Coyote hunting tips

[DSheetz]

It was in the early to mid 60's some us of had sisters that had those dolls . I have taken dog toys apart to get the squeaker out of them for rodent squeaks and to use as a coaxer . It is amazing how far a fox or coyote can hear them . They can be taped to the side of your rifle stock so you can squeeze them with the finger tips of your support hand as you sight in on your target . The number of different types of animals that will respond to things like this is surprising . They are not expensive easy to use and not a lot of people , at this time are using them as they are low tech .

 

[Straight Shooter]

I have graduated to the lip smooch.

 

[APDDSN0864]

Ed

 

[DSheetz]

It was in about 1964 the first time I heard of any one calling and it was with lip squeaks and sucking on his hand still works to day . I've been told that the native Americans used that method .

 

[DSheetz]

Work on teaching yourself to be calm in the field . When we are excited we smell differently and animals will pick up on that . If you want to see that for yourself you can see how livestock react to other people that are excited , scared or just not used to being around them . You can smell people that have been in stressful situations they have bad body odor the adrenaline our bodies release does strange thing to our bodies as do the other hormones that our bodies release under stress .

 

[Orange Dust]

Work on teaching yourself to be calm in the field . When we are excited we smell differently and animals will pick up on that . If you want to see that for yourself you can see how livestock react to other people that are excited , scared or just not used to being around them . You can smell people that have been in stressful situations they have bad body odor the adrenaline our bodies release does strange thing to our bodies as do the other hormones that our bodies release under stress .

True Statement. For more proof, this is how Police Dogs know who the "Bad Guy" is.

 

[DSheetz]

Here where I live the grass doesn't grow very tall for the most part . We have some types that do but they are mostly in small patches most of our grass' grow to 3-4 inch's tall at most . By mid June most years they are starting to cure and be dried out till they are crunchy to walk on . I learned that if you pick your feet up only about 1/4" - 1/2" and push your foot forward as you step it will push the dried grass forward and make less noise as you walk through it as well as that your foot will not make much noise when it lands on the ground as you transfer your weight forward onto it . It was the way that I walked naturally but I have worked to improve on it and it is a habit now because I thought about walking quietly till I ingrained it in my traits to help me be a better coyote hunter . After awhile you get to where you feel with your feet as well like you do with your hands so that you know what is laying on the ground , rocks , sticks , high and low spots ect. .

 

[APDDSN0864]

Another trick is to step with your toes landing first instead of your heels.
Yes, it slows you down (a good thing!) but it allows your toes to slip under some of the stuff on the ground instead of on top of it, perhaps snapping a twig or crushing rocks together.
It's the way deer and other ungulates walk. Add in DSheets' technique of "shuffling", and you can walk very quietly, even in dry leaves and dry grasses.
The only drawback is that you can sneak up on a Rattlesnake.
Ask me how I know...

Ed

 

[geo4061]

I liked to explore the thickest part of a property. Slow and quite was the key. I left my shoes at the truck. I used two pair of socks. Several times I walked within a few feet of feeding deer. I never walked up on a coyote; but that didn't keep me from trying. I do believe this extreme approach helped with the calling set.

 

[DSheetz]

The way that I walk lends it's self to putting the toe down first . And walking quietly helps in any hunting .

 

[DSheetz]

Don't burn your animals out on your calls . Start with low volumes and increase it with time . Call for a few minutes and then stop calling , just sit and observe what is going on around you for several minutes then start calling again at the same stand . If you are getting birds to come to your call you are doing it right . The birds will tell on the coyote , fox or bob cats that are sneaking in on you . If you are using too much volume often the animals will come in behind you to the lower volume that is created in that direction . You may never know that unless you have some snow on the ground and see their tracks . Or the animals will hang up out at a distance and you will be saying why don't they come in . Lessons learned by making these mistakes will stick with you once you figure out that you are making them . I know because I made them and learned from them . At times you will bump animals while you are approaching your stand that don't bolt and run but just slip out quietly . Then they will set out there and let you know that they have you figured out and will not come to your calling either . You again will be scratching your head and asking why don't they come on in . That's a hard one to figure out till you see them slipping out in front of you or see their tracks in some snow leading to where they are . Use all that your environment has to offer you to read what is going on and to help you figure out what you do right and wrong with your hunting and calling .

 

[Deleted member 115360]

I don't know how call volume would effect their direction of approach. Sure, call volume can send them running, but they seem to approach based on wind direction, easy ingress route, cover, or well used trails. Sometimes they don't seem concerned about any of those things in the case of cats or pup distress sounds for coyotes when they are truly alarmed. Can you explain why call volume would bring them in behind you? I'm missing a piece that I probably need to understand.

 

[DSheetz]

Because when it's too loud they don't have to get very close to satisfy their curiosity it's not natural to them so they are suspicious of the sound to begin with when they are behind you it's not as loud so they stay curious and investigate . Coyote that have been called and not killed are more cautious to begin with so they are going to be sneaky any way . But when the call is too loud they don't have to come close to it but from the back side it's not nearly as loud . Send you partner 338 dude out with your call a couple hundred yards have him set up with the call facing you and turn it on full volume for a few minutes then turn it off and turn it around facing away from you and turn it on again with the volume turned up all the way again . You will be able to notice the difference and that will help you to understand why it works the way it does and why the coyote with better hearing then us comes to you from behind when it's too loud and bob cats are even more prone to coming from behind you with loud volume . Sound tends to travel in a cone louder in the center but as it comes from the back side of your caller it starts at a lower volume in the center of that cone and as they can't hear it as well as when it's louder they are more curious and tend to want to investigate more .

 

[DSheetz]

You can roughly equate it to like when you come home and your wife has steaks grilling or a roast in the slow cooker you don't even have to get close to them to know what she is having for your supper . But if she has some hot dogs boiling you have to get closer to be able to know what the smell is so that you can identify it .