Denning coyotes???

Anyone on here have any experience?

I know a guy that knows a guy that found a den once. He sent me some cool pics!!!

I used to den coyotes in the spring while working for the government. If you have a hand held siren, about 10 am, crank it up. If there is a pair of coyotes denning in listening distance, they will answer. Plan you approach according to the wind. You can usually track them to the den when you get around a couple of hundred yards out. Coyotes will den in small rises in the sage brush (usually where the sage is taller than areas around the den area). This is because the dirt is deeper and the sage can get a better root system to grow. The dirt is easier to dig in, and usually the coyotes will clean out three or four dens, and move the pups every couple of weeks. Look on the north, east and west sides of ridges. I've only found one den on the southern exposure of a hillside, so I look on the other three the most. If you can help not digging the den to retreive the pups, it is to your benefit as coyotes will use the same holes from year to year.

BUCKSNBOWS wrote:

I know a guy that knows a guy that found a den once. He sent me some cool pics!!!

Smarty pants

Ridge:

Good info. Your experience is pretty close to mine but most of the country I work doesn't have soil or sagebrush, just rocks. :-)

What month did you have the best luck in calling coyotes with dens? Did you use a dog or just a siren and then walk in on them?

Late April through the month of May. By the end of May, the pups will have what we called a playground around the opening of the den. The grass will be down flat from pups playing on it. I used to really like hunting dens when the pups were playing at the den opening as I could sneak up close and shoot them as they tried to make their way back to the den.
I would use a blue heeler dog to lure the Dog and Bitch to me when hunting for dens. I would get him to romp around out in front of me at about 50+ yards. When the coyotes saw him, they would yip and chase him back to me, where I would be waiting with the shotgun to end their career.
When using the siren, and after getting a response, I would ride my (now this is going to date me) three wheeler to about 4 hundred yards down-wind from where I believed the response came from, and sneak in from there.
Oh yea, when calling, use a call that has a reed that you can immitate a pup in distress. The bitch will come a running when she hears that. The dog is usually right behind her, sometimes up to fifty yards.

A three wheeler??!!!??? Who was your companion, Butch Cassidy?? :-)

I have always howled earlier in the day, usually before daylight but now I see how that frequently led to wild goose chases if the parents weren't back on the den by that time. Usually by 9-10 in the morning, they are back there and will defend the den area. Good info!!!

I found a few dens when I was a Gov't trapper.. before 3 wheelers were invented. Ridgeback wouldn't have den hunted with Butch Cassidy....Butch Cassidy wasn't much of a hand on den hunting. Probably the best method to locate dens would be using a dog while riding horseback....the yotes will focus on your dog and not you. Don't let them get in too close..you don't want a dog/yote fight under your horse. A good denning dog will range very far out away from you in open country. A smart dog will catch on very quickly to what you are trying to accomplish..he will bring them back to you. Don't use a dog that fights the yotes...eventually ANY breed of fighting dog will be killed...besides all those vet bills. Ask ranchers where they are seeing yotes during denning season. Calling with the pup distress sound works well..coyotes can't count..they will think it's one of their's.... when a pair comes in always shoot the bitch first...the one with the dark belly. Howling/siren works well. Ridgeback is right..don't dig or destroy the den. Use blocked in cage traps to catch any pups in the hole. Check and recheck den sites...yotes can move their pups many times in 4 to 5 weeks. On hard ground where tracks can't be seen look for flies buzzing around the hole to tell if it's an active den. If you don't like seeing a pile of cute little dead coyote pups please disregard this post.

Idayote,

Thanks for the info.

What time of day are you using your howling or siren?

Cameron2, Anytime between 10 A.M. and 5 P.M. I prefer howling over the siren. The bitch yote will send the dog yote out hunting at anytime of day or night..however..he will most likely be near the den during the middle of the day. If you get an aggressive response to your howl he is most likely with the bitch. If a yote sneaks in on you in response to your howl...you are probably close to the den. If both yotes come in to your howl you are close to the den! Anytime you can get a yote to vocalize in response listen very closely to what it is saying..it will let you know what it is thinking. When using a siren always stop the siren sound abruptly, listen up to 5 minutes for a response. HUGE TIP..always try to remain undetected while den hunting or calling.

