Mosquito Creek Coyote Hunt

[wfo204]

I'm still not convinced on the hound hunting. So you spend a lot of money on dogs and equipment the dogs are still doing the hunting not the hunter. I spend lots of gas money to go different spots and walk 10-15 miles a night and morning in the snow while trying to be quiet. And spend money on calls for me to hunt the animal not to fallow a GPS through the woods to find my dogs who did the hunting for me. I'm not saying its easy and cheap I have two redbone coonhounds that I was going to use for coons and its a lot of work and cost money to keep them I agree. I just don't see how you can say you hunt something when the dogs are hunting and you just fallow them just my option not try to cause an argument. Maybe I just dont realize it and should go out with someone who runs dogs and see how it really works.

[Hern]

nortpete gave a good explanation.

wfo204 says-
I just don't see how you can say you hunt something when the dogs are hunting and you just fallow them... 
Hounds guys don't follow hounds. They get ahead of the Coyote for a shot.
There's more to it than that.
The hound guy scouts and knows his territory. He hunts places where there are Coyote. He is usually good at this because he knows Coyote and their habits. It's what he does. He's put alot of time in training hounds and getting them in shape, along with getting himself in shape. He loves to hunt, he loves his hounds.
The hound guy has a fondness for good hound work, he enjoys hunting over hounds. (Some folks enjoy hunting behind an electronic caller with realistic Coyote sounds) But the hound guy enjoys hounds and hunting with them.
He's done alot of homework and can't wait for the first hound to open on a fresh track.
Knowing he can trust his hounds to stay on the track, the hound guy can figure where to post himself and others in his party. He knows because he knows Coyotes. If things go right, someone will get a shot.

In turn, I know some hound guys that hound me. By that, they give me the business that I'm a lazy hunter because I flop down in a fencerow, use mouth calls or e-call and decoy. They claim the call is doing the hunting and bringing the Coyote to me.
I see no difference if a hound or call brings a Coyote to gun range. I enjoy either way hunting.

wfo204 goes on-
Maybe I just don't realize it and should go out with someone who runs dogs and see how it really works.
Yes. Please do.

[uncle buck]

go here this is the latest of what is happening at Mosquito Creek right now:  2:00 PM.  http://blog.pennlive.com/pa-sportsman/2015/02/coyote_hunt_chairperson_weathe.html

Marcus from the Patriot News wrote up  3 daily info's about what was happening at the Mosquito Creek hunt.. if you go to all of the write ups. One is above and click on the comment area... look at how the anti's took this and ran with it.. there are other web links for the other days of the hunt too... click on those also and read some of what people are saying about hunting coyotes in Pa.. not even cutting the hunts down for money just for being a hunter...There is one character:  Captainkrunch... I have a strong feeling he is that person from Harrisburg that wrote a "UB  is the predator editoral in the patriot New a few years back.. From what I understand he is a medical doctor that does hug the trees a bit!  Some even signed on from PETA just to attack comments of the hunters on  the comments..

[uncle buck]

I saw the comments on huntingpa about possible cheating.. made me think is this one of those people who just starts a rumor or could it be true. you know the rumors like the Insurance companies stocked coyotes in Pa and they even have an insurance tag in their ear.. We all have heard people in groups start to rattle about this ..  I just sit there and let them talk while I laugh to myself.. I guess the new rumor is that guys go to WV and buy a coyote. turn these pan raised coyotes in a kill for MC.. Now if this is the case this would be like a drug ring already.... people doing things to rip people off.. Would be nice if this was true out of the clear blue sky you hear of something like this being busted!!! Wonder what the MC club would do if this ever turned out to be true..

[Buckwheat]

I am just glad Mosquito Creek is in Pa. We have the highest payout hunt in the country. I think they're doing a great job. I just hope next year I can get in it with better weather. I don't think there's as many cheaters as people think. I think there's a lot of people that push the rules to the edge. All competitions there are people that push the limits. A bait station out your home or camp window is leagle. I bet the dog guys do not like that. When there dog shows up in some ones yard from a good sent.

[wfo204]

Hern
When you put it like that yes it is more like hunting and I can see your point. All the videos I've seen of hounds hunting for coyotes it just shows the dogs cornering the coyote and the hunter then walking up and shooting a already half dead coyote. It doesnt seem like the hunter did anything but let his dogs go on fresh tracks and then fallow them. Maybe I will talk to some local guys and see if they there hounds for coyotes and see what its all about. Thank you for explaining it more to me.

