Coyote and whitetails.....

Did that coyote really ruin your hunt?  I know we have all been in the situation where we have had coyotes come through and in our mind ruined an other wise "perfect" day to be on stand.  I myself used to feel this way but over the years I have come to realize that just isn't the case on most occasions. 

Thinking back over the years I have had many successful hunts where a coyote has come in prior to whitetail.  In fact I shot my highest scoring buck mere minutes after a lone coyote had come through the area.  Coincidence?  I say not.  I have had just to many experiences over the years telling me other wise.  Obviously these deer and coyotes share their home ranges.  If a whitetail froze up or ran for cover every time it cut a coyotes scent trail, they sure wouldn't be able to cover much ground tending their daily routines.

Here are a couple game camera photos, again proving to me that coyotes do not negatively affect a hunt as much as I once thought.  The years have taught me to keep my head up and not let coyotes moving through my setup to waive my confidence.  Note the times on the two photos to follow.  I have more photos of a few different deer on that camera not long after wards as well.  None of them seemed to act alarmed in the photos.