Coyote hunting

[sewwhat89]

I am forced to adapt two very different styles of hunting the property I am on: 30 feet up a pine tree or laying prone on high-lines.

Can I use howlers, etc. from high up in pine trees without blowing my 'cover'? Treestands offer me the best visibility and combined mobility.

How far between locations should I travel when calling if there is no wind?

 

[gonehuntingagain]

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4ked,

If you ever need somebody to go with you yote hunting, I'd gladly join you. I have only been out 2 times and have yet to kill a dog.

Sean

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I'm sure we can arrange something. 4ked and I only went out once last year /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[4ked Horn]

On the same trip. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

I went a few more times than that.

 

[4ked Horn]

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If you ever need somebody to go with you yote hunting, I'd gladly join you. I have only been out 2 times and have yet to kill a dog.

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We can set something up at the get together. Let me know if you are coming to that. Check your mail or the other post if you haven't done so yet.

2 times is just a start. Patience, patience.

 

[4ked Horn]

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Even though I represent a different brand of calls, The ones you recommended are excellent.

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My first call was a Lohman. I thought it didn't work but that was when I had just begun looking for coyotes. I have since lost it and bought the Sceerys at the advice of a customer at the store where I worked. I'm sure now that I have a better idea of what I'm doing it would have worked fine if I had done my part.

Thanks for the heads up on the other web site. I have visited other hunting forums and was unsatisfied with them compared with the quality of this one so I didn't stay long. I will check into the one you offered and see what we can work out on my problem.

Feel free to throw a couple other links up for us. And don't worry 'bout Len, he's usually in tanzania snapping (some very nice) photos. And Dave and Ian are a bunch of softies. If the links are good they won't rat you out. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[4ked Horn]

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does the Crow figure move? I'd like to see that in action.

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The crow is about a 3/4 scale in size and is just a cheap, blow molded, shell. It has a spike molded where the legs should be. I just pick a spot that can be seen from a decent distance so if a coyote comes sneaking in to check things out they will see it and come in more. The rabbit is just tossed on the ground near the crow as the cherry on top.

The yote that came in to this setup had to squeeze through a fence to get to me. He looked at me and the setup as he did so. I was unable to shoot at this time for fear of damaging the farmers equipment near by. As the coyote approached the decoys he figured out something was wrong. The coyotes body language said "Hmmm? Mr. Crow ain't moving. Mr. Rabbit don't smell. And that thing with the tube keeps lookin' at me. SEE YA'!" And with that I squeezed and he ran and I squeezed again. The tail went up and the flame came out. Landing gear up and woosh, he was gone.

 

[4ked Horn]

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How far between locations should I travel when calling if there is no wind?

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What I have been told even though I don't always do it is to move at least a mile for each set. And move upwind whenever you can. (watch your downwind side mostly since they will come in from way out to catch your secnt).

When talking with coyotes on a howler keep in mind that they can hear you farther than you can hear them. This leads me to think that when calling this way I should move twice as far as the responding coyotes seem to be. This will change depending on how hard the wind is blowing and wheather the responders were upwind or down wind.

But that is just a theory built on a notion.

 

[ol mike]

sewwhat89,

Yes ,you can call from a treestand.

The distance between stands varies with terrain ,For woods hunting i move 3-500 yds.Moreso for open country.

I use a crappie reel [small plastic fishing reel] with 100' of spider wire line on it and a homemade decoy [squirrel skin/rabbit/bird wings].I alligator clip it to the top of a small 4-5' tree/bush and shake it vigorously inbetween calling.
I have many predator calls and swear by the burnham bros mini-blaster.
"I" wouldn't start out calling loudly because you can easily 'blow a predator out' ,i've started calling a few times and heard a coyote running towards me in the woods after i finished my first breath.
You can make whimpy none threatening howls with the mini-blaster ,make them sound lonesome by tapering off slowly at the end.
A diapham turkey call makes great hurt pup sounds ,hurrrt hurt hurt hurt sounds on the call after a couple of lone howls.
Coyotes in areas with cover use cover to approach you 4 out of 5 times ,they will come across open pasture if they're young and dumb or starving.
Also stay on stand an hour if your in a stand, you probably dont have 20 calling locations anyway.I've sat on stand after giving up on a predator coming in and spot a coyote slowly searching the woods.
One of the main things that seem to be hard for a new guy to grasp is where and how to set-up.
Imagine diverse land with open -not so open and wooded areas<[east tx].You'll want to approach either from downwind or crosswind to the edge of cover a coyote will feel safe in ,not too thick ,but with some shooting lanes.
Have your back to the open area with the wind in your face if possible.
Look for depressions or heavy cover leading your way and have your gun trained in that direction [ you have now forced the coyote to expose himself in the wide open to get downwind of you<< he has to come out in the wide open to get a smell ].He's not leaving unless he smells or sees you !!
Sometimes they do backside you but thats part of it or sometimes called a calling partner. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
If you see a coyote move so slowly it is painful and wait for him to go behind some brush to make slightly bigger movements.If he is stopped and looking your way do not move a muscle.
From the ground you have to stay ahead of him in the game ,when you see that he is in range bark ''whoop-whoop'' at him he'll stop for a second usually that is your window of opportunity .
So head on out with your bits of advice and let a few coyotes make a fool of you and get addicted to coyote hunting just like the rest of us callers did !! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
These are the basics of coyote hunting just common sense really but extremely important .. Best of luck Mike

 

[4ked Horn]

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Have your back to the open area with the wind in your face if possible.
Look for depressions or heavy cover leading your way and have your gun trained in that direction [ you have now forced the coyote to expose himself in the wide open to get downwind of you<< he has to come out in the wide open to get a smell ].

