Do you shoot coyotes while pheasant hunting?

BritChaser said:
Because coyotes prey on cattle, particularly calves. As for golden eagles, they are protected and FAR fewer in number and have minimum predatory potential compared to coyotes.
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Here in Montana coyotes eat the cow placenta but we have never had one eat our calves.
Wolfs, grizzly and black bears eat calves.
Here in Montana coyotes eat primarily voles, grasshoppers, rabbits, and carrion.
With more wolfs, we are hearing less coyotes as they are wolf snacks.
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When I was up near the boundary waters years ago. The wolf population was in full swing. The locals absolutely hated them. Some told me to be careful because they had killed some bird dogs. There were signs in store windows that said, save the deer, kill a wolf! I had a dumpy little cabin rented out in the boonies. One night my dogs were howling. I went out to investigate and heard them howling in the distance. Made the hair on my neck stand up. If I ran into the guy above, I wouldn't want to be carrying a double barrel 20 with light load 8's!!!
 
birddude said:
When I was up near the boundary waters years ago. The wolf population was in full swing. The locals absolutely hated them. Some told me to be careful because they had killed some bird dogs. There were signs in store windows that said, save the deer, kill a wolf! I had a dumpy little cabin rented out in the boonies. One night my dogs were howling. I went out to investigate and heard them howling in the distance. Made the hair on my neck stand up.
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Its still in full swing. Northern MN has the largest reproducing population of wolves in the continental United States. Its actually too high right now in some areas, but since they are federally protected in the Great Lakes region, only licensed federal trappers can remove a "nuisance" animal.

Not uncommon for a wolf to take out a hunting dog. Canines do not tolerate other canines in their territory, which is exactly why the local yote population decreases when a wolf pack is present. Grouse hunters in the northern half of MN are fully aware of this and its a risk they take.

I've deer hunted in northern MN for 27 years and I've never seen one. Neither has anyone else in my 10 man party. They are like ghosts. I can't even imagine trying to hunt one. You'd have to sit there and wait for a month on end, and even then you might not see one. I've seen tracks in the snow and heard a pack howling in the distance. That's it. Would love to see one in the wild.
 
gimruis said:
Its still in full swing. Northern MN has the largest reproducing population of wolves in the continental United States. Its actually too high right now in some areas, but since they are federally protected in the Great Lakes region, only licensed federal trappers can remove a "nuisance" animal.

Not uncommon for a wolf to take out a hunting dog. Canines do not tolerate other canines in their territory, which is exactly why the local yote population decreases when a wolf pack is present. Grouse hunters in the northern half of MN are fully aware of this and its a risk they take.

I've deer hunted in northern MN for 27 years and I've never seen one. Neither has anyone else in my 10 man party. They are like ghosts. I can't even imagine trying to hunt one. You'd have to sit there and wait for a month on end, and even then you might not see one. I've seen tracks in the snow and heard a pack howling in the distance. That's it. Would love to see one in the wild.
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Theyre not quite that ghostly. I had them over bait piles while bear hunting in the UP for a few years in a row. While I was in a ladder stand.
I also came face to face with one while bird hunting the UP. A wolf at 20 ft between me and my Springer is not something I want to experience again.
 
Have had a few run ins, including being charged from about 80-100 yards away by 2….my lab was 20’
away from me, she was the likely target…we were grouse hunting, it was lightly raining, so very quiet. I yelled for ginger, she came to me, I grabbed her collar and looked for the wolves, they had exited by then..not sure how close they got…40-50 yards? 5 dogs were killed within 3 days in a 3-4 mile radius…this was around Oct 10th, 2014…one I knew well…they were in yards, not out hunting. I had another frightening episode about 2 years later with a buddy’s pointer, deep in the lush Sept forest…we heard the whole scenario, starting with howling, leading to some sort of attempted attack not far away, including snarling, growling, etc…I was certain we’d be carrying dog parts out in our vests…we stood with guns mounted waiting for the melee to appear…his dog appeared, no visible damage…my buddy assumed the wolf/wolves may have overrun the dog while initially trying to take it down…not sure, but I know what we heard. We see plenty of wolves around Duluth…too many. Lots of wolf/dog interactions, many fatal.
 
benelli-banger said:
we stood with guns mounted waiting for the melee to appear
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And being federally protected, the only legal to use "self defense" is when a human's life is in imminent danger. There has only ever been one documented fatal attack of a wolf on a person ever recorded too, so that excuse would never fly. You aren't legally allowed to use deadly force to protect a dog, or livestock.

