Calling heavily hunted coyotes

[lilabner]

Looking for a suggestion on a call that will work in an area with heavy coyote/bobcat population but many callers. The coyotes are probably able to identify rabbit screams by the call manufacturer.

[Redfrog]

What part of the country are you in?

[lilabner]

The hunting area is in south Texas.

[trappenjoe]

In south texas where there is alot of deer, get you a fawn bleat , sit next to a fence, raddle the wires like something caught up in it ,and bleat like a fawn that is stuck. I just came back from south texas and I noticed alot of deer that was stuck in the fence . good luck . Little Joe

[dangerranger]

also might try a kitten in a cardboard box. You can use a recording of one but put it in a box.Its worked for me several times.

[varmit_master]

Hi try a tape that you dont have any sounds like it around there like a housecat in distress do you have red fox there if you dont try that sound a coyote if he hasnt heard the sound before will come in to see what it is to see what is in his area do you have any goats stuff like that and you will have to sat longer because it will take him longer to come in good luck VM

[scruffy]

You could also try adding other sounds to your stand.  Like a little crow calling with your distress call mimicing a crow overlooking a fresh kill and telling his buddies.  Along with the fawn bleat you could also try a hen turkey call.  Many a coyote falls to a turkey hunter every year.

I hunt a couple of heavily called areas and also have some luck setting up near creek crossings, along fenses, water sources, etc where I know coyotes are walking along their hunting routes.  Takes a bit of scouting but if you can pin down their movements a bit you can position yourself so they cross your path.

For example a friend of mine bow hunted last year from a tree stand and every day he saw a few coyotes walk buy hunting the small narrow timber funnel the tree stand was located in.  After bow season me and the 223 put in some tree time and it payed off, didn't even use my call.

Another example is my parents garden.  About an hour after dark coyotes are known to walk through the yard at the farm and check out the garden (30 feet from the house).  When the moon is right I'll set out there for a couple hours with a shotgun or 223 with reddot.  Last November I took a female at 15 feet, last month I took a male at 50 yards (he saw me and tried to circle).  Neither time I used a call.

The hours of hunting to coyote ratio isn't good hunting this way, but it's better than sitting on the couch watching TV, and it often times it's the only way to get a coyote that won't come to a call.

later,
scruffy

[Wlscott]

In my experience it isn't necessarily the call choice that determines whether or not you'll be sucessful bringing in call shy coyotes, it's your set up.

If the coyotes are call shy in an area, I'm especially careful about setting up so I can see downwind a loooooong ways.  I also stay on a set a lot longer than I normally would (I'm usually out of a set within a half hour, but I may stay for an hour if the area I'm calling is hit pretty hard by others).

Try to find out what most people in your area are using....IE open reed calls, closed reed metallic calls, howls etc.  If most are using closed reed calls, order an open reed call that is lower pitched.  The key is to be different than everyone else.  

But the bottom line is that even call shy coyotes will USUALLY come to a call.  You just may never see them because they are coming in so sneaky to try to check you out.

[scruffy]

I agree with wlscott 100%  I'm in this situation right now it seems on one of the areas I'm hunting.  So the next time out (later this week if the weather man cooperates) I'm going to mix up howls and a distress.  I've had good luck in the past starting with a couple lonsome howls.  If I get a response (or even if I don't but feel they are in the area) I go into a couple challenge barks/howls.  Then after a few seconds pass I go into a rabbit distress.  Kind of a "Hi, anyone here?" howl followed by "I'm here to take this place over!" howl and then "I'm eating your food" distress.  I've only used it a few times last fall with a full moon but when I did I pulled in multiples but they hung up around 75 yards out where I could barely see them, or stood off farther out of sight and challenged barked at me.  I had only a shotgun so I was outta luck on all counts...  I'm looking forward to trying it just before dark or right at dawn with a rifle and see what happens.

later,
scruffy

[oso45-70]

Gentleman.
I have had sucsess in small clearings by finding a bush or scrub of some kind and by useing a fox tail or something like a rabbit skin tied to a bush
and with a long string of some kind back to my set and twitch the string as i make my calls, I have a automatic fishing reel that i use with about 100 ft of line that gives me ample distance away from my bait to give me a good shot. Often the critters will hold up just out of sight to check on things and after they see that it is clear they will go ahead and come in.
This is not a cure all but it has worked for me in dence cover. hope this is of some help. Take Care,  Joe

[Wlscott]

Scruffy, I've had them hang up and bark at me from an unseen spot also.  I have kind of taken that to mean that they know something dangerous is there, but they just don't quite know what it is.  

Once they've started barking fairly close like that, I've never gotten one to come on in.  I've even burned a whole afternoon barking back at them trying to get them out in the open.  I think there's a very fine line between a challenge bark, and a warning bark.  Probably so fine that human ears don't know the difference.  In other words, what sounded like a challenge to me, was probably a warning.

[scruffy]

Very good point Wlscott, your always right :wink: .  

It's impossible for me to tell the difference between a challenge bark or warning bark.  Which brings up another point, when I challenge howl and bark I'll let of a sharp quick bark followed by a short sharp howl often followed by another sharp bark.  I don't want my challenging to be interpretted as warning so I always include a challenge howl in my communication.  When I hear a challenge howl back I know the challenge is on.  If all I hear are barks, it isn't looking good.  :?

Last fall I started off hearing howls so I did good at the start but when they hung up I'm not sure if it was warning barks or challenge barks.  Since it was all barks your right, they were probably warning barks.

One thing I want to try next time (if I can get the hang of it) is doing a distressed pup sound on my howler.  It might get them to come in after they bellered the warning, maybe not.  But I think it's worth a try anyway.  I need to dig out my distressed pup tape and listen to it some more and train myself to duplicate it.

My thinking is the coyotes come all this way in, know the coyote is near, but don't see him and become alarmed and switch from challenge barks/howls to warning barks.  A distressed pup or distressed adult might signal the invader is down and they may come in closer to try and finish him off.

That's what an old farmer said to do next time and why.  So we'll see.  He also said once I get a responce from the lonesome howl to switch over to a distressed adult coyote.  Skip all the other "stuff" with the challenges and distressed rabbit I was doing.  He said the coyotes after hearing me, an invading coyote in distress, will come running in to finish me off.  Makes sense I guess.

I love hand calls, just takes alot of practice!

Later,
scruffy