I just found out that two ranches that I frequent very ofter for calling coyotes had a plane fly over and shoot coyotes. I have always had great luck at these two places and now I don't know what to expect. I'll check them this weekend and see if there is anything around anymore, but I am sure that I will have to look for other places to call now.

Here could be everyone's chance to catch up to me and more than likely surpass. Howler, looks like this months hunting will have to be postponed.

Bummer. You're right, the airplanes are very effective at removing a high percentage of coyotes from a property in a short period of time, BUT don't worry, next year the numbers will be right back up.
Gives ya a good excuse to knock on more doors. Ya just never know, you might find a better honey hole.

Saturday I was going to check out these two places again. If I get any action, then I will consider that there is still hope. Sunday I was planning just what you said. Find somewhere else to go.

I just found out today from one of the landowner's grandson, good friend of mine, but he didn't have much detail on it. He just said that it happened Monday. Hopefully I'll be able to get some numbers on how many they killed and kind of get an idea on whether there will be much success for the rest of the year.

This happened on the ranch where I mule deer hunt and antelope hunt on the South Dakota/Montana border. My buddy I hunt that ranch with was there archery deer hunting, and got to talk to the guy when it was said and done with. They end up getting 96 yotes out there in 2 days of flying.

From what I have read, and seen, and heard,
Coyotes are like rats, and roches, they will be there reguardless of what is done to get rid of them.
After a while they will be back.
The more they are shot the more they show up again..

JMHO

I have never heard of this before. Is it something they do out west? Is it done by the Fish and Game department?

Yeah they do it all over my state anyway. Pretty much what happens is, a landowner calls in an complains of coyote numbers. The state then sends up a plane with a state trapper with a 12 gauge and buckshot. Then they start flying the general area and kill every coyote they see. I'd rather they'd just give me a call and I'd take care of the problem for them. A few years ago I was calling coyotes around my home, I have a dog coming then I hear a plane. The coyote takes off just in time for me to see the plane dive bomb and blast it. I went an claimed the coyote anyway since it was on my land and those guys had no right flying my land.

So why don't they do like they do in the metroplotian areas that they do for deer. If you want to partispate you pass markmanship testing and references, the state also picks the weapon. Then they have those guys go in there and get rid of the coyotes then the state. It would save the statemoney instead of paying for the plane, pilot and the shooter. Then it would also give you guys more of a chance to hunt coyotes out there. Maybe you should come up with a proposal for your state department about this and how to run it, and you wouldn't really need funding except for testing and calling people for hunting. If they want to hunt they pay to get there and there shells just like any other day except they would have extra land to hunt.

Our state has a sign up on the game an fish website for guys interested in coyote calling. Landowners that have problems are supposed to contact someone from that list to come to their place to hunt coyotes. The only problem is I have been on that list for 3 years and so have alot of my buddies, and we never get calls. I think the state enjoys blasting coyotes from planes too much. The biggest problem is once they get airborn, its pretty much a free for all. They can't get in trouble, so they bust alot of other guys land as well while they are up there.

I believe that the ranchers know that there is a higher success rate when they have the fly overs. I can call all weekend and maybe get 6 coyotes. A plane can fly over and in two hours kill 50+ of them.

About this time last year, they had a plane fly over one of the places that I hunt. After that it wasn't very often that I would see a yote. Since fall though, I think that there were more in that area then there was before the plane flew over. So it would seem that they would repopulate the area pretty quickly.