# Hi I'm new



## Leatherman835 (Oct 7, 2017)

Hello and how y'all doing?

I'm new to the forum, I'm in south western Ohio in Clinton county but right around the corner from brown, highland, and warren counties too. 

I'm just getting in to coyote hunting and mostly because they kill my chickens. So I hunt my own property which isn't huge but I know where they come from if they're going to come in at all. 

I'm wondering if there's anyone else in my area hunting, anyone I can meet up with and learn from. I could use some help and advice. 

Thanks folks.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Not from your area but just wanted to say Welcome to OGF.


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## Leatherman835 (Oct 7, 2017)

Thank you!


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## Snakecharmer (Apr 9, 2008)

Leatherman835 said:


> Hello and how y'all doing?
> 
> I'm new to the forum, I'm in south western Ohio in Clinton county but right around the corner from brown, highland, and warren counties too.
> 
> ...


Welcome to OGF! I'm at the opposite side of the state - NE Ohio. I'm sure someone will step up and help you out.


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## Leatherman835 (Oct 7, 2017)

Snakecharmer said:


> Welcome to OGF! I'm at the opposite side of the state - NE Ohio. I'm sure someone will step up and help you out.


Thank you, and I have no idea if this is posted in the right place. Let me know if I overlooked an introduction area. 

I can add some detail about my hunting area or set up if it's helpful?


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## Muddy (May 7, 2017)

Do you live on the property?


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## Leatherman835 (Oct 7, 2017)

Muddy said:


> Do you live on the property?


Yes, this is my home property. We have 5 acres with a creek running along one side through the woods and that side of the property is up against a field which is corn this year. Behind the property is a couple hundred acres of woods, privately owned which spans cross the backside of my property and a number of others. I have an area I call my "peninsula". Wooded on each side with the creek on one border but it stretches back a couple hundred yards. I keep a path open between the woods but let be a little wild. We have wild flowers and black berries and mulberry trees. The grass is tall in places and there is plenty of cover all along each side and again our property is bordered all around by either woods or farm land. 

The dogs here in the past haven't seem deterred by our own dogs. We've seen fox and coyote at all hours of the day. At its worst, we had a pair of fox nearly wipe out our chickens killing about 20 of them over a two week period not this past winter but the winter before. I witnessed those fox stalking our own small dogs in the daylight as well as coyote right directly in the back yard behind the house which the back yard is only 20 yards deep to the woods and creek I mentioned. The chicken pen and barn is about 45 yards or so from my back door. One evening during dinner I saw one of the fox creeping up to the coop and I was able to make a 40 yard shot. We still get dogs trying to dig in to the chicken pen but we don't see them as frequently. I see their poop in that peninsula area I mentioned. That peninsula runs straight out from behind the barn to the end of my property soi set up on the side of the barn with a red light and I leave it on and watch down the peninsula. I've seen dogs approach very cautiously and hang at the end of my ability to see clearly enough for a shot. They'll peak around cover that obscures my view. I dump dead chickens and feral cats down there so I don't know that counts as baited. 

I don't do a whole lot with scent cover as the area I set up in is always active. We're out there every day and yet like I said we've seen dogs at all times of the day. 

But I know I have a lot to learn to be more successful rather than coincidentally catching one in the act. 

Additionally, the coyote have wiped out the wild turkey population here. We used to see wild turkeys all the time. They'd be in my yard too. I could turkey hunt my own property. But now they're all but completely gone. The coyote population has exploded around here and their food sources like rabbits for example has been really high this year too. 

I'm totally open to advice and criticisms. I'm a novice and not at all claiming to know what I'm doing.


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## SMBHooker (Jan 3, 2008)

Wish I had ur problems....it's a treat if we even see a squirrel. 

Happy hunting...save those chickens. Oh and welcome to OGF. 

U have an cams up to see if u can pattern the yotes?


