# To shoot or not to shoot?



## Fishballz (Aug 15, 2015)

As bow hunters most of us love to be in the woods this magical time of the year. Just praying to see antlers behind the next doe that pops out right? Most all of us I'm guessing would never let a yote walk either.. So after seeing mr. coyote on the way home from work tonight, I kept thinking... Mind you I use a climber. Would I shoot a coyote tm morning if I had the chance? I know everyone's situation is different (example, no yote problem where I hunt). But I don't think I would want to shoot one in the smallish area I have to hunt. Especially to climb down, get it out of there, climb back up.. Just feel like it would blow up a hunt. What would you do?


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## ya13ya03 (Sep 21, 2010)

Shoot. Every time I'd shoot.


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## halfrack (Oct 13, 2004)

Shoot it I have had two come by me this week. I couldn’t get any shots .


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

kill 'em every chance i get..I understand that killing just one coyote from your Treestand is not going to make any impact on the population...but if you see a coyote come through within bow range… You can forget about seeing a deer within range anytime soon.


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## threeten (Feb 5, 2014)

Shoot!!
Could be saving your next trophy down the line. Not just deer but rabbits, birds


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## Muddy (May 7, 2017)

Shoot them any chance you get.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Don't care what's going on,where I'm at or even if the only thing I have as a weapon is a slingshot...if I see a yote, you can bet 'incoming' is in its near future.


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## Fishballz (Aug 15, 2015)

Well that seems unanimous lol! I'll let one fly if i get the chance. 5 does and a fork horn so far this morning, no chasing..


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## Mickey211 (Dec 19, 2010)

Actually was faced with this situation this am...i let it fly...40yd shot was out of my comfort zone I did connect but didnt find the yote...had little blood but he ran off the property...hopefully never to return!


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## sliver138 (Jan 16, 2009)

Last Sunday was the last day I was able to hunt till gun season starts. I was lucky enough to shoot a six pointer. After I got done field dressing him I had to drag him 25 yards and then up a hill. When I reached the top I heard leaves being kicked up and saw tall reeds moving like the scene in Jurassic Park where the raptors are picking off the people. All of a sudden a coyote popped up two feet away from me at the top of the hill. It looked at my deer then at me. I yelled get out of here and it ran off. Scared the crap out of me when he popped up over that hill. If I had my bow with me at that moment I would of tried a shot. I guess I'm lucky it wasn't a raptor.


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## Bluewalleye (Jun 1, 2009)

I have a buddy who shot a coyote right at daylight, and let it lay. 2 hours later had a gorgeous 10 point come in and he shot that as well. So he got both killed in 2 hours and he shot them about 30 yards apart. So you never know what is going to happen while the rut is going on...


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## Shad Rap (Nov 10, 2010)

Why get out of the stand?..leave it lay til you're done...I wouldn't even look for it until I was done hunting.


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## Fishballz (Aug 15, 2015)

Shad Rap said:


> Why get out of the stand?..leave it lay til you're done...I wouldn't even look for it until I was done hunting.


Just figured with a dead yote laying around where your hunting it would prob reduce the chances of seeing deer. I guess you wouldn't have to climb down.. what do you guys do with them after you shoot them??? I've yet to kill one, missed twice w my bow but one was a hail mary and once with my shotgun in 20+ years.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Fishballz said:


> Just figured with a dead yote laying around where your hunting it would prob reduce the chances of seeing deer. I guess you wouldn't have to climb down.. what do you guys do with them after you shoot them??? I've yet to kill one, missed twice w my bow but one was a hail mary and once with my shotgun in 20+ years.


If I knew someone that would want them, I'd surely give them a call and give it to them. As it stands now, the buzzards have to eat too.


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## fishdealer04 (Aug 27, 2006)

Shoot every time. I have a small piece of property that I hunt so I feel you on worrying about the 'yote possibly ruining my hunt that day, but one less dog is worth it.


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## Shad Rap (Nov 10, 2010)

Fishballz said:


> Just figured with a dead yote laying around where your hunting it would prob reduce the chances of seeing deer. I guess you wouldn't have to climb down.. what do you guys do with them after you shoot them??? I've yet to kill one, missed twice w my bow but one was a hail mary and once with my shotgun in 20+ years.


You would tend to screw up your chances more by getting out of the stand...like you said, there could be a big buck coming through not far behind the yote...I've killed deer next to other deer gut piles before...you're better off just waiting until your hunt is done...


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Shad Rap said:


> You would tend to screw up your chances more by getting out of the stand...like you said, there could be a big buck coming through not far behind the yote...I've killed deer next to other deer gut piles before...you're better off just waiting until your hunt is done...


Believe it or not, shot a doe several years ago actually eating out of a day old gut pile of a doe my brother had shot the day prior. The gut pile was full of corn.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

Shad Rap said:


> You would tend to screw up your chances more by getting out of the stand...like you said, there could be a big buck coming through not far behind the yote...I've killed deer next to other deer gut piles before...you're better off just waiting until your hunt is done...


Yep. I read a post just like this on another webforum. Guy shot a deer and then set up over the gut pile thinking to get in on a little predator action. What showed up? More deer!


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## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

It was gun season about 4 years ago and since I had already tagged a decent buck I was doe hunting that day. Early morning opening day, just after the sky began to lighten I had a yote pop out from under my stand and trotted off down to a creek bottom. I had no shot but I silently cussed it because we had been seeing quite a few that year. An hour later I caught movement off to my left and saw a nice doe running down a ridge, I assumed it was from other hunters on a neighboring farm. Seconds later I saw a coyote was hot on her trail, again all I could do was cuss it. After a short while I noticed movement and 2 small does came by my stand at 10 yards but I was looking for an adult so I let them pass but eventually they worked up to a briar patch behind me and bedded up.
Late into the morning now with 2 little ones behind me I'm watching off to my left, I see two adult deer running straight towards me. I'm thinking some unlucky hunters starting to stir on a farm back there got them moving. The does ran right behind my stand and stopped. Startled, the 2 little deer jumped up. I'm still facing the direction the deer had came from and low and behold I see a coyote coming as he is what was chasing those deer. He stopped on a ridge 50 yards away. I use an inline muzzleloader for deer hunting and I decided the does were safe but that coyote better prepare for the after life. He was quartering towards me and with the 4 deer standing around me I put my crosshairs about an inch below that coyote's ear.
When I touched the trigger that coyote dropped like a wet rag, the deer took off and my buddy sent a text "should I bring the quad?" So the answer is "yes" I will shoot a coyote.
Eventually by the end of the season we did kill another 2 does and as luck would have it we killed another coyote too. As someone said..."buzzards have to eat too".


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Have seen the same over the years with many yotes chasing deer. Even came home one hot summer afternoon hearing an awful sounds coming from the ravine behind the house. Ran down there to find yotes had run down a doe and she was screaming as they danced around her biting at her. They never got there prize.

But yet there are those that still argue that yotes don't kill many deer? Can only account that to they must not spend much actual time in the woods. They have never actually witnessed a yote trying to separate a momma doe from a fawn by running her so they can come back a kill the fawn. They surely must just base their baseless claims on numbers and figures gathered at a desk or from spending a week or two affield doing studies instead of seeing what actually happens 365 days a year. 

Have watched yotes stalking turkey and rabbits multiple times as well. It's what they do. They are a predator! And other than man and a feral cat, the top, virtually unchallenged predator in this state.



There's no bounty on yotes to speak of. They're way out of control and not many trapping them today. As fast as they multiply, we'll never get them under control by hunting them alone. But us hunters need to never waste an opportunity to kill a yote whenever we can. And yes...buzzards have to eat too!


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