Assume the position.

[Redfrog]

Tis the season when a lot of guys go calling for coyotes. I get questions about best sound, how loud , how long to call etc. The novice often gets hung up on creating the perfect sound. While sound is important, success depends on other things as well.

Choosing a spot and getting into position is very important. The benefit of calling comes from not having to wander around the country side looking for coyotes. Realize that often the coyote is lying in the sun on the south face of a hill, watching the countryside. If you walk around, for 5 minutes getting set up, that means he's been watching you for 5 minutes. If you are hunting with a partner or two and you find the perfect spot, don't spend your time discussing who sits where and where the coyotes are going to come from.It's easy for the coyote to spot you if you are standing in the open an pointing first this way then that way.

I park the truck out of sight as much as possible taking advantage of the lay of the land. Remember the world looks different from the cote's POV at 24 inches off the ground. Sometimes it doesn't take much to hide the truck.

Because I call , I don't have to get far from the vehicle. The coyote will hear the call from a mile or two. Better he dies tired than I do a walkabout and get busted.

I make sure I have open shooting lanes/areas. Nothing worse than losing sight of a coyote as he gets into gun range. I set up in the open wit a ghillie suit and watch the cover. They will often use the cover their approach. If I'm set up in the cover, they will be in and out and not be seen.

It's not Rocket surgery. Don't overthink it. Setup where you can shoot, call and they will come. Oh yeah! hold on the fur. 99% of the misses I see are "over".

[tikka250]

Great write up!

Originally Posted by Redfrog

Oh yeah! hold on the fur. 99% of the misses I see are "over".

Very good point! It seems way too often that i have hurriedly missjudged distance and missed a coyote because i didnt hold on fur. The worst part is it takes a lot of time off of calling due to the fact that i have to seek out the nearest tree or fencepost to bang my head against while repeating " DONT*bonk* HOLD! *bonk* OFF *bonk* FUR" *bonk*

[Redfrog]

Originally Posted by tikka250

Great write up!



Very good point! It seems way too often that i have hurriedly missjudged distance and missed a coyote because i didnt hold on fur. The worst part is it takes a lot of time off of calling due to the fact that i have to seek out the nearest tree or fencepost to bang my head against while repeating " DONT*bonk* HOLD! *bonk* OFF *bonk* FUR" *bonk*

[hayseed]

Some great advice Red, thx for sharing. One of my biggest downfalls is to always argue skylined, or just as you mentioned. A fella should just get in and hunker down quick.

Hopin to get out this weekend, do you find if the warmer weather or colder has any different effect?? Warmer is sure easier on me ..lol..

[Redfrog]

I'm with you on the warmer temps. I like it at -5 and no wind. Everything covered with two inches of Hoarfrost. You can hear a mouse fart from 600 yards.

I was out last weekend in the -30 stuff. We called in some coyotes, but none dead in two days. Every miss was 'over'. BTW I was guiding, not shooting.

Do you use coyote vocals this time of year?

[hayseed]

Yep, I have had success, honestly, obviously rabbit in distress, then vocals, like pups, and howls have been the best. Last year was my first year with my son, so still learning, and havin a great time. Learn a new trick or technique everytime, love outwittin them buggers.

Some times it works, sometimes its a bust... lol..

[slickwilly]

Thanks for the advice, man. This is my first winter calling, and I have been going pretty hard, but I have only had two come in. Both came in so hard, and from behind cover that I didn't get a good spot on them until they were stupidly close.
Even worse, I got a good shot at both, but the combo of adrenalin and a gun I hadn't taken to the range in years meant clean misses both times.
Oh well... I got one of the two sorted out, and haven't had a chance to fix the other.

Question: anybody hear ever have any luck calling in areas with more timber? Being in Calgary, it is a lot simpler to get permission on the grazing leases to the west of the city than on the farms to the east (who have been so bombarded with hunters they pretty much curl up into a ball and start sobbing when they see you coming up the driveway).

[Redfrog]

I've called some thick stuff here and in the desert, as well as big timber on the coast. It adds a whole other dimension. or maybe dement shun.

