey2:

Gobbler first and then the Coyote if he remains in shooting distance to experience the same fate.

Dead Tom, then dead coyote. Why I still carry semi, like having options.

Shooting the turkey. At this point I'm kind of indifferent to coyotes

Since I'm turkey hunting not coyote hunting, I'd shoot the turkey and try to kill the coyote after the shot which would be very unlikely.

I did have a weird scenario last year where I shot the gobbler and low and behold a coyote I hadn't seen came running up an embankment and towards me. Really bad and weird move on her part which was even a better bonus taking out a female.

However, shooting or even trapping coyotes is about as productive in the long run as pizzing in the wind. It's virtually impossible to make a dent in the population, but it still feels good.

Turkey shot vs Coyote shot repeated a 1000 times, I'd make the same choice without thinking.

Definitely doing my best to get Two off.

That possibility is a real "hypothetical" around these parts.  I have only had one coyote show up in all the years I have been turkey hunting...and I didn't shoot him even though it did not involve a gobbler and a choice to be made at the time.  The choice would be the same regardless...I would shoot the gobbler every time...and the coyote would go on his merry way even if I did have the time to shoot him. 

I have watched a lot of interactions between turkeys and coyotes over the years and have never witnessed a coyote attempting to catch a turkey.  Once again, "in these parts" they just don't seem to be a problem for adult turkeys. Now, I do question what their impact is on poults since I have never witnessed that circumstance, but as far as predators go, I think coyotes are pretty far down the list of concerns around here.  As we have discussed previously, the benefits of coyotes possibly taking out other predators...especially nest raiders...seems to me to be something worth considering.

On the other hand, I have witnessed coyotes harassing deer and pronghorns...especially does with fawns...on many an occasion.  Now, THAT is a real concern for me, but it also occurs in entirely different habitats where we don't generally have turkeys.  I would take those coyotes out in a heartbeat if I had the chance, but that hypothetical situation where I am in a position to do so also very rarely occurs.

I'm shooting the turkey. 

Im not passing on a gobbler at 25 yards for any other critter.  Im not even shooting one while I'm turkey hunting period.

I probably would have shot the gobbler at 35 yards and never seen the coyote. I know I know Patience!

While hunting in mid-west, I had about 6 to 8 jakes at about 10 yrds. away and a gobbler was calling and coming to me; however, I could not see gobbler.  Out of the CRP grass this coyote charged at the jakes and I put a stop to the coyote at about 10 yrds.  A year before approx. 150 yrds. away in same area, when I was walking in dark I keep hearing something in field, I turned on a light and a coyote was about 20 yrds from me.  After the second time coyo came close I loaded my gun.  I was in some brush and calling, but after a few hours I decided to move and when I did 2 coyotes jumped up in the brush near me and ran away. I have seen up to three together hunting and running deer.  However, I have heard packs in night time when walking out of woods while bow hunting. 

That yote is a goner!!!

 :fud:

Back in the day when I might have set out a decoy out, I seen a coyote walk right up to a Jake decoy from across a field. The closer the yote got the slower his movement became, seemed like he was getting ready for some action. There was no attempt  by him to hide, he just walked right up. When he got to about 5 yds, he stretched his nose out to get a sniff. When I said 'kick mud" the critter promptly exited the field.

The approach the coyote took seemed to me like he was expecting the turkeys to move and was looking for indications of sickness or injury. If he would have seen any indication one if the decoys was less than 100% I'm sure the chase would have been on.

The question I have for those so readily willing to shoot a coyote because they killing turkeys is when all the coyotes, and larger carnivores are gone what's going to be around to remove the sick diseased animals from the flock/herd? Natures balance has these animals for a reason. They're generally not taking down the healthiest of the flock/herd. They prey on the weak, the sick and the dying.

If you take all or severely limit carnivores you'll most likely be removing one of the natural checks and balances that has the ability to help limit the spread of disease through a flock/herd.

The law of unintended consequences rears it's ugly head once again because not only will you be removing an animal that has the possibility to help control the spread of disease your also removing one of the few natural predators that helps control populations of omnivorous mammals(the ones that like to eat turkey eggs).

