Ivar's First Coyote of the Season- and some lessons learned

[ivarhusa]

Short version:  Got one this morning.

Long version (Maybe too long...):
On Veteran's Day I found a likely spot to hunt. There were cattle and not even any fences to cross (cattle guard at the county road). No signs.  I'd heard coyotes howling, so I had to return.

This morning I got up at oh-dark hundred and it was raining, so I went into the woodshop for a couple of hours.  It cleared so I headed out.  I parked about a half-mile form where I wanted to call.  I was parked in open range that was cropped very short by the cattle. No tall weeds or sage or anything. I silently (as one can) walked in over soft, moist dirt to my stand.  I set my e-caller about 30 yards upwind of my location. My stand looked looked across a fence to CRP with scattered sage. 


I was thinking to myself that I never see coyotes simply 'walking about' when I come into a stand.  The hills always seemed empty.  This time, I had far more area to look over than ever before, from 600 to 1800 yards or more, spanning a significant field of view.  It was conceivable that a critter was out there that hadn't made anything of my approach. So, rather than setting down to calling right away, I gave the hills a real good go-over with the binoculars. After almost 10 minutes of glassing, perhaps.  I caught the movement of a coyote coming off the close-cropped field at about 100 yds and heading for the CRP at a brisk walk. He looked back my way a couple of times, so I know he'd 'made' me. At his first pause I discovered that the safety was still on.  The second pause was all I needed, and I dumped him DRT at 60 yds.  I hadn't even begun to call! In the image above, I shot the critter at the red X, just past the fence.

I sat still and quiet for about 5 minutes, then started with rodent squeaks from a bulb.  After a few minutes and nothing showing, I started with the e-caller and rabbit distress.  I was hopeful to get a double out of this site, as I had heard a pack just there days earlier. Hope springs eternal. After about 25 minutes of this, I pick up the binocs again (having been quite still while the caller was on), and there before me at 519 yards was a coyote looking back at me. He was moving slowly away, making me wonder how much closer he had been when I wasn't looking with the binocs.  To be continued...

[Boss .300 winmag]

more

[ivarhusa]

In the first image, the black X marks where I was calling from. In the second image, the black X at 519 yards is where I spotted the coyote looking back at me. I let him go without a 'parting shot' mostly because I'd hoped to catch him at a later stand, but that was not to happen.

I went to pick up the coyote, calling done, and as I was enjoying my first success of the season, a pickup truck rolls up. Uh, oh. I come to find out that I was not welcome on that land.  The rancher leases out hunting rights to others. I lamely offered that there were no signs posted, but clearly I was in the wrong. I jumped the gun, in a manner of speaking. Ask first.

Lessons learned:

• get permission first
• Be a very close observer, using binocs more frequently than before
• You don't have to be there at first light to catch a dog out (but it helps). Better late than never.
• be ready, and observant, even before calling begins
• take the safety off before trying to shoot

[ivarhusa]

The green arrow is the direction of travel the coyote took, prior to being shot.

[Bigswedegml]

What area is that so I don't make the same mistake and have a rancher show up out of no where?

P.S.  Nice Yote, I'm still trying to get one on the board.  I went out and jumped one up about 200 yards out and it slowly trotted away.  I tried barking and howling at it, but it wouldn't stop.  I didn't feel comfortable shooting at it while it was moving.  It just kept trotting away until it got out of view.  If it would have stopped, I would have sent a .25cal bullet in it's direction, but no luck.

[Special T]

Ivar I would happen to guess that the rancher wasn't too upset seeing youhad killed a coyote... Probably just told you so you didn't come back during deer season...

[BIGINNER]

What area is that so I don't make the same mistake and have a rancher show up out of no where?

P.S.  Nice Yote, I'm still trying to get one on the board.  I went out and jumped one up about 200 yards out and it slowly trotted away.  I tried barking and howling at it, but it wouldn't stop.  I didn't feel comfortable shooting at it while it was moving.  It just kept trotting away until it got out of view.  If it would have stopped, I would have sent a .25cal bullet in it's direction, but no luck.

lol  i was thinking the samw thing, that area lloks alot like a couple spots i hunt,    

but i am %100 sure i can hunt my areas, but i always look fro new spots

[Bigswedegml]

That is what I was thinking too.  I hunt places that look similar to that also.  If they aren't posted, then I will usually hunt.  That is why I want to make sure it isn't a spot I go.