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## Leatherman835 (Oct 7, 2017)

SMBHooker said:


> Wish I had ur problems....it's a treat if we even see a squirrel.
> 
> Happy hunting...save those chickens. Oh and welcome to OGF.
> 
> U have an cams up to see if u can pattern the yotes?


Thank you, no I don't have cams. I've put off buying any because I have friends who have said I could borrow some. Which hasn't happened yet. Also, when I've had money I've invested in things to make me a better shooter, more practice, ammo, making sure I know I'm solid at a given distance, and things like the predator light, rechargeable batteries etc, some small expenses and a little at a time. But the rifle is solid and I'm solid. Learning to better judge distance at night and the like. I have made a shot on a dark night using just the red predator light and my regular scope at 100 yards, and the critter died on the spot. Solid shot, almost straight on, entered the neck in front of the shoulder on one side and exited behind the shoulder on the other side. That's what I've invested in up to this point mostly which is making sure I am able to make clean and humane kills if needed. I don't have an e caller yet either but use a Bluetooth speaker and an app on my phone. 

I'm considering night vision and IR illuminators down range connected to remote or batteries similar to how trail cams would be set up. But again that's an expense I'm not ready for yet. I keep waiting for that guy in Africa who keeps emailing me to help with some money to return my investment of promised millions LOL!


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Leatherman835 said:


> Thank you, no I don't have cams. I've put off buying any because I have friends who have said I could borrow some. Which hasn't happened yet. Also, when I've had money I've invested in things to make me a better shooter, more practice, ammo, making sure I know I'm solid at a given distance, and things like the predator light, rechargeable batteries etc, some small expenses and a little at a time. But the rifle is solid and I'm solid. Learning to better judge distance at night and the like. I have made a shot on a dark night using just the red predator light and my regular scope at 100 yards, and the critter died on the spot. Solid shot, almost straight on, entered the neck in front of the shoulder on one side and exited behind the shoulder on the other side. That's what I've invested in up to this point mostly which is making sure I am able to make clean and humane kills if needed. I don't have an e caller yet either but use a Bluetooth speaker and an app on my phone.
> 
> I'm considering night vision and IR illuminators down range connected to remote or batteries similar to how trail cams would be set up. But again that's an expense I'm not ready for yet. I keep waiting for that guy in Africa who keeps emailing me to help with some money to return my investment of promised millions LOL!


Have you considered trapping? 
I know, to me, hunting them is way more fun but unless you have plenty of help with your neighbor's hunting yotes as well(and being very successful at it), most likely you won't make a dent in their population. Especially if you are that infested with them. The females having 2-3 pups at a time just makes it too difficult.

I am not a trapper but there are a few experts on here that are great guys that can give you some great advice. Maybe even live close enough to you to set some traps for you or wouldn't mind trapping on your land. You may want to start a thread about it.


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## Leatherman835 (Oct 7, 2017)

fastwater said:


> Have you considered trapping?
> I know, to me, hunting them is way more fun but unless you have plenty of help with your neighbor's hunting yotes as well(and being very successful at it), most likely you won't make a dent in their population. Especially if you are that infested with them. The females having 2-3 pups at a time just makes it too difficult.
> 
> I am not a trapper but there are a few experts on here that are great guys that can give you some great advice. Maybe even live close enough to you to set some traps for you or wouldn't mind trapping on your land. You may want to start a thread about it.


I think that's a possibility and not a bad idea. I think the main reason I haven't tried that yet is because we have barn cats that roam the property too. My concern has been inadvertently trapping them. They keep the mice and rats down. The farm across the road has been infested with rats and while we've seen our few cats with rats, we haven't seen any eveidence of live rats here on our property. It's possible I'm being overly cautious in that regard. 