The tough part is having a shooting lane. I use cut lines and two tracks. The coyotes or wolves use the roadways to travel when the snow gets bad. A screamin rabbit on the side of a roadway seems like a pretty easy meal when there's 4 feet of snow in the bush.

Sometimes the thick stuff calls for switching to shotgun and getting elevated.

Some guys call the desert scrub from a step ladder.

[slickwilly]

Yeah, that is basically what I have read in other places too.
I took the shotgun out a few times, but haven't had a chance to see it go to work.
Good to hear somebody has seen them out there. Hopefully the temp drops and we get some snow down here. I am pretty sure half the county heard me walking to my stand this morning, the snow was so crunchy.

[bpk1982]

Originally Posted by Redfrog

Tis the season when a lot of guys go calling for coyotes. I get questions about best sound, how loud , how long to call etc. The novice often gets hung up on creating the perfect sound. While sound is important, success depends on other things as well.

Choosing a spot and getting into position is very important. The benefit of calling comes from not having to wander around the country side looking for coyotes. Realize that often the coyote is lying in the sun on the south face of a hill, watching the countryside. If you walk around, for 5 minutes getting set up, that means he's been watching you for 5 minutes. If you are hunting with a partner or two and you find the perfect spot, don't spend your time discussing who sits where and where the coyotes are going to come from.It's easy for the coyote to spot you if you are standing in the open an pointing first this way then that way.

I park the truck out of sight as much as possible taking advantage of the lay of the land. Remember the world looks different from the cote's POV at 24 inches off the ground. Sometimes it doesn't take much to hide the truck.

Because I call , I don't have to get far from the vehicle. The coyote will hear the call from a mile or two. Better he dies tired than I do a walkabout and get busted.

I make sure I have open shooting lanes/areas. Nothing worse than losing sight of a coyote as he gets into gun range. I set up in the open wit a ghillie suit and watch the cover. They will often use the cover their approach. If I'm set up in the cover, they will be in and out and not be seen.

It's not Rocket surgery. Don't overthink it. Setup where you can shoot, call and they will come. Oh yeah! hold on the fur. 99% of the misses I see are "over".

Thanks for the tips for hunting yotes. I wonder if you'd offer one more...how do you call areas you suspect that the yotes have been educated? Thx

[SmokinJoe]

Originally Posted by bpk1982

Thanks for the tips for hunting yotes. I wonder if you'd offer one more...how do you call areas you suspect that the yotes have been educated? Thx

It helps to change a few things up from the traditional way of hunting them. Visual aids have worked for me

[Redfrog]

The number one reason that coyotes get educated is because hunters don't kill them when they come to the call.

Be sure your firearm is sighted in. Doesn't hurt to pattern a shotgun with different chokes a swell as different loads.

I try not to call the same place more than once or twice in a season. Sometimes that isn't practical and sometimes the spot may warrant more attention than that. Sometimes an approach from a different way or on a day with a different wind direction may help.

the thing that often means the difference between success and failure in calling coyotes isn't a secret sound, or secret handshake, it is attention to small details that when put together give the hunter the edge.

For the ones that come in and sit at 400 yards, the only solution is to practice shooting 400 yards and send him a surprise. This is when the 220 swift or the 22.250 shine. Other calibers work as well. I have shot quite a few at 400 yards with my .223.but then I practice on gophers in the off season.

With the proliferation of ecallers, the coyotes get to hear the same sounds and quickly stop investigating them. I use hand calls mostly. and if you hunt with a buddy, it's often productive if you both call at the same time. One doing a very animated distress sound and the other doing a loud very aggressive pup distress. I like lots of noise over a few minutes.

This time of year , don't be afraid to try coyote vocals. I've killed many who came in to a challenge call, on the prod and bent on stealing my lunch.

[hayseed]

Not sure if there has been a thread about advice on here, probably, but if not , why not??
The dogs we went out for in a specific area, we pounded them hard. Of course, havin a lot of dairy farms, or farms having calving now, and soon brings them in for an easy meal. They do get skittish, so we do a lot of different sets, aways from each other. From farms, to timber bordering farmland or crown. A few times they get some lead chucked at em, a guy has to change it up to produce.

