Yote took the bait

[gwtx]

I left the hog carcass from last night laying where I could see it. Checked the pasture a bit ago and while I was looking this yote trotted up the carcass and I whacked him. I purposely left the carcass at 125yds from my "shooting post", as my rifle is zeroed at 70&140 yds with my load. Almost makes it unfair for the critters
I don't shoot everything I see. I watch the rabbit population versus the coyote population and "adjust" as I see fit.

[sundowner]

You made him a good yote .

[Dug Silverman]

[gwtx]

Dug, Thanks for the reply and the info. When I first moved to this property 31 yrs ago, you would hear yotes running and barking every night. Even saw some pretty close to my house. Once, years ago we lost all our barn cats(don't know how many, 8 or 10) over a 3 or 4 day/night period. But, since then, I have seen a steady decline in "signs" of yotes over the years. It's been probably a year since I've heard a yote, and I'm out every night looking primarily for hogs. I often ride a bicycle quietly and get to see a lot more of the "nightlife" than a lot of folks. The properties that surround me are 200 acres or more, so there are probably more yotes than I think, but I hardly see them unless I watch a hog carcass from the night before. But, I do see what's left of the carcasses after the yotes have dragged them off to a more secluded spot, so they are still "prolific" around here. I see 40 or more deer every night, and the wildlife management biologist issued around 20 doe permits for "culling" on the property next to me last year. The hunters there didn't harvest all of them though. So, we don't see much of an impact on deer population, but over the years, when I start seeing less rabbits(cotton tails and jacks), I also notice more yotes.
So, I usually start leaving hog carcasses where I can hunt them conveniently, and shoot 1 to 3 yotes off a carcass. The yotes around here are not too smart. I can ride a 4 wheeler to within 100yds or less of the carcass and they get nervous, but they keep eating,,,for a very short time Thanks again for the info, I'll keep after them.