Coyote Hunting Frustations

HB said:

Good morning all,

I have taught myself to fly fish, shoot, deer, duck, goose, and turkey hunt but coyotes remain elusive.

I have used a cheap caller as well as mouth calls. We can’t hunt them at night in Missouri.

Any tips? I have had exactly 1 in my scope in probably 40 hours of hunting.

There is sign where I hunt and I can hear them after dark.

Thanks,
HB

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I'm tuning in bc my experience has been almost exactly like yours.

Some info that might be useful: what is the hunting pressure like where you're going?

I have been nearly as frustrated I have only ever call two coyotes in and only killed one. The first one was back in Ohio with a mouth call, rabbit squealer, but I saw that coyote first before I called. Calling simply brought her into range. I called one with an electronic caller last year here in middle TN but I missed (educated) that one and it took much much longer for the coyote to show up after I quite calling than I would have thought. Can't hunt at night in TN either and daytime calling has been very very unproductive. Hopefully an expert will come along and give us some pointers.

Is bait allowed. Coy dogs will eat carrion. A ripe chicken hung 8 feet up might bring them in.

whughett said:

Is bait allowed. Coy dogs will eat carrion. A ripe chicken hung 8 feet up might bring them in.

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Baiting is allowed in TN and I have tried with deer gut piles but so far they only visit those at night on my few attempts.

Well they can’t be overly smart Wiley hasn’t caught Rhode Runner in 50 years of trying.

Calling gets more difficult this time of year. Breeding season generally runs from late December into March so they got other things on their mind right now. Coyote vocals usually work better than prey distress this time of year; I usually start out with female howl or estrus chirps and work in a few bird or rabbit distress and end up w/coyote pup distress w/some success when there are coyotes in the area. Slip in quietly, sit still and watch yer downwind, can't fool a coyote's nose and their hearing & vision ain't too shabby either . I like to hunt with the wind blowing across my shoulder, as if they get into your scent cone, game's over.

That's what makes 'em so much fun to hunt!

Regards,
hps

Don't silhouette yourself with the skyline. Keep your body below the ridgeline so it is hidden by terrain behind you, same goes for sitting. This is more a focus out west here where foliage is sparse and the terrain is wide open.

No hills or snow down here, just flat country and mesquite brush for the most part. I guestimate that I probably see 1/2 or less of the coyotes I call in the heavy cover. Don't get many pictures of live coyotes as I shoot first and take pictures later; cats OTOH are for the most part protected on the ranches I hunt so do get a few pictures of them to illustrate the cover.



As stated above, break up your silhouette...cedar bushes should do nicely. I like hunting just before a cold front, sometimes just after is good as well. Cold weather stimulates their appetite. They pick up your scent at uncanny distances and will bust you at any slight movement. Not a turkey hunter, but a deer is a lot easier to fool than a coyote IMO.

Regards,
hps

A visual attraction like a quivering decoy, or even a couple feathers hung from a limb by fishing line(my favorite) can help.
Coyotes aren't easy. They're sooo wary.
I havent had much luck calling them either. Only a couple.

$15 Rechargeable bluetooth speakers and a cellphone is as good as expensive callers from a few years ago.

I can't offer any magic tips but hope to hear them. As far as I can tell, if you can find a relatively low pressure area to hunt, after that it's dumb luck. I've had a yote come tearing in at me, with me stood up, silhouetted, and virtually waving a banner that says "Run Away" in coyote. Other times I've set up text book perfection in an area I know there are coyotes and been completely skunked or seen only fleeting glimpses at extreme range. The only tip I have is that I seem to have more success in the flats in proximity to livestock, which raises other issues.

The guys who are really good at coyote hunting are quite obsessive and at least a little odd, in my opinion.

DocRock said:

I've had a yote come tearing in at me

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We had the exact same thing happen to us. A coyote came in from behind as we were calling. It tore right past us, hopscotched across the river on a couple of logs and was gone as quick as it appeared. All we could do was look at each other and laugh.

In Az we kept low in the brush, electronic call down wind of us, camo and scent went a long way as the dogs would almost always go downwind of the call before they even considered getting close. If they caught movement or scent they'd bail out and disappear.

DocRock said:

The guys who are really good at coyote hunting are quite obsessive and at least a little odd, in my opinion

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Be careful, it's addictive.

The one rule to remember is, there are exceptions to every rule....there is no "always" or "never" in coyote hunting, but playing the odds produces.

Hunting near livestock is a good plan. Coyotes hang out around cattle and watching livestock, deer, birds, etc. often tips you off that a coyote is in the area.

Regards,
hps

Spring birthing of cattle is always a good time and place. Coyotes love to eat the afterbirth. I have family near a good size cattle operation in Nevada and there are smaller packs of coyotes during calving season.

If one is hunting near the outsides of town but still rural, feral cat calls tend to work well.

