trapline dogs, pulled stakes, pride, and vet bills

[Zagman]

Not sure the story is appropriate for viewing, but in the end, my dogs found a coyote that jacked a stake in thawing/raining conditions.

The coyote ended up in 50 acres of bulldozed pines and root piles....the thickest stuff he could find.

Lets just say that scene was a little tense due to the thickness, close quarters, and the fight in my dogs and this coyote. I missed this coyote 5 times, laying on my belly, trying to fit and shoot between the dogs, with the barrel at 6 inches from the coyote....

At one point, I grabbed the coyote to get him to let go of my dog Boone's muzzle, which he ripped open and will require a vist to the vet today for attention.

All in all, I am really proud of the dogs, thrilled they found this animal and avoided the negative repercussions thereof, and I chalked up even more respect for coyotes.....some of them die hard, and they just never give up.

This pic was taken with a phone, and it is me attempting to hoist the coyote up and out of the thick stuff where we were....



When the dogs first found the coyote and were barking treed, I got with 6-7 feet of the fight and could NOT see any of the three of them.

Here's the trap and stake.....this set had caught a coyote previously, so the stake was "set"......



The curly cued cable did not help in hanging this coyote up anywhere.

And here are my battle-worn dogs and the coyote that gave them hell......smiles on all three of us are genuine. The dogs love this stuff......




Me, on the other hand, I could do without another incedent like that in my lifetime!

I know one thing for sure, without the dogs, I dont find this coyote.

Zagman


Postscript: In looking closer at the set, there was no new fight circle, no indication of a catch. The stake hole was obvious and filled with water/ice. I think this coyote, back footed, on a muddy hillside after an all day rain and 1 foot of snow melting simply pulled the stake out of loose mud. Wont be setting that specific location again......

[monttrap04]

Sounds like quite an adventure. Thanks for sharing.

[trappnman]

Zags- I think I see a collar on one- and will give you a tip- take those collars off before letting them go into brushpiles or blowdowns.

they used to and probably still do, make an elastic stretchable collar, for such situations.

I just took the collars off- close ranging dogs I didn't worry about no collars while hunting

had a beagle stuck inside of one once by a collar- a lesson I never want to experience again- got him out- but scary times

[Gibb]

Excellent advice Steve.
Cheers Jim

[gcs]

Couple of tough guys for sure, how much do your dogs weigh?

They look like a good truck riding size.

[Zagman]

Never really thought about the collars since this is not an application I use the dogs for, but point well taken.

Rusty weighs 43 lbs (dog on left in pic) and Boone weighs 45#.

From what I could see during the me'lee', the more the coyote kicked their butts, the madder they got! Typical terriers....

Funny aside...after I shoot a coyote, Rusty grabs them by the back of the neck and Boone grabs the coyote by one of his hams, and they do the terrier head shake thing.

Well, this coyote definitely put more hurt on these dogs, Boone in particular, than they ever had before.r

I could not lift the coyote up and out since Boone would not let him go.

Then, I get the coyote out and Boone starts draggin him away.

Then, I start walking back to the truck, draggin said coyote behind me, and Boone kept grabbing him, once yanking him out of my grip.

Then, I grab the two back legs of said coyote and throw him over my shoulders and Boone lept up and grabbed the coyote by the neck and tried to dislodge my grib.

THEN (yes, there's more) when I laid the coyote on the tailgate, he grabbed him off again......he was really really really mad at that coyote.

I used a Matt Jones line on him: "I already killed that coyote twice!"

Zagman

[trap4life]

"i allready killed that coyote twice" lol thats a good video.

[trappnman]

Then, I get the coyote out and Boone starts draggin him away.

Then, I start walking back to the truck, draggin said coyote behind me, and Boone kept grabbing him, once yanking him out of my grip.

Then, I grab the two back legs of said coyote and throw him over my shoulders and Boone lept up and grabbed the coyote by the neck and tried to dislodge my grib.

THEN (yes, there's more) when I laid the coyote on the tailgate, he grabbed him off again......he was really really really mad at that coyote.



Buddy does this on gophers and muskrats--------- I kid you not!

plus bays on them-

[Zagman]

Never heard of a beagle being mad at a gopher......

Now THAT's a cartoon in the making......Gappa, trying to get a shot at a gopher while his beagle is in the gopher's face, barking.

Classic.....thanks!

MZ

[trappnman]

he wil come to the mound with me, and I'll get him going at one down the hole- come on, get um, get um.... and his head will be right there and hes pumped- and I pull the gopher out with a flourish and up into the air- and he just about flies at me to grab that gopher, teeth just a snapping-

coyotes and coon, fox- he sniffs at at walks away- if he doesn't piss on them.....

same with mink, beaver which I think he would like-

but mrats and gophers-

he does run fox, but no interest in dead ones

[Stanley]

Great story. The last few years I've had some thrills bear hunting, Black Bear vs Plotts. The Terriers Madness, it's cool.

