coyote hunting newb questions

[uvausmc]

I get 2 weeks at home for R&R from Iraq and I want to make the most of it. I'll be home a couple weeks before deer season opens in GA but I want to thin out the coyote population that has exploded on our land in the past few years. i spotted one last spring as I was turkey hunting but I've heard huge groups of them at night. The one i saw snuck up to nibble on my turkey decoys. I had walked to another area to find some birds and when i walked back to my decoy setup i caught him stalking my birds. I took a shot with a slug i happened to have in my pocket but he was over 100 yds away and all i did was scare him.

A few questions on my deliberate attempt to get a yote:

-Which gun? I've narrowed down to a RRA Predator Pursuit .223, Remington 700 VTR .308, or a Ruger Mini-6.8.
-any strategies for late-summer coyote's in central georgia (right by the AL border)?
-should i set up over looking 1 of the 2 big fields we have, stick to the hardwood forests, or go with the pine forests?
-decoy, call recommendations? i have a Primos Hot Dog call but that's it.

 

[rcmodel]

In hot weather, coyotes normally hunt all night, and bed down during the heat of the day.

Strategy's?
1. Calling. You are going to have to wake them up and make them think there is a free meal hiding behind your bush.

If there is a lot of calling activity in your area, they are very likely all gunshy by now.

So:
2. Find a game trail they use and set up a snipers hide a couple hundred yards off before dawn, with the hope of catching one coming home after a night of festivities.

Any of the three rifles will work.
The semi-auto might be a good choice for a calling gun.
They can sometimes be breathing down your neck before you see them coming if there is a lot of brush.

Had a friend who got bit on the arm by a Fox once while calling!

rc

 

[uvausmc]

thanks for the advice. luckily i think i will be the first one to go after coyotes on our land so hunting pressure is very low. I had a cousin kill a coyote a few years ago while he was deer hunting but that has been it.

 

[moosehunt]

Can you hunt at nite there? If so, do it! That will be your best bet. You'll need a red lens spotlight and call. Practice your calling. Using a wounded rabbit type call is most common--you want to sound like you're in true anguish and agony! Same if you have to call in the day, then emphasize when dawn makes it's first little crack and the next hour or so. Also, try last hour of light. As to gun, I favor the .223, but in your area, probably any of them will suffice. You say that no one has hunted them on your property, but unless you have a few thousand acres, that really doesn't matter. What about neighboring land? If you want to get serious, and if it's legal there, put out a bait pile or 2. Use meat scraps from a meat cutter if you can get them. You have to make them contained so that the critters don't just haul them off. Make a container out of some heavy wire mesh, enough to hold 30-50 pounds. Then set up an ambush. Decoys can be useful in some areas, don't know about back east. Just a squirrel or racoon tail on a stick that you can wiggle with a string from 50 or 75 feet away will do a lot. Good luck!

Spay and neuter your kids!

 

[wankerjake]

If hunting pressure is low then you should have pretty good luck calling those coyotes all day long. They are bedded down for the most part during the day but will still come to a call if they are hungry. Any one of those rifles will do just fine. Set up so you can see your downwind side because they often will circle around a little to come in downwind. I like to set up during the day outside an area I think they will be bedded in (somewhere cool with lots of cover). That hot dog will make rabbit and fawn sounds. Start with the horn off and the put it on after 6-8 minutes to make it louder. Stay still as you can and watch. Check out varmit al's page to hear a few different sounds, or listen to the sound on the 22nd post of the link below. That is a fawn distress. Rabbit distress is just a little faster. Do that for 15-20 minutes per stand and I go around 1/4 to 1/2 mile between stands. Morning is good and they will be up moving more but they will get out of their beds for a meal all day long. By the afternoon/evening they are getting pretty hungry if they didn't eat the night before. http://www.predatormastersforums.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=1&Number=53179371&page=1&fpart=all

 

[uvausmc]

thanks for all the tips. any recommendations on ammo? i have some 60gr V-Max loads i was planning on using but if there is something that may be better through my Predator Pursuit let me know.

 

[snakeman]

as for a gun skip the autos and get a bolt action you don't need to spend so much for a coyote gun trust me i sold my ar and stick to bolt guns now they are much easier for me to shoot without a rest. try running snares along your fenceline and calling I would stick to good coyote howls and barks. That screaming prey stuff doesn't work for coyotes here they are too wary. Good Luck. Early morning just after sun up should yield the best results. Howl at them when they are howling and you will get some attention.

 

[uvausmc]

ive already got the rifles i mentioned in the first post so i think im going to try each one out over the few days i'll be hunting to figure out which i like better.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

-Which gun? I've narrowed down to a RRA Predator Pursuit .223, Remington 700 VTR .308, or a Ruger Mini-6.8.

The .223 is the classic coyote cartridge. Here in Arkansas I hunt them with the .22 Hornet.

-any strategies for late-summer coyote's in central georgia (right by the AL border)?

As mentioned above, you'll mostly be getting your coyotes in early morning and late evening. Get there before the coyotes do, and set up very carefully about 200 yards from where you expect to see them.

-should i set up over looking 1 of the 2 big fields we have, stick to the hardwood forests, or go with the pine forests?

Locate their habitual routes, and set up over them. It helps to have a game camera. That will pinpoint their routes for you.

-decoy, call recommendations? i have a Primos Hot Dog call but that's it.

I have always had good luck with what I call "squeal and shake" decoys -- there are several makes, but they both call and present the motion of an injured rabbit, etc., thrashing around.

 

[usmc1371]

The 60g Vmax will hammer coyotes and its enough bullet that you should be able to take any angle shot you get at a coyote.

 

[moosehunt]

Enough at any angle? Hell, we're not talking big game here! We're talking coyotes! I shoot them regularly at up to 250 yards, maybeso even furthur, with 35 gr V Max in a .22 Hornet. Anything that will go out the end of a .223 will kill coyotes as far as you can see 'em! I've killed more than I can count with a.22 rimfire. Just go kill 'em and have fun, whatever you're shooting!

 

[jlg]

If you can find a freshly cut field they tend to attract coyotes...the fresh cut stirs up a bunch of the little critters for them to eat.

Decoys do help...moving decoys help more.

Use good camoflague and cover scent...treat it like a deer hunt.

Use a rabbit squeeler and blow it like you mean it. Picture yourself as a rabbit with a fox gnawing on your leg.

Call for a solid 30 seconds...wait a minute...repeat. If you don't see anything within 20 minutes move to a different spot.

 

[TheFallGuy]

I hunt coyotes pretty frequently in MN on the farm. Here are my recommendations:

Rifle: go with an AR variant. You are already plenty familiar with it from the military I assume. It's accurate as heck and plenty reliable. I have always used .223 and generally have good luck. I use hollow points-usually 60-65 grains or so.

Hunt at night if possible. I usually have good luck at 3-4 am or 10 pm-12 am. As said before, use a red lense spot light as it won't wreck your night vision as bad as white or alert the coyotes as much.

Call them frequently and often.

Let near by neighbors know the day before so they won't be startled by gun fire at night. You don't want police getting called to gun fire in wee hours of the night as they may not familiar with varmint hunting and suspect foul play.

Good luck!