Looking for some tips on coyote sets

[NBraun]

I'm new to coyote hunting, and trying to soak up all sorts of information to improve my odds. I'm in eastern South Dakota and have access to a decent amount of farmground. So far I haven't had any luck calling anything after 10 or so sets, and i'm curious to hear some input. Every set I always start with a few howls, and then a animal in distress, and then a pup distress, trying to stay 30-45 minutes. These are spots that i've scouted and found coyote tracks and scat, so I know they're moving through there. I've attached some maps of the areas to hopefully get some input on how you would work it.

The First spot, I can only hunt in the stubble. The red circle is a large hill and the small circle is a rock pile. In the past, the farmer has dumped dead hogs here and had them gone within a few days. I hunted atop the large hill with no luck.

This is the farmers home place. The south west corner of the stubble is a hill, and this year it was wet, so the ground around the farm place is now cattails. I setup on the NW side of the field behind a junk pile, with CRP behind me.

The third spot is a WPA. There are some very packed trails with both deer and coyote droppings next to the evergreens, so I know they're here. The trees are kind of in a sort of valley so you can't really see out much past them. I set up on the tip of the trees on the east side.

I've read the Tip thread, but i'm open to any more tips/tricks/criticisms.

Thanks!

 

[zr600]

Make sure to use the wind in your favor. When walking in to your set he quit don't skyline your self while walking in or sitting on top of a hill. Keep your movement down, I like to use my range finder to glass with I don't have a very good set of binoculars and I have a Leica range finder so I have just been using that. 10 stands isn't really all that much that's what we get in a good day with out even getting an early start. Check out predator masters forum too. Lots of guys on there with good information.

 

[BoomFlop]

Looks like your spots you have posted are sets for south or east winds. That is okay, except typical winter winds are north or northwest.

Also, even though you are in coyote country compared to Wisconsin (dense farm ground), you will make far more sets than you call coyotes. You'll have days you'll make 10 sets and call a couple multiples and a single or two and days you'll make 20 sets without anything.

Bunch of ground you say, everything you can get is what you need. I prefer to sit no longer than 20 minutes and even that is hard. Every coyote I've called has been around 7 minutes or under. I sit the extra time just cuz. LOL.

I'm a believer in the more stands you make in a year, the more coyotes you'll kill.

Also, I'm not a howler, as I believe they hang up or take longer to come cuz they don't want to get their butts kicked. Start with a distress and finish with pups, you don't need to be fancy.

Good luck,
Steve

 

[DSheetz]

It depends on what time of the year for howling as well as what howls you use . I don't use howls in the fall and winter . I use destress calls of animals rabbits mouse squeaks ect. at that time of the year . Starting in Feb going till mid June I use howls 2 howls 2 barks 1 howl then wait 2 min and repeat . Starting the end of April I start using puppy squeaks and squeals after 2 or 3 of those howl sequences . That howl sequence is just asking if anyone is around and wants to come over to talk . If you are near their den they will set and watch you and the den or sneak out a few hundred yards and start barking at you to lead you away . Coyote have a large vocabulary and you may be scaring them if your howls are deep in tone or you put too many barks in your calling . In July a female coyote will ask her pups where they are with 2 short howls and 2 quick barks then wait a min or 2 and do it again if they don't answer back these are higher pitched then the males voice . In the spring about 7 or 8 in the morning a male will howl 1 long howl the female will answer him with 1 long howl then in a min or so he will howl again from a closer spot she will answer from the same spot , the den , he's just letting her know that he's coming to take care of the kids while she goes to drink and eat . They will do this until the pups are a few weeks old and can be left at home alone at night . A lot of people will over call or call too loud when they are learning to call start at a lower volume for a few min 2 or 3 then increase it for 2 or 3 then stop calling for 4 or 5 min and repeat . They can hear a mouse at a 100 feet most of us can't .