[700xcr]

In the State of Washington a landowner does not have to post their land. It is the Hunter's responsibility to to get permission to be on property to hunt. Call yourself lucky that the landowner did not want to press charges. By all rights he could of.

[ivarhusa]

In the State of Washington a landowner does not have to post their land. It is the Hunter's responsibility to to get permission to be on property to hunt. Call yourself lucky that the landowner did not want to press charges. By all rights he could of.

You are exactly right, and I can't really be sure that they aren't going to take legal action against me yet.  I humbly gave them full contact information, so "it is what it is". Just so you others don't stumble into this, the ranch property is in the name of "HINDMAN, BILLY MARITAL TRUST" with Bill Witherpoon listed as trustee. I haven't mapped out the full extent of the property, but it is 1,000+ acres and includes all lands directly accessible from Blandin RD, south off US 12.  Here is a link to Google Maps of the road.
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=pasco,+WA&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Pasco,+Franklin,+Washington&ll=46.060904,-118.847222&spn=0.019326,0.035191&z=15

This is in Walla Walla County, just south of the Wallula Habitat Management Unit (WWHMU), at the mouth of the Walla Walla River.  Sadly, the WWHMU is also off-limits to coyote hunters.  Seems out of sync, as they developed the area to support game birds, primarily.

[BIGINNER]

In the State of Washington a landowner does not have to post their land. It is the Hunter's responsibility to to get permission to be on property to hunt. Call yourself lucky that the landowner did not want to press charges. By all rights he could of.

You are exactly right, and I can't really be sure that they aren't going to take legal action against me yet.  I humbly gave them full contact information, so "it is what it is". Just so you others don't stumble into this, the ranch property is in the name of "HINDMAN, BILLY MARITAL TRUST" with Bill Witherpoon listed as trustee. I haven't mapped out the full extent of the property, but it is 1,000+ acres and includes all lands directly accessible from Blandin RD, south off US 12.  Here is a link to Google Maps of the road.
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=pasco,+WA&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Pasco,+Franklin,+Washington&ll=46.060904,-118.847222&spn=0.019326,0.035191&z=15

This is in Walla Walla County, just south of the Wallula Habitat Management Unit (WWHMU), at the mouth of the Walla Walla River.  Sadly, the WWHMU is also off-limits to coyote hunters.  Seems out of sync, as they developed the area to support game birds, primarily.

no way!!  i always thought that area was feel free to hunt.  i never hunted the area but have cruised that area before and was planning on giving it a try sometime in the near future

[700xcr]

In the State of Washington a landowner does not have to post their land. It is the Hunter's responsibility to to get permission to be on property to hunt. Call yourself lucky that the landowner did not want to press charges. By all rights he could of.

no way!!  i always thought that area was feel free to hunt.  i never hunted the area but have cruised that area before and was planning on giving it a try sometime in the near future

Feel Free Hunting is posted by the Game Department on Property onwners land when the Game Department helps with native grasses and pays for crop damage. The feel free signs will be green while the yellow with red writting will be with written permission only with the property owner.

[ivarhusa]

I got a little dyslexic on the road name. It is LAMDIN RD, as shown in the image.

It is a shame not to be able to hunt there, but what's new?

[Bigswedegml]

Thanks for the info, I will steer clear of that area now.

[Wanttohuntmore]

Bummer about the trespassing issue.  Oh well, seems too common in a state where things are not posted, and land blocks exist everywhere.  You need a lawyer and land surveyor with you to hunt this state!

Ivar, I really enjoy your posts, they capture all the thoughts that go through my head as I learn how to hunt yotes more efficiently.  I was pondering the question with the binocs this last 2 days as well, I picked up 2 of the 4 with binocs, just peaking over some sage.  I do feel though that movement must be a minimum, the one I didn't get a shot at, I think picked up my movement when I was using the binocs.  I was not using the e-caller at that time, but a mouth caller, I think with the mouth caller, no movement is very important.

[Sidewinder]

Nice post Ivar. Too bad about the no hunting issue. Let's get together, I sent you an email about hunting this week.

[Machias]

So did you cross a fence?  Is the area cultivated?  Is it posted?  If none of the above all they can do is ask you to leave.  If it is fenced, cultivated or posted then you could have problems.

[Machias]

Actually looking back at the photos, it does appear to be fenced, you could have an issue.  Nice yote. 

