25 Coyote hunts slated this winter

[swarter2]

In my opinion.  If a club wants to hold a "Coyote" hunt.  It is their business.  Correct?  If their are people who disagree in the way these coyotes are hunted.  Then Maybe these people should make a sugestion to these clubs to have catagories for the way these coyotes are harvested.

Yes, I agree that hunting with dogs has an advantage over those that hunt over bait.  And those that hunt over bait have an advantage over those that hunt by calling.  But if you take a look at the Pa. Outdoors News article.  The number of coyotes taken was actually lower then what I thought they would be.  

last year 3,695 people entered Mosquito Creeks contest.  Only 143 coyotes were checked in.  Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  If you ask me.  That is a lot of money going in to that club.  Top prize was close to $7500.  I think the $10 entry is worth the odds of winning.

http://www.mosquitocreeksportsmen.com/Coyote%20Hunt.htm

Point is this.  Hunting is hunting whether you use dogs, bait or calling.  If don't like these hunts are run.  Just don't pay any attention to them.  Just go out and hunt for the fun of it.  Take a kid out with you and change their life.

[Buckwheat]

Ya  know, it is not the most coyotes killed that wins it is the biggest coyote in the big money hunts. So everyone stands a chance. Sure it helps if you can kill a few to up your odds on getting a big one in a hunt, but luck is the winner most of the time on size. Sure a dog man can look for the biggest track he can find and run that one but he to may only see small tracks or miss the coyote.  A caller can call were he has seen big dogs also and a baiter can try for the big one that comes into the bait pile. But there is always luck involved. I rather say a prayer for a little luck and skill.  Skill and luck are both needed to win I think. These hunts sure do get people excited and into hunting them that is for sure. I seam to flip flop how I feel about money hunts but not real strong either way. One thing for sure it does get people excited. I do know if I was in the hunt and had a 50+ coyote lying on the ground I would be also jumping around like the rest. People think about that possibility that is for sure or they would not get in. I do think hunts have helped grow our sport grow so it can not be all bad. I sometimes think people get to think it out to much and worry about the cheaters and the rules.  Ya know there will always be cheaters in what ever we do in life, so right now my flip on it is if you have fun and visions of possibly getting lucky have at it. If you do not like how a hunt is run just do not get in it. Let he cheaters have there luck also; they sure can not be having too much fun with greed leading the way. At least in my eyes.

[uncle buck]

Also like Buckwheat said:  Who is to say that the cheater will get any of the top coyotes. Would be neat if a cheater let say took 4Th place and ended up with just $175.00 prize. Not the largest female coyote or 1st, 2ND, or 3rd place where the bigger money is.

[Whitefeather]

It is interesting when I see folks on here talk about "growing the sport'. PLEASE DONT TAKE OFFENSE!!  Over the last 12 years I have done nothing but race motor vehicles as my hobby.  First was road racing motorcycls (on race tracks) than I moved to 120mph shifter karts.  We in the karting world were always trying to 'grow our sport' because race tracks, like Daytona, or Mid Ohio, or Road Atlanta cost around $12000.00 a day for our clubs to rent.  So for a three day race weekend that was $36000.00 just for track rental.  No medical, cornerworkers and all the other stuff needed.  So we needed/need NUMBERS to pay the bills and continue our sport.

In hunting predators, IMO I would not want everyone to do it.  Why, because that means more people and less prey.  Sure it is fantastic that because of the growing numbers, companies like Foxpro can come up with cool **** to sell us.  That aside, people have been calling predators with mouth calls and other means long before electronic calls came about.  Granted I am new to this, and am frequenting this forum to educate myself with free advice.  But to 'grow the sport'?  I dont want it to grow, I would rather a small amount of hunters would do it, which would mean less predators getting educated and more opportunity for me to get something.  We dont need mass $$ to hunt.  Just grab your gear and go in the woods and see what happens.

[Buckwheat]

Whitefeather
PLEASE DONT TAKE OFFENSE!!
It is the fastest growing sport in the country. 10 years ago you could hardly find other callers. Today they are every were. Clubs do not survive with out members, kind of a double edge sword. But hey thanks NEW GUY for your membership, remember some one else just lost a hunting spot they had or a few critters they might have gotten now. So you can look at this stuff a bunch of different ways. I personally like to meet other predator callers and even help them if asked. I still can kill predators like a machine if all the stars are lined up just right, I just have to work a little harder with every one stumbling around in the woods. Money makes things possible for most clubs.

