“It’s more for fun than business,” Muus said.

“But we’d like it to be a business,” Johnson added.

They don’t guide other hunters, mainly because of a fear that an unknown hunter may shoot one of the dogs as they run back and forth.

“I know these guys and how bad of a shot they are,” Johnson joked, referring to Muus and Lawson. “I don’t know somebody else from Adam.”

Johnson found out about the unusual sport from a neighbor in Winnett, where he lives. The friend had an old VHS tape showing his dogs luring coyotes in. Intrigued, Johnson bought a pup from the friend, then another.

“I came up with the decoy thing because nobody was doing it. Then I got these outlaws in with me,” Johnson said.

Muus, 35, is a former drywaller who’s now working in the North Dakota oil fields. Lawson, 36, works for a Billings oil refinery. Johnson, 37, is employed by the town of Winnett. Another partner, Mike Huff from Winnett, owns an outfitting business. All of them have worked as hunting guides.