1st Annual Tipton County Coyote Hunt
The first annual Tipton County Coyote Hunt will take place on Saturday, February 16th. This event hosted by Turning Wrenches and Sanders Flooring helps maintain a healthy coyote population in our region. A large population of coyotes can be detrimental to certain animal industries and pets in and around West Tennessee. A major industry dealing with predator problems is large livestock operations such as cattle, sheep, and chickens. Predator hunts have grown in popularity throughout Tennessee in recent years. Coyotes can be especially harmful to certain pets such as small dogs, cats, and rabbits. This hunt brings the hunting community closer whilst inspiring a little friendly competition and making our area safer.
Two-man teams conducted the hunt with a limit of four coyotes per team. Teams throughout the day send text messages with pictures of their kills. This prevents any foul play and holds everyone accountable. It also helps mark whose kill is whose. The hunters also had to put a wooden block in the coyote's mouth showing the date, time, and location. All participants returned to Turning Wrenches at 6:30 to weigh and count kills. To make things a little more interesting, a cash prize being given out to whoever had the heaviest combined kill weight. All hunters came together to enjoy hot dogs and hamburgers at the check-in station. The success of the event was determined by the overall experience of the hunting community, although a little friendly competition never hurt anybody either.
Most predator hunts begin by using a call to lure the predators in. The call is a small speaker box with a waving tail simulating a small animal hurt or in distress. The call sounds can be anything from squirrels and rabbits to calves. All the sights and sounds produced by these calls draw the coyotes in range of the hunter for the kill shot. These are extremely effective methods employed by hunters all over the U.S. Another popular way of hunting predators is with a freshly killed animal from a previous hunt or livestock death. Though they are considered predators, coyotes scavenge if the opportunity presents itself. Making this method extremely successful as well. For this hunt, all TWRA rules and regulations were met in regards to this event.
Coyotes are opportunistic predators and will take any chance they have at a free meal. You have to remember they are canines with great sensory range. They are cunning and can be extremely hard to find if you're not experienced hunting them. The species itself is very adaptable with home ranges in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. They have been seen across the Panama Canal as well extending their home range even further. With population numbers much higher than wolves or mountain lions, they are one of the most spread out and numerous predators on the North American continent.