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I have a couple questions here.

If a coyote is going to circle down wind why would I be facing the wind?
If I am forcing him out into the open why is my back to the open place?

That part about the rabbit being pulled by a string is good stuff. I tied my rabbit decoy to a long piece of com wire I found in the desert and placed it as far in front of us as it would reach in an open area. I had a friend give it a tug when brer coyote appeared and looked in our direction. That got his attention. I'll bet he would have grabbed the thing if we didn't start shooting.

 

[long action]

OL'Mike, you have some great advice,and you mentioned a great little call the "Mimi Blaster. You like most callers start out low, so as to not "Blow out" a Coyote.

I have already stated I start out loud. There are two reasons I do this. # 1 It works for me. # 2 Way back in the match lock days when I first started I started out low. Then it dawned on me. If a big Cat jumped on me and sank it's canines in my leg would I start out whimpering softly. Nope I am going to scream my head off till that sucker eats my screaming module.

When we call predators we become actors. When I do seminars I tell other hunters that I do not use the PC expression "Rabbit in distress". What we are trying to portray a animal being eaten alive. That is not distress, that is pure terror. Pure terror and misery is what I try to put into that call. I have never had a Coyote "Blow out" from the sound off a little critter being consumed by a bigger critter.

Every one would be far better off listing to OL'Mike's advice. My methods are very different. All I was doing was explaining the reasons behind my methods.

My signature on the calling board is "Make them pay for the wind". Do that and every thing else is secondary weather you are using a $500 Fox Pro or a $6.00 Wally World blue light special.

 

[4ked Horn]

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My methods are very different. All I was doing was explaining the reasons behind my methods.

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They don't seem different to me. They seem to make 100% sence and I would like to think I'm doing the same things you are talking about so far. Only difference I see is that for years I have been calling frequently at a set and I have been trying to call less over the last couple of years since many folks I have talked to or have seen on videos seem to think it works better. Same level of terror but it dosen't last as long. Now I'm thinking I might go back to my older ways.

Stuff for me to think about.

I've been busy these last couple of days but I can't wait to get on that other board and learn whatever I can.

 

[ol mike]

Howdoo everybody ,
4ked horn - the coyotes that live around cover "WILL" more often than not approach from cover and stay in that cover.What my advice is - if you start calling where coyotes are [ in cover ] and looking for him out in the open field he will be 80 yds back in the cover watching you.
They use the cover to stalk the sound and don't want to come out in the open ,by sitting facing into the wind at the edge of cover you he feels "safe enough" to come to the call.


As Long Action stated ealier there are as many opinions/ways to call coyotes as there are coyotes.

The methods of calling very open country and woods are different ,if your out west in the high desert -let her rip for sure.But if you are calling a small woodlot as where i grew up -ohio coming out of the gate with a long range jackrabbit call might be a little much.
Like Long Action ,I too put absolute terror into the call but try to limit the volume until about 5 minutes into the stand.
My first predator call a burnham bros longrange jackrabbit call was UN-believeably loud.This was in the 70's ,you didn't just go online in those days and get what you wanted.
Putting alot of emotion into the call is very important as stated ,but dont get hung up on 'do i sound just like a rabbit'.
Coyotes know that hanging out in open fields leads to being shot.
Semi-open terrain is ok and dense areas are safer.
It takes a little time to get a feel for it and of coarse you could put the two best callers together and they'd set up differtly.
Call the coyotes out to the edge of cover and if they insist on a sniff of you ,your partner can "make them pay for the wind" that says it all. Mike

 

[Coyboy]

I've been calling for 21 years. The best advice I can give the beginers is 2 things;

1. Your set-up is often much more important than your call blowing skill. Meaning your not going to call a coyote if their is not one in the area to hear your call. Your not going to see a coyote if you have a noisy aproach to your call site, or you ignore the wind. Scout for dogs just like deer, cover food sign.

2. You will learn more about coyotes in one day than many hunters will learn in their life if you go out and find a coyote at a distance, visually. Then set up, at say 1/2 to 1 mile. Call to that dog and watch his reaction.

You will learn volume control at distance, body language, how a coyote uses the terain and wind to his advantage, and many other things that make the devil dog a tough kill.

My arsenal includes electronic(fox-pro) and hand calls, howlers, motion decoy, rangefinder, and a sub moa AR. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[4ked Horn]

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4ked horn - the coyotes that live around cover "WILL" more often than not approach from cover and stay in that cover.What my advice is - if you start calling where coyotes are [ in cover ] and looking for him out in the open field he will be 80 yds back in the cover watching you.
They use the cover to stalk the sound and don't want to come out in the open ,by sitting facing into the wind at the edge of cover you he feels "safe enough" to come to the call.


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I think I'm with ya' now. Indulge me with an answer to what may be a sophomoric question.

The wind is blowing from east to west.
There is good cover on the east and open sage on the west.
Where would you sit and which way would you face?

I actually have a desert full of this sort of scenario so this is a question I wan't to be clear on.

Thanks.