Hunting in the brush

[Carolina Dog]

Hello Experts,
I live in South Carolina and in the past 7-10 years we have been over taken by Coyotes. Our deer herd is falling hard. Many hunters have tried to hunt the dogs but,say it's just to tuff to do. Any suggestions for getting started and remember our territory is small fields,cut over,and thick cover every where. Houses and roads all within hearing distance and many times eye sight.


Carolina Dog

[DustyC]

Shotgun with 3 or 3an1/2 mag. I would use #4 buck or copper plated BB.

[bucksnbears]

get some buddies and make a drive

[lyonch]

get some buddies and make a drive

I know we are all about the calling of coyotes around here, but a simple deer style drive (for coyotes) or hounds are a very effective way to kill numbers of coyotes!! Calling can be tough to in thick brushy areas due to visibility. Have you every thought about trying to trap them?

[Carolina Dog]

I'm a little worried about trapping due to the number of pet dogs and hunting dogs. We don't have large tracks of land and so many pets run loose and cross from one track to another.I will be hunting on many different tracks of land by permission from the land owners.I don't want to catch a house dog.
I have not thought about the man drive.That may be something to try.It seems that the coyote are bunched up in areas.Land owners say they hear 3-5 dogs or more at night and then others say the hear nothing. They seem to move around.
This is all new to me so just learning what I am up against is my first step. If you guy's will tell me some things to expect Iwould appreciate it.

[barebackjack]

get some buddies and make a drive

I know we are all about the calling of coyotes around here, but a simple deer style drive (for coyotes) or hounds are a very effective way to kill numbers of coyotes!! Calling can be tough to in thick brushy areas due to visibility. Have you every thought about trying to trap them?

Thats what I was thinking. Tell the neighbors to mind their pets and set traps/snares.

[ky223]

I know what u are talking about.I live in KY 3yrs ago we had a die out of deer in our area.The coyotes pop.went to the roof . Our wardens tell us the deer would come back.That has not happen yet our county had lowest kill in 25yrs.We think coyotes are the reason we see does with no fawns.

[barebackjack]

I'm a little worried about trapping due to the number of pet dogs and hunting dogs. We don't have large tracks of land and so many pets run loose and cross from one track to another.I will be hunting on many different tracks of land by permission from the land owners.I don't want to catch a house dog.
I have not thought about the man drive.That may be something to try.It seems that the coyote are bunched up in areas.Land owners say they hear 3-5 dogs or more at night and then others say the hear nothing. They seem to move around.
This is all new to me so just learning what I am up against is my first step. If you guy's will tell me some things to expect Iwould appreciate it.

It has been my experience that in areas with real coyote problems, locals are more than happy to keep the pets locked up or close if it means having a trapper/snareman in to clean the numbers up.

Most landowners will gladly work with you in that aspect as long as you work with them.

[Carolina Dog]

What would be the best way to go? Traps or snares? Anyone know of a good instuctional video for one or both?

ky223- once you realized you had the coyotes how long before you noticed the deer herd falling? We first noticed the dogs about 8-10 years ago and now we have about a 1/3 of our original deer herd and the only rabbits and turkeys around here are in the grocery stores. our DNR says that due to the coyote population it now takes 3 does to have one fawn that makes it to the fall season.

[lyonch]

Carolina dog, i think it will take more than just a standard trapping season to really do a number on the coyote population. If you can trap and kill coyotes year around in your state that would be another story. If you are going to go the trapping route, i would use both. I was told from an experienced snaremen that if a dog is leash broke, he wont be dead in the snare and will be sitting there waiting for you. If you are really wanting to effect the deer population, you will have to get out in the spring time when they are having pups and try to clean house on the females. If you find a den, you will also have to kill all the pups. I was talking with my sister's boyfriend over christmas and he is a member of a bowhunting group in winona, mn and he was saying that a member of the group placed a camera in front of an active coyote den, and figured he got pictures of 22 different fawns that were killed and brought back to the den

[Carolina Dog]

I"ll definately look into the traps/snares. We can hunt coyotes year round. What are your thoughts on hunting when the does are dropping fawns in early spring?
Where or what to look for to locate a den?
What is the deal with don't kill the alpha male?
I don't want to seem ignorant with my questions I'm sure they are all very common knowledge for you guy's but we have never experienced this before.So even the basic habits of the dogs are new to me.
It really is a bad situation in this state, farmers are moving cows into barns before they have calves due to the coyotes getting the calves within an hour or two after birth.
This coyote problem has escalted so fast in just a few years that it is depressing.

I appreciate all of the information you guy's have provided.No matter where you go sportsmen always support one another. So keep the info coming.
And, I have several hunting locations lined up for tomorrow, some big agriculture fields and dairy farms, with all of the snow on the ground it will look like some of your hunting.

[ky223]

we had blue tongue 3yrs ago found alot of dead deer. they cut our season down this year,our kill was down and they want add some days this year.I dont know what they think but they need to take a ride and do a count. we dont have near the deer we had 5yrs ago.

[barebackjack]

Could it just be the natural ebb and flow of game populations?

We dont have as many deer as we did just two years ago (and we're about to have a hell of a lot less after this winter). But, they'll be back.

Didnt have many deer in the late 80's-early 90's either. But late 90's-early 2000's had to many. Sometimes thats just the way mother nature works.

[ky223]

I work with a guy that is from S.D.he says dont worry they will come back.I have been deer hunting for 25 yrs and numbers never this low ,the good part about it is i have picked up coyote hunting and love it.