HONEST QUESTION: RE: Shooting a Coyote while you're on a sit for Deer...

[doc88]

Coyotes got to go. I'll always shoot one if I can while deer hunting unless mister big is standing there. I remember I put one of my sons in a stand in our back field. When I picked him up there lay 2 coyotes, which he shot first, and a 10 point. True Story.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Was hunting yesterday buddy shot a yote 10 min before sunrise...texted me should I move...I said nope. He saw deer all morning, he even missed a decent buck...lol

 

[TheGrayRider]

Coyote - shoot it.
Wild pig - shoot it.
Mountain lion (if legal) - shoot it.
Wolf (if legal) - shoot it.
Jackal (if hunting in Africa) - shoot it.
Red river hog (Africa) - shoot it.

The list continues…

 

[rookieforever33]

I shot a coyote with my crossbow as a doe was looking at it, she went back to feeding for ten more minutes. Throughout the day 8 more deer came into that foodplot, not all even payed attention to it, the few that did chilled out after they realized it was dead.

 

[TSAMP]

Wonder if it's because they smelled where the rubber of the soles of your boots touched the ground/grasses and such?

I dont think so. Im not sure ive ever seen a deer pick up my ground scent while in rubber boots.
I look at it just like my deer decoy. If I put it in a low visibility area and they are suprised by it. It pisses them off. If they can see it a ways off they will feed right on by it.

 

[freezerfull]

I always shoot when I get the opportunity and don’t worry about spooking deer. The only time I would deviate is if I knew exactly where a buck I wanted to harvest was and/or had eyes on him and was making a play.

Haven’t been out much this year but the last 3 times I shot or shot at yotes late last fall I almost immediately had a deer encounter after.

First was a coyote pestering some muley does and a forky. They seemed pretty please it was dead.

My coyote shooting got a 150 ish muley out of his bed and standing broadside at 300 ish, I didn’t know he was there prior and I did pass on the buck.

Then the last coyote I shot last fall at about 515 yards. 5 minutes later I had a very nice cruising 140ish whitetail walked right by him, paused and stared at his carcass for at least a minute. I was tagged out on my buck tag and looking for a wt doe on a second tag at that point. He then went back to cruising, and crested a rise heading towards a highway pullout about 1/2 mile a way. 5 minutes later a distant shot, I assumed at that point he was no longer with us

 

[Dwnw/theAltitudesickness]

I would shoot the yote

 

[justinspicher]

Yep, I’ll shoot a prairie dog, ground squirrel, grouse or even a rabbit during a deer/elk hunt.

 

[lhbackcountry]

She may have smelled you, regardless of the rabbit blood. We’ve almost always gone by, regardless of what you’re hunting, when you see a coyote, it’s now a coyote hunt.


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This.

I have seen does and coyote in the same green field, shot the yote and watched the deer look up and continue eating.

I have also farted in a stand and watched deer run away.

Whitetails are weird.

 

[4weight]

I will interrupt a deer hunt every day to shoot a coyote, in fact I have interrupted 3 so far this season while bow hunting and will continue to do thru gun season.

Amen...100 percent me too.

 

[TaperPin]

In my lifetime I’ve never shot anything else while big game hunting. Ever. I’ve never gone fishing, never shot prairie dogs, never played the banjo, never tried River Dance, never tossed a football, and have never thrown a frisbee other than a cow turd. If someone wants to do any of that more power to you, but I’m not interested. If someone wants to kill coyotes I have a 22-250 ready to go any day any time, except during deer, elk or antelope season. If you’re more excited about coyotes than deer, we need to get you out more often.

I will smack a big blackie while hunting other things, but I’m not interested in a young bear so little the cool kids would laugh at it, and not enough hide to make slippers out of.

 

[Alanders]

It’s always a coyote hunt when you see a coyote. I suppose it depends on how big of a hunt it is. I have passed on yotes when I had a big deer in the area.

 

[4weight]

It’s always a coyote hunt when you see a coyote. I suppose it depends on how big of a hunt it is. I have passed on yotes when I had a big deer in the area.

On whitetail hunts I have shot a yote with deer around, they disappear for 2-3 minutes and come right back.

 

[RancherJohn]

Shot a coyote this year at 430 yds, then an elk at 500 within 3 minutes on the next hilltop inline with the coyote. It's not something I/we always do, but when the mood strikes...

 

[Jimss]

My guess is there are a lot of factors involved whether shooting a coyote or other game will impact deer....and how long a period before they settle down. Time of year, Sept/Oct vs rut season date, weather, wind, thick trees vs open country, etc.

If I had a particular mossy=horned buck in mind and had waited 30 years for a tag, I would very likely pass on the coyote. If I was hunting small bucks or does it likely won't matter a whole lot. If you spend much time in the same area in the off season you likely see coyotes just about every day and killing one coyote can be done fairly easily. On the other hand, if you've never seen a coyote in your life and there is a prime coated coyote in front of you it may be worth spooking deer. Prime coyote pelts are gorgeous and you'll likely save a few deer fawns.

If your hunt or season is only 5 days, it may spook the smarter bucks for at least that day....and depending upon all the factors I listed above, you may or may not ever see a truly big buck. If you have a long season, and time isn't a factor it may not matter. If you are in a buck's honey hole during the rut and he has nowhere else better to go, it may not matter? If you have lots of country you can hunt it may not matter....just pack up and hunt another area.

There is a gob of scenarios to keep in mind before whacking a coyote. I'm sure the deer and ranchers will be thankful for every coyote you shoot.

 

[Alanders]

On whitetail hunts I have shot a yote with deer around, they disappear for 2-3 minutes and come right back.

I arrowed one several years ago and he went about 100 yards away and yelped until he expired. Didn’t see deer that night. I will do that again, though.

 

[4weight]

Look, yotes are fawn killers. Long term you are doing the herd a serious disservice if you are not killing them.

 

[Chris in TN]

Yep, I’ll shoot a prairie dog, ground squirrel, grouse or even a rabbit during a deer/elk hunt.

I often will take a suppressed .22lr to the deer stand with me. Even sometimes when I take my kids hunting whitetail on public land, I'll take a suppressed .22lr and their deer rifles.

I'll shoot coyotes any day of the year.