[700xcr]

So did you cross a fence?  Is the area cultivated?  Is it posted?  If none of the above all they can do is ask you to leave.  If it is fenced, cultivated or posted then you could have problems.

I have talked with the law on this issue. Property in the State of Washington does not have to be fenced, posted or cultivated to be charged with trespassing if landowner so desires. It is up to each own individual to get permission to be on private land. Go to County Seat and they will be able to tell you or supply (with small fee) you with a map of the area that will tell you of private lands verses State ground.

[ivarhusa]

Yes, there was a fence.  I was sitting on the side where I hadn't had to cross one.  To pick up the coyote I let myself through an unlocked gate. Not a defense really, but I believe coyote hunters are helping ranchers. Surely, there are slob hunters who leave gates open and such, and they give us all a bad name. I am not that slob, but land owners surely do deserve the respect of controlling who enters their property.  No question about that.

[700xcr]

Ivarhusa, I pm'ed you with some information.

[Machias]

What part of the post are you having difficulty with Miles, I'm just stating the truth.  I really don't give a rats ass what some local LE has to say about it.  The law was written to protect landowners from illegal tresspass as well as protecting individuals who have no intent on tresspassing.  There are pieces of property an honest individual can wander onto without having a clue he's entered onto private property.  He can be asked to leave and if he doesn't he will be charged, but he is NOT subject to the whims of whatever the landowner feels like on that day.  Read the RCWs, if land is NOT posted, not cultivated and not fenced you cannot be charged with criminal tresspass unless you refuse to remove your butt.  It amazes me how many folks take every word of LE as the complete gospel.

[Machias]

Yes Miles, that is the way the criminal and WDFW rules/laws are written.  It's not an open invitation to go whereever you please, but you cannot be criminally held accountable if there is no way an honest person can tell if it's private or not.  I'll do a little photo essay for you this weekend and show you various photos and you tell me which is legal to hunt on and which is not and I bet you won't be able to get most of them right.  I have State Land near my house that is fenced, cultivated and some that has cattle on it, but your allowed to hunt it.  And I can show you photos of National Forrest property that changes to private and then back to National Forrest and you can't tell the difference.  Miles read the WDFW hunting pamplet and the RCW on Criminal Tresspass if you do not believe me.

[bobcat]

I think they've been lying to us hunters all these years, even in hunter education class. Telling people that "landowners are not required to post their property."

Which is true- they don't have to post it, but if it's not posted, cultivated, or fenced, then a person cannot be cited for trespass. The landowner can come out and notify you that you are on private land and that you're not welcome there, and you must leave. But you won't be charged with trespassing.

It is true that hunters should always know the ownership of the land they are hunting on, and to be careful to not cross onto land that is either not public or that you do not have permission to be on. I think the WDFW stresses the "strict trespassing laws" because it's important for hunters to be conscientious in regards to not trespassing where we're not welcome, in order to maintain good landowner-hunter relations throughout the state.

BUT, the law really is not as strict as they try to make it out to be.

[Machias]

You do need to know where you are and who's land your on, it's NOT an open invitation to say well I know it's private property, but too bad so sad he doesn't have it posted, cultivated or fenced so I can hunt where ever I want, What I'm saying is if those three things are not met they cannot Criminally charge you, they can ask you to leave and if you come back or don't leave when asked then you can be hooked up.  

Here is from the WDFW Hunting Pamplet:

Private Lands
It is unlawful to trespass. State hunting
regulations apply to hunting private land, but do not
guarantee access. Entry onto any lands which are
fenced, posted, cultivated, or used for commercial
agricultural crops or aquaculture without permission
is considered trespass. Some private landowners
(individuals or corporations) have chosen to deny
access to, or across, their property. Check with
landowners before entering their property. It is
always best to obtain landowner permission before
entering private property.

The RCW on Criminal Tresspass:

RCW 9A.52.080
Criminal trespass in the second degree.  

(1) A person is guilty of criminal trespass in the second degree if he knowingly enters or remains unlawfully in or upon premises of another under circumstances not constituting criminal trespass in the first degree.

     (2) Criminal trespass in the second degree is a misdemeanor.

[Machias]

No problemo!

[Wanttohuntmore]

One other thing to remember, the hunting regs pamphlet is a synopsis of the wdfw rules and regs.  There are many sentences that paraphrase the actual rcw's.  Some are poorly written, and can only be cleared up if the rcw is reviewed.