Local hunters claim world title

Three area hunters brought home a world title after bringing in 11 coyotes at the MWM Outfitting World Coyote Hunting Championship in Butler, Mo. on Jan. 12.

Aaron Evans of Comanche along with longtime hunting partners Rusty Mashore of Ringling and Jake Leach of Wichita Falls, Texas raced to the weigh-in with five minutes to spare to claim the championship and a $20,000 prize.

They had bagged 11 coyotes.

There is no set area where hunts have to be made. Hunters can choose to hunt wherever they want as long as they make it to check in on time. Evans, Mashore and Leach were 6.5 hours away when they headed to Butler to try to make it on time. 

This is not the first title for Evans, who has been coyote hunting for 15 years, he has won several over the years, most recently in Colorado, which was a nine-hour drive to do a check-in. Registration fees are usually around $750.

In the MWM Outfitters hunt, Evans’ team beat out 60 other teams. 

Evans has acquired connections all over Oklahoma and Texas that give him an expansive area to hunt.

The hunt consists of using electronic calls to lure the coyotes closer. What call is used depends on the time of year. It could be a distressed animal call or another coyote call.

“It’s getting close to mating season. Last week, there was a rancher in Temple who called me and said a couple of his calves had been killed, but he was only seeing one coyote,” Evans said. “I went out there and did a female call and five large males came running. They were 35 or 40 pounds each and they can take down a calf when they work together. I saw them come running over a hill that was about a mile away and all it took was one call.”

It is the thrill of the hunt that keeps him going, but there are other factors.

“I work a lot and this is one thing I can do that gets my mind off of work,” Evans said. “This is my medication. It puts me in a different mindset. There’s no bigger thrill than tricking a coyote to come to you. Plus, it helps these ranchers out because the coyotes will go after chickens, goats and calves.”

The three-man team has another big tournament upcoming in Texas that will pay $40,000 to $60,000.  

Evans said he learned how to hunt coyotes from local resident Kelly Jackson, who is well-known in the coyote hunting world. 

“He taught me everything I know,” Evans said.