So the next time your hypothetically shooting a coyote for reasons other than harvesting for use, please consider the coyote your seeing sneak a check list gobbler is most likely assessing then situation trying to figure out if he has a chance to accomplish one of the intended jobs assigned to him by nature.

What isn't natural is for the healthiest of the flock/herd to be removed on a regular basis along with the predators that help remove disease from the flock that's already been weakened because many of the healthiest, the ones with the best genes for survival, are shot every year.

Quote from: Paulmyr on March 11, 2024, 01:00:38 PM
Back in the day when I might have set out a decoy out, I seen a coyote walk right up to a Jake decoy from across a field. The closer the yote got the slower his movement became, seemed like he was getting ready for some action. There was no attempt  by him to hide, he just walked right up. When he got to about 5 yds, he stretched his nose out to get a sniff. When I said 'kick mud" the critter promptly exited the field.

The approach the coyote took seemed to me like he was expecting the turkeys to move and was looking for indications of sickness or injury. If he would have seen any indication one if the decoys was less than 100% I'm sure the chase would have been on.

The question I have for those so readily willing to shoot a coyote because they killing turkeys is when all the coyotes, and larger carnivores are gone what's going to be around to remove the sick diseased animals from the flock/herd? Natures balance has these animals for a reason. They're generally not taking down the healthiest of the flock/herd. They prey on the weak, the sick and the dying.

If you take all or severely limit carnivores you'll most likely be removing one of the natural checks and balances that has the ability to help limit the spread of disease through a flock/herd.

The law of unintended consequences rears it's ugly head once again because not only will you be removing an animal that has the possibility to help control the spread of disease your also removing one of the few natural predators that helps control populations of omnivorous mammals(the ones that like to eat turkey eggs).

So the next time your hypothetically shooting a coyote for reasons other than harvesting for use, please consider the coyote your seeing sneak a check list gobbler is most likely assessing then situation trying to figure out if he has a chance to accomplish one of the intended jobs assigned to him by nature.

What isn't natural is for the healthiest of the flock/herd to be removed on a regular basis along with the predators that help remove disease from the flock that's already been weakened because many of the healthiest, the ones with the best genes for survival, are shot every year.

Coyotes show up on my cameras every spring when fawns are born, I have seen our population keep increasing, like someone said, keep shooting them and doesnt seem to put dent into population. I do my part to keep coyote population in check.

Coyote gets it, because the Gobbler isn't going to be hanging around with a yote at 60 yards.  That gobbler won't let you get within 200 yards of him, so he isn't going to hang around with a yote at 60.    Hypothetically! 

The gobbler, as quickly as possible.


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Quote from: Howie g on March 10, 2024, 09:04:02 PM
Probably shot the gobbler , but the yote gets it to if he hangs around .

X 2

Our turkey season spans 23 days total. Of those 23 days, I typically get 12 to 15 days to hunt. Of those days, it's typically somewhere between 3 to 6 hours a day to hunt that gobbler. And I spend the other 350 or so dreaming about and scheming about getting that gobbler in range.  I have 365 days a year to shoot a coyote. I'm always, 100% of the time, watching that gobbler do the dead bird rodeo as Mr. Mundhenke puts it.

But with that being said, in the fall my brain switches over and I'm completely consumed with trying to scheme and get as many of those coyotes as a can to step on a trap pan, almost as addictive as turkey hunting.


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Shootin' the tom...  Unless the yote is attacking me.

In my area...  I actually think that coyotes are a net benefit.  opossums, racoons, skunks, and pigs are all egg eaters, and bobcats are far more successful in hunting/killing turkeys than are yotes...  Yotes will kill all of these animals given a chance...  Not to mention foxes (and grey foxes can climb trees well).

Do yotes kill turkeys?  By the numbers of yotes I have called in while turkey hunting, I would say yes...  I would still hazard that they are killing less than a single racoon will eat in eggs on the nest.

I will also say, I have called in a number of bobcats, and I would guess that there are a lot more that I called in that winded me before I saw them, whereas coyotes are a bit more bold on their approach.

Generally, I leave the yotes alone, unless the rancher specifically requests I kill them...  And, oddly, last ranch I hunted, the owner specifically requested I do NOT  kill the yotes, cause they help control the squirrels (which were far more problematic).

