Bowhunting coyotes

[Bowhunting coyotes]

Hey, I'm new to Alberta, and coyote hunting, but have knocked on some doors and gotten permission on two small ranches so far. Called in 3 dogs, none closer than 150 yards. Just tried a fox decoy, but didnt get one close enough to see it. I can definetly use all the tips I can get. I may have to call alot of dogs in before bow-bagging one, but it will be rewarding when it happens. Anyhow, does anyone have any tips or related stories that they can share?
Thanks, Islander

[bowhunting coyotes]

Oh yeah, what calls do you guys find work the best? I've been using a Lohmans Circe 3-setting distress call, but it doesn't seem to make them close the gap in a hurry. Maybe i'm using it wrong.

[HIBACKPACKER]

Hey
Try using the hyper Cow Elk call from Russel's it even works on the bears. My kid brother and I call in 3 dogs on the same day to around 12 yards they were running together.
Happy Hunting

[ruger300]

Welcome to the frustrating sport of coyote hunting. The fact that your using archery tackle will add to that frustration believe me. Once you have a coyote interested try a coaxer call. You can buy a rodent squeaker bulb or just make the sounds by your lips. As for calls, well I have over a dozen that I have bought in the years past, they all work it just depends what mood the coyote is in. Good luck and don't give up. Here's a little female I called in yesterday round noon. She snuck in on me while I was watching a pair of yotes in a swamp. She layed down in a brush pile and thats were she was when I spotted her. I barked at her to get her to stand up and the .204 did the rest.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y95/ruger300/2007yote10.jpg

ruger300

[varmitr]

good luck to you islander.
nothing like making a hard thing harder!!
i use a faulks wood call i use it very litely and as high apitchas i can so it still has a 'range of squeal' to it. other than peircing and shrill, its hard to discribe the sound of course

[aka bushmaster]

IMO you would be better off to try to hunt over bait. When you call the coyote has a very good idea of where the sound is comeing from and moving/drawing the bow under these circumstances will be almost impossible....not saying it can't be e, but.....

Good luck and take some pics for us .

[Okotokian]

Bowhunting for coyotes? Man, gotta respect that. I don't bowhunt, nor do I have the urge to, but I sure do admire the skill of a hunter to get that close to his game.

[aulrich]

Like bushmaster said Calling coyotes to 30-40 yards or closer is not that difficult, getting a bow shot off now thats the hard part. Though I have tried I have not even got the shot of yet :( usually busted on the draw.

Things that could help

A Decoy and probably a motorized one and or calling in pairs, with the caller getting most of the attention that might give you the chance to get the shot off.

Time of year can help too, normally I am not a big fan of shooting them when they are not prime but they can be really responsive mid october to the start of deer season,they are less spooky and they have not "thinned out" by the deer hunters yet. And for me I figure the 1 or 2 I might get would just get tanned and kept for the hard won trophy they would be.

[bowhunting coyotes]

Thanks for all the feedback, guys. I didn't get out this past weekend, but i'm going out on saturday morning. Haven't picked up any new calls, but I might try to grab some this week. If by chance i'm successful, I will take some pics and post them. Also, does anyone know if cottontails or hares or jackrabbits reside in the foothills?

[bacon grease]

The only time that I've been able to put it all together with the bow is EARLY fall when the young are still learning.

Was Doing some moose hunting in either late sept/early oct. and was slipping out of the bush a little early one evening and saw a yote out in the feild. I had a fawn in distress call so I tried it. The woods came alive - I counted 5 beside the 1 in the feild. Called 3 to less than 10 feet and missed! Calmed down because they didn't spook and was able to shoot 1. The arrow passed thru and nicked a back leg. The yote started spinin' and yippin' - after 10 or so seconds it fell over dead. One of the others come over to investigate and I shot it as well. Then it all went south. Was pretty exciting there for a few minutes. The whole time the bigger one in the feild sat and watched. Couldn't fool her.

Don't think it's possible now, but hey - no reason not to give it a go. Love to hear I was wrong

[Tree Guy]

Hey Islander, what island?

