This video brings back great memories of a turkey hunt I took decades ago. My friends and I were hunting a large cattle ranch near Frostproof, Florida. I remember the town’s interesting name because it contrasted dramatically with the spring blizzard we barely missed when leaving our home state of Minnesota.
Yes, there are public land opportunities for turkeys in Florida, but for visiting hunters like me, your odds of success go up astronomically if you book with a top-notch outfitter with access to private property.
My guide had done his work scouting, and he had a buddy and me positioned perfectly on our first morning. A few toms gobbled nearby off the roost, and soon after turkey flydown time, my buddy punched his tag on an Osceola gobbler, completing his career Grand Slam. An hour later from the same spot, we again heard nearby gobbling, and I was ready for tom No. 2 to walk from the thick cover — only to be surprised by a coyote!
The scrawny dog rushed our jake-and-hen decoy combo, and I pulled the trigger a split-second after the guide commanded, “Kill that thing!”
(P.S. Yes, licensed non-resident turkey hunters in Florida can legally take coyotes on private property with landowner permission. Coyotes are considered furbearers that can be taken year-round.)
My close-range coyote encounter over turkey decoys played out differently than what you’ll see below (based on the landscape, this clearly isn’t a Florida hunt). In this 50-second YouTube clip, Sam Naghtin, a team member of Dead Dog Walkin', has taken a break from predators to pursue turkeys.
This coyote is cautious; it looks directly at Sam and his cameraman. Even so, the coyote can’t pass up a chance at an easy meal. Sam must have been using a mouth call, otherwise the coyote would have busted him due to hand movement.
Note: Turn up the volume and listen closely and you’ll hear a distant gobbler immediately answer Sam’s yelp calls at the beginning of the video (3-4 seconds). A tom or jake gobbles again at the 20-second mark, then again at the 23-second mark. In my opinion, the two gobbles at the 20- and 23-second marks sound like different birds.
The lifelike Avian-X hen and jake decoys completely fool Mr. Coyote. He finally pounces on the jake, but quickly realizes something isn’t right and turns tail.
Sam doesn’t explain in the video description or comments why he doesn't shoot. If I had to guess, it’s because of the tom (toms?) he’s heard answering his calls. Dropping the hammer on the coyote would have likely ended his chance to kill a turkey from this setup, at least for a couple hours.
On my Florida hunt, all morning gobbling halted after I pulled the trigger and killed my coyote. The guide said that the landowner didn’t want any turkey hunters passing on coyotes, and I was happy to do my part with predator control. Thankfully, I was blessed to kill my Osceola turkey on the second morning of the trip on another part of the ranch.
