The 3 biggest factors that I pay close attention to is stealth, wind, and calling areas.
[/b]STEALTH: One of the biggest factors in Predator hunting. Being quiet is 50% of the game in my opinion. Slamming car doors, interior lights and alarms, exsessive talking metal clanging metal, and just too much noise in general will ruin a hunt before it gets started. thinm about getting in the field just before first light. How quiet is the air? It's almost eery. Every sound seems to be amlified by 100%. Crunchy snow, dried leaves and thick brush all are your enemy. Walk slow and mentally pre-scout your approch to the stand. As far as parnters go. You can be as noise disciplined as you want but if your partner is a bull in a china shop, the odds are going to be in the pred's favor. it took me 3 partners to finally find the right one. The guy I am with now is a ghost in the woods and can shoot like a sniper. Couldn't ask for a better partner. Bottom line is, if you are serious about your pred hunting, get a partner that is too.
make sure that gear you are carrying is secured and silent. Make sure your gun barrel isn't clanging on anything, your clothes are quiet (I have had terrible experiences with carhart material), and your gear in general is secured close to your body so it doesn't get hung up on the foilage you are walking through.
WIND: ALWAYS use the wind to your advantage. because, believe me, the yotes will use it to theres. When approaching your stand, have the wind in your face or crossing your nose. NEVER walk with the wind at your back. When calling, have the wind in your face or again, crossing your nose.
I generally like to set up cross wind. When setting up crosswind, I like to have a large obstacle at my back like a large creek or something that the yote cannot cross and would result in him sneaking up on me. In front of me is an open area so I can see the yote going down wind. If I have a partner, I will have him placed 50-100yds down wind to watch my backside. If I am setting up with the wind in my face, I like to have good visibility on both sides of me so I can see the dog circling. Again, if I have a partner, I will have him 50-100yds down wind watching my backside.
CALLING AREAS A deer hunter can hunt every day of the deer seasons for 20yrs on a 40 acre plot of land and be content. Probably will tag out every year if there are alot of deer in the area. A predator hunter on the other hand, cannot have enough land. A seasoned (and what I consider a pro) Coyote hunter once told me that ideally, a yote hunter shouldhave enough land accesibility to call in one area only once or twice a season. Most of us however, do not have enough access like that.
I am building my land accessibility so that I can get away with calling an area maybe 6 times a year. You can revisit land that you have called on but there is a way to do it. You cannot go calling one plot of land every day for a two week period using the same sound and expect to call in dogs. I like to call an area, wait a couple of weeks, then return using a different sound, setting up ina different location, and if possible, calling at a different time of the day. Those states that allow hunting at night can really use this to trick the dogs. If you go in the first light hours on day, return 2 weeks later and try calling after dark.
Access to as much land as possible will really pay off in the long run. especially if you are the only predator hunter that the landowner allows access. Hope this helps.