I'm new to archery, and had more chances at 'yotes than deer this year! They seem to be a bit ADD, they get distracted easily. Did a lot of still hunting this season and ran into them often without calling. I bought a cottentail distress call and a close in mouse squeeker. If one was close, and I was standing, I threw the squeeker on the ground and used my foot to work it. In my few experiences, they didn't seem very interested in it. On two other occasions, I blew my cottentail distress call and a bunch of mulie freaken' does came in on the run! I managed to get a couple of shots at them, but at about $12-15 per arrow for a critter I can't eat.... Anyway, good let us know.

[Hoopi]

Hey Tree Guy:

Are you planning to bowhunt from the ground? or in a tree stand. I have called coyotes in November from my whitetail treestands (i got bored sitting there) and when the yotes' came in they were well within bow range.

From the ground, well thats a tough one. I think you want to be in really thick cover, but when I have called in those situations (hell they can pinpoint your location very accurately from a long distance away) they KNEW where I was and they came in really fast. Any movement and the 'yotes bolted. You would have to set them up so that they can only come in on one trail and be ready, bow drawn and let fly before they can jump the string.

Hoopi

[Tree Guy]

Hey Hoopi!

Yeah, I do my stuff from the ground as I only weigh in at about 87lbs and am not a big fan of dying from hypothermia in temperatures nearing 0! lol

I will spend anywhere from 2-45 minutes in one spot. Where I hunt is partial pasture, partial brush and partial Aspen stands. It is also very 'hilly(?)', or better said, 'not flat'.

When I set on a spot, I try to either be BESIDE a bush, or IN FRONT of it. I've missed opportunities due to game coming straight on and my 'cover' preventing a shot!

What I have learned about 'yotes is that if you can see them before they see you, you have the upper hand. You cannot apply rifle calling tactics to bowhunting. The more you call, the more likely they are to get a bead on you! If you can see them a long way out, call just enough to get 'em heading toward you, that's it! When they are within 1-200 yards use the mouse squeeker (with your foot!), sparingly. They are super curious by nature and super suspicious by nature! Call just enough to keep 'em curious, if not less. They will come. What the hell else do they have to do? Be patient, they are easily distracted and if you have managed to position yourself well and time it right, they'll never see you draw! Neither of the three I shot at this year saw me draw, and in fact two even chased the arrow to where it hit! Of course once I re-nocked they were gone. Missed all three shots, but I seem more willing to take a longer shot at something I'm not going to eat! Strangely all of my shots were in the 40-60 yard range, and I shot high once, and wide another time. Oh well, back to the range!

Good luck Hoopi, let me know

[Islander]

Hey Tree Guy, I moved to Calgary from Vancouver Island last September. Surprisingly enough, I miss the rain! Go figure. Can't wait til Sunday, i'm going to give it another try on the two small ranches near Cochrane that I have gotten permission on. I have a fox decoy to try, as I hear coyotes hate foxes and will full-on charge them on sight, especially if there is a dying rabbit up for grabs. By the way, is anyone out there looking for a hard-hunting, ethical fanatic of a hunter for a coyote hunting partner? I have been having a hard time trying to find anyone that is as gung-ho as I am. I am a mature 23 yr old, and I live to hunt and fish. I have found a few good guys that I may bear hunt with, but coyotes don't seem to interest them like they do me. I have been going solo so far, but I would kill for a like-minded partner (hopefully with a little local knowledge, but if not, thats cool too), and age does not matter to me. I am not very good with technology, but I just figured out how to become a registered user, and I check the message board almost every night. So, if anyone wants a partner in the Calgary area, post a message here and we can figure out how to get in contact.
Hope to hear from someone. Thanks, Islander

[gube204]

Over the years, I've whacked about a dozen yotes with the bow. The key to being successfull at it is using three people set up in a triangle with the caller at least 30 to 40 yards back and hidden from the shooters. You can increase your success rate by calling from a tree stand. Other areas to target are near large operation chicken and hog barns. Concentration of yotes will be higher in these areas. My closest shot was 5 feet and pinned him against a big ole poplar tree 30 yards behind a lage hog barn. I havn't specifically gone out for them with my bow in the last couple of years. Been havin more fun chasin them with the 204.