Coyotes and Turkey Hunting

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park.city

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Hi all, new to turkey hunting here and i've been reading that coyotes coming in to turkey calls / decoys is a common occurence. Being in southern ontario, i suspect i'll see a yote or two in my turkey attempts. My question is, are you willing to sacrifice your hunt to take out the yote or simply let it pass ?

my initial thought is to crack em and potentially save some turkeys for future hunts but i guess it will depend on the situation.
 
I nailed a big male at about 10yards last year as he was sneaking into my spread. I see coyotes regularly and they haven't always ruined a hunt either. Turkeys feel comfortable out in the open and a coyote would have a hard time sneaking up on one in the middle of a field, that said it hasn't stopped them from wandering through quite regularly and if they get in range they get the business smack in the kisser!

Patrick
 
Never give a coyote a free pass.

I'm my eyes calling in and killing a coyote is waaaaaay more of an accomplishment than killing any turkey LOL.

Turkeys won't be bothered by the gunshot unless they are in the field already...and if they are and a coyote is as well...good chance they won't come in any ways.
 
I would always give up a hunt to whack a coyote. I'd just move somewhere else to hunt if need be. While scouting a couple years ago I saw a coyote come into the field with turkeys, probably no more than 25yds from them and turkeys didn't seem too worried about him. And of course I had no rifle with me. I've never seen one while turkey hunting but some buddies have seen them on occasion. Maybe their calling is better than mine. This past fall during the deer hunt one fella whacked a yote at first light and my hunting partner still got shooting at a nice buck about 20 minutes later in the same field. Didn't get it though, he's fairly new to the sport and this was the first buck he's ever seen and he got a case of the jimmie arms.:dancingbanana:
 
Never pulled trigger on a yote or fox trying to eat decoy or coming to call, but that's me. One of our best bushes to hold yotes for the last two years have just about dried up since 30ish turkey made it their home? The only critter that may get the trigger pulled while turkey hunting is a crow sitting in a tree above me which I have done with a 1o gauge.
 
No way I'm going to screw-up a good set-up for a coyote... I have passed up a couple dozen coyotes inside of 30 yards when set-up for gobblers... I have also popped half a dozen at the end of a set or on a cold stand. I once mouse sqeaked one in on the way in to a gobbler spot... I had him inside of 5 feet several times over a 15 minute period... it was pretty cool to have him at touching distance while I knelt next to a little spruce tree in an overgrown field.... if I had been on the way out, I would have shot it.
 
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Coyotes and grouse are fair game while hunting deer.
Years ago a hunting partner was critical of me shooting a grouse while hunting deer.
Five minutes later I bagged a deer and he went home without a grouse nor a deer. Pity!
 
I whacked 2 coyotes last year while turkey hunting but only managed to bag 1 turkey! Hopefully this year I can reverse those numbers. I'm with those who say never give a coyote a free pass.
 
seems like most guys don't let em walk away unscathed. i tend to agree, while it's not the name of the game, it will benefit the bigger picture. maybe save a fawn or two for the fall time plus many small game animals
 
I've shot coyotes out of my turkey chair more than a couple times. Last year, I stood up to leave right after shooting one and thought, what do I have to lose? I hit the box call and 5 minutes later had a tom come out. I hunt in a area with wineries and the bird cannons go off all the time. Game hardly flinches after a shot around there.
 
I would smoke one whenever I had the chance, and several times ended up getting a gobbler from the same position a short time later. I always concealed the bodies as soon as they were down.
 
Most will have had their pups, so if a wet female is taken, try and find the den so you finish the rest off quickly. Having them starve to death isn't the most humane way of getting them out of the food chain.
Best of luck to all this upcoming season.
 
Haven't had much experience with turkeys (at least not the feathered kind), but a gunshot, if there is no other noise around, won't spook game at all or if they do spook, it won't be for long. At least that's my experience with moose, deer and bear.
 
fratri said:
Most will have had their pups, so if a wet female is taken, try and find the den so you finish the rest off quickly. Having them starve to death isn't the most humane way of getting them out of the food chain.
Best of luck to all this upcoming season.
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hmm interesting point.. first person to bring this up. Having never seen a den im not sure i'd know what to look for. I hunt public forests so it may be out of my control where their den is if they travel a decent distance from it. You're absolutely right, letting pups starve to death isn't humane but im not sure sticking my barrel in the den and blowing the pups away at point blank and/or possibly injuring them is the best way to go either. not a dream decision.
 
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