Growth

[Dcoy]

Wow,just received and reviewed my latest Varmint Hunter Mag.If you/ve been a member/subscriber awhile go back about 10 years and compare the ads.Many new products/companies going directly after the market.Even the big companies,ie,Remington for instance,have glitzier ads focused directly on V hunting.They may have advertised before,but never as focused.
Is the growth good?In my view yes and no.Growing or helping sustain hunter numbers,promoting firearm ownership and a host of other positives but from an anti-hunter and general non-hunting public view I'm not sure.From a personal-and admittedly selfish-standpoint I dislike it.More competition and tougher access issues.
Not trying to get controversial here,just really taking a look at the 'growth'issue seriously for the first time.Can't do much about it and it is what it is.Whole thing is surprising to this ol boy though.

[lyonch]

I think that the growth of predator hunting is starting to make it tough to do. There are too many articles, as jamie mentioned in another post, that are all the latest tactics and are suppose to be guranteed to kill coyotes. Well im proud to say that you dont need it to be successful. With too many guys shooting 1 to 5 coyotes a year and driving around with them in the back of there truck all winter and expecting to get top dollar for what they shot has seem to become the norm now. It has hurt several areas besides just the sport. The fur market is now flooded with shitty furs and value of the coyote pelt has dropped. It also seems that there are more and more lazy hunters who hunt only out of there vehicle all day. What happen to when you could just grab your gun and a few shells and a call and go out the back door and have a blast. It seems as though the predator hunting industry has become more and more targeted lately. People just seem to forget that sometimes you just need to go to the basics to be more successful than the to become the most technological advanced.

[rhino]

I definitely can see what you are saying. Most of the coyote hunters I know are only a 1-2 day a year coyote hunter. It is like a new toy at christmas. It is all fun right away but then you forget about it and throw it under the bed. Hunters that truly like calling coyotes and walking 10 miles a day to possibly not seeing a thing are the true coyote hunters. I would imagine that this little craze will settle down a bit and everything will get back to normal.

The growth of any industry is great. But I can see what you are saying. More visibility now days leads to more regulations, scrutiny and like you said access issues. The only saving grace is that coyotes tend to be a nuisance in most rural people's minds. Ranchers don't like them because of the cows and such. I am not too worried about the growth factor up in my area but it is something to think about because it happens it seems every time a new hunting craze comes along and almost always affects somebody.

[Prairie Ghost]

I'm a yes and no guy also.

The bad part is a lot of guys tring to learn how to do it that don't have any knowledge or ambition to do it right. A good reason to have places like Coyotehunter.net so that guys that are tring to get started get off on the right foot instead of calling from the pickup on the country road. You also have to remember that it is a bit of a fad for the guys that aren't die hard they will soon give it up if they don't have success especially if they are out in the cold.

Yes i'm selfish i liked it better when hardly anyone was doing it.

However i also like that the industry is starting to cater towards predator hunters as far as camo, guns, calls, bullets ect ect.

[LeviM]

Yes i'm selfish i liked it better when hardly anyone was doing it.

Agree!!

[Coyotehunter]

Great posts, Great subject.

I am for the most part understanding of the desire of the hunting industry to pick up a few extra bucks from the guys who after the big game seasons close want something todo beside watch football on the weekends.

What really pisses my off is when they act as if they are coming up with anything new. Then put a label on it, a sticker price and go to press with there newest and greatest idea.

Coyote hunting, Wolf hunting has been around for a 1000 years or better. I can give lots of refernces to this fact if any one wants to dispute it. Maybe not the coyotes for some obviuos reasons like being only found in the americas, but the wolfers went right into hunting coyotes with the same techniques that they had used for wolves for centuries. Some guys dads where farmers, ranchers, painters, muscians, and others had dads, grandfathers, and great grandfathers who hunted wolves and coyotes for a living. The first county bounties that hit the east coast for wolves was around 1627 and around 1823 for coyotes.

It just seems that if more people would take the time to read some of the rich history out there about trapping and hunting coyotes and wolves they would realize that they need to give some credit to the guys who came before us.

Growth is fine but what we are seeing is a resurgence because of the population boom in coyotes since the banning of 1080 in the early 70's. Larger predators are slower to return to their old stomping grounds so there is nothing in mother nature, as far as other predators, to keep the coyote numbers in check. Plus we have a deflated dollar on the world markets which means are fur prices are up right now for all fur bearers. There is still good money to be paid for a good prime coyote but just to much trash on the market so the averages do not look good at most sales. I am kind of rambling here. just got off the phone so I have lost my train of thought. I hope you get the jest of what I am trying to say.

[Dcoy]

I got it.I agree.
If your 'train' sees my 'train',please give mine a toot.

[LeviM]

to be honest, I wish coyote hunting wouldn't of grown as fast as it did. I really admire the "good ole boys" back in the day, trapping and hunting for fur to make a living. They didn't need much to be successful, just dedication and hard work. I wish coyote hunting was like that today, "your only as successful as how hard you want to work at it." In todays world everyone tries to be as lazy as possible with new technologies. I bet some of the "good ole boy" trappers are turing over in their graves with some of this "crap" that has hit the market.

[Coyotehunter]

one positive is with the larger demographic of hunters there is more pressure on legislature to do the right thing when it comes to new laws. The hunting industry as a whole has become so big that the total economic impact is noticed not only on a local and state level but at a national level.

[Prairie Ghost]

Great point Coyotehunter