Man they’ve gotten so bad around me that I’m adjusting my approach to taking up the trail as soon as I gather all my info from seeing and listening and calm down a bit. I’ll get down and start looking for good blood right away and then decide what to do from there. What’s better? I bump a deer that needs time or Cayotes do? I saw several deer last year amongst my group of hunters who lost deer to the Cayotes, some instances they were on those deer in less than 20 minutes after the shot. It’s really upsetting to have a good kill, give it the “bow hunter’s” 30 minutes and go only to find the stomach ripped wide open. If they lay overnight there’s not much left at all. I wonder what are some of you other guys doing? Do you wait as usual or start tracking? If I’m confident in the shot and see good blood I’m going right for it

 

I trail the same way. Only time I’d wait is if I made a really bad shot. Everything so far has luckily been 75yds and under


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I am definitely more aware of coyotes nowadays. If I hear them howling any part of the day or see one while in the stand I would definitely would start trailing sooner.

 

They can help and then they can ruin a hunt even.
I use them to find deer in my hunting area but sometimes they come in chasing the deer and run them out over another draw.
If I get a deer down I definitely try to get there as soon as possible.

 

My boy had a similar experience. He shot a doe and right after, a coyote came running by. I think the coyote may have been following the doe. He text me and we both climbed down, we picked up the blood quickly and found his doe within a hundred yards. It had most of one hind quarter gone and the belly was ripped open. I don't know how one coyote could do that in 20 minutes. Maybe there were more than just that one.

 

That’s crazy!


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Happened to me twice. Both 30 minutes or less after the shot . Kentucky & Indiana

 

While we are on the topic of coyotes. Here’s one taking one of my buddies ducks a few years ago.

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I have had Eagles twice sitting on my Elk pecking out the eyes at sunrise.

 

Lost one to coyotes once. I always try to get a second shot in a wounded deer or track them at night until I lose the blood trail. I don't like the taste of the meat even if it spoils only a little when left overnight or from the bacteria in the stomach circulating through the veins. Kicked this one buck up twice in the snow when it was dark out. Decided to back out when it was about to head into a private development if I pushed it any farther. -5 that night and I found it at daybreak the next morning with hams eaten. Coyotes started to eat it in it's bed when still alive. Deer got up and walked another 10yds to where I found it. Shot one coyote with the muzzleloader that was chasing a mature doe down the same mountain. She was flying down through the rocks and lost the yote when she went through thick saplings. Got the exhausted yote as it was walking back up past me.
Another time I was slowly tracking a doe when I seen a bear get on the bloodtrail ahead of me. At that point I knew the chances of a recovery just went way down. The bear kicked her up out of a bed on the edge of a swamp. Couldn't find another drop of blood after that. Yotes and bear are overpopulated here and now we have a growing number of bobcats to add the the problem

 

They definitely do not take long. Wish I had a coyote to trail a deer I haven’t been able to find before lol.