SMOKING EASTERN COYOTES

The History Of Eastern Coyotes And Their Rapid Increase

Editor's Note: If you want to experience fun, off-season hunting this spring and summer, try hunting coyotes, abundant in most areas of the East. Very few other hunters hunt coyotes, landowners will look forward to your hunting, and they'll do all they can to aid your success.

According to legend, eastern fox hunters in the 1950s and 1960s imported coyotes from the West for their hounds to run. During that time, trappers put tremendous pressure on both the gray and red foxes because of the high price of fur. Since hunters easily could obtain the coyotes and they ran longer and produced a better race than the fox, the houndsmen imported the coyotes, unaware of the damage they eventually would cause. At the same time, coyotes migrated from the West to the East. These slant-eyed songdogs with the furry tails invaded the eastern United States from several directions and found very few places they couldn't call home. Besides feeding on crops, domestic hogs, chickens, household pets and young calves, the coyote also had an impact on eastern game species such as deer, turkeys, quail and rabbits. Many easterners who learned firsthand the effect coyotes could have when left uncontrolled took aggressive action.

The rapidly growing sport of hunting coyotes in the East, which differs somewhat from hunting coyotes in the West, has meant a growth in innovative hunting strategies and an influx of calls coming to the market. Also the demand for information on how to hunt or trap coyotes has grown. According to one call manufacturer, "The demand for coyote calls has climbed steadily. More deer and turkey hunters view coyote hunting as an off-season sport. Also ranchers and farmers have searched for better methods to rid their lands of these predators."

Hunters have found an animal they can hunt all year. They also can gain access to hunt coyotes almost anywhere they want to hunt. Landowners view the coyotes as a nuisance and welcome coyote hunters with open arms at almost any time of the year, if the hunters will remove the coyotes on their property. Throughout the East, when call manufacturers give seminars on deer and turkey hunting, if they ask how many sportsmen would like to know how to hunt coyotes, 98 percent of the hunters in attendance will raise their hands and then remain an extra 30 minutes to learn how to hunt these varmints.

TOMORROW: WHERE TO FIND COYOTES TO HUNT