Question for experienced coyote hunters

[Eddie in Delta]

How long did it take you to start calling animals when you first started coyote hunting?  I've gone out a few times and have not received the slightest indication that coyotes were interested.  I know they are out there (scat, tracks, howls, etc.).  I have the Primos Raspy Coaxer and think I have the whole dying rodent sound down pretty well; my little dog goes crazy every time I practice in the house.  

One problem may be that I go in the day, as night hunting isn't legal here and I don't want a run-in with the local law inforcement.  I could go at dusk, but it's such a small time window that I go in the day, too.

Any opinions?

Thanks,
Eddie

[Jerry Lester]

For starters, they're mating right now, and unless you're very tallented in making the right coyote sounds, they can be quite tough to bring in this time of year(in my experience anyway).

I actually started out trying to call foxes with mouth calls. I had no references or help as far as methods, or anything of that sort. It took me almost 3 years till I finally called in a big red fox, which looking back(with what I know now), I was extremely lucky to kill. Within a year of that day, I was calling in reds, and greys pretty regularly, and it's getting better as the years go by.

Nowdays it's easy to find info on the net, in books, and from other callers. Just keep studying, and trying, and once you connect on the first one, you'll break the ice, and it'll get more productive as time goes by. There's no free lunch, and the road ahead will be both the greatest hunting you'll ever enjoy, as well as the biggest pain in the butt you've ever suffered through! It's definately worth paying your dues for, as any die hard predator caller will tell you.

[hunt127588]

I just started getting into coyote/bobcat hunting this past Fall. I tried calling in a coyote in October but instead called in a deer (doe). That peeked my curiosity so during the last day of deer season, I broke out my Lohman 3-in-1 Circe call and started calling while sitting on the side of a ridge. Within 10 minutes, I had a nice sized bobcat staring at me from behind less than 15 yards away. I wasn't able to get a shot off as he had taken off when I turned around. That pretty much had me hooked. It was 11:30AM when this happened.

As for daytime hunting, don't worry about that....Try early morning or right at dusk. I had watched a coyote video with Bill Brighton(??) in it and he stated that you need not stay in one place too long. He stated that if you do not see something within 30 minutes, get up and move to another spot. I didn't believe him until I had the bobcat behind me in 10 min. He also stated that for Eastern coyotes, the best time to hunt them was Spring due to mating and coyotes being aggressive at that time. I plan on doing some more coyote hunting during the time I'm while turkey hunting this Spring. If the turkies aren't gobbling, maybe I can pull in a 'yote on an afternoon hunt.

[yellowknifedave]

Howdy.  I have had lots of luck calling coyotes.  The area where I hunted had a high population density of coyotes, and I knew where their dens were.  They can be pretty hard to spot: that could be your problem.  Luckily, all my coyote hunting has been in the winter where they stand out a little in the snow.
While I have been calling, I have never heard anything respond to the call (no howls or yips).  It is good going with someone else to help you spot them.  They are very patient, and will hold in cover for a long time waiting for a visual sign of the dying animal.  A good sign is magpies and crows, and similar birds.  If they fly right in to your position, there usually aren't any predators around.  Lots of times they fly to the predator and perch in the trees above, waiting for their turn at the kill.  If the birds are holding within a hundred yards, odds are they are with the predator.

Avoid heavy cover that really restricts your vision.  The first years I went out, I would burry myself too deep in the cover, and couldn't get a good shot, or would miss seeing them alltogether.  My brother came out with me once wearing a bright red jacket.  Coyotes still came in.  It is movement that will spook them, not colours.

I have called in coyotes all through the day, however, you should probably go out just before light, spend the morning calling, and spend the afternoon skinning them.

Good luck.  It is a fantastic hunt, and if you're patient, you should have them coming in to within 15 yds.
YKD

[Eddie in Delta]

I went out a few days ago rabbit hunting with my .22.  I wasn't having a lot of luck with bunnies, so I pulled out my rabbit call and did the whole "come eat me" thing.  A few minutes later I heard a bunch of yipping like hyenas or jackels on the "Nature" shows.  I called some more and they were going nuts.  I did this for a few minutes and it got louder (they were probably still a good quarter mile out; the distances in the desert scrub are huge), and then a dirt bike drove by and the yipping stopped.  

