First stab at calling

[Curtis]

Yesterday morning I was sitting in a box stand on the ground with the wind blowing from W-NW (left to right toward the woods) very hard around 25 to 35 with gusts higher than that I'd say.  I was in an area known to have coyotes, they have even approached the house in broad daylight to check out the guineas.  I was in the stand a good hour or more before first light.  I sat quietly and when it was light enough to see my crosshairs I started calling with the electronic call I had placed about 50 yards straight out in front of me to the north.

I called with a fawn distress at full volume until a hawk landed about 30 feet from the call, then I turned down the volume and switched to rodent distress just to see what he would do.  When I started back calling, he quickly homed in on the call and it was quite amusing to watch him remove the dead grass that I had covered it with.  He then proceded to poke and prod it with his foot, I guess trying to figure out how to get the danged mouse out of it!  A few crows showed up to see what was up, but they got bored with it pretty quick and left.  After a bit of this I went back to full volume with the fawn again so I wouldn't miss any prospective coyotes and after a while the hawk flew up to a tree to watch.  Well, after about another hour of calling I quit and headed back to the house for some breakfast.  All in all a very enjoyable morning, but not quite what I expected.

So.......... do you think the wind was keeping the sound from carrying and bringing in anything?  It was puffing!  I really expected to get a coyote though.  Maybe if I had stuck with it longer one would have finally passed within earshot, even with the wind.  Any other thoughts?  I'm new to this so any input is good.

Thanks,
Curtis

[Glanceblamm]

Hang in there buddy. You had a lot going for you, specially when that hawk was scratching around. In cases like this the Coyote would come in without hesitation had one been in the area.

You do have an ace up your sleeve with that electronic call as you can download or perhaps already have a "locator" mp3? (basically a coyote howl)

You do not have to go hunting to try this out. Perhaps you have a rural route that you can drive some evening after dark and stop every few miles in a likely spot to see if you get a response to the howl. If so, at least you know that you are in the ballpark with your sound. Sometimes, and I note when the barometer is low, the Coyotes will not howl for anything but will still come in to a squaller.

I will (locate) sometimes the very first thing when in the blind and have had them respond anywhere from 70 yds to a full two miles. I am not going to get into language (mine was learned from the late Bill Austin) but if you do get a response, you can then do some calling or coaxing.

An old number for success (as far as calling something in goes) is one predator for every ten calling sites. I have beat this several times when the howler calls came out but sometimes I will not use them at all as a Fox may be the quarry.

[Curtis]

Thanks for the encouraging words, at least now I know I was close.  Yes I do have a "locator" call but had no clue how to use it before.  That is a great idea to try the locator out in a non-hunting situation as I am only about 15 minutes from some good locations, but no hunting oportunities there.  The location of my previous hunt was about an hour drive away on my aunt's property.

As far as the success ratio goes, I hope to beat it as well.  I don't have any good camo so the box blind is my only hope of staying concealed.  It has been there since last year so it should be invisible to any animals that frequent the area.  There is a ladder stand nearby too, but with no leaves to provide cover I don't think that is very promising (not to mention that I was glad to be in the box with near freezing temps and the howling wind).

Thanks,
Curtis

[Hit or Miss]

The coyote is a fickle beast!  I think the wind was your worst enemy.  We've gone out and not seen a dog in several days of calling and then we'll see 6 or 7.  The key is to keep after it and try to learn something each time you go out.  Camo is NOT all important for hunting.  I know the people who sell it would like us to think it is but....  Movement is key, minimize it.  Remember you are trying to attract hunters that key in on movement to find their prey.

Coyotes will circle to come in down wind of you also.  Keep a weather eye on the downwind areas as much as possible.

Good luck!

[Glanceblamm]

The coyote is a fickle beast!  I think the wind was your worst enemy.  We've gone out and not seen a dog in several days of calling and then we'll see 6 or 7.  The key is to keep after it and try to learn something each time you go out.  Camo is NOT all important for hunting.  I know the people who sell it would like us to think it is but....  Movement is key, minimize it.  Remember you are trying to attract hunters that key in on movement to find their prey.

Coyotes will circle to come in down wind of you also.  Keep a weather eye on the downwind areas as much as possible.

Good luck!

Good Post!...I have gone many a time in plain ole brown coveralls. I do wear a face mask n gloves but the important part is choosing the blind location that will breakup your outline.

[ironglow]

 Some newby observations & questions here from an old guy;
      Camo perhaps not as important as I thought..hmmm. I have used Carhartt coveralls with camo jacket..but not enough experience to judge the effectiveness of it.  I have a face mask but when in use, it causes my glasses to fog up with my breath..any answers ?  Being new to this type hunting,  have much to learn...wish I had tried predator calling 50 years ago.  As I showed elsewhere here, I did get my first fox a couple weeks ago, but it was more a stalking effort, rather than extensive calling. ...See thread entitled, "Fox with 17HMR"..
                                                                                                               Ironglow