Coyote technique - Long question

[Stuart C.]

Hi folks,
We have a couple weeks of coyote season remaining.  I need you folks to critique what I'm doing.  I haven't had any luck bringing one in yet.

I was out yesterday but couldn't get out until about mid day .  Sat for a couple hours in one spot and then later for a few hours until past dark.
- Sat well inside some cover with decent views
- Started calling half hour after I got settled in
- My calling isn't great but I think it's ok and getting better
- Started with distress calls and then some howls each with series of barks.
- Made calls about 30+ minutes apart
- had a prey decoy out in front of me ~25 yds; its a fake racoon fur and tail on a tree limb in the field probably 20 yds from the hedgrow edge, I give it motion via string and I think it looks pretty good/realistic very visible as the field is flat and snow covered
- behind me is a river and 250 yds in front of me is an edge of a swamp

About sunset I actually did get a howl and barks answering me! Just one, and that was it.  Don't know what that means.  Wind was gusty and changing.

Worst (or best) thing is; Friday night I was letting the dog out before bed and I hear the coyotes yipping down in that general area (same area I hunt) so I thought I might have some action the next day.  I hear them down there now and again.

Anyway, please tell me where you think I can improve or what else I should/shouldn't be doing. 

It was still a lot of fun, and getting that howl back was very cool.
Thanks.
S

[Glanceblamm]

Getting them to answer back to you is a good place to start. You can speed up this process by taking a few drives in your local area at night stopping here & there to give it a try. Sometimes they will answer right away while at other times you may have to work on it a bit.30min is not too long to stay at an area and I have spent even more time than that calling at 10min intervals.

The first call that I use is a common long howl used to locate. It seems to say (where are you?) There may be no response but you can make your position more impatient by throwing a couple of barks in front of the long howls. This can often do the trick if the Coyotes are within earshot at all.

Once you do locate them (in a hunting situation) you can switch to other conventional calls or just continue to howl at intervals or even mix the two. Sometimes the Coyote will come in just looking for company or a friend. If you play your cards right and do some mixing of the different calls, you can offer something of interest to the whole group which may be spread out as you know.

My favorite scenario is when I can get a group of Coyotes to respond to the howl but I detect that one Coyote that is making short howls with barks thrown in before and after. This is the dominate male and he doesn’t like you being in his area at all. You respond likewise with your own short howls and barks. If he would again repeat that sequence…I heckle the dickens out of him pouring it on hard. He will often come in at a trot and may break into a run when he gets close hoping to run this intruder off.

Those Coyotes love to see a good fight and others will often come. By this time you may have taken out the dominate male or perhaps all of them have stopped short. This is the time that I like to get on that distress call. It can often bring them on in even if you have shot already. If the terrain permits, and you have a general idea of where the Coyotes went, it does not hurt anything to follow them for 100-200yds and get on the distress call again.

It sounds like you are in the ballpark and the only thing that I can say is to keep at it and look sharp. When they get in as close as 400-500yds I will often shut up (or do some light coaxing) because they can be looking you in the eye before you know it!. My deception may have began with the Coyotes being a full 2 miles away. My success rate went way up after learning to use the howler and the language but I am still cautious about calling in the same area too often using the same sound.

My References (So To Speak…….)
I had first received my howler calls from Bill Austin in 1996. He was the first one to sell such a product to my knowledge as I had been reading the outdoor magazines 25years prior to this and had not seen the Howler subject or technique come up before this. GBO members like Ladobe or Trotterlg may know of other pioneers. I think that the idea is an old one as the early coon hunters realized that Coyotes would respond to their bugle which was just meant to get the dogs to return to them after a hunt. Latter hunters or people in general learned that a Coyote may respond to an elk bugle, a siren, or even a train whistle. It was people like Bill though who were able to break down the language and find the senario's that will work for the rest of us.
If you go to allpredatorcalls.com I believe that Bills calls and instruction tape are still for sell but Bill is now hunting Coyotes in the sky as he passed away a few years ago. The instruction tape is what I really liked with the package as the calls are easy to use and I have lost track of how many times that I have listened to it. I also own a Primo’s hotdog call. It should be readily avalible in your area and comes with an instructional CD. The sound of my Primo’s is ok but I am using Bill’s language senario’s with it. Good Luck & good hunting to you.

[Ahshucks]

Many experienced predator hunters only call in one area no more than once a month.  The sly coyote gets wise to you = gets educated.  Work on getting permission to hunt other areas and scout plenty during the preseason.

[gdolby]

Stuart, it sounds like you are on the right track. As Glanceblamme said just keep it up. Did I read it wrong or were you stationary your whole time and spacing out your calling? If so you might increase your chances by setting up multiple places at least a 1/2 mile apart. And for your sake I hope that was an answer to your call...........but I have had coyotes do that to me when they either busted me moving in or were call shy.............wait a few weeks and try the same area......should be able to find out for sure..........good luck, Bill

[Glanceblamm]

Stuart, it sounds like you are on the right track. As Glanceblamme said just keep it up. Did I read it wrong or were you stationary your whole time and spacing out your calling? If so you might increase your chances by setting up multiple places at least a 1/2 mile apart. And for your sake I hope that was an answer to your call...........but I have had coyotes do that to me when they either busted me moving in or were call shy.............wait a few weeks and try the same area......should be able to find out for sure..........good luck, Bill

Good Advice From The S/W Deserts Of New Mexico!!!.....I dont mean to tell on you Bill but....

gdolby has had the pleasure of tutorial and many other hunts with our late oso45-70 

[hillbill]

i have best luk early in the morn or late in eve. use the weather, a big storm movin in or in early stages seems to git them moving.snow/sleet/rain seems to help. good luk!

[Glanceblamm]

i have best luk early in the morn or late in eve. use the weather, a big storm movin in or in early stages seems to git them moving.snow/sleet/rain seems to help. good luk!

Good post as these conditions really do seem to cause the game to get a move on. I also like to pay attention to the Major/Minor feeding periods as told by the Solunar tables. I dont let this stop me though if I am out of sync with them.

[hillbill]

not sure if yur hunting on your land or sumone elses. we have a couple hundred acres here in sw mo. my dad cheks cattle every day at different times and if he has seen a certain yote or yotes at certain time dureing the day yu can pretty much bank on it for awhile.ive noticed this also dureing deer season, the only time i dont shoot yotes on sight.talk to local farmers or whoever owns land where yu are hunting.buuut if yu got time to git out there jus do it, yu wont git one on the couch.

[Glanceblamm]

if yu got time to git out there jus do it, yu wont git one on the couch.

EXACTLY...

It has been said before but the Pred hunting is a fever that just wont go away. I have been at it for 34yrs and the last hunt was as good as my first!
You can refine your techniques to be on the productive side though and talking to the locals is a great place to start. After that, you get your hunches cause you learn what will work for you.
I have been know to be hunting Coyotes on Christmas eve but under the dire warnings of the Wife to make it back by dark so as not to be late for a family gathering

I dont let this stop me though if I am out of sync with them.

[gdolby]

Glancblamm, Dont mind at all. I just wish I would have been able to go more and paid much more attention when I did. Joe was a man that didnt say much but when he did it was somethign you could bank on. I have learned some from 3 different hunters  here that are life long residents and have taught myself some by being out there...........like was said above , sure cant do any good on the couch. The main thing is too keep trying and vary your routine.......something will work sooner or later. ya'll have a goodun........Bill