Never been hunting, unsure of protocol

Karai17

Karai17

Member
EE Expired
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Location
Nova Scotia
I plan to go hunting this season but there are a few things I am unsure of. With animals such as deer or moose, the idea of hunting is simple enough: Kill it, gut it, eat it. But what about coyote or bear? I'm fairly certain that coyote aren't particularly edible (not sure about bear...) due to parasites and whatnot, so if you're out coyote or fox hunting, what do you end up doing with the animals? Is predator hunting more for sport, where you just sort of chuck the body in the woods for nature to take its course, or is there something I am missing? Lots of videos on YouTube show people throwing coyotes in the back of their trucks but I can't think of what you'd do with them when you got them home.

I'd like to go coyote hunting, but I don't personally want to kill something for my own entertainment (lots of people seem to enjoy plinking squirrels, just not my thing), I'd like there to be some sort of purpose to the act (such as eating your deer). Could someone maybe enlighten me on this? Maybe coyote stew is actually quite tasty (and safe)?
 
Bear is a very good wild game animal to eat.

if you don't have experience don't think moose is a good starter.

basically you re right, hunting, gutting, skinning and processing the meat but may I suggest you to find a mentor if not well taking care you can spoil or waste the meat ...

all the best and success for your hunt.
 
Yeah I don't really plan to go moose hunting, I just threw that in for an example. I'd have to travel rather far to find any moose, heh. And yes, I'll have a mentor with me, though I think we'd probably have a deer commercially butchered if we manage to catch one.
 
Karai17 said:
A fair point. ;)

Could someone please touch on the "what do you do with an inedible kill"? c:
Click to expand...

We humans hunt at times for other reasons than meat. Fur-bearers such as coyote, wolf, and fox have value in their pelts and sometimes skulls. Other animals such as ground squirrels are hunted for protection of crops and/or pasture.
 
Yeah, that's also a fair point. Many animals have wearable fur that has some value, and pest control is important, too.

It is legal to hunt coyote year-round with a basic hunting licence, but you need a special permit to trap them and sell the pelts to the government (in Nova Scotia, anyway). So if I were to go hunting coyotes, would there be any "higher purpose", could I sell the pelts to anyone, or would it be more of a personal choice to take or leave the fur?

Again, I don't really have a problem with killing things, but doing it solely for entertainment isn't really my gig. If I could do something with the corpse instead of wasting a life, I'd be much more at peace.
 
The great thing about hunting rifles is they don't indiscriminately kill whatever is in front of them (unlike a handgun or a full auto assault rifle according to the media). You get to choose as a hunter what tags you would like to buy and even what animals you want to shoot if they walk in front of you accidentally while you are hunting . Unsure of eating a bear or having some taxidermy done up ? don't shoot it,easy peasy .Usually open game like Coyotes or Wolf in some places are open because there are too many of the little buggers running around to nicely balance the more desirable game like deer populations or moose etc. The predator hunting season usually is a conservation effort because if there are too many predators they will kill off the game and either starve/suffer or move into the cities/farm land to find easier pickings and become nuisance animals.
 
Hrm. I know I can pick and choose what I shoot at, what I'm trying to get across is I WANT to go hunting, and I'd like to be able to hunt when I want to, not in a short season such as deer season. Hunting coyote seems like it would be fun, thrilling, and all that but I don't really want to go out killing things just for the sake of killing, you know? I have nothing against people who do, it's just not something I'm really into. Your point about conservation is noteworthy, and I'll keep that in mind. If I were able to make use of coyote pelts, I'd have no problems at all but the government only buys pelts from licensed trappers, and I'm not really sure if anyone buys pelts commercially (or if it legal to sell them commercially). Taxidermy seems like a bit of a cop-out, at least for this particular conundrum.

In the case that someone in my position were to go out and hunt coyote purely for sport, what was be the "proper" thing to do with the body?
 
As a personal rule I only shoot animals I plan on eating unless they are nuisance critters.

What to do with the carcass of vermin or problem animals such as coyotes depends on the area. In populated areas it's best to bury them so as not to offend anyone. Out in the bush, as long as it's out of the way I like to leave them so other critters can have a free lunch.

With game animals I've harvested I leave the guts in an out of the way place for the birds and such to feast on.

We, as hunters, have to remember that we share the bush with others with different sensibilities than ours and have to act accordingly.

JMHO
 
Karai17 said:
Hrm. I know I can pick and choose what I shoot at, what I'm trying to get across is I WANT to go hunting, and I'd like to be able to hunt when I want to, not in a short season such as deer season. Hunting coyote seems like it would be fun, thrilling, and all that but I don't really want to go out killing things just for the sake of killing, you know? I have nothing against people who do, it's just not something I'm really into. Your point about conservation is noteworthy, and I'll keep that in mind. If I were able to make use of coyote pelts, I'd have no problems at all but the government only buys pelts from licensed trappers, and I'm not really sure if anyone buys pelts commercially (or if it legal to sell them commercially). Taxidermy seems like a bit of a cop-out, at least for this particular conundrum.

In the case that someone in my position were to go out and hunt coyote purely for sport, what was be the "proper" thing to do with the body?
Click to expand...

Psst give the coyotes you shoot to a trapper,You feel better because the animal is not wasted and the trapper makes gas money and a new friend.Win win
 
I do a lot of predator hunting, but I don't have the facilities or knowledge to skin stretch and market the furs, so I give them to a couple kids who run a trap line with the assistance of their dad. They work hard and use the money to fund there racing in summer months, gotta respect teens willing to work for something. Anyways, I believe they actually reuse the carcasses as bait. If you were into bear hunting, and had freezer space available, you could save fur bearing animal carcasses to further perpetuate your hunting. Bear meat is edible as long as they have never been to a garbage dump. Best of luck and remember to take a kid hunting.
 
don't wreck your partners buck hunt by pot shots at a coyote,get it straight before you go
my dads rules were
1- booze comes out guns go away- everytime
2- never touch another mans stuff without asking first
3-everyone does dishes ,not your turn then get fire wood,
best of luck
 
Coyote pelts are only good if taken while in prime winter shape, usually from around November to February. The rest of the year they are no good for sale. The only purpose to shooting a coyote the rest of the year is as pest control. You could try talking to some farmers, sheep are a favorite food of yotes. I'm not sure exactly how it works in Nova Scotia, but here you need to acquire a trappers license to be able to sell the fur as well. The proper thing to do with a dead yote out of prime is to feed it to the crows. Nature doesn't waste a thing!
If you're wanting to shoot something for the pot year round, check your local hunting regulations on squirrel, rabbit, grouse, etc....(not too sure what you've got out East). There's often small game legal to be taken most of the year and I haven't tried the squirrel yet, but rabbit and grouse can be excellent table fare.
 
Dont really know what to say about the bear, I'm still making my mind up on them too. As far as yotes go, your not just shooting them to shoot them, everyone of those little buggers you send for a dirt nap is another calf, fawn, bunny, sheep or chicken coop that goes unbothered. I understand how a guy can get down on himself for feeling like he shot something for nothing. Me myself, I get all warm and fuzzy when I see those cute little f*uckers with the white spots (whitetail fawns) out playing around come spring and I dont feel a bit of guilt for shooting yotes all winter.
 
I guess it's all a matter of putting it inter perspective, eh? I agree, knowing that there are a handful of baby deer that get to grow up, play, and mate before maybe being harvested and eaten in the circle of life makes it all worthwhile, and easier on the conscience.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom