Jessica, I had gotten the impression, from looking at land advertisements in central Virginia that typical land holdings were 50 - 250 acres, and hunts crossed property lines. That isn’t correct?
altjaeger, go here: http://www.rappahannockhunt.org/ and click on “Blogs”. One of the members does a great job putting up a hunt report, as well as technical info such as miles covered, average speed and top speed. You can read through and get an idea of the difference between running a fox or coyote (or choosing not to run coyote due to country restrictions), and also get a sense of the territory from the maps. This is only one example of a hunt in VA, they do vary in terrain and size, and some will not run coyote but will treat it as riot.
eta: also click on “maps” and it will show you each fixture on google maps
altjaeger: Land holdings vary and can be driven by zoning laws. In rappahannock county there is a 25 acre minimum but you rarely see that on the market. In my county, it is a 3 acre minimum but you can only subdivide once every ten years and only into 4 parcels. Loudoun County (Northern Virginia) went to just 3 acre minimums and now there is much less open land.
Our fixtures run anywhere from a couple of hundred to a couple thousand acres. However they are all almost contiguous. We have never done thins but in theory we can hunt, in a straight line, some 23 miles. Bull Run Hunt has a massive area, I think 18,000 acres or so, that is contiguous.
[QUOTE=alto;5452621]
I don’t know about the US hybrids but the Canadian ones are reputed to be dog crosses rather than wolf mixes - there are at least a couple of documented coydog packs (sorry no bookmarks but a local horse was killed last year by one of these packs).
Wolf life & mating behavior does not lend itself to cross breeding so I’m always very sceptical - unless the wolf blood is coming from “domesticated” wolves or the high mix wolf-dogs.[/QUOTE]
Depends on where in Canada you are (kinda a big place eh?).
I am in Ontario and the MNR told me they are Coy-Wolf we are dealing with. They also offered no help other than to say “shoot them”.
jmho!
I suspect our Mid Atlantic coyotes are all coydogs to some degree though. Some are classic looking but I’ve seen solid black, german shepherd colored, malamute colored, chestnut, brown,grays, blond…some with longer wolf hairs, some with huge heads, some with white iris’s or brown eyes, variable sizes. One vixen was exactly colored like our Va. red fox w/black points but she was larger etc. Had them follow me or come to me to raise caine while trailriding.
I agree that some Va. hunts can’t & won’t let hounds go on coyotes because of land limitations. It varies quite a bit. I don’t like them pretty much.
Very common in the deep South
In Georgia and Alabama, coyotes are hunted more often than the fox. To a large extent, they have successfully competed against the fox and reduced fox numbers. I don’t have scientific data for this, but it seems like the grey foxes are better at coexisting with coyotes. Around here, hunting a red fox is a rare treat.
The packs in Georgia and Alabama are typically crossbreds that are bred for hunting coyotes. They are a faster hound, and many come from the crossbred lines first established by Ben Hardaway at Midland decades ago. As a result, a fast pack of crossbreds can stay with a coyote and provide great sport. To hunt coyote well, you need a large territory, and many hunts have fixtures of 10,000+ acres at their disposal. Hunts with smaller territories often end with the coyote taking a straight line and leaving the country, but huntsmen have learned to adapt even in those situations and take great care to draw coverts in ways to keep the hunted coyote in country – it is a true test of the huntsman’s skill and fun to watch when it happens.
Midland, Mooreland, Bear Creek, Belle Meade, Shakerag, and Live Oak (among others) are all very successful at hunting coyotes. A good run might last for over 4 hours and cover 20+ miles. Some of the above hunts have fixtures that are heavily paneled, and a long, looping coyote run over multiple fences is great fun. A previous poster is correct in stating that a very fit TB or part-TB is a near necessity at these large fixtures if one wants to stay with the action.
great sport
Thanks, Peregrine Farm, sounds like great sport20 miles at a gallop?that’s more than the old 3de!:eek:
[QUOTE=Peregrine Farm;5486906]
a fast pack of crossbreds can stay with a coyote and provide great sport. [/QUOTE]
As do a good pack of English hounds! Our hunt is almost exclusively English, and they are entirely capable of staying up with a coyote.
It’s good, fast hunting!
[QUOTE=Carol Ames;5487508]
Thanks, Peregrine Farm, sounds like great sport20 miles at a gallop?that’s more than the old 3de!:eek:[/QUOTE]
Yes - not all hunts are like that, of course, but the best ones are and it happens often enough. Even when you are on one of these long runs, there are usually checks where horses and people have a chance to catch their breath.
[QUOTE=Hounds;5489710]As do a good pack of English hounds! Our hunt is almost exclusively English, and they are entirely capable of staying up with a coyote.
It’s good, fast hunting![/QUOTE]
No disparagement to non-crossbred packs meant - there are lots of packs that can hang with a coyote. Shakerag does it very well with a pack made up primarily of Penmarydels.
Wile Coyote
As a road whip I sometimes get in front of the quarry. I have seen coyotes sit and wait for the pack to catch up a bit (no, it was not exhausted and resting), then take off again. I have also seen two coyotes “tag team” a pack. A fresh one will take over from the tired ‘’'yote". For years the New York State DEC denied the wolf gene theory, but they have had to change their tune. The interesting thing is the more wolf-like coyotes are breeding with the same. They are almost genetically recreating the Eastern Timber wolf. We have heard packs that forgo the usual yipping and go straight to the full blown howl. Getting very cheeky around farms and are killing lots of newborn sheep and goats.
[QUOTE=Gestalt;5452586]
Very wily, can hunt in a family pack and not afraid of humans.[/QUOTE]
Just wanted to point out that both wolves and coyotes are afraid of people.
Riiiiiight…
Maybe in “the wilds of CT”, but here, they are mighty cheeky. Aware and suspicious of humans but NOT terrified enough to stay away!
True. They will skedaddle out west where they are liable to be shot by high powered rifle by a rancher a mile away…but fear? Nah. Pretty darned cheeky in urban encounters around here- they won’t move off of trails for bikers, for example. And there’s one that follows me like a dog sometimes when I’m out riding.
What is the psychological motivation of people who maintain that animals are harmless to humans when some are obviously not?
Too much Disney. Not enough time in the woods.
Read Last Child in the Woods
It’s a bit frou frou but I think he’s on to something.