Do you think they were coming in to me?  I just had an ingrown toenail taken out so I'll be down for a week or two, but I want to go back out!

Thanks,
Eddie

[yellowknifedave]

Howdy.  We used to live on the edge of a big creek - 80 foot drop off the deck into a ravine and creek bed.  We went to sleep quite often to the sound of coyotes, and woke up to them lots in the morning.  To add to my last post, another good time to call was after the howl fest, just before sunset.  The pack/family group would let out the sound you are describing.  Several times, I went out and got positioned and started calling.  I was quite frequently successful.  On one occasion I had 5 come in at the same time together.  It made my hair stand up on end.  I dropped two of them and unfortunately wounded a third.  Hopefully it was only a flesh wound.

The more you get out, the more you learn.  In my opinion, there is never an unsuccessful hunting trip.  Every time out is a new experience with new things to learn.
YKD

[skinner]

Eddie in Delta I glad to see your out their still trying I would say that you probably had one if not more interested in your calling the other day. Like it was mention in another post to your question this is the time that they are pairing up so they have a few thing on their mind other then responding to a call the best time would be early in the morning but if afternoon is all you have stick with it.
I seen a post and I believe it was on this site where a guy built his own E-caller and put it in side a coffee mug well I copy the instruction from his posting and gave it to a hunting buddy of mine well 45 dollars later he now has the slicks e caller I have seen we down loaded about 18 different sounds from my JS tapes my JS Chips for my other caller and put them on a MP3 it works great if you would like I will get pic and the instruction and send them to you. you can use a cd or tape player as well if you don't have a MP3. well if you like you can email me at bpalsgrove1@yahoo.com

[Eddie in Delta]

I called in a lot of magpies with my mouth calls today.  They flew right over me and were sitting on the sand dunes looking for the dying animal.  I wasn't using camo, just my jeans and a green sweater and sitting by a piece of sagebrush.  Go figure.  Personally, when I'm paintballing I can pick out someone who is wearing camo but moving a lot easier than someone wearing normal clothes who knows how to hide.

I only made one stand since I had an ingrown toenail taken out a week ago and couldn't walk very far, but when it's all better I'm gonna take a day to trek into the desert to visit the coyotes.  Most of the fun (for me, anyway) is being outside by myself.  I'm around people every day, and it's nice to get away for a while.

Anyway, thanks for the advise!  It's very encouraging for a rookie to have people to look to for answers to his questions.

Eddie

[Wlscott]

I wasn't using camo, just my jeans and a green sweater and sitting by a piece of sagebrush. Go figure. Personally, when I'm paintballing I can pick out someone who is wearing camo but moving a lot easier than someone wearing normal clothes who knows how to hide.

The difference is that coyotes are professionals who spend their entire lives learning how to pick out something that doesn't look quite right in their environment.  Believe me, if you're not hidden or camo'd well, they can pick you off from a long ways off.  

I camo everything including wearing gloves and a face mask, and camoing my rifle in some way.

[Eddie in Delta]

Point taken.  Which kind of camo do you think is more effective, the Predator slash-type or the woodland/Mossy Oak/Realtree camo?  Some guys I know use Predator; the philosophy is that the animals don't look for colors, they look for shapes.  What's your take on that?

Eddie

[oso45-70]

Eddie In Delta.

Eddie, I don't think the camo type or color is as important as using somthing for a back ground, Try to sit in a bush so your outline don't show up, Or aginst a tree. If you sit on top of a hill it don't make any difference what you wear you are going to be spotted. Stay in the shadows as much as you can, Good luck...........Joe.............

[Wlscott]

Eddie, I don't think the camo type or color is as important as using somthing for a back ground, Try to sit in a bush so your outline don't show up, Or aginst a tree.

That's a good point.  I always try to sit in a clump of yucca or sage.  