[PA Predator Hunter]

I hunt both ways; with dogs and with calls. My in-laws have coyote hounds and they do a fantastic job. Without question the houndsmen have the upper hand.
It's the hunters choice on method of hunting and what fits their needs for their geography and budget. I grew up near Mosquito Creek and land availability is abundant to let hounds run. I now live in Eastern Pa, where calling is a little more conducive to the area due to lack of land available. Plus hounds running with all the big interstates is recipe for disaster.
So here is my opinion: without question the houndsmen have the upper hand. I did it, I experienced it, and I enjoy it due to the fast pace and pleasure of hearing hounds on a fresh track. Plus the success rate is fairly good.   As long as you have a small group of guys your chances of getting in the right spot to take the shot at the coyote is good. Not saying it is easy, but with knowledge of the land, men with multiple trucks to navigate from one side of the mountain to the other, as well as GPS units on the dogs, chances exponentially go up for a kill compared to calling. I compare it to a Pa bear drive; 25 guys pushing a bottom out and the bear eventually shows up in front of someone.  But it's the hunters decision on how he or she chooses to pursue coyotes. I am now primarily a caller, with a periodic weekend with the dogs.  Calling coyotes is, in my opinion, more technique and ability driven; you have many aspects to consider including wind, sound choice, volume, setup, etc.
In summary, both are fun methods of hunting and rewarding for many different reasons. BUT, I do think it should be two separate classes to enter at the annual Mosquito Creek hunt. 1 division for the houndsmen and 1 division for calling. It would delineate the two methods and equal the playing field. The way it is now the average hunter (the majority) with an ecall or hand call is competing against a group of folks who have invested thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours to the sport while capitalizing off the average hunters entry fees with the  majority of the wins (historically over the years this is the case). It's similar to building a race car in your garage with some side money and competing at the Daytona 500 nascar race against the big race teams.
Again, both are great, fun methods of hunting coyotes but shouldn't be lumped into one division competing for the purse at the Mosquito Creek hunt.

[Buckwheat]

How would you separate the two groups. Thats when the cheating would show up.
Just one example, each dog group could have one guy in there group sign up as a caller. They would just win more categories.
I know it is not fair but it has worked for 24 years.
We should just have a PPHA coyote hunt. Every body gets to know each other a little and helps keep it honest.

[Bowman66]

We have had a PPHA coyote hunt the last few years and no coyotes killed! March Madness we a month long yote hunt and two straight years with no winner, so we decided to go with the Bobcat Blitz hunt this year and actually had a bobcat entered!

[Buckwheat]

Yea, I know you guys tried. It always seams like we have to drag people to ppha hunts. I not sure what it would take to get the interest.
Is march just a bad time to have a coyote hunt?

[Bowman66]

I dont know what more we can do to get more guys interested. I'm sure we have more guys that kill coyote in a year than the pics that get posted and entered into the species specific hunt but you never see them or hear much about them either, but you hear guys saying they are coyote killers.

[Brushwolf]

I don't think it is a bad time. Actually I think it is a good time at least for me. For me I rarelly target coyotes during fox  season. Now March comes around and I go out on the weekends and hunt for coyotes if I target them more I might be more succesfull in killing them. My lack of killing them is cause I need to put more time into hunting them then just in one month of the year and that is just on the weekends.

[PA Predator Hunter]

I think January would be good. Throughout Pa there aren't many (if any) predator hunts in January.  It seems they all run through February.
Maybe develop a PPHA Facebook page? News spreads through Facebook like wildfire. People who predator hunt probably follow other friends on Facebook who predator hunt. And the word spreads like that.
My buddy started a Facebook page "Eastern Pennsylvania Predator Hunters".  He been posting our pictures on there from this past season. And I couldn't believe how quickly so many people were exposed to them.  Could be a helpful tool to advertise for a future hunt. Just a thought.

[Bowman66]

We do have a Facebook page and every time I post a pic it gets a few likes pose a question and might get 3 responses. There are a bunch of people who like the page but just don't engage in the activities that are presented.

[uncle buck]

My conversations with Jerry Johnson at Johnsons Furs... He always says to me. "WHY DOESN"T PPHA HAVE A COYOTE HUNT?" See he sees first hand what the coyotes are doing to his fur business.. Not many gray fox and even red fox in some areas now.. People can't find reds they stop trapping and bringing in fur and buying supplies..

I would think that if MC had two catagories the houndsmen would not like that.. Heck that's where they get the money from the callers and posters that join in on the pot of money....

Wouldn't it be great if all these colleges that are collecting data could tell by something that it's not a Pa coyote when they are looking at them...Maybe something even in their lab reports that would come back later and show hey this is a NY coyote or a Ohio coyote based on on the content found in their intestine or organs..Hey I'm just thinking here...