My area has very little water -- usually an isolated spring or cattle trough up in a dead end canyon or something similar. Just curious what your experience has been as to the number of dens around an isolated water source like that. Could there be more than one den within hearing of the spring? Seems like every den I've found is within eyesight of a water source of some kind.

Your area sounds like a den hunter's heaven!!!! With water that scarce they pretty much are concentrated as to where they are denning. There must be numerous den holes around each spring...some being used and some not from year to year. I've never had the luxury of den hunting in the type of area you are describing. Early morning and late evening scouting with binocs near scarce water canyon country would surely pay dividends. I've never found or heard of multiple active dens being used that are close together....however... I have seen where two bitches will use the same hole... a double den. Your area could be the exception.

Den hunter's haven? OK . . . if you say so. :-)

I've got to get out to the "haven" early next week and find some dens. Too much w-w-w-w-w-w-woooooork to do this week but maybe I can sneak out in the evenings and get some located so next week I can go sneak in on them. Nothing more exciting in my book than seeing a big old boss dog coyote all hunched up and barking at your dog, whizzing on every bush and kicking dust. . . . just before a 55 grain bullet hits him.

Best of luck to you. You got coyote fever for sure! Better watch out though..it could turn into coyote crazy Being coyote crazy isn't so bad..other coyote crazy guys won't look at you funny like everyone else does...they understand Wife/girlfriend, family, work and all that other stuff....just have to take a back seat for a while..you know...until you get a few thousand yotes under your belt. Then you might get back to normal Don't you just love that WHACK sound a 55 grainer makes?

I love to see the coyote go down and the tail spin in the air. You know that you made a good connect with the shot when that happens.

Maybe I can get out this weekend a little bit. I think I've got some more areas using Google Earth . . . springs out in the sage flats with "humps" of vegetation from sand blows. I can almost spot the dens from the air. :-)

Good hunting Cameron2. The more coyotes you take, the better the chance of survival for the bobcats. Coyotes will make short work of a bobcat, so take a bunch.

You don't think I messed this one up too bad do you?



For all of you who think you can tame the little buggers, here's one that hasn't hardly got his eyes open and what's his first instinct?? Bite you!!

Good job, now find a few dozen more dens.

I've tried raising a couple of pups that I got from a den. I got them when their eyes were still closed. They got the rickets and I had to treat them for that. They did grow up, and became attached to a friend of mine and I, but no one else. One of them was killed by my friends dog when they were playing, and the other one was shot by a neighbor. I had a red collar on it, but the guy shot it anyway. I've found that its just not worth trying to raise them, even though they are cute as pups.

Ya, they are cute . . . but then they grow up. Kind of like . . . . well, never mind.

I had a buddy that trapped a pregnant female and as soon as it gave birth, he took the pups. A couple of them died, but a couple survived. They ended up pretty much like Ridge said . . . just casulties of life. However, one of them was real tame and it looked like he would enjoy a long life with his new-found master, but one day it just decided it wanted to bite everyone that was within reach. It wasn't rabid or anything . . . just that predatory switch that they all have suddenly turned on and then it was "look out."

Knew another local guy that was a real good denner and always had litters of pups at his place. I was just a kid and I used to go up and help him feed them with a milk bottle. It was amazing how quickly they get that "coyote look" about them and have all the attributes of an adult coyote -- they slink, they stare, they lift their lips to show aggression, etc. Not much bigger than a cottontail rabbit and they look like an adult coyote in miniture.

Turn up the volume

Notice all the trails connecting all the holes. A regular puppy playground.

Looks like you may have found a den if there are pups still there.

Good job Cameron! That dog is having fun...love it!

Just because you know there is a den there, doesn't mean you can get the pups. LOL


Welcome to the Catclaw jungle. They should rename this stuff razor wire. I crawled in there and when I came out I looked like I had been in a fight with a chainsaw.