But also, as you mentioned, actively hunting is more fun than trapping. It gets me out of the house and even if I don't see anything I find some amount of therapeutic relaxation in it.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Leatherman835 said:


> I think that's a possibility and not a bad idea. I think the main reason I haven't tried that yet is because we have barn cats that roam the property too. My concern has been inadvertently trapping them. They keep the mice and rats down. The farm across the road has been infested with rats and while we've seen our few cats with rats, we haven't seen any eveidence of live rats here on our property. It's possible I'm being overly cautious in that regard.
> 
> But also, as you mentioned, actively hunting is more fun than trapping. It gets me out of the house and even if I don't see anything I find some amount of therapeutic relaxation in it.


FWIW, cats='s yote food.
When the yote easier pray (rabbits,chickens etc) starts vanishing(and they will), the cats will be next in line to start coming up missing. At least that was what happened around here. Years ago we had a feral cat problem. Was nothing to see one or two every outing in the woods or have them showing up around the house stalking birds,rabbits etc. For the last couple years, we just don't see any.


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## Daniel Smith (Oct 8, 2017)

Leatherman835 said:


> Hello and how y'all doing?
> 
> I'm new to the forum, I'm in south western Ohio in Clinton county but right around the corner from brown, highland, and warren counties too.
> 
> ...


Hi, I'm new too. Hope this works as my first post.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Welcome to you too Daniel Smith...


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

welcome aboard guys. this has to be the best forum that I know of for good honest information.
sherman


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## Leatherman835 (Oct 7, 2017)

fastwater said:


> FWIW, cats='s yote food.
> When the yote easier pray (rabbits,chickens etc) starts vanishing(and they will), the cats will be next in line to start coming up missing. At least that was what happened around here. Years ago we had a feral cat problem. Was nothing to see one or two every outing in the woods or have them showing up around the house stalking birds,rabbits etc. For the last couple years, we just don't see any.


You're totally right about that. There are a ton of feral cats here. We've had several more cats than we have now. Many have disappeared. The three we have now are savvy. The oldest has survived two years out here. Her kittens are wild and stoned cold killers in their own right. But yes, I agree completely. The barn cats get taken too and as winter sets in and the rabbits aren't there, and we've been keeping a closer eye on the chickens, I expect the other animals to become targets.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Yes, you are right. Feral cats that tend to make it are usually excellent killers. With tons of feral cats, you most likely have more feeding on your young turkeys, rabbits etc than just yotes.


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## TDD11 (Aug 5, 2015)

I think you should check facebook hunting groups, not sure how else unless you already know someone, but find someone who is good at snaring. Have them show you how/where set up snares for the coyotes, and check them daily (from a distance).

What kind of dogs do you have (how big) and do you let them roam free? That's the only concern I would have in regards to you setting snares.


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## Leatherman835 (Oct 7, 2017)

TDD11 said:


> I think you should check facebook hunting groups, not sure how else unless you already know someone, but find someone who is good at snaring. Have them show you how/where set up snares for the coyotes, and check them daily (from a distance).
> 
> What kind of dogs do you have (how big) and do you let them roam free? That's the only concern I would have in regards to you setting snares.


My dog is a Great Pyrenees/Bulgarian shepherd mix. She's big. Nearly 100 pounds. She stays around the barn but in as much as I know she hasn't prevented anything from getting to the chickens. Though I haven't seen anything over the summer except where dogs have tried to dig in to the coop. But she has let the neighbor dog run right past her and in to the barn where I keep feed.


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## Muddy (May 7, 2017)

Here's what you need to do:
1. Kill all of the feral cats. They are killing as much or more wildlife as the coyotes. They are also going to interfere with the next phase of the coyote killing process. 
2. Set a motion detector on the chicken coop, and put the receiver by your bed.
3. Start an established bait station using whatever dead animal that you have access to (sounds like you have dead chickens) that is visible from a firing position inside your house. Attach the bait to a stake with bailing wire. Set a motion detector on this and put the receiver by your bed. Label the receivers so that you know which one is which when they go off in the middle of the night.
4. When a motion detector goes off in the middle of the night grab your rifle, open the window that you have prepped as your firing position(rest, sand bag, bino's, etc) and start killing coyotes. I would start your baiting soon, but you may want to wait for snow and cold to set in before you start shooting. Snow cover greatly adds to the ability to shoot by the light of the moon. You don't have to shoot something every time the motion detector goes off. Let them get really comfortable with the set up, they will keep coming on a more and more regular basis. Eventually you can literally set your watch by it. Then you can kill a bunch in a real short time period at the time of your choosing.


