Varmint Hunting Etiquette

[macavada]

I've got a little question. If someone is out varmint hunting, what is one to do with the dead carcasses? No prairie dogs, woodchucks, groundhogs, etc. where I hunt. The only varmint I may encounter would be a coyote.

A couple of years ago, I was deer hunting. I didn't have high hopes of seeing any deer that day. It was my first day on that piece of land, and I hadn't scouted it much. I was hunting on foot. I saw a coyote walking along the edge of the clearing right toward me. I wasn't afraid what might happen when he got close. I figured he'd spook and run away. He got about 40 yards from me, and I let him have it with my .270. I mainly wanted to see if the gun was still sighted, since I hadn't used it for several years.

I left the carcass where it fell. The next day, several vultures were in the area picking at the carcass of the coyote. I decided to hunt a different area.

Are a bunch of vultures in an area a bad thing when it comes to deer hunting? Should I have dragged the coyote to some other place?

If some of you other hunters are out varmint hunting for say prairie dogs for example, do you just leave the field riddled with dead prarie dogs, or should one "pick up after himself" after varmint hunting. What is the proper etiquette?

Thanks,
Marco

 

[Smoke]

Coyotes get hung on the fence (if you don't skin 'em) just a tradition, I think there is a superstition there too, supposed to warn off others or something.

Shot sod poodles on different properties, one rancher wanted them gathered up and thrown in a ravine. ANother said "Just leave the dead little Ba*****s where they fall. Ask the owner of the property what he wants done with them.

I shoot a lot of hogs and drag the carcass where other hogs will find it. Dead feral hogs make good feral hog bait. Thats on my property.



If you hunt your own place: Etiquette is doing whatever you want.
If you hunt leased land: Etiquette is doing what the OWNER wants.
If you hunt public land: (I've never hunted public land so I might need some help but...): I would haul off anything I shot for proper disposal.


Smoke

edited to add: The smell of a rotting carcass probably won't help your hunting much.

 

[repsychler]

macavada
I mainly wanted to see if the gun was still sighted, since I hadn't used it for several years.

They make paper for that nowadays.

 

[Sunray]

Death and the smell of it is natural and therefore normal to a deer. As is the sight of a vulture eating the dead coyote. The shot is what ended that day's hunt. Depending on the time of year, coyote hides can be worth money. Not likely after being hit with a deer bullet though. Just think of the money spent of coyote fur coats. Ground hogs etc, unless you're eating them get stuffed back down the hole. The carrion eaters won't mind digging it out. An easy meal is an easy meal.

 

[Newt]

I shot a coyote this past smoke pole season. I let the bugger lay where he was. Other coyotes wil dispose of him quickly. I think it was Josie Wales who said: "Buzzards gotta eat, same as the worms."

Newt

P.S. - The hides are worth some money, although, not sure how much.

 

[Bigjake]

paper ranks well below coyote in my book of things to test the sights on.

 

[JohnDog]

Yeah - moon doggers are always much better sight check than paper. As my buddy and I walked back to the truck on the last day of our elk hunt I noticed a 'yote trotting out across an open meadow. A quick sitting position, a couple of deep breaths, a little lead and holdover guesstimate and my sights checked out just great. Big confidence builder!

As for picking up prairie dogs (or even going out to the mounds), this is not too good an idea. We've had a lot of bubonic plague up here in Colorado in prairie dog towns, with the plague being carried by fleas that infect the dogs. When their host dies the flea starts looking for a new ride, and if you wander by, you may get picked as the new host. We had a jogger die from the plague and he just ran through a field that had an infected dog town in it. Maybe your wildlife department can tell you if that's a problem down there in Tejas.

JohnDog

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

P.S. - The hides are worth some money, although, not sure how much.

Local trapper here just started advertising to buy at $10-$30 per dog. A few years ago he wouldn't even pick them up for free. It cost him more to have them skinned, $6.00 each I think, than they were worth.

He doesn't want mine though. I use a 25-06 on 'em.

I usually bury them with my loader because of the smell, or if I shoot one on a weekend, put them in a trash bag and into the dumpster at work, dumpster gets picked up on Monday.

 

[Dr.Rob]

The only pelt/carcass I was ever offered a bounty on was Badgers in WYO.

I didn't have a small game license so I didn't shoot one. Found numerous badger holes though.

Ditto on picking up prarie dogs.. let the raptors eat.