I watched a lot of Randy Anderson videos and his ability to call and shoot coyotes is impressive but hunting his western coyotes is very different than our eastern coyotes. Out west you can spot coyotes 1/2 a mile away if not further. Where I am trying to hunt coyotes I am lucky if a set has 200 yards of visibility and most of the time its 100 yards or less.

Agree with mcb, out west you do have the advantage of seeing longer distances that back east.

https://i.imgur.com/NHNyDml.gif

This gif is from a little over a year ago but things have not gotten better on the property. A nice parade of predators, coyotes and bobcats.

ETA is either link working?

mcb said:

https://i.imgur.com/NHNyDml.gif

This gif is from a little over a year ago but things have not gotten better on the property. A nice parade of predators, coyotes and bobcats.

ETA is either link working?

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The printed link works and the top link came up only when quoted...???

If the pictures have not been edited, appears the critters there are completely nocturnal. Strange that there is no movement during first or last light at least.

Is there a lot of hunting pressure on the property? Can you hunt at night?

Regards,
hps

Out of curiosity more than any thing else Other than a need for predator control do the carcasses have any other use, hides maybe. I’m assuming those left in the field would provide food for other carrion eaters.

They are adaptable creatures, with numerous names and sub species. at one time not found in many eastern states. Man and Wolves are his only predators. Today his range is the entire North American Continent and down thru Central America (Wikipedia).

My brother has a friend in Georgia who uses the pelts, and then takes the carcasses and "stews" them for selling as baits for his trapping supply company, my brother says they smell wonderful after sitting in a 55 gallon drum in the summer for a few seasons.

Around here we can't sell the pelts if they are to full of mange. Most get left for the carrion, they are a nuisance to the dairy and cattle industry. And out west there is plenty of area they can be outside of the industries in the area.

They are very resilient and adaptable; I've heard but do not know if there is validity to it that an unanswered call from an female in heat makes them more fertile and their pregnancy when a future call for breeding goes answered will tend to yield more pups.

hps1 said:

The printed link works and the top link came up only when quoted...???

If the pictures have not been edited, appears the critters there are completely nocturnal. Strange that there is no movement during first or last light at least.

Is there a lot of hunting pressure on the property? Can you hunt at night?

Regards,
hps

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Thanks, that is weird that the embedded image only works when quoted.

At least for that time period that is all the coyote and bobcat pictures from that camera. I did not include the deer, turkey and humans in the animation. I have captured daytime pictures of coyotes at that location/camera but for every daytime photo there is a dozen or more nighttime photos.

That location is a saddle, to the lower left and upper right you drop into deep ravines and to the upper left and lower right of the picture the 4-wheeler trail you see goes up on to ridges over those ravines so it is a heavily use travel corridor by all the critters on the property. There is minimal hunting pressure since its private property. I don't know how much coyote hunting happens on neighboring property but I don't think there is much. It mostly deer and turkey hunting.

Unfortunately it is Tennessee where there is no night hunting allowed (except coon hunting with dogs)

hps1 said:

Calling gets more difficult this time of year. Breeding season generally runs from late December into March so they got other things on their mind right now. Coyote vocals usually work better than prey distress this time of year; I usually start out with female howl or estrus chirps and work in a few bird or rabbit distress and end up w/coyote pup distress w/some success when there are coyotes in the area. Slip in quietly, sit still and watch yer downwind, can't fool a coyote's nose and their hearing & vision ain't too shabby either . I like to hunt with the wind blowing across my shoulder, as if they get into your scent cone, game's over.

That's what makes 'em so much fun to hunt!

Regards,
hps

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^^^^^

This. Breeding season makes a difference. Also....I prefer to 'mouth call' to start out with...because I can easily control how loudly (or not) I call, the pitch, frequency/cadence. Always start out softly (and give it some time). I've had Coyotes come in immediately (that were nearby) when calling... and I've had it take 15-20 minutes.

Pay close attention to how you enter your call site. You MUST slip in quietly (meaning vehicles are left far behind), no slamming doors, talking, etc.....

Watch constantly downwind and 180° to your left and right (where possible). A Coyote might come from any direction, but generally they prefer to approach from downwind (to some degree). IF they smell you...its game over and they can smell you from a couple hundred yards away no problem. Even if there is little wind...there are always thermals. Don't set up in areas where there is a dropping thermal (late evening, Thermals are settling to lower elevations).

Hunting pressure makes a HUGE difference and it doesn't have to be 'recent'. A Coyote might have been 'educated' long ago to someones blaring electronic call, clumsy entry to the site, etc...., they aren't stupid.

Vary your calls and give it time. Don't expect them to just come running in (though they might). Fox (especially Grays) will nearly run you over...but not your average coyote. And if your 'Yote stops and turns up sideways....SHOOT, because he's getting ready to leave post haste.