Pa coyote hunting

[PA_coyotehunter96]

Im from Pa and my buddy and I have been trying since this time last year to call in a coyote and havent gotten close.... we use a Primos Turbo-dogg call and usually hunt open fields on the edge of brush or woodlots. When we first arrive at an area we will sit for a while then do a coyote locator, usually Coyote Serenade, then if we get a response we move maybe 15 to 20 yards towards the sound and set up.... We put the call about 10 to 20 paces out in front of us, then get settled in. after waiting for 5 or so minutes we usually do a cottontail in distress (Big Cottontail, Cottontail Distress #2 or Baby Cottontail distress.) We try to go on open and clear nights, with out any wind... main weapons we use are my 12 gauge or my .243 winchester, or his .223 remington. Any ideas on what we are doing wrong? help would be great! Thanks.

[Hellgate]

Are you hunting at night or during the day? I can't help you on the night hunts as I have never done it. It is illegal here (Orygun). Two things regardless of  where & when are noise control and wind. As for noise I try to ditch the car in a way that the 'yote can't hear you coming into the area. On a quiet night the tire sounds in gravel seem to carry for miles so that activity puts the dogs on suspicious alert. It is important that there are no beeps, blips or other auditory sounds like doors closing, gear banging etc. Basic stuff. We even click our seatbelts in behind us so the danged bell signal doesn't go off once we turn of the ignition and the keys are still in.  Sometimes we are a 1/4-1/2 mile from where we ditched the rig. Next is wind. A no wind situation can waft your scent around and you'll get sniffed & busted without even knowing it. I carry a cheap small refillable bottle of baby powder with me as a wind indicator. Even a 1 mile an hour wind will have your scent out 1/4 mile in 15 min so I like there to be a smidge of a breeze so we can call into a consistant wind. Mid february is mating season so right now the challenge howl is a good way to get them huffing toward you. Puppy yips seem to bring on their curiosity and urgency to check out the noise. Otherwise your calling sequence sounds good with whatever prey species they feed on. Where we call we use the howls, yips and fawn bleats. Another help would be to hunt when there is snow on the ground. At least on a scouting trip you can see tracks to know you are in the ballpark.

Watching videos on the subject is like watching movies, real life doesn't happen that way. In fact, I tell my brother that "I was up last night..... watching coyote porn........." (varmint calling videos). On one of them one of the hunters made the comment that the kill shot they had just made was on their NINTH STAND without seeing a thing. On our last hunt we got one but we had gotten skunked on our prior two trips where we must have made 8 or 9 total setups. Where we hunt the dogs follow the deer. If the deer have moved to winter range then so do the 'yotes. You don't have that problem in PA. Those you tube guys (especially the ones selling calls, camo, gear,....) often have private ranches that don't let anyone else hunt so they are in virgin territory much of the time. One thing to remember: once you get seated down and comfy, take the damned safety off!




Here's the one we got on Jan 18, 2013 in north central Orygun.

[Bigeasy]

Good advice from Hellgate.  I hunt the Bald Eagle state forest in PA a lot for coyotes, as well as some local farms, usually at night.  Try using a decoy.  There are several motorized rabbit looking things, or you can just tie a squirrel tail to a fur covered stick.  Something that gets their attention, and keeps it off you.  Try placing your call speaker farther away from you.  Full camo, and some kind of blind or cover helps a lot.  Coyotes are just as sharp as turkeys at spotting you, maybe even more so.  They will often circle before coming in, so pay attention to the wind.  Depending on where you hunt, they can be very call shy.  I usually just stick to the dieing rabbit call, as they are always hungry.  Usually if I have no action in about 1/2 hour, I move to another location, as if there is a dog in the area, he has either spotted you by then, or came in for dinner.
 
Larry

[cjclemens]

I usually try to be in place and set up first thing in the morning, as soon as you have enough light to shoot. I start my calling sequences quiet, like a rodent squeaker in case something is near by. After a few minutes of that, I roll into a cottontail distress call. I start that fairly quiet and slowly increase the volume. I don't bother fooling with howls or barks until the very end of the sequence. About 30 minutes per stand is all the time you need to spend there before moving on.As far as scent is concerned, the only way to do it is to play the wind. If a coyote sees you, it might take him a second or two to figure out what's up. If he smells ya, the gig is up immediately. Good luck and dont give up. It takes patience, so hang in there !

[PA_coyotehunter96]

we usually try at night and have gone a few times during the day. we have the decoys but haven't had a clue on how to integrate them into our set ups. we plan on going out this weekend. will try the pup yips and howls. we usually will drive to about 1/4 or 1/2 mile from our sets. but a few times we had responses we didn't drive. so i think we will be doing some walking. ill make sure to try what tips i have gotten from everyone here. thanks to all ! i will post pictures if we get any.