 

[macavada]

Thanks for the responses. I guess the bottom line is, if nobody cares, just leave them there and let nature take care of them.

Marco

 

[12-34hom]

FYI.

For those who might or do hunt in Iowa.

You have to properly dispose of any animal taken.

Fine for leaving dead animal = 145.00$$

12-34hom.

 

[OH25shooter]

I let mother nature take care of the dead varmints I shoot. It's a good meal for the turkey vultures, crows, etc. They are always gone when I return the following day. Think about it, if you shoot a deer and can't find it, the animal will drop and die somewhere. Then something else will come along and dispose of the carcus. It's just the cycle of life. Animal style.

 

[Bigjake]

another vote for "josie wales" style disposal. last june i went woodchuck hunting across from work in a big field by where we park. whacked 8 of em that evening by 8 pm, lined up the ones that werent mangled to bad for a pic, and left em. next morning i'm at work by 6 and theres not even a TRACE of woodchuck left. (but, there wasnt much of em left other than pieces anyway with a .22-250 balistic tip )

 

[mousecat33]

got my trapper's permit this year and plan on getting my $18 worth. got a crazy idea about gloves and hats(think curly/three stooges) for family members Christmas 2004. we got ton of skunks and racoons at the place.
song dogs would make for a nice Lazyboy topper( a real mans doiley! )


regards from tx

mc

 

[Ol' Badger]

True Story

After a fruitless day of hunting I was going to get up and head back for some breakfast and I saw a Rabbit run from cover. I thought maybe a Deer? I got ready and what came out, but C'ote and I hit him in the head with my 6.5X55 swid. and his mellon explodes. Will, I just left him there. That afternoon I was walking back to that area and observed two of his brothers eating on him. Nailed another one! The owner of the Dairy slapped me on the back and said for me to keep up the good work!

I'm only to eager to help

 

[repsychler]

Bigjake
paper ranks well below coyote in my book of things to test the sights on.

I'm saddened by the way you find it acceptable to test the sites of a rifle on a living target. Coyote or not, it's not right to wound an animal because you're too stupid or lazy to properly sight in your rifle.

Well at least our hunting rights aren't in jeopardy or anything. Otherwise we might have to worry about how others perceive the ethics of our sport.

Right?

:banghead:

 

[Bigjake]

while i should be offended by your condescending attitude on my hunting ethics, i'm not . (the whole never wrestle with a pig thing applies)... I understand that it may seem cruel to shoot a poor widle animal to one who hasnt a clue about such things, and thats alright. hang around and read up, gain some knowledge on the subject and you'll realize how silly that comment was. coyotes are varmint, and i shoot varmint. is that simple enough for you?

eddited for lousy spelling & grammar, which is still a bit off, but who cares.

 

[repsychler]

Bigjake
I understand that it may seem cruel to shoot a poor widle animal to one who hasnt a clue about such things

For someone who doesn't wish to "wrestle with the pig" you sure do seem to have a good deal of mud on you.

I'll submit I'm not the one lacking in the clue department. If you find it acceptable to hunt any animal with a rifle that is not sighted in, you are doing more to hurt hunting than your average PETA member ever will. I don't care if it is a coyote, you still owe the animal a clean kill. I will also point out that the original poster was deer hunting. Would you also find it acceptable if the sights on the rifle had been knocked out of alignment and he ended up wounding and not recovering a deer?

 

[12-34hom]

One of the joys of having a well tuned varmint rig is shooting on paper and working up handloads that tweak every bit of accuracy your rifle has to offer.

For those who are satisfyed with mediocracy...

As Warren Page once stated.

Only accurate rifles are interesting.

Those rifles would be the ones that have been sighted in before taken out in the field.

12-34hom.

 

[macavada]

I was the original hunter that posted the original question. The question dealt with the issue of whether or not the corpses of vermin should be disposed of in some manner or another.

I think that the vast majority of hunters goes out dear hunting every season without having re-sighted his rifle. I don't think it is irresponsible to go hunting when you are reasonably sure that the sights have not shifted or otherwise been compromised. I didn't have a reason to believe that the sights were knocked off, and they weren't. If I hadn't been hunting in over a year, it is not unreasonable to "practice" on a live varmint in order to see if the shooter still has a steady aim, and the rifle still functions properly. I would not equate the life of a coyote with the life of a deer.

What's more, I took the shot from a standing position - a lower percentage shot than a rested position. I probably would not have done that had I had a shot at a deer.