That being said, if a wolf is going after my dog, I will take action and deal with the consequences later. You have a better chance of being struck by lightning or winning the lottery than you do of running into a wolf.
 
The following summer from my first episode federal trappers from Grand Rapids MN were called in; they had decent success. Those wolves aren’t turned loose elsewhere…🤨
 
gimruis said:
And being federally protected, the only legal to use "self defense" is when a human's life is in imminent danger. There has only ever been one documented fatal attack of a wolf on a person ever recorded too, so that excuse would never fly. You aren't legally allowed to use deadly force to protect a dog, or livestock.

That being said, if a wolf is going after my dog, I will take action and deal with the consequences later. You have a better chance of being struck by lightning or winning the lottery than you do of running into a wolf.
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What’s your point? I think you made it for me…🤓
 
I have no reluctance to state that I’d be shooting if another living creature was attacking a dog of mine…wolf, eagle, you name it. My wife works at a grade school nearby and had a chat with a teacher last week about an eagles nest that blew down not long ago…several smallish dog collars in said nest…😳
 
That first episode of mine occurred in a remote area that was replete with wolf dung…and tracks, obviously…I walked up a big maple ridge in that light rain, I was very quiet, and when I got to the first plateau, I stopped to rest and instantly saw the 2 in an area of logging debris…happens quick! Glad my dog came to me, that’s not always the case! This episode was about 2-3 weeks after a badger incident in ND. Badger died. Dog went to the vet. My s x s went to the gunsmith…barrels were bent and the stock “exploded” upon clubbing the twice shot badger over the head as it was very successfully attacking ginger. I took 2 steps and clubbed it. Crazy stuff, wrote about it here 8 years ago. Was sharpie hunting, doing real well, following 2 dogs and all of a sudden they were about 5-6’ from the badger, one on either side of it, like a triangle; badger was in a defensive posture, I shot twice and all hell broke loose. Clubbed it about 2-3 seconds after the 2nd shot. It all happened fast, dog had facial injuries, lost some blood, but nothing serious. One dog, think I could have backed out without incident, but with 2 it felt likely that a fight would ensue so I attempted to head it off. I shot another badger on my own land in SD at some point, seemed to be lethal, but no dog in immediate vicinity, I suspect I was more accurate. I’ve hunted about 1000 days in the Dakotas/MT, many more around my home in Duluth, just a few crazy tales. Scary, crazy tales!
 
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gimruis said:
LOL I think your lab is safe from an eagle attack. Chihuahua, maybe not.

The moral of the story here is to keep an eye on your pet, whether in the field, or the back yard.
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My dad tells a story about a very large owl that swooped down at his lab about 50-60 years ago while hunting in SD..he’s not a bs’r…don’t know anything more than that…didn’t ask!
 
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I’ve witnessed a tough farm dog kill coons from about 6’ away…I was scared shitless! It’s a real drama, let me tell you! The farmer was laughing, I was frightened for his lab, who was my buddy…I hunted him all the time. He killed one at least, the other one or two escaped. I had my own dogs with me as well, I was trying to keep them from the fun…😱
 
benelli-banger said:
My dad tells a story about a very large owl that swooped down at his lab about 50-60 years ago while hunting in SD..he’s not a bs’r…don’t know anything more than that…didn’t ask!
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Ok, I know I'm getting way off the subject, but my grandma used to tell the story of how she had a big mean dog that ran onto the porch and through a closed screen door with a cougar on it's ass. She kicked the cougar off the porch!
 
Article in the duluth paper about 7 years ago about a hunter who stopped and let his gsp out of the truck after seeing a grouse…10 seconds later it’s running back to the truck and jumped in through the open window, and a wolf ran around the truck a few times…the hunter and his very young daughter stood and watched! 😳😳
 
You may be surprised at how far south in MN they travel. I was in Rum River WMA, two miles east of the field trail grounds (Four Brooks). I made a big circle and came out of the woods on a fire lane. I come across tracks as big as my fist (2-3xl glove size), in two inches of fresh snow. They (tracks) crossed the access road forty yards from my truck.
 
Family has a cabin in NW WI about 50 SE of BB. In all the traveling while hunting and fishing in the area, I have seen two wolves just off the road in the last twenty years. Both were observed within 30 yards, making ID easy. Wolves tend to run on snowmobile trails up there, finding prints is easy in the fresh snow. Impressive animals.
 
Rogue Hunter said:
You may be surprised at how far south in MN they travel.
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Yes, there is a pack that goes as far south as Milaca, which is where the timber line meets agriculture. This map is a little old, but still pretty accurate. Their range is massive.

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