Hog Duty

Those last two track pictures are definitely coyote. They’re always long and narrow with a space between the main pad and the two middle (front) toes.

@airprsr Not sure if the previous photo was a yote or domesticated dog print. I’m more convinced these are coyote tracks. Took this photo a few days ago. 

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Have you placed any trail cams in the vicinity of the tracks? Are they frequently present? Try predator calling. If they are close by they will come. If not...LOL other predators will. If they are free ranging/feral dog tracks then the dogs can pose a real threat to newborn calves especially if they have "packed up". I have observed & investigated this situation many times. They too may need to be removed. Either way the tracks warrant through investigation if cattle/sheep etc. are part of the equation. Dogs will readily come to predator calls such as dying rabbit or any squeaking sounds.

What I am trying to get at is although dogs are not nearly as experienced & efficient in killing as coyotes, they can and will kill especially if they are larger dogs formed into packs. This is more common than some may realize. Even the smaller dogs pose a real threat to smaller wildlife.

So with that in mind it makes little difference if the the tracks are from dogs or yotes. They both can be a threat to both wildlife and cattle/sheep .
 
@squirrel_getter Yes I moved a camera in the vicinity of the tracks. Yes I tried calling yotes multiple times, but I don’t believe that have the best call for the job. I don’t see yotes as frequently on camera as other wildlife, nor do I see their tracks regularly. On nights I camped out they were not always close. Sometimes I hear them in the distance so I believe that they range and this property is within their range. These are animals I still have a lot to learn about and I am still learning how to hunt them. 


Feral dogs aren’t really an issue. They generally look for food from people or other dogs. The most I’ve seen them go after and successfully eat are chickens. One attacked a lone goat in the area some years back and the goat succumbed to its injuries after the attack. I believe people killed the dog. Larger animals will stomp, bite, and stampede them. I’ve seen several get run and a few stomped, especially if a donkey or horse is present. They don’t tend to be too brave in these parts. Although every now and then I run across a fearless one. Those types typically come up dead. Yes we have pack dogs around. I honestly think they compete with the coons for trashcan and burn-pile supremacy. I have an adequate amount of experience dealing with feral dogs. 
 
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Not certain on the scat. It looks like a plop or tubular but pellets as well. The print could be a yote but the one side has indication it could be just a dog. Hard to say,

If that’s a dog, that’s a big dog. There’s only been one dog I’ve been seeing out here and she’s a pregnant feral dog that comes by one of the gas wells to rummage through trash thrown out by workers and drivers. She’ll also beg the drivers for food. She’s a small-medium sized mut.

@sqrlhntr Damn good call!! It appears to have been a big dog. Going over footage now and the photo below is taken from video of this big dog headed towards where the print on page 1 of this thread was initially found. I’ve never seen this dog before. +1 to you for a good observation and accurate input.
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As for the hog, still no sign. To compound matters I encountered a contractual issue with one of the adjacent property owners due to an entitled child. I understood their perspective and I definitely don’t need those sorts of problems. These things happen, it just makes my job tougher because animals will seek refuge there once they realize they won’t be hunted there. 


With new calves in the herd the next mission will be the animal pictured below
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This is the best picture from trail cam footage I’ve captured of the animal up close. It walked right in front of the camera. When I start hunting the yotes here it will be updated in a different thread. Just know that I’ve never hunted and killed a coyote so this will be a first.