To say that I was deer hunting and shouldn't have shot a coyote or other varmint does not make any sense. In fact, while dear hunting, if I had seen a bobcat or mountain lion, perfectly legal to take in Texas, I may have shot one and had it stuffed. (Although probably not with a .270.)

Ideally, everybody that goes varmint hunting is using a varmint caliber, has the unlimited right to go hunting (doesn't rely on invitations) and can separate their "varmint hunts" from their "deer hunts," has realoading equipment, countless hours to spend on the range shooting groups to within 1/2", etc., etc., etc.

Marco

 

[Bigjake]

I mainly wanted to see if the gun was still sighted, since I hadn't used it for several years.

seems he was confident enough with its accuracy to take it out in the field after DEER.. shooting it seems the only logical way to see if its still sighted in correctly. worst case scenario is its off a bit and you have to make a followup, so what?

Would you also find it acceptable if the sights on the rifle had been knocked out of alignment and he ended up wounding and not recovering a deer?

thats his problem. i'm not the one piss & moaning about the other guys hunting habits.

 

[repsychler]

macavada
I think that the vast majority of hunters goes out dear hunting every season without having re-sighted his rifle.

Not me, and not anyone I hunt with. And judging by the increase in traffic at the rifle ranges in October, I'd disagree that the "vast majority" do not sight in their rifle every year. Around here they seem to.


I would not equate the life of a coyote with the life of a deer.

I disagree. We owe any quarry we hunt a clean kill.

To say that I was deer hunting and shouldn't have shot a coyote or other varmint does not make any sense.

That's not what I said. I said it is unwise to even go afield with a rifle that has not been sighted in or used at all for several years.

 

[repsychler]

Bigjake
thats his problem.

Its all of our problems when people do things like this and the hunt goes bad. Fortunately everything worked out and the rifle was still on, but I've heard plenty of stories where that wasn't the case. Every story about a wounded animal thats never recovered due to a hunter's negligence is more ammo the PETA types will use to restrict or ban hunting.

I have to admit I'm a little sensitive to the issue, because deer season was earlier this month, so I got another weeks dose of just what kind of jackasses we hunters can be. I ran into one guy in the woods who was bragging how he shot a spike buck and let it lie, and he also shot a doe from which he removed the backstraps and let the rest rot. He of course didn't tag either of them.

I used to own a truck that formerly belonged with the DNR. When I'd come around a corner during deer season you could watch the road hunters (a very illegal activity here) scurry into the woods when they saw my truck. It was like watching the red sea parting.

Now this little rant isn't aimed at the original poster or Bigjake, I'm just mad and I'm trying to drive home the point that our actions have consequences, and we are under scrutiny from certain groups of people.

 

[Sven]

Everyone please take a deep breath.

Let's focus on the issues, not the personalities.

I agree that shooting a rifle that is not zeroed on a living target could result in unnecessary suffering.

 

[macavada]

There is no "guarantee" that a gun is zeroed. Between the interval when the gun was last shot and the next opportunity to shoot, there may have been some incident that may have affected the sights. The way to safeguard against the sights shifting is by properly caring for and handling the rifle.

I don't advocate going hunting without sighting the gun, but it happens. It is a reality. That trip was two or three years ago. Since that hunting trip, I have actively increased my practice with my firearms, joined the NRA, started regularly attending a shooting range, started frequenting this forum (and I've learned a lot), etc., etc., etc. I've always been a safe hunter. But I will re-state that the life of a coyote does not equate with the life of a deer. Varmints are varmints. As accurate as some varmint guns can be, the human element is never going to be fully nullified. If you're out shooting prairie dogs, you're bound to wound one no matter how good a gun you're shooting and how good a shot you may be. That poor wounded prairie dog is going to suffer a horrible death when he crawls back into his little hole. You won't have an opportunity for a follow up shot to give him a quick death.

When hunting for food or sport, there is no way to ever appease the PETA nuts.

By and large, I am not a varmint hunter. I was always raised with the philosophy that we hunt for food, and we eat what we kill. That was the first coyote I had ever shot.

However, my point remains the same. No matter how often you sight in your rifle, you still can not be ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN it is still sighted.

I agree that clean kills should be AN objective of the hunt. However, how far can we take this argument. If you own a less accurate gun than I, should you still be allowed to hunt? If you are a less accomplished shooter than I, should you even be in the field?

There's all types out there.