[Redfrog]

"Not sure if there has been a thread about advice on here, probably, but if not , why not??"

I started this thread to see if we could we could have a discussion about hunting without all the insults etc. So far so good.

I have some experience with coyotes and I'd be happy to try to answer questions. I don't consider myself an expert, but I can share what works for me.

[tikka250]

just curious. i hear and read of a lot of people using the term "coyote vocals". there is a lot of assorted sounds involved when using the term coyote vocals so what sounds do you all think of when trying to portray a coyote rather than prey.
i have had great success with my Ecall and pup distress but thats about it as far as coyote sounds are concerned but im hoping for that to change. i just bought a set of carver calls and am now well practiced up on using them and just need now to learn what sounds to use and when. any advice is good advice

[Redfrog]

Did you get a howler from Kerry Carver? Which ecaller do you have?

I start nearly every set with a few lonesome howls. The usual response is from a 'pack'. I let them howl for a while then use a higher pitched howl.

I also use a challenge howl and pup distress. Sometimes I get into a conversation with one on one. I try to mimic his vocalizations a few times then use a higher pitched challenge. Go to a pup distress and kill the coyotes when they come in.

[HillTophunter]

Some great advice here!! Redfrog gave me some tips when I first started calling and using his tips my success went way up. Pretty much paying attention to the little things is the biggest thing! Don't get lazy on being sneaky.. A good example: I've been scouting a lot of new land lately and noticed a lot of paired up coyotes. Knowing breeding season is around the corner I went and made a stand using vocalizations.. A few female invitational howls and 10 minutes later two males showed up around 500yrds away and started fighting. A quick challenge howl changed their focus and this guy came running into 80yrds a quick bark to stop him as I pulled the trigger..

[davesilva]

Beauty I love this thread already

In regards to getting sky lined yes be sneaky walking in take a tree line to your stand if that's not available walk a fence line at least if the Suns already up try make it so the Suns at your back if it does work this way Suns possibly in the yotes eyes while your walking in

[iceburg]

Hilltop, where did you get that bi-pod, I need that!

[tikka250]

Originally Posted by Redfrog

Did you get a howler from Kerry Carver? Which ecaller do you have?

Yes i did. I couldent decide on what one to get so i bought a 5 call set. My favorite to use so far are the song dog slayer and the rabid rabbit extreme. I used to use foxpro until i broke my remote so right now im trying out the primos power dog.

Thanks a lot for the advice i cant wait to get out!

[HillTophunter]

Originally Posted by iceburg

Hilltop, where did you get that bi-pod, I need that!

It's bog-pod tripod! Works great I love it so far! I picked this one up at bass pro!

[Redfrog]

Congrats on the coyote, Hilltop hunter.


Some folks are very afraid about using a challenge howl, but it obviously is another tool for the bag of tricks.

[davesilva]

With the hard crunchy snow out here this am the coyotes were howling like crazy as I tried to walk into my stand all the stupid crunchy snow must have spooked them as when I started walking all the howling abruptly stopped lol

[700-223]

Have been hunting coyotes for a few years with my brother in laws. Seems to help sometimes to sit for a few minutes and let things settle before you start calling. Dont think it'll help if they've made you but if they just heard something moving and didn't get eyes on it...

[Redfrog]

Sometimes doing nothing works well. I have been busted on my way into a stand. sat for 5-10 minutes and howled a few times and had the coyte come back.

They make mistakes too.

[Albertaguide]

Originally Posted by Redfrog

Sometimes doing nothing works well. I have been busted on my way into a stand. sat for 5-10 minutes and howled a few times and had the coyte come back.

They make mistakes too.

I've found if they haven't had a life/death experience coyotes seem to have a short memory.

[H380]

Thanx for the help you've given me Redfrog , some I already knew but a good deal of the wolf success I've had goes back to advice I've gotten from you . Listen to him guys , he knows his stuff .

[Redfrog]

Thanks guys glad to help.