Which kind of camo do you think is more effective, the Predator slash-type or the woodland/Mossy Oak/Realtree camo?

Out here, I use camo with a lot of browns and greys in it.  Not much green.  I have some of the "chocolate chip" desert camo left over from my days in the army and it works real well.  I also really like the new Prairie Ghost pattern (even though I don't have any yet).  The other camo that I DO use a lot is the Natural Gear pattern.  It's mostly brown and gray "shapes".  I don't like the "Stick and Leave" patterns that well.  

One thing you might try is if they are howling, howl back.  If they bark, bark back.  Copy them and they will get mad, especially this time of year.  

Keep trying and eventually you'll get it.

[Eddie in Delta]

What's a good kind of howler?

Eddie

[zapper223]

Eddie,
                             I've been hunting predators since the 80's but seriously the last several years. I have several different howlers and the cowhorn howlers are very good . I have one made by verminator and it has called several in for me. They run around forty bucks though and that is one of the cheaper cowhorn howlers. Now the good news even though I use the cowhorn frequently I use a plain open reed call more often with great results and alot cheaper. My favorite calls that are also excellent distress calls are the critr' calls , I have alot of other excellent calls for different purposes. The critr' calls can do just about any sound you need . It just takes some practice, I have the pee wee , standard, and magnum. The standard is what I use the most for howls unless its windy or rough terrain then I'll use the magnum or my cowhorn. The best thing about these calls is you can also make everything from a mouse squeek , rabbit squall, deer bawl,bird/ woodpecker distress and on and on. They are actually one of the easiest open reed calls to get good with. The pee wee is the softest of the three but can still reach out a good ways, not great for howling . If you wanted to get just one I'd get the standard it makes great howls . A tip for this time of year from my experience . I open most stands with 2-3 howls ( a long drawn out lonesome howl , however if I get a challenge type response ( barks short howl barks ) I try to duplicate it as best I can . They really get upset when you mock them and at times thats it there coming full bore. But alot of times you'll get no response and there still on there way. If you open with howls I like to leave at least 2-3 minutes between the howls, after this group of howls I usually go into distress sounds. I have good luck with high pitched bird type sounds as well as gobbler distress sounds. I use a wide variety of sounds but like to stay with one type distress at each stand . I mean I won't do deer bawls then a bird then a rabbit at one stand . Also probably the best sounds this time of year and this year in particular have been howls first them puppy whines , yelps. All of these can be done on the critr' calls . The pup whines are very easy to learn , just imagine what a pup sounds like (I'm sure you've heard it) with its tail slammed in a car door. LOL but seriously the more pitiful the better. The duration in my experience hasn't mattered except that you need to pause or they'll spot the movement made when calling and or pinpoint the sounds location. One thing for sure if your hunting alone using hand calls your probably getting more responses than you realize, just getting caught and never knowing they were around. As the other guys said camo in my opinion is critical. Try to match , at least best you can to the cover you hunt, and allways keep sun at your back and try to stay in the shadows.  I took a piece of the 3d blind material and cut a hole in it for my head and just drape it over my upper body. It gives me a place to hide my hands when calling you can also keep call inside your headnet to help hide any movement. You probably allready know this but you must make sure you can see the downwind area at the call site, as at least 95 percent of the coyotes will circle downwind. A good trick when alone is to keep a open area or an obstacle on the downwind side. ie: steep bank , pond, lake anything that will force them to show themselves before they get downwind. I'm sorry for rambling but I love predator hunting and get carried away. Back to the calls I bought another back-up set of critr' calls the pee wee, standard, and magnum at critr' calls.com for $33.00 shipped . The individual calls are around $8.00 - $10.00 bucks apiece. All-Predator.com has them as well but they were actually cheaper at the critr' call site. Again sorry to ramble on. I think you would be pleased with these calls and surprised with the sounds you can learn very easily.
                     Good- Luck, and if you want have any questions on any of this feel free to contact me.           zapper

[Swift One]

It took me two years to actually get a yote to come in.  Stay at it, it will happen.  Try this next time you are out on a stand and don;t call anything in.  Walk down wind a couple of hunderd yard and see if you can see fresh yote tracks.  They will sometimes sneak downwind of you, pick up your scent, and get the hec out of Dodge without you ever knowing that it was there.  I have found dog tracks on top of the tracks that I made coming into my stand area.  This has happened a few times.

