Coyote hunting tips

So what's the tips on hunting this time of year? I get it. Pairing/mating season. Hard to call. I had em barking at me this morning, but they wouldn't show themselves. Whats the trick to get them this month of the year?
 
They are paired up so have set up their territory . When they are barking it means that they don't feel comfortable with something they are threatened . Often they will come to the edge of their range and not cross over to another's area but then they will normally show themselves bark , howl and mark their boundary lines ( crap pee and do kick backs) in plane sight of what they think is the rival territory owner to let them know where they call home . Wait a day or so then go back into where they were use a howler and don't get overly aggressive . Find a good site sun to your back and in their faces , wind in your face and to their backs if at all possible . Do two standard length howls two barks and one howl then just sit tight for a few minutes up to five and repeat it . It may take up to a half hour or 45 minutes for them to answer or they may just show up sit and watch your way so you need to be looking for them . They may lay down and just watch you out from a ways being in a slight low spot for cover if you see them doing that just sit and wait don't move around much and very slow when you do . do some coyote yipes and distress sounds not over doing them just a couple of them after 5 to 10 minutes . They should stand up look your way and start moving your way . I like to have my rifle at the low ready all the time I'm calling so I don't have to move it much and do the best I can to move slowly mostly when they are moving . They aren't really hard to call this time of the year just cautious and have already heard all the animal distress sounds on all the e-callers in your area .
 
They are paired up so have set up their territory . When they are barking it means that they don't feel comfortable with something they are threatened . Often they will come to the edge of their range and not cross over to another's area but then they will normally show themselves bark , howl and mark their boundary lines ( crap pee and do kick backs) in plane sight of what they think is the rival territory owner to let them know where they call home . Wait a day or so then go back into where they were use a howler and don't get overly aggressive . Find a good site sun to your back and in their faces , wind in your face and to their backs if at all possible . Do two standard length howls two barks and one howl then just sit tight for a few minutes up to five and repeat it . It may take up to a half hour or 45 minutes for them to answer or they may just show up sit and watch your way so you need to be looking for them . They may lay down and just watch you out from a ways being in a slight low spot for cover if you see them doing that just sit and wait don't move around much and very slow when you do . do some coyote yipes and distress sounds not over doing them just a couple of them after 5 to 10 minutes . They should stand up look your way and start moving your way . I like to have my rifle at the low ready all the time I'm calling so I don't have to move it much and do the best I can to move slowly mostly when they are moving . They aren't really hard to call this time of the year just cautious and have already heard all the animal distress sounds on all the e-callers in your area .
Thanks for the intel. I don't remember having this much trouble with them the last few years. I know this time of year they don't come screaming in like in spring or summer, but they have been callable. I don't use distress calls, only coyote sounds. I'm always in full camo including facemask, gloves, and camo rifle, tucked into a juniper, rifle up on shooting sticks, set up and hidden before grey light. In the last three weeks and over a dozen stands I've not seen one. Yesterday was the only time in all those stands I've even heard them. I'm cutting coyote tracks on my way in, and my way out. They are there. I'm just not holding my mouth rite...... Perhaps I need a new caller :) that'll fix it......
 
I think you got busted. For whatever reason. Rethink your whole approach, sound, cover, camo, scent,etc. The good news, you have a location on them that is like DSheetz said a prime location where they hang out and do not want to leave. Wait for the next wind change. At the same time of day come in behind where you heard them. Be stealthy! Set up early 200 yards out. Just set there for a while and let things calm. Play a new distress sound( very low volume). Play it for maybe 30 seconds then silence. Move nothing but your eyes.
 
Another suggestion. Quit the coyote vocals if they aren't working. A coyote never knows when or where his next meal will come from. So give it to him on a silver platter and your almost always guaranteed a response.
 
