First, they didn't really know they were hunting dogs being used to decoy in coyotes.  When I took them out one at a time, they would just lay down beside me as I called, sleeping most of the time.  Together, they would romp and play almost the entire time.  Just the kind of movement and action a coyote is looking for when he hears the call.  The first 15 or so coyotes I shot, the dogs couldn't have cared less.  In wide open pasture land, they didn't even see the coyotes coming in.

Second, I wanted them to have some added protection in the case of a dominant coyote coming in.  I thought they would have a better chance of defending them selves 2 against 1.  This wasn't a factor early in the year, but in  late January and early February, Rags and Copper knew exactly what hunting coyotes was all about.  Copper was very aggressive when she spotted the coyotes and Rags wasn't far behind.

The 2 coyotes you see pictured above came in as a part of a triple.  I saw them coming in from about 3/4 mile across a stubble field.  The third one joined them in the last 300 yards, but wouldn't come all the way in.  These two ran in to about 100 yards before the dogs took after them.  I shot the female at about 150 yards.  Then, the dogs and the male coyote played the chasing game for an hour.  They would chase him out and he would chase them back in to where the female was laying dead.  He was down wind of me most of that time, but didn't seem to care with the dogs there.  As darkness fell, I mouse squeaked the dogs back and kept them beside me.  When he came in to about 175 yards, I shot him.  If only I would have had the video camera.   Maybe next time.

These 2 coyotes were shot early in the morning.  They look fairly skinny, but it's only because they were dragged out with a rope around the jaws in the wet grass.