[Whitefeather]

No offense taken, and excuse my ignorance.  And I only ask this because of ignorance.  What do the clubs need money for?  I am sure the server maintenance for this website takes some $  But you don't need 1000 members to cover it.  again this may sound like I am being a smart alic, but I am not.  T shirts are purchased separately, not included in membership fee.  I understand that people lobby for things in the PG rules.  I am sure donations and hunters through out state aid in that.  I served on the Board of Directors of the largest kart club on the east coast, so I have an idea of what Non profit clubs are about and what is involved in runnig them.  We needed insurance, rules for sanctioning, and a plithera of other things I wont bore you with.  I understand you have organized hunts, but those should be funded by entry fees.  I just don't see need for mass membership to clubs for this sport.  And I don't want to be misunderstood or offend anyone here.  Buckwheat, do you tell everyone where your good hunting spots are?

[Buckwheat]

Whitefeather
You are right, the club really does not need a ton of money. But to date no one has set a limit of what is needed. Also how far the club wants to go is still unknown. This is a young club with a lot of firsts. That will some day be question, but right now it has not been.

 You probably could get a tee shirt, but you probably would have to give up the mag they offer i would think.
I to know a little about none profet clubs and yes I do not want to bore you either.

 

Buckwheat, do you tell everyone where your good hunting spots are?

No, But I have taken hunters to my spots.  I try and teach others how to find them self find a good spot.

[uncle buck]

Wow I can tell you it's a fast growing sport in my own county...You guys are educating the fox that as soon as you turn on the electronics they start barking at you.. LOL LOL Where are the smartest fox in Pa? Why in Pa's Cumberland County!!!!!


No we need dues.. Nice to give out a prize now and then and the committee did such a good job on the Expo this last September. That takes funding.


Also by not having some type of dues you also are prone to bring in people who really don't "Eat Sleep & _________ Predator Calling.. Actually trouble makers who want to hear themselves talk and don't care about if predator hunting continues as we know it..
I'm truly in the PPHA so we can stand up and speak when they take some of our privileges away from us.. See I said privilege.. It's not a right a privilege.. You have the right wing and you have the left wing.. One of those wings will take predator hunting from you.. Hence why we need the PPHA as an organization..

[jaspr1]

My 2 cents Example: If we had 2000 members state wide, on a Jan. or Feb. night when it is 10 degrees outside and has been for weeks. The fox and Coyotes are running around living on memories of eating something and are ripe to make a mistake...I would guess there would be fewer than a 100 out there making the attempt..Its a self regulating sport in that you have to be willing to put in the time in some of the harshest conditions knowing you might get skunked...A lot will try but will give up easily when they find its not as easy as on TV. Others like me have a "Been there done that" mentality setting in. I look out every evening get the urge and then go sit next to the coal stove and watch football  At 62 the drive is starting to fade and I don't have my son pushing me to go but like UB, Ernie and others I think we need an organization like PPHA to speak for us....also I like the idea of the younger guys having a prize or two to sweeten the pot, when I started I used an am-fm radio cassette player with a rigged on PA speaker it was quite the set-up. today a good hunter has a chance to win a caller or rifle maybe, if he gets out there and hustles, courtesy of the PPHA.. Finally and some on here can relate to this, I started trapping and hunting fox around 1960 and life was good...there was even a bounty on fox and great horned owls then...UB was in coal country and Hern was playing the part of a poison ivy patch somewhere making them non-factors in my woods.. ...around the early 80's fur prices went thru the roof...Every Tom Dick and Harry who owned a firearm was out there screwing up my  woods and all my favorite places  but predator hunting  survived that onslaught. Maybe not as good as it was but still there.. I try to recruit someone every time the subject comes up..everyone will not sign up for the same reasons. We need to support each other we are becoming fewer and fewer..

[Buckwheat]

jaspr1
Good to see your staying warm, I have two windows one on each side of my computer to look out wile being comfortable, so I get to think twice about going out in the cold.