“How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

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Coyotehunter
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“How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Coyotehunter »

“How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

This is the nature of most coyote calling articles in Predator Magazines of today.

At first when I thought about what to write on the site about this type of article was just an emphatic "What the F*ck".

I thought I might want to spend a little more time talking about what I mean by that. This type of article is seen often in magazines such as “PredatorXtreme”, “Trapper and Predator Caller”, among many others that I have read lately; decoys, electronic calls, misting, Camouflage, baiting, howling, etc. seem to want to help hunters bag more coyotes but just muddy the water. I am not writing this to give my opinion on whether or not the articles have some sort of merit or if there preference for gadgets helps them kill more coyotes or not. So if you do post a reply don’t start arguing with me about whether or not “misting” works or if “decoys” are the only way to go. That is not my point and have no desire to talk someone out of doing something they feel gets them more coyotes.

My point is “what you do need to kill most of your coyotes”.

What I want to talk about is the fact that in my opinion you need a straight shooting gun, open reed call (this is even optional if you can use your voice), and coyotes if you want to be successful in the field. Everything else is just adding to the confusion if you cannot call in a coyote with just a mouth call. If you have not been able to find a coyote and are unable to get set up in the right location these items (decoys, electronic calls, misting, Camouflage, baiting) or articles on these subjects are not going to help you fill your freezer with fur. I know this is a very broad and general statement so bare with me here before you decide that I am an idiot. My main point here is that hunters do not know or understand coyotes at all or that they have seen something once and decided that it was fact for all coyotes or just miss understood what they seen entirely. I think these types of articles do more to confuse the issue then help a hunter bag more coyotes.

It seems that if a guy jumps out of the truck, runs up the hill and goes WA-WA on a call and a herd of coyotes does not run him over then there must be a problem that he can fix by going out and buying something. (Remember guys I am painting broad strokes here)

Here is a common one I hear “We seen a coyote on stand and he just sat there looking at us at 500 yards” then the next statement is ”he must have been call shy”.

All the different things that could have gone wrong that had nothing to do with the coyote being “call shy” are almost to many to list. Things such as: mood, age, male or female, dominance, territorial boundaries, time of day, are you sure he did not see you come in, heard a door shut, seen the truck, maybe he just came from that area (always better to be where a coyote is going, then were a coyote has already been), what approach you allowed for him………..Just to name a few that come to mind.

I think most of these tools will work in the right situation but until you understand coyotes in general or take the time to get to know a individual coyote you will not know what is the best tool to use at any given time.

I think at the beginning of the season everyone sits down with some sort of expectation or goal in mind for the year. At the beginning of the day we all hope to take more than the last time out or want to beat our “Best day ever”. What I would like to challenge you guys with that are just getting started or maybe you have been at it for a while and just want to increase the percentage of coyotes you call-in per stand. Is to try to target a particular coyote. In the fall it is one thing to bounce around and knock the cream off when there are lots of dumb pups running around but soon you are left with coyotes that have been around the block a time or two. You are forced to do more things right to better your odds. If you want to be on coyotes all day you need to know where your coyotes are during the time of day you want to call them. Learning the habits of one coyote will tell you a lot about coyotes in general. As you go after a coyote and finally get it gathered up the next one is just a little easier. As time goes by you can take what you know about coyotes in general and apply them to the coyote you are chasing. The tactics you employ will be based on what you know about this coyote and it may vary somewhat from what you may have used on the last coyote. It makes putting the pieces of the puzzle in place easier and you are left with the pieces that have to do with this individual coyote in particular. Concentrate on killing one coyote and as time goes by, the numbers will take care of themselves.

I spend my time in the Spring and Summer months hunting the coyotes that no one else can get. I am typically the last guy they call when it “hits the fan”. I have heard over and over how this coyote is impossible to get or that this area, county, state, west or east of the big river has a different coyote and either this or that will not work. All Bullshit!!

I guess my thoughts are that if you pattern a coyote, one coyote at a time, the success you are looking for will take care of itself.

But, if you decide to drag with you on every stand; bait buckets, decoys, electronic calls, spray bottles……….in hopes that this will produce a coyote that otherwise would not have been there for you to shoot, well your success will not increase but the work will. I do want you to know I have used all of these items in the past and still to this day use most of them in some shape or fashion at times. The difference is that I base their use on what a particular coyote is doing. Most of the time I find my coyote, walk in, make some noise and shoot it. Most of the time it is that simple because I have done my homework first. Killing coyotes is easy, it is finding them that is the tough part.

