Hunting Coyotes is in our blood. My grandpa used to tell me interesting stories about his hunt like how he and his dad used the different techniques to hunt down Coyotes and how much they enjoyed doing that in their time. He was a never fan of these electric game call devices. They used to use their mouth and Greyhounds for hunting.
I will try my best to write my grandpa’s hunting experience with Greyhounds in words so it would be helpful for you if you are looking for how to hunt Coyotes with Greyhounds or something like this.
But Why Greyhounds For Coyote Hunting? Are They That Good?
Greyhounds are made for hunting. They are a breed of dog known as sighthounds. They are separate from the bloodhounds or scent hounds breed dogs.
As their name saying, Sighthounds are those type of dogs who does the hunt by using their sight, not scent. This is why they are known as Sighthounds. They run very fast. This is the main difference between sighthounds and Scent hounds. They outrun their prey and hunt them down.
On the other hand, Scent hounds are those type of dogs who does the hunt by using scent. They are not fast in running and slower than sighthounds. But they use their scent power to track down the prey. Scent hounds have more endurance than Sighthounds.
Greyhounds are perfect for Coyote hunting. Greyhounds are built to hunt down his prey. They have powerful legs, the slim body which made them one of the fastest running animals. Of course, Greyhounds are not as fast as Cheetah but they can run for long-duration where Cheetah only can run for a short amount of time. We can not use Cheetah for our Coyote hunting (they will eat us 😉 so Greyhounds fits perfectly for our needs.
My Grandpa had few Greyhounds and he used them in the hunting as well as in the racing. They used to say, they are sprinters so they are very fast but not very energetic. Greyhounds love to run and chase, it is in their blood. When he was not going for the Coyote hunting, he used to spend time with them. They do not need much care if you are not preparing them for the race.
Should We Hunters Use Greyhounds For Coyote Hunting?
This question has not a proper answer. It depends on hunters to hunters how do they look at this. It’s all their opinion. If you think hunting Coyote with Greyhounds is cruel then please do not use Greyhounds for Coyote hunting but if you think hunting Coyote with Greyhounds is fair, then you should use Greyhounds for your Coyote hunting.
For some states, Coyotes are very big issues like Oklahoma, Utah, and Arkansas. They are dangerous for ranch livestock lives there. Even one of our presidents used Greyhounds to hunt down the Coyotes in Oklahoma city and he was none other than President Theodore Roosevelt.
Hunting coyotes is like a hobby for me. It’s not like they are going to extinct or they are very rare animals. They are just annoying and harmful for ranch livestock. Some states have already made Coyote hunting totally legal. They are well aware of the harm it does.
Is It legal To Hunt Coyotes With Greyhounds ?
It is both legal and illegal to hunt down Coyotes with Greyhounds. It basically depends on state-to-state rules. In some states, it is legal to hunt down Coyotes with Greyhounds and some states have made it illegal to hunt down Coyotes with Greyhounds.
States like Arkansas have allowed people to hunt down Coyotes with greyhounds and people are doing this since 1999. All you need to follow some basic hunting laws of Arkansas and you are allowed to use Greyhounds to hunt Coyotes or you can use any other dog of your choice for hunting. Remember, you are not allowed to use dogs in deer zones or during deer season.
In Colorado state, laws are quite different although it is allowed to use dogs for hunting there are few restrictions. According to the Colorado law, you can use the dogs only to pursue, bring them to the bay, flush out or point but they are not allowed to chase game down themselves. Also, according to the Colorado law, hunting big game with dogs is not allowed but hunting small game, furbearers, and waterfowl is allowed.
States like Utah, offer bounties for Coyote hunting. You can do the hunt with a dog or without the dogs.
Now, let me tell you about the places where you can not hunt Coyotes with dogs. In states like Idaho, according to their law, you can not hunt any kind of game with dogs, black bears and mountain lions are the only exceptions.
In California, there is also similar law, you can not hunt Coyotes with dogs in the archery season but you can hunt elk, bobcats, and bears in that season. Although you can still hunt Coyotes there you have to follow many rules of methods you use.
If you still have some confusion regarding the law of using the Greyhounds or not then you can simply call your state’s fish and game department and ask them your queries. This way, your all doubts will be cleared and you know what you are doing.
How To Train A Greyhound To Hunt Down Coyotes?
This is the most crucial part of Coyote hunting with Greyhound. It took my Grandpa many months of hard work and time to teach his Greyhounds how to hunt Coyotes or when to follow his master command and other things. I will try my best to explain my Grandpa’s tips in the words.
#1. Make Him Obedient:
This is the most basic and important part of his training. If your dog is not following your commands then it would fail as a good hunting partner. The more obedient it will be the higher your chances will become to hunt down Coyotes.
Remember, it would take a lot of effort of yours to train a dog properly and get it ready for the hunt but If you feel you can not do this, you can hire a professional trainer for this task. He will take prepare your dog for the hunt or there are plenty of courses available on the internet which will teach you how you should train your dog step by step. It will be worth your time and money. But if you love challenges and want to experience them just like my grandpa then you can do all this stuff by yourself.
#2. Training In Group
Animals love to be in a group and they do what the rest of the members doing so if you already have a group of dogs then a new dog will easily learn all the skills by living in the group. He will follow what other dogs are doing. All you have to do is introduce him to the rest of the group. After being socialized with the group, the new one will learn easily.
Most of the hunters use a group of Greyhounds. It makes their work a lot easy and saves a lot of time. But I have also seen hunters with just one Greyhounds. So, it’s your choice whether you want to use one Greyhound or a group of Greyhounds.
#3. Show Him The World
Now, your dog has learned the basic things. It’s time to show him the world as much as possible. My grandpa used to do this. He used to take his dog for the long leash. This way, he sees other animals and learns new things. He will identify whom to chase and not to. You can also teach him the right animal to chase.
You also need to teach him to follow your command and only chase when you say. This will be the toughest part for you I guess. Greyhounds are very active for prey so it will take you a long time to make them a good hunting partner.
#4. Coyote Hunting
After spending a lot of time with your dog if you feel like he is listening to your commands and follow all the instructions that mean he is now ready for the real hunt, take him with you to the field and let the fun begin.
You can follow this step, once you shoot down a Coyote, ask your dog to find out the Coyote. Once he finds it out, praise him by giving him something to eat. This gesture will let him think he did a good job and if again did it, you will praise him again.
Conclusion
With the mixture of the Coyote gaming call device and Greyhound, your hunting will be a lot easier. But first, you have to spend a good amount of time training them. Once you do this, you will be unstoppable. Let me remind you again, before using your dogs in a particular state, first you need to ask the fish and game department about the laws and clear your doubts. If you use a group of Greyhounds, your hunting job will be easier but using the single Greyhound is not bad as well.
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