Got em’
Well, the hunt might be ruined, but what an encounter to have.
Coyotes are an animal that are just easy to hate. They are predators that often are known to eat game animals that many people chase after, from deer to grouse. They also can be a threat to pets if you have small dogs or cats in your yard.
Coyotes can weigh up to 45 pounds and are wild dogs that are close relatives to wolves. They live all across North America and are known for their adaptability being able to live anywhere from the middle of the woods, to the suburbs, and even in dense city environments.
Naturally, an animal that is so easy to hate is often a popular predator top target during the offseason of other hunts. In some areas their populations are so large there is even a bounty on them where the government will pay you to hunt them.
This hunter was out for a turkey hunt.
He had the full set, decoys and all. Sitting there calling for a tom to come out. But a coyote thought that was the dinner bell and came running in.
The dog is seen taking the turkey decoy out in a flash, realizing it was fake and keeping on running without a second thought.
The hunter pulls down and fires.
Bingo.
It might not be the thing he was after but at least no more turkeys will be harmed because of this guy.
A successful hunt.
Coyote Smokes A Turkey Decoy, Goes Straight For The Neck
This coyote thought it had everything figured out.
Life sometimes does that to you though. Just when you think you are about to bag a nice turkey for the Thanksgiving table, you embarrass yourself. This coyote could barely contain its excitement when it saw the turkey standing in the opening of the woods, but it turns out that there was a good reason the turkey wasn’t moving.
The old saying “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is” was taught to the coyote on this day, and now the thing will second guess any hunt it ever goes on. I don’t have a ton of sympathy to spare for these wild canines, but I do feel a touch of second hand embarrassment for this coyote.
It seems like this is the human equivalent of waving back at someone who is actually waving at someone behind you. For some reason that really hurts, even though like this coyote attacking the decoy, it’s very much instinctual.
The video of the decoy attack is set to the song “Coming in Hot” by Lecrae and Andy Mineo, and for good reason. This coyote went by the book for this entire encounter, slowly approaching the decoy, patiently prowling, and waiting for the right time to pounce.
The only thing it failed to do was verify that its target was an actual living turkey, but it finds that out pretty fast after grabbing the decoy by the neck and tackling it to the ground.
The slow motion footage shows the wild animal springing towards the turkey decoy and throwing on the brakes once it comes into contact with its neck. As it skids across the ground with the turkey in its teeth, you can tell that it is thinking “something isn’t right.”
Once the coyote realizes the mistake, it “aborts the mission” and takes off away from the decoy. You have to think it will probably keep this incident to itself if it can.
Coyotes usually travel and live in family groups, and if this mistake ever got back to the others, I’m sure they would be left “howling” in laughter.
Mountain Lion Pounces On Deer Decoy In Wild Trail Cam Video
Mountain lions have to be one of the coolest animals in America.
Sure, there are all kinds of insane creatures out there, but the majestic nature combined with ferocious killing ability puts these big cats right at the top.
While they are relatively rare (about 37,000 throughout the United States, according to Wildlife Informer), and very elusive, the species tends to be heavily concentrated in specific locations, especially in the western part of the country.
Even though their population isn’t that large, we do hear quite a few stories of crazy encounters people have with them, like this guy who saved his dog from an attack with a machete or this one who broke into an unsuspecting home in Washington.
Thanks to our friends over at MeatEater, we now get to see a mountain lion in action, or so the big cat thought…
While we don’t know exactly where this took place, a trail cam caught what happens when one of these cats does decide to strike. Fortunately for the victim, but to the cat’s chagrin, the target happened to be a decoy.
As funny as it is, it does still show the brutal realities of everyday life in nature.
It’s kill or be killed, and those who kill do it well…
Stay safe out there, folks.
Accidentally Calling In Mountain Lions While Turkey Hunting
One of the most exciting parts of turkey hunting is the interactive nature of the experience.
The style of hunting needed to be successful and the timing of the spring season means that turkey hunters must proactively mimic the sounds of female turkeys in order to entice a big gobbler to come close enough for a shot.
Often times a direct conversation between an old dirty bird and a hunter mimicking a hen often unfold for hours in the woods.
Given that wild turkey are a popular prey species, that also means other animals in the woods have been known to use turkey vocalizations as part of their hunting strategies too.
Many turkey hunters have stories of predators like coyotes, foxes, and black bears being curious about their decoys or closely approaching the source of the sounds while hunting for their next meal.
While those predators pose a minimal legitimate threat to humans, a hungry mountain lion expecting a turkey dinner only to walk upon a person sitting on the ground is a far scarier scenario. If it’s 3 mountain lions that’s even more terrifying, but that’s just the situation that Janis Putelis from MeatEater recently experienced for himself.
He was able to catch 2 of the 3 big cats on camera and now has a crazy hunting story to remember for the rest of his life.
Mission accomplished.
