Coati down!!

[brademan76]

Since I moved here and learned about these guys I dove into the regs and was delighted to see that we are allowed to harvest one per calendar year. Searching and asking folks who reported seeing them I knew they would be tough to target em. Knowing it would be a chance deal if I did encounter them, I luckily came across a group of them while quail hunting this morning.

 

My shorthair and I got into a long oak-strewn finger off of the main canyon working for birds and pretty early I thought I smelled skunk. Well my dog has been skunked a few times and must enjoy it because he never has learned to lay off them. He starts ranging out pretty far and up a ridge and I lose track of the jingle of tags on his collar so he is either out of earshot or pointing, so I continue working up the draw looking around for him toward where I last saw him. Not being quiet, I'm whistling and giving a shout for the dog every min or so, about a third of a mile up the draw something starts running down a tree in front of me right in the main bottom of the finger. Realizing right away that it was a coati, I quickly took a shot at about 35 yards with 7.5 bird shot. He makes it down the tree with a less than a delicate landing, so I knew I hit him but thought I may have just winged him based on his position on the tree when I shot. Not wanting him to escape I got to him right away and was expecting to have to finish him off... nope he was dead within seconds of hitting the ground.

 

So now I'm looking this thing over admiring how unique it is and ecstatic that it worked out as well as it did, I'm expecting my dog to come to the sound of the shot any second.

 

 

All the sudden I hear chattering and screeching and thrashing and he's in the middle of the group (which I hadn't even seen) about 50 yards away. They are scattering and he is giving chase. He's a freak about squirrels and anything four-legged that he can kill, (any rodent, coyotes, cats) so he treed a young one and I had to beat the crap out of him to break him from his kill trance and then drag him out of the area.

 

After calming the dog down and getting the coati tied to my shooting belt thingy we run into a nice covey of quail about 50 yards back the way we came and get a couple males!

 

Turned out to be a stellar day- a beautiful limit of mearns topped off with a very unique trophy!

 

 

Got home, tubed it out (it was a female), and am planning to tan the hide. I also quartered it up (including saving the tail, ha), so if anyone is so inclined as to want to try some, let me know! I'm still not sure if I will eat it or not... Surprisingly fatty (some might say greasy) but good color and smelling meat. The hide didn't have as strong of a skunk smell as I thought it would- about the same as any other varmint/raccoon.

 

 

 

 

[AZbowhntr]

That is cool. I would love to get one sometime. I have been deer hunting every time I have had a chance and didn't want to mess up a morning or afternoon hunt. Plus I am usually carrying way more rifle than would be needed for one.

[Big Browns]

Congrats! I'm very jealous, because I want to get one really bad! All my buddies make fun of me every time we are glassing. They love to say "I've got a Coati", because they like watching me freak out saying "where, How far, can I get on it."

 

I would definitely eat one. I would just treat it like bear or lion meat. Ensure its cooked thoroughly!!!!

 

Congrats again!!!!

[azbirdhunter88]

Brady don't eat that thing.

[GreyGhost85]

Congrats. They are cool critters. Ive killed a few over the years. You are REALLY lucky one didnt get ahold of your dog. They are HEII on them. Id rather my dog tangle with a lion i think. My buddy lost 3 hounds to one a few years ago.

[Zeke-BE]

Few years back I ran into 3 herds of them on a whitetail hunt.. We didn't shoot because we didn't want to scare anything in the area. That thinking has now changed and if I see yotes or a Coati Im going for them.

I didn't know they were only 1 per year. I thought they were varmints like yotes. Thats good to know

[trphyhntr]

People eat coon all the time, I think you could eat it

[AzDiamondHeat]

I would never eat anything that smells like butt....

[trphyhntr]

I would never eat anything that smells like butt....

 

good color and smelling meat. The hide didn't have as strong of a skunk smell as I thought it would- about the same as any other varmint/raccoon.

 

 

 

 

[gritism]

Great day when you bag quail and a coati! I imagine cooked to the right temp with some seasoning it would make a good meal.

[brademan76]

I would never eat anything that smells like butt....

 

Definitely didn't smell like a butt, the hide was a little skunky but not bad.

[brademan76]

That is cool. I would love to get one sometime. I have been deer hunting every time I have had a chance and didn't want to mess up a morning or afternoon hunt. Plus I am usually carrying way more rifle than would be needed for one.

 

Thats for sure. I was lucky to have the opportunity with a shotgun vs a big rifle. The hide is in great shape!

[brademan76]

Congrats. They are cool critters. Ive killed a few over the years. You are REALLY lucky one didnt get ahold of your dog. They are HEII on them. Id rather my dog tangle with a lion i think. My buddy lost 3 hounds to one a few years ago.

 

I can't imagine losing 3 dogs to one based on what I observed with their teeth and skull/jaw anatomy- they've got claws but they aren't going to kill anything with those either like a bear or cat might... Were they hounds or teacup yorkies or what?

 

He did get ahold of one before I intervened and it was able to hobble off... bit him on his muzzle but wasn't much of a wound. It did swell up pretty good though so I've got him on antibiotics to avoid a bad infection.

[JohnSWA]

Great hunt and story! Thanks for sharing.

[PRDATR]

Cook it like a racoon and remove any fat and glands under the armpits.