Coyote Camo

[lizziedog1]

Once in awile I am getting invited to go on coyote hunts. I'll take them up one of these days.

Most of the hunting I do dosen't require camo. I also believe that most animals don't require fancy clothes to bag. There are exceptions like turkey and waterfowl.

What about coyotes?

I have seen hunting shows where the hosts are decked in camo from head to toe while hunting these things. But again, I see them wear camo for hunting species that are colored blind.

I used to hear that dogs were color-blind. Now it seems like they are not really color-blind, there are certain colors they can see. Being that coyotes are closely related to dogs, can they see color, any, or none?

Those of you that hunt them, do you use camo? Does it make a big difference?

 

[wyohome]

I have had turkeys get within 3 feet of me while I was wearing a red and black plaid jacket and hunter orange cap. There was no camo when I was young (that I know of) and we shot everything from ducks to deer to coyotes. Staying downwind by setting up with a river or some kind of barrier behind you and being completely still will serve you better than fancy clothes.

 

[Sav .250]

It never hurts but a lot of this stuff can get in your head.

 

[K-Rod]

I wear camo just because its my hunting gear. I wear a camo face mask & gloves as well, especially when I hand call. Your skin is very reflective & when hand calling, there's a lot of movement that can throw off a glare. Your best bet for a successful hunt is scent blockers. They have great noses & I've seen them circling downwind to pick up a scent & spook 200yrds out when they got a whiff of us. Ive had better success spraying down everything. I'll even roll around in the dirt. Try to set up with a crosswind or have someone downwind to nail the drifter.

Unless your using an electric call, there's no way to stay completely still. I don't use electric calls. I prefer hand calling. There's a lot of movement when hand calling & anything you can do to mask that, is going to improve you results. Coyotes are predators. Their sneaky, skittish, curious but also cautious.

 

[wyohome]

I was not saying that camo is a bad thing, only that it seems way overdone. I can spot people in camo pretty quickly if there is movement.

 

[X-Rap]

And I can spot them much easier if they don't blend into their surroundings. Don't even need movement.
Scent, concealment it's all part of the game, doesn't mean you have to break the bank just try to blend in.

 

[Art Eatman]

The science boffins say that critters see the world in shades of gray. Birds see colors. Non-shiny, dull, earth-toned clothing works as good as anything.

These little camo face mask dealies are good to keep your little shiny face from alerting a deer or coyote. But it's the avoidance of shininess, not the camo pattern, which does the doings.

What I've found important in daytime calling is to watch the wind and avoid any visible motion.

Heh. An exception is in the far back-country where I live. A coyote may live for quite a while without being bothered by people. I've sat in my truck in mid-afternoon and called. Wound up with a coyote circling the truck, barking. Mad 'cause he couldn't find the rabbit. Heck, I couldn't shoot. Laughing too hard...

 

[K-Rod]

I can spot hunters wearing camo too but that's because I'm human & know its a hunter wearing camo. As ART said, even darker, earth tone colors that help you blend in is good. That being said, Imagine a black & white picture of a wooded or brushy area with a hunter wearing a dark plain long sleeved shirt. Your gonna be able to pick out that hunter fairly easy. Now imagine that same picture with the hunter wearing camo. Your still gonna be able to pick him out, but he's gonna blend in with his surroundings better because the camo is gonna break up the shadow. I'm not saying that camo is the ONLY way to go, but the odds are already stacked against you & anything you can do will help you have a successful hunt is worth it.

You bring up another good point ART about coyotes that don't encounter hunters that often. Coyotes remember & retain information. That's why I like hand calling over electronic calls. If you miss your shot on a coyote that's been called in on an electronic call, he is now "Programed" to relate that call to DANGER & wont come in to it again for quite awhile. With electric calls, its the same exact call (Tone, Pitch etc) everytime. There's no way I can mimic the same exact call everytime with a hand call. This rings true with hunters that a coyote spots. They know that that hunter shouldn't be there & they'll bolt from that area & may not return for a while.

These are some of the reasons I love hunting coyotes!! They are a very cunning & smart animal & anytime I have a successful hunt, its truely a rewarding victory!!

 

[Loic]

On predator master forum, there is a guy that posted pics of what a coyote sees, as far as color. I'll try and find the link. They are not color blind, just some that they don't see.
Camo is a good thing imo, here, in the desert, even tough its open area, its really difficult to see somebody I guess the fact that so many cactus/joshua tree are about the same size as a human adult and they all have different shape makes it harder to discern a human vs a cactus/tree.

Sent from my EVO 3D using Tapatalk

 

[Loic]

here:
http://www.predatormastersforums.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2156677&page=2

 

[JimStC]

This might be off topic but it is about camo and coyotes. Anyway, on the back part of my farm there is a 3 acre field ringed by trees on three sides. The east boundary is one of the ones with trees and there is a fairly wide creek right behind the tree line. The coyotes do cross the creek as it is only deep in spots. This tree line is 10-20 yards wide. On the west side are some woods that are 50-75 yards wide. I am thinking about building an elevated deck on the west side and putting a camo blind on the deck. This one has a roof and windows and plenty of room for two. My concern is that the prevailing wind is from the west.
Am I seting myself up for failure? Should I place the blind/deck on the east side? My goal is to call the coyotes into the open field.
Sorry if this is a thread hijack. I don't mean for it to be.
Thanks for all comments

 

[Art Eatman]

JimStC, were I to have to deal with your situation, I likely would set up toward the north or south end of the west side strip. I would use a remote calling setup, with the speaker placed so it was crosswind to your blind.

(Visualizing this from my keyboard, of course.)

Coyotes will come toward a call from whatever direction, but they commonly circle for a final approach from downwind.

 

[JimStC]

Thanks Art. I was out back today picking the spot and checking for tracks. It is pretty muddy here so it was productive.
Thanks again,
Jim

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

I sit on a hill overlooking a wide open cattle pasture, leaning on my pickup drinking a cold one and kill coyotes all the time. I even shot at one last week, shot over him, he looked around to see where the shot came from...big mistake, my next shot from my M1A nailed him. I dont believe in cammo, the wind in your favor and not much movement takes care of all that.

 

[K-Rod]

Texas,

I've done that as well. I know people that own cattle ranches & chicken farms. I do the same thing as you said for THOSE instances. Lawn chair in the bed of the truck, cooler of cold ones on one side & rifle on the other. BANG, pppssssshhh(cold one opening. Close as I could come up with). Now that's different than calling in.

Now try doing that in the hills or mountains. Calling from the back of your truck. I know its been done & even a blind chicken gets a piece of corn sometimes. Your not going to have as many sucessful hunts calling coyotes out of the back of your truck while drinking your favorite cold beverage. At least that's just my experience. Maybe the dogs around here are just smarter

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

I killed 3 coyotes using that method last week alone.

 

[armoredman]

Maybe I'll get in on some coyote hunting sometime. Plenty of them out here.

 

[K-Rod]

Then you better have a couple extra cases & a spare bed cause I'm on my way down to Texas!!!

 

[JimStC]

My cold beverage of choice will be in my blind with me
K-Rod, great sound effect. Knew exactly what you meant. A truly wonderful sound

 

[prkrgrp]

no need to spend money on camo for coyotes, what ever ya have is ok, if not wear some faded blue jeans and a grey shirt that has been washed 2 or 3 times. save your money for gas and food.