Quote from: Paulmyr on March 11, 2024, 01:00:38 PM
Back in the day when I might have set out a decoy out, I seen a coyote walk right up to a Jake decoy from across a field. The closer the yote got the slower his movement became, seemed like he was getting ready for some action. There was no attempt  by him to hide, he just walked right up. When he got to about 5 yds, he stretched his nose out to get a sniff. When I said 'kick mud" the critter promptly exited the field.

The approach the coyote took seemed to me like he was expecting the turkeys to move and was looking for indications of sickness or injury. If he would have seen any indication one if the decoys was less than 100% I'm sure the chase would have been on.

The question I have for those so readily willing to shoot a coyote because they killing turkeys is when all the coyotes, and larger carnivores are gone what's going to be around to remove the sick diseased animals from the flock/herd? Natures balance has these animals for a reason. They're generally not taking down the healthiest of the flock/herd. They prey on the weak, the sick and the dying.

If you take all or severely limit carnivores you'll most likely be removing one of the natural checks and balances that has the ability to help limit the spread of disease through a flock/herd.

The law of unintended consequences rears it's ugly head once again because not only will you be removing an animal that has the possibility to help control the spread of disease your also removing one of the few natural predators that helps control populations of omnivorous mammals(the ones that like to eat turkey eggs).

So the next time your hypothetically shooting a coyote for reasons other than harvesting for use, please consider the coyote your seeing sneak a check list gobbler is most likely assessing then situation trying to figure out if he has a chance to accomplish one of the intended jobs assigned to him by nature.

What isn't natural is for the healthiest of the flock/herd to be removed on a regular basis along with the predators that help remove disease from the flock that's already been weakened because many of the healthiest, the ones with the best genes for survival, are shot every year.

I said the same thing a few years ago and was in fear I was going to be tarred and feathed on here.  LOL.  I am less concerned about coyote predation on the sick and dying and more concerned about their predation on the nest robbers (net positive to the turkeys), although the data shows their more important diet is mice, rabbits and plant matter.  They are definitely opportunistic egg eaters (pretty much all omnivores will eat turkey eggs).

We collected scats during the wild turkey reproductive season on 4 different
study areas believed to have abundant wild turkey populations, yet wild turkeys
constituted a minor proportion of coyote diet (0-3.9%). Only 2 previous southeastern coyote diet studies (Lee 1986, Hoerath 1991) reported occurrence of
wild turkey, but neither study was designed to assess occurrence of wild turkey
in coyote diet during the wild turkey reproductive season. Hoerath (1991) reported an annual occurrence of 0.2% for wild turkey from a study area in Sumter County, Alabama; whereas Lee (1986) did not report a specific percentage.

So combine the fact that shooting a coyote one time in a large ecosystem will likely have little to no impact on turkey population.  Like I said years ago, if we are talking about a controlled, small tract, then everything changes. 

I shoot the turkey every time.  In reality, shooting a coyote makes us feel better, but probably does little to change the overall turkey nest success rate in all but small ecosystems.

I had this situation on my place a couple years ago except it was slightly different as I worked the bird what seemed like forever , I caught movement and the Yote was on one side of  me and the gobbler the other. The Yote was  moving towards the bird. I had just a second to think about what to do but the more I looked at this big nasty looking coyote it was about more than just that gobbler/hen whatever he came in for. Yotes do more damage than just turkey, every fawn around thanked  me that day. The Yote got hammered. I hated it as that bird had gobbled what seemed like 75 times but no regrets whatsoever. Again a little different as I could see the Yote but not the gobbler he was just out of sight but I had spent what seemed like forever on that bird!

Shoot the gobbler. 
The coyote won't catch many turkeys but he'll work on the best predators real good.

Nest predators*

Ive never had a "Hitlist Gobbler" but Im shooting the turkey

Quote from: appalachianassassin on March 13, 2024, 01:24:08 PM
Ive never had a "Hitlist Gobbler" but Im shooting the turkey

I've had a ton of "Hitlist" gobblers, every one I've ever heard lol


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Piss on that Coyote, it's Gobbler season!

Shooting the gobbler hands down 100% of the time.

Yote season open 24/7 365 on private land here. So if I want to kill one, I can go back and do it after spring gobbler season.