[musher]

All you have to do is teach the dogs to pull the yote towards the truck.

glad things worked out.

[sdfoxtrapper]

Airedales right? How do they get along with other dogs? My neighbors had a couple that kept attacking my lab while he was chained up in my back yard. Sheriff finally ended up shooting both airedales, neighbors threatened to kill my lab if it ever ran loose on their property. Ended up selling that house and moving. Probably not the dogs fault but these two did seem to go out of their way to attack a chained up dog. Allways worried me that if they would attack another dog what would they do to the grandkids.

[JWarren]

so the terriers scent tracked him down? sounds pretty exciting

[Brunner]

Sounds like a lot of excitement for one day Zags. Glad you wound up with the yote and glad everyone involved came out in good shape. Tell Boone that chicks dig scars.

[northof50]

Do you carry some of that white powder, for healing the dog wounds?

[rk660]

Zags, I had a read scare with my little jagd, Jager this season. He kicked up a coon on creek bank while I was setting traps. Long story short, coon made it to creek with me keeping dog from going in after, tried to thump coon in water but only got a glancing blow and coon made it to other side and crawled in creekbank brushpile and just sat there. Me and dog jump on bike and run to bridge 1/4 mile and back around creek to finish coon. Coon under verticle creek bank, trapper tries to retrieve and subdue coon and falls in deep creek and fill boots, dog runs coon across creek and corners in another brushpile, trapper hops on bike again dragging 20 lbs water per boot to get to dog before coon and dog end up in water and bad things happen.

Now the bad part: Jagers got coon cornered and I (said trapper) drag coon out by tail with dog latched on to nose of coon. Take super careful aim to thump coon in head w/o hitting dog, and I end up smacking Jager right across the bridge of nose. He rolls into creek with his head spinning around and around. I thought I killed him or made him a retard for life at best. He goes under water and is gurrgling. Man, what a sickening feeling that was. I get him fished out expecting him to be nearly dead. He wobbles on is feet for a few seconds, then shakes off, sniffs and promptly goes after the coon again. I cant keep up with em, due to water in boots, and they roll into creek, and coon climbs on top his head, sending him under for 5-10 seconds. Coon finally climbs off just as Im about to dive in (chest to neck deep). He finally corners the coon on top bank under a root ball, and Ive got to end this insanity quickely, so i just reach in grab coon by whatever fur I can feel and drag him out. He is latched on my forearm pretty good chewing and clawing away at me, as I run to closest cottonwood and smash him against it as hard as i can, then finally tie off dog and compleate the dispatch with a trap stake. This entire episode lasts about 1/2 hr. We load bike up, and I tend to jager in front seat, wrapping him up in a coat and checking his/my wounds. I try to pet him on head and say "good dog" and bares his teeth at me and growls a growl Ive never had him give me before. Can almost hear him say "Dont GOOD DOG me you rotten cocksuc*&^%, after you just tried to club me to death!"

We are friends again now, his walnut sized knot on nose is about gone, and Ive picked the last scab off my arm, but he sure gives me a funny look whenever I pick up a trap stake.

I felt like the guy that just gutshot his best buddy in a hunting accidient for a minute that day, dont ever want to have THAT feeling again.

[coonhangman1]

Hahaha, Good Story Rich!!

[Bristleback]

Oh my...........not sure what to do laugh or cry............n to think I wanted a trapline dog...........I'd best stick with Labs.......leave the lion,bear, coon, coyote hounds to my buddies........

Glad the coyote and coon are "resting"......time to.."let the healing begin"..........hopefully all are recovering/recovered..........

[Zagman]

Update: Took Booney to the vet yesterday, he has 12 puncture wounds in his muzzle. None of them penetrated his nasal passage, which was the vet's concern.

Two of them are actual tears.....looks like Boone or I ripped him out of the coyotes mouth.....those were the worst ones.

He did not feel that they were worth knocking the dog out to stitch up, so we shaved his muzzle, clipped off the dead skin, and cleaned up the wounds. I think Boone would rather fight that coyote again than to have that chick vet tech clipper his face and push so hard on his muzzle. We had to blindfold him......

Rusty, to his credit, looks basically unscathed. He is a bobber and a weaver, and Boone is a brawler.

Like Eddy Bacon said: "If you're gonna be stupid, you gotta be tough!"

Zagman

BTW, these are Irish Terriers, not Airedales. Under trapline dogs, there's other info about them and some listed for sale.