I carry with me on every stand: a gun with a good scope and bi-pod, a pair of binoculars, a fanny pack with; a rangefinder, digital camera, and a couple of calls (1-box call and 2-open reed howlers), I wear a baseball hat, a camo shirt or jacket, a pair of Carhart tan or green pants, and leather gloves. No magic here, just the basics. When they say keep it simple that is exactly what they mean.

Now I could go over a thousand different scenarios’ that would lead me to do more but this is just not the time or place for it.

I just want to illustrate that you do not need much, in the way of equipment, to get on coyotes and kill them with consistency that you can count on. If you are just hunting fur and want numbers than no need to spend a bunch of time on one coyote but you do still have to learn what your coyotes are eating, where they are bedding and where they are denning if you want to be on coyotes every time you go out. If you ding a coyote up just know that you will have to change things up some the next time you go after him. I would not be afraid at all to go after a coyote or a group of coyotes the very next day after calling one up and shooting it or even missing, but I assure you it does get tougher and it is best to do it right the first time. Most of the time because of the nature of control work I may just move to another tool (traps, snares,..) because of time constraints. In areas that calling is your only option then you need to just get after it. That is what has forced me to learn more and make fewer mistakes before I decide to go in and remove one or a group from an area. When you do it every day you find you want to travel as light as possible and distill your technique down to the point that by its pure simplicity makes for few chances at mistakes. Hard to beat jumping out of the truck walk a ½ mile in or so, go to the location for your first stand, set your gun down, pull out your call and start making some noise. I can move fast and quiet, with minimal movement at the stand. Because I am on “location” I typically do not need anything else.

So, this may be kind of long winded and may not even apply to most of the guys on this site. If you are killing all that you have time for and are happy with your level of success in the field, then what else can you ask for. If you are looking for more out of each hunt, then what I am saying to you is that you will not find success in the pages of a magazine or on the rack at the store but in the field with the coyotes.
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Dcoy
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Dcoy »

Amen.
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Cuts Crooked
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Cuts Crooked »

Welp......can't argue wif that. However, I do use an e-caller, I have COPD and heart disease.....an extended calling session is problematic. :oops:
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Coyotehunter
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Coyotehunter »

I just find that hunters forget sometimes how to hunt.
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Tim Anderson
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Tim Anderson »

Another good post..

I'm in the E-caller group as well as the caller can be more flexible for me when dealing with varies coyotes. I also believe coyotes don't get call shy, just difficult which means more time may be needed to get it in..
My gear is also pretty basic and I don't believe in using any of the toys on the market today..
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Cuts Crooked
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Cuts Crooked »

.....besides, it's really easy to kill coyotes! All ya gotta do is go turkey huntin'! :D
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Tim Anderson
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Tim Anderson »

And ruin a perfectly good turkey stand. :lol:
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alleyyooper
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by alleyyooper »

I have camo I wear, I also wear it deer hunting.
Have a couple flat shooting well tuned rifles I hand load for, the favorite a 220 swift.
Of course I am also lusting for a wild cat.
I use the E caller so much easier to carry one e caller out with so many different sounds than a duffle bag of mouth calls.
I see noting wrong with coyote hunting to get a turkey or turkey hunting to get a coyote.
That is how I squirrel hunt Go deer hunting.

One sight gave me hell because we don't carry cameras to take pictures. I couldn't get threm to tell me how far they snow shoe in or ski to hunt the coyotes or if they just run them down with snow mobiles till they are to tired to run.
When you shoe in or ski in to an area ounces are pounds and every pound of extra just to make blood thirsty people happy is not going to happen here.

:D Al
Last edited by alleyyooper on Thu Jun 16, 2016 3:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Coyotehunter
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Coyotehunter »

I think all those tools have there place and time. I think alot of the people giving advice these days though dont really know how to deal with a smarty, and that is the info most guys need. all that gear will typically work on a regualr Ol'coyote that hasnt been smarted up but hunting is what gets the ones that have had a few close calls or just pressured in some way.
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Tim Anderson
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Tim Anderson »

I find with the difficult coyotes it just takes time. You either try to piss them off or take the opposite approach and just tease them in with subtle sounds and it also helps if you can get close to them to start and come from a different direction than most would take.. In most cases if I can see the coyote the game is over for it...
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Coyotehunter
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Coyotehunter »

amen to that
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Cuts Crooked
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Cuts Crooked »

:twisted: Got one last week. Passengers side front tire at 65 MPH! :twisted: (sorry no pics, but there wasn't much left to take a picture of)
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Coyotehunter
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Coyotehunter »

:D :shock:
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Cuts Crooked
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Cuts Crooked »

Coyotehunter wrote::D :shock:
Yeah, good penetration but way too much expansion! :shock:
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Coyotehunter
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Coyotehunter »

holy shit dude :lol: :lol: :lol:
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