I don't like to over use any one sound . If you listen to the coyote in your area you will find that they really don't talk much most of the time . I don't use coyote vocalizations all year long mostly from late Dec. till mid June when they are the most vocal . I use hand calls to make different animal destress sounds for the different times of the year . I have found that any time you use the same sounds too much the coyote will get used to that sound we don't kill all the coyote that hear what we are offering them , some times a coyote will just lay low out half a mile or even a mile out while other coyote come in and you shoot them those that lay low have heard what you used and then heard the shot . They don't know that you just killed their friend or mate but they do know that sound then a loud noise and the other coyote is missing now so now they will be cautious of that sound . I've spent enough time in the field to learn what sounds the other animals make at what time of the year so that the sounds I make match the time of the year . As an example there aren't fawns in the fall and winter nor are there pups that time of the year they are ( in my area ) from late April till mid July so that is the time to use that sound . When I use coyote vocalizations I want to know what I'm saying and use it at the right time of the year and time of the day . While two barks then two short howls asks you to gather up and go hunting in my area if I don't use it at the right time of the day it's out of place and they will be leery of showing themselves but may slip in and check it out from hiding you may never see them and they will be even more leery the next time you use that sound the wrong time of day . I carry the dead coyote out of the area no matter what time of the year for two reasons first I don't want the other coyote to find the dead coyote , like people they know dead friends and family and shy away from that area , second my pay day is piece work I get paid per dead coyote so I want the rancher to see what they are paying for . If you will take the time to after you kill a coyote go back into that area that night or evening and just sit to listen you will hear the other coyote in the area trying to locate the coyote you killed if they find the body you will hear a group of them get together near the body of that coyote and do some group howling kind of like we mourn our dead . I may have spent way too much time out there studying the coyote but that is how you learn your opponent and get good at killing the problem coyote .
 
D, I can't thank you enough for sharing with us. Two howls, two barks, then one howl is that your standard sequence or your special sauce that you send the tough ones?
 
That's just what I like to use in a new area or even an old area early in the year . It's like you asking hay is there any one around that wants to visit . Most times they answer then they go quiet when they do that they are on their way to come visit with the new guy in the area . Now and then you will have one that talks to you all the way in but I just let them talk and don't answer them back around 90 to 95 percent of those that talk all the way in are female when I get them shot . They will do a bark short howl move some and do that again to warn me they want me out of their area they want to den in . Years ago Bill Austin made a cassette tape where he told what the different coyote vocalizations were I also spent years listening to them and figuring out what and why they said what they said .
 
Well first I want to know what the lay of the land is , draws , brush , flat , rock piles ect . . So then I will locate it on my map find the , range , section and township then I'll get on google earth and find it look at the satellite imaging of it figure out where the access points are and where the best place to call from is and how to get there best without disturbing any animals where the animals will most likely be at . I want the sun at my back if at all posable and having only 200 acres I will park off of it hiding my truck and walk in to the best location set up my stand before the sun is up enough to shoot but light enough to walk with out getting my feet tangled or trip on things . I will cover the 200 acres with only one stand and the sound will cover that amount of ground well . As I'm used to calling a lot larger areas say 2 or 3 section pastures up to one I call that is 16000 acres . I will spend most likely 45 minutes to an hour at this one stand after I start calling call a few minutes , look and listen a few minutes 10 to 15 then call a couple minutes all on a lower volume after 10 or 15 minutes I will turn the volume up fairly loud for 30 seconds to maybe 1 minute . stop look and listen for 10 minutes or so then do one more set of calls for 1 or 2 minutes at low volume . After this if I haven't seen anything moving I will just set look and listen for 10 to 15 minutes before I slip out the same as I came in quietly watching for tracks on my way out and listening for any thing to talk . If any thing does talk then I will come back latter in the day 3 or 4 in the after noon and move quietly in closer to where they were talking from set up and just watch for them . After 30 minutes of watching and listening I will howl one longer howl then just set and watch they will most likely stand up to look for the intruder then one or both of them , if it's a pair , will start to slowly slip in toward you just let them come till you can get a good shot on them both , if it's a pair , bark to stop them and make your shot .
 
Finding a place to hunt in Oklahoma is becoming harder to find every day. You cherish permission to hunt even on small plots. You guys count your blessings. I have learned to stretch those small places out by hunting them like the spokes on a wheel. Coyotes hang out in cover. Which where we are is very thick cedar thickets. I go in after them shotgun and call in tow. Most of it is face to face. I wouldn't trade that encounter for your wide open spaces. On a good day you can take a couple off these small places.
 
Last edited:

Recent Posts

Top