Song Dog Hunting

[bosshogg112]

hello all this is my first post.  i am brand new to hunting (actually taking hunters safety mar 10-14) after my father in-law badgered me enough to give it a try.  since this is my first year i am only going to try for a deer and if that goes well maybe turkey and elk next year.  anyways on to my question.  since i have never shot at a critter any larger than a squirrel (pellet guns and .22's) i figured a good way to practice on a real animal with the 30-06 i will be using for deer would be to go after some yotes.  i figure practicing the smaller target would make it much easier to move to the larger one.  i am in the Spokane area and any information on where i might go would be welcomed.

thanks

boss

[chrisb]

Thats a lot of gun for a yote. You might want to just try the range IMO. and see if they will let you shoot off hand instead of the bench.

[carpsniperg2]

just practice it does not matter the size of the gun your 30-06 will work just fine. it is good to use what you are going to hunt with so you get use to the gun.

[goosegetter79]

Out by Hog canyon lake and fishtrap lake is public land. I went out there a couple years ago and got me a couple yote's with the .223. Good luck.

[bosshogg112]

i think i have heard that that area has had some heavy pressure on it.  has anyone tryed the area around Tyler, Wa inbetween I-90 and Cheney on HWY 904 i think it is???

[bonecrusher]

odds are  you wont get a lot of practice "shooting" if your going after yotes and you've never hunted. they don't just walk up to ya, there a tuff critter to hunt. they get far less respect than they deserve by most that don't have any experience hunting them. 

[shaneman153D]

i figured a good way to practice on a real animal with the 30-06 i will be using for deer would be to go after some yotes. i figure practicing the smaller target would make it much easier 

Good plan, this is what I did last year.  However, once deer season opened up I found myself just wanting to get it over with so I could get back to yotes.  They will be fine practice, they see and hear better than a deer, and they don't give you that 3 second pause before they take off like Mule deer do. 

[shaneman153D]

odds are  you wont get a lot of practice "shooting" if your going after yotes and you've never hunted. they don't just walk up to ya, there a tuff critter to hunt. they get far less respect than they deserve by most that don't have any experience hunting them. 

Well said, +1

[goosegetter79]

Head out west on hwy. 2 towards davenport and reardon and start knocking on cattle farmer's doors as well.

[ivarhusa]

Swanson Lakes Wildlife Area is big, and holds coyotes.  I heard 'em.  I didn't  see 'em.  Check out other threads on the area such as: http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,29337.0.html

It may get a lot of pressure, but like I say, it is BIG, so you may find a novel location or set up that won't be influenced by previous hunters. (A guy has got to be optimistic.)

[bosshogg112]

thank you so much Ivar.  that thread has a plethera of awesome information.  after i get done with my hunters safety class i will have to go there and do some walking.  do you know if there is a large number rattle snakes when the weather warms up?  dont really feel like getting bit when i am a long ways from help.

[ivarhusa]

I've traipsed the hills and valleys (such as they are) in eastern Washington for many years, and have only seen rattlers once.  They aren't a major threat.  I usually hunt coyotes in weather so cold that snakes aren't an issue.  In temperate weather (not too hot or too cold, like 60-80F) I'd be careful around rock piles, and wear sturdy shoes.  I've never bothered with gaiters for snakes, though gaiters are a good idea to keep cheat grass seeds out of your socks. What a pain they are.

There is an approved campsite at the south end of this area, off Seven Dairies RD.  I don't see the road name on Google earth.

[bosshogg112]

thanks again for the info ivar.  i have some calls coming to me in the mail.  after i complete my safety course at the beging of next month and play around with those calls i am going to head on over there and give it a good walk around.  and if im lucky (really lucky) i will get to take a shot at a coyote 

[ivarhusa]

Here's a shot at the lat/long of the camp area:

http://maps.google.com/maps/mm?client=firefox-a&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=47.558689,-118.482742&spn=0.036606,0.080338&t=h&z=14

47.558689 North latitude, 118.482742 west longitude

It is at the intersection of the roads in the exact middle of the image.

[bowhunterforever]

There is quite afew rattle snakes out in the swanson wildlife area. The closer to twin lakes you get the more you may run into. Good luck wackin some yotes out there, there is a few.