Advise for a newbie on coyote hunting
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I’ve killed a few coyotes over the years while hog hunting at night, but never actually gone coyote hunting. I’ve always wanted to give it a try so I’ve decided nows as good of a time as any. I’m a complete blank slate on this so is there any advice anyone can give me to get started out with? We have a good many in my area and they are not hunted hard if any that I’m aware of. Equipment wise all I have is a electronic call my wife bought several years ago when a coyote killed one of our little dogs.
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Find where coyotes are. Locate them by hearing them howl at night, finding scat and prints. Once you know coyotes are in the area, find a way to a set without making noise and without exposing yourself to the area where you think the coyotes are.
Rabbit distress is the easy call. Coyote vocalizations are tougher, but can work. Pup cries tend to be great in the spring.
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I go after yotes on my section ( a section is 1 square mile) and adjacent sections ... This area is a creek system ... the areas close to the creeks mostly have trees, the other areas are cattle grazing land ... The yotes often move along the creeks, they can use the trees for concealment ... but in some areas, with less humans, they cut across the pastures ... even the day. Now I only go after them on purpose at night, but I see them in the day ... especially if I didn't bring a firearm :D
I've used concealing terrain such as a single small tree in a pasture or a bale along the line of sight, to approach within 40yds in the day. At night, it is much easier to get close, due to the darkness ... especially if no moon or I am in the moon shadows. But, knowing where they live and where they hunt, is very useful.
The internet says yotes are usually out at dawn and dusk. The yotes around here didn't read (nor do they heed) those words. They are out all night .. .and roam in the day also.
If you would hunt them at night a thermal is a very useful acquisition. You can then see them in many conditions, even when they are back in the woods.
Another pattern is they tend to return to where they have been successful. So I see a lot more yotes on my neighbors land where the yotes have gotten chickens, then I see on my own land.
When I first moved out here, the yotes would hang out within 100yds of the house all night, the house had been empty for the prior six years ... but I think I've pushed them back. I see the droppings all over out in the pastures, but not so much within 100yds of our buildings any more.
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Thanks for the responses fellas. I do have a thermal I hunt hogs with at night and the majority of the coyotes I’ve killed have been with the thermal at night. I’d like to hunt some during the day though I guess more traditionally. We have them all over our place and I saw one this morning actually (of course I didn’t have a gun). I’m gonna try to set up with that electronic call on the distressed rabbit and see what I can do. Do y’all recommend running the call continuous or with breaks.
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Well, if you see them during the day a lot, at least try to take a pistol. If the yote is within 50yds and not moving you should be able to hit it. I try to tell myself to take a pistol ... but when I'm working in the pasture, lifting 50 pound bags of feed, repairing fence, etc. It is not super convenient.
I take a carbine (a.k.a. an SBR) more than I take a pistol. But I always get close enough for a shot, when I do not have a firearm :).
During the day. I usually see them when I am on a vehicle, like the tractor. They seem to be familiar with tractor noises and ignore them. I can dismount and use the still running tractor as white noise and if there is an intervening bale or tree or other element of terrain, approach more closely. I stalk every yote I see whether I have a gun or not, just for the stalking practice. To see how close I can get.==
I use 90 seconds of call, followed by 90 seconds of no call. But I have a buddy that uses continuous call with success, though he thinks it works because he puts the call within 200yds of the yote den ... he left it on for 45 mins one time and the yotes finally came out to see what was making all the noise ... and he got two ... so continuous works ... sometimes at least.==
If you don't kill the yotes that hear the call, you might train the yotes to avoid a particular call. So, I vary the location and the call a lot. That said, I've gotten most of my yotes just by patrolling around areas the yotes move thru, seeing them and dispatching them. No call involved. My yotes particularly like our apple orchard. I've gotten three in there recently.
Before you turn on the call, make sure you are 100% ready. The yotes can come in FAST and IMMEDIATELY. I missed a few because I turned on the call and then started to get ready .. and the yote had already come in ... busted the setup and started to depart before I got ready and saw them ... :D
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@bull81 With breaks.
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My 2 sons and I hunted coyotes when we lived in AZ . We used both recordings as well as manual? calls.
Some of the terrain was wide open and some within juniper forest and mixed terrain.
We hunted with rifles (22-250) and shotguns.
I used a 12 gauge loaded with bbs due to the close nature of the forest and wore scent blocker clothes (NBC suit), taped our boots and chewed apple slices or juniper berries to hide our scent.
Sometimes those dogs would come within 10 yards of a set and sneak up behind you and woof.
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Thanks fellas, I’m gonna give it a try soon. Not sure when exactly but I’ll ley you know how it turns out.
