Deer hunt interruption

[smoked turkey]

Here in Missouri we are currently in the last part of our annual deer hunting season. It is now called Alternate Methods portion. That is still with muzzleloader for me. It closes each day shortly after 5pm. On this particular day about 4pm a couple of Coyotes crossed the open right-of-way where I was hunting. I shot this one as he hesitated briefly while crossing. I realized that it would probably mean no deer for that day, but was a price I was willing to pay. I figure my doing this saved a few young fawns and possibly a turkey or two. I do have a nice covey of quail here on the place too. I just wish I could get a chance at the bobcat I have seen a couple of times when I was not hunting. I used my TC Encore ProHunter 50 caliber for this. No big thing as it was an easy 35 yard shot.

[Tradhunter]

Good deal! My first year using an Encore Pro Hunter muzzle loader, man those rifles are accurate. What load are you using? Thanks for sharing.

[Bored1]

I would've taken the shot also! Shot a few deer, however haven't gotten a yote yet!

[richhodg66]

Nice. A few years ago, I was on stand with a Rossi break open muzzle loader (can't even remember why, I got it for my kids to hunt muzzle loader season and this was our regular season. Must've gotten a wild hair to try it). A coyote just happened to saunter in a few yards away, bad mistake on its part. I never would have guessed a cast .44 SWC would have done that much damage, but there was just about more exit hole than coyote, basically eviscerated it. SHot for shot, muzzle loaders don't give up much to modern rifles.

[richhodg66]

By the way, that's an awfully big coyote. Looks like you killed an old and probably smart one, much more worthwhile action than killing a young one.

[Wolfer]

Deer or no deer I never pass up a shot on a coyote. Like the coyotes themselves I'm sometimes an opportunist.

[smoked turkey]

Yes he was a big one and very heavy. From the looks of things he hadn't missed too many meals. He was the larger of the two. My load was 100 grains of loose Pyrodex RS, a Hornady sabot consisting of a black (?) jacket with a 240 gr XTP HP. Very good load. Shoots pretty good out to 150 yards. I just haven't tried it any further than that. It is easy to clean and accurate. Can't ask for much more than that.

[44man]

After shooting a yote, just load again for a deer. Shot won't bother them.

[smoked turkey]

You know 44man I did that. A little later a couple of does were eyeballing me from too far away. They didn't come any closer. The long and short of it is that dumb me didn't get off the stand and pull the dead coyote into the weeds. I just let it lay where I shot it. I think no self respecting deer would come within 200 yards of me with that thing laying there! Oh Well.

[.30 Rem]

I expect the scent of the dead yote bothered them more than the sound of the shot.

[s mac]

Keep hunting Stan, it ain't over till it's over.

[44man]

Must have been the smell. Much easier with fox, fox smell does not bother deer, the animals actually play with each other and fox scent has pulled in bucks. A buck was seen licking it off a tree where my friend squirted it.

[CastingFool]

Good job on the coyote, looks like a nice one. Was it a male? I once passed up an easy shot at a coyote that was feeding on a gut pile, because I didn't want to cause a ruckus with the deer. I should have taken the shot. Later on, I remembered an incident when I was once sighting in a 12 ga with slugs, walked back to the house with a .22, and lo and behold, here was a doe, exactly where my target was. She had to be very close by while I was shooting the 12 ga, because it only took minutes to walk to the house and pick up the .22. She fed unconcerned for about 20 minutes before leaving. Another time, I shot a doe and dropped her on the spot. Barely 15 minutes later, another doe showed up and offered a shot, which I took. She did not seem overly concerned, except for seeing the dead doe on the ground. From my experiences, I would say the shot would not have bothered the deer.

[paul s]

Nice! Only killed one Yote in all my years of hunting.

[richhodg66]

I once shot a coyote very close to my stand and let it lie. Had a fawn and a doe come in an hour or so later. The fawn came quite close to the dead coyote, mama didn't present a shot, but neither was very far away from it. I never could tell from their reactions for sure if they felt something was up or not.

[gtgeorge]

I never pass on a Yote and have shot deer within the hour. So many folks think a shot scares all the deer in the area but I have repeatedly shot deer or Coyotes before bagging another. Good job on making it 1 less.

[freebullet]

Good job! That will be a nice pelt. I shot one with an omega with a very similar load. Only muzzleloader coyote I've got.

The terrain can dramatically confused where a shot came from. I recall one hunt in particular where a nice group of does came running in and I was hunting from the ground. I eased behind a nice sized tree and watched them feed around for a while. I eased beside the tree picked the biggest doe and let her have. She dropped and I reloaded the omega behind the tree. The deer didn't know where to go. The shot seemed as if it surrounded the whole gully. I was able to get another deer down from that same group. I had opportunity to continue but lacked anymore permits. They never did run away. If I hadn't fired the shots I wouldn't have known where they came from based on the sound. For all the deer know it was the dead deer that made the noise.

On another occasion I shot a yote with a rifle and 3 mins later 14+ deer come running into the valley I was in.

[JD74]

now that is a nice fat looking Yote

[smoked turkey]

Yes it was a nice fat male who from his weight had not missed too many meals. I gave him to a local trapper so he could benefit from it. My way of Recycling. I would have liked to have it as a pelt but can't deal with it right now. After having read the above posts I too think the scent is one of the reasons my area of hunting has shut down deer wise. I am sure my scent is also in the area as I have been hunting from the same stand all week since it is enclosed and way more comfortable than my tree stand. :smile:

[fastdadio]

About deer and noises. A few stories come to mind. #1, At my local range, I watched as about 10 deer grazed grass at the trap field while the shooters shot trap over them. Not a care was given. #2, While in the Army at Ft. Knox, and qualifing m-16 at the 300m range, the range had to be closed during firing due to a herd of deer moving onto the range. They spend most of their lives within a 1 square mile area and so get used to the sounds common to their habitat. But, snap one twig in the deep woods during season and they're off to the next county.

[buckwheatpaul]

Good story and great picture....caught yote stalking a fawn during our TX deer season....all of a sudden he was up on plain and closing the distance to the fawn.....about 20 yds from the fawn I ruined the yotes day.......

[JohnH]

Interesting. I've never been able to quite figure out why folks are afraid that the sound of a gun will scare deer. I figure if the think anything of it, they most likely associate it with thunder. I've had dogs that reacted badly to thunder and dogs that reacted not at all. I've got a Chihuahua/MinPin who will lay in my shooting lane as I shoot. On several occasions through the years I've witnessed does walk behind my berm as I was shooting, feeding on acorns as if I was not there. My notice of them, and their realization my attention as now on them brought more reaction from them than the gun shots. ( I shoot very frequently, and figure the noise is a normal part of their background) I believe that unless a deer has a traumatic experience it associates with gun fire it pays little if any attention at all to it. I'd be shocked if it could be proven that on hearing a gun shot, a deer thinks "human hunting"