Something els that you might want to try.  Call in the early season.  The young dogs will still be aroundm and they probably have not had a bad experience with a dying rabbit that shoots at them.   Some of the older dogs have forgotten about the armed rabbits scenario.   They will tend to come into the call with less hesitation.  Once you see sign that you have called one in or actually call one in you have this new outlook on pred hutning and a huge boost of self confidence.  For me anyway, it seemed that once I started calling them, I started to call alot of them in and more frequently.

[prairiedog555]

try using a portable tee pee blind.  they are easy to carry and set up and hide your scent.  cost about $30.  Don't leave home without one.  Great for deer hunting also. 

[Glanceblamm]

Jerry Lester
I was going to call you on that mating season till I saw the dates and realized that you hit the nail on the head.
This post was an oldie but a goody with some great advice.

Prairiedog555
Those portable blinds can work great if you can get them to blend in. Sometimes I am out in the wide open though and the blind would stick out like a sore thumb unless it had been there for some time. A favorite wide open spot for myself can be picked corn stubble or lower vegetation pasture grasses and I will be laying flat on my belly.
I will be near a drainage or a wooded point or finger as this allows the coyote to utilize some cover while hunting me down. By the time it shows itself, it is usually within 150yds and even if it holds there, it is too late for it.
If it does hold, a little subtle coaxing can get you a double now & again. Make sure and take the farthest one first as that can make the closer one run right towards you.
If you do get one and suspect another get on your distress call. Sometimes it will bring them right back to you.

[Glanceblamm]

prairedog555
Those boys to the north of me within 30 miles are true flatlanders as it is not too uncommon to be able to see for a few miles.
Some of these guys will go to extravagent lenghts (such as climbing a phone pole with binocs) for scouting then slip into calling range.
One guy that I know in particular will just drive the back roads till he spots one off in the distance (usually near a hedge row or such) then drive on past abit before stopping. He will then execute his stalk by holding a small square of cardboard in front of him. This is just a regular square of cardboard, say 3' by 4' but will break his outline well while he moves in slowly on the semi-napping yote.
Incredibly, he has worked his way to within 40yds while doing this without alarming the coyote into flight. He mainly wanted to see just how close he could get that time but usually takes them out at a much farther range.

Most of the coyotes in his area are well known to the farm houses as they get into food bowls for the pets, then actually take the pets (they love farm cats) they will lure a farm dog out now & again and kill it. They will take poultry and make regular rounds of the hog & cattle lots. They are ever watchfull of an opportunity but as clever as an Indian.
They have a healthy respect for the people though as most are still conservative (as in political) enough to have a rifle or shotgun handy and will not hesitate to use them.

[highwayman]

wait till spring and use the pup in distress and you will call in whole packs at one time

[zapper223]

               In my part of the country , west KY. The breeding season is around FEB. I have had excellent results , with pup distress at this time of year . However it can be effective , most anytime. Howls , in my experience are very good during the mating season. Especially , challenge howls, ie: a couple short barks followed by a quick howl and another bark or two. If you get a response, try to imitate what you hear . You can really get one stirred up , by doing this.

         Just because you don't get a vocal response , doesn't mean a dog isn't on his/her way. Keep your eyes peeled at all times, they often come in silently . Without ever answering your howls. Females and young dogs will seldom respond to challenge howls, but will to pup whines.

                                          Good- Luck,
                                     
                                             zapper223

[billy_56081]

   In southen MN I had tried and tried to call with distress call. No luck. I did buy a howler and have had great sucess with it. The first time I used it was on a bright shiny January day at 1 PM. It called a big male in right away. I have noticed that you must call quite awhile to get one in though. I Call about an hour. So many times I've called 5 minutes to short though. I think part of it is that the coyotes are coming from up to 2 miles away.