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## TDD11 (Aug 5, 2015)

Leatherman835 said:


> My dog is a Great Pyrenees/Bulgarian shepherd mix. She's big. Nearly 100 pounds. She stays around the barn but in as much as I know she hasn't prevented anything from getting to the chickens. Though I haven't seen anything over the summer except where dogs have tried to dig in to the coop. But she has let the neighbor dog run right past her and in to the barn where I keep feed.


Ok, in that case, I would talk to the neighbors. Whoever owns land behind/beside you, especially considering the small size of your lot - I have 3.5 acres and I know my dog roams all of it - and I would suggest setting snares far enough away that there is a low chance of having a domestic dog get snared. If the neighbors are comfortable setting snares on their property, behind you, back off the road, than the odds of having a domestic dog get snared goes way down. Snares absolutely can be, but are not always, lethal. You don't want to get your dog or the neighbor's in a snare. 

Ideally you could set some snares up in a fence row where the coyotes cross through on their way to your property. It would be even better if you can see said fence row from a distance - you can check the snares on a daily basis via binocular or rifle scope, without going near them enough to leave your scent on a daily basis. 

I have a couple guys I went to high school with that are into trapping/snaring, and their success rate in snaring coyotes is unreal. Seeing their success has made me a believer. Sure sounds better to me than a motion detection alarm waking you in the middle of the night. I do agree with Muddy on killing the feral cats - they are hard on wildlife.


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## Leatherman835 (Oct 7, 2017)

Muddy said:


> Here's what you need to do:
> 1. Kill all of the feral cats. They are killing as much or more wildlife as the coyotes. They are also going to interfere with the next phase of the coyote killing process.
> 2. Set a motion detector on the chicken coop, and put the receiver by your bed.
> 3. Start an established bait station using whatever dead animal that you have access to (sounds like you have dead chickens) that is visible from a firing position inside your house. Attach the bait to a stake with bailing wire. Set a motion detector on this and put the receiver by your bed. Label the receivers so that you know which one is which when they go off in the middle of the night.
> 4. When a motion detector goes off in the middle of the night grab your rifle, open the window that you have prepped as your firing position(rest, sand bag, bino's, etc) and start killing coyotes. I would start your baiting soon, but you may want to wait for snow and cold to set in before you start shooting. Snow cover greatly adds to the ability to shoot by the light of the moon. You don't have to shoot something every time the motion detector goes off. Let them get really comfortable with the set up, they will keep coming on a more and more regular basis. Eventually you can literally set your watch by it. Then you can kill a bunch in a real short time period at the time of your choosing.


Those are some good ideas I can try and work with, thank you.


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## Leatherman835 (Oct 7, 2017)

I kill the ferals just as often as I can. We recently had a big male decide our yard was part of his territory and that dude hunted our own male until he eventually killed him. Our male was real docile though, not aggressive at all. 

My neighbor... she's an awesome old lady and she has acreage too with a pond. But she abhors hunting. She knows I'm hunting the coyote and fox during season dates but she won't be complicit or even helpful in that regard. They often let their dog out to roam the property and the dog loves the pond. But she'll also come here sometimes and from any which direction. The snares could be a real concern there. Though I've asked them a number of times to keep a better eye on the dog. This again makes actively hunting the better option. Snares may not be entirely ruled out if I could find a spot along the creek the dogs are using. The creek borders my property on the opposite side.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Figure you know this already but thought I'd mention it anyway...there is no closed season on coyote...just fox.


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## Leatherman835 (Oct 7, 2017)

^^^Yep


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