The weirdest thing happened yesterday morning, and evening. I got to my spot (which just a few days earlier, we were scouting around to make sure everything was good to go and jumped about 4 deer) at about 5:30AM, well before daylight, got setup, totally quiet. Wind at my face, but still had no scent on me, didn't hear too much activity until right before daylight, coyotes started yipping - no big deal, sounded like a fairly large pack, but its common around where I hunt.
Then another pack answers back - this one sounded like quite a few more coyotes that I'm used to hearing (possibly 15 or more) and just when they were about half way through with their howling, another pack behind me (this was was fairly close and started to concern me a little). Among all of this racket is the normal howling and yipping, but also very distinct barking and what sounds like a full-grown man screaming as loud and as hard as he can.
Then I hear it - not 15yds to the east side of where I usually get a deer (I'm on the other side at about 60yds to the west), it sounded like what could have been 35 or so coyotes - louder, closer, and well more aggressive than I've ever heard in my life. They almost sounded like they were fighting and then shortly after, they get quiet (with one or two yotes whimpering and whining). Then I see no deer (until I finally give up from being eaten up by mosquitoes) at about 8:30 (it was wet and a little warmer than I thought it would be).
So I head back out for the evening - this time with my son at about 4:00pm. We setup to the north of the spot this time, on the back of a pond dam and I'm again in good cover, the wind has shifted and is yet again at my face - evening hunts in this area are almost a sure thing - I've gotten (or taken friends to get) the last 3 deer from this spot and its always a sure thing when we get there - the deer always show up.
Right about 5:10pm or so, here come the coyotes again - one pack, two packs, then the third one was again just to the east of my spot - its even louder this time (approx 75yds away from us - it was so loud that it startled my son who was sleeping on my backpack next to me). This time, it almost sounded violent and there was definitely some hurt yotes afterwards.
No Deer after this until its too dark to take a shot and I give up.
This year so far, I've seen/heard more coyotes than I think I ever have - and some of the ones I've seen almost look like they're breeding with Farrel dogs or something - I swear, the one I saw up north of Morris looked like it was built like a German Shepard.
Is it possible that they're bold enough to go after a small doe or Fawn and scaring away my deer? I was kind of hoping for one of them to pop up over the hill so I could blast one (even if it meant ruining my opening-day deer hunt) and kind of wished that I had brought along my cotton-tail call with me.
I was kind of pissed, but I really want to hunt coyotes this year, so I guess if I can just get through deer rifle season, I'll have to go after some yotes.
I'm not going to lie, that was almost "stand up the hair on the back of my neck" scary when I heard that close pack start howling. I only had 5rds and a bolt-gun and my CZ was in the jeep quite a ways away.
Then another pack answers back - this one sounded like quite a few more coyotes that I'm used to hearing (possibly 15 or more) and just when they were about half way through with their howling, another pack behind me (this was was fairly close and started to concern me a little). Among all of this racket is the normal howling and yipping, but also very distinct barking and what sounds like a full-grown man screaming as loud and as hard as he can.
Then I hear it - not 15yds to the east side of where I usually get a deer (I'm on the other side at about 60yds to the west), it sounded like what could have been 35 or so coyotes - louder, closer, and well more aggressive than I've ever heard in my life. They almost sounded like they were fighting and then shortly after, they get quiet (with one or two yotes whimpering and whining). Then I see no deer (until I finally give up from being eaten up by mosquitoes) at about 8:30 (it was wet and a little warmer than I thought it would be).
So I head back out for the evening - this time with my son at about 4:00pm. We setup to the north of the spot this time, on the back of a pond dam and I'm again in good cover, the wind has shifted and is yet again at my face - evening hunts in this area are almost a sure thing - I've gotten (or taken friends to get) the last 3 deer from this spot and its always a sure thing when we get there - the deer always show up.
Right about 5:10pm or so, here come the coyotes again - one pack, two packs, then the third one was again just to the east of my spot - its even louder this time (approx 75yds away from us - it was so loud that it startled my son who was sleeping on my backpack next to me). This time, it almost sounded violent and there was definitely some hurt yotes afterwards.
No Deer after this until its too dark to take a shot and I give up.
This year so far, I've seen/heard more coyotes than I think I ever have - and some of the ones I've seen almost look like they're breeding with Farrel dogs or something - I swear, the one I saw up north of Morris looked like it was built like a German Shepard.
Is it possible that they're bold enough to go after a small doe or Fawn and scaring away my deer? I was kind of hoping for one of them to pop up over the hill so I could blast one (even if it meant ruining my opening-day deer hunt) and kind of wished that I had brought along my cotton-tail call with me.
I was kind of pissed, but I really want to hunt coyotes this year, so I guess if I can just get through deer rifle season, I'll have to go after some yotes.
I'm not going to lie, that was almost "stand up the hair on the back of my neck" scary when I heard that close pack start howling. I only had 5rds and a bolt-gun and my CZ was in the jeep quite a ways away.
