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

All you new guys who are just getting into coyote hunting, put your posts in this area. Lots of good information that would be helpful before putting up a post asking for the "how to" manual on calling.
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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 do you need to kill most of your coyotes”.
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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.
Last edited by Coyotehunter on Sat Feb 12, 2011 8:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Daryl
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Daryl »

Well Written!!
I would rather have a slow hit than a fast miss...
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Dcoy
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Dcoy »

Amen.Your point applies to most things in life actually.Fishing,jobs,even women.Sort of on the women I guess.
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by lyonch »

Well written jamie!!! Its stuff like that should be published in a magazine!!! Oh and nice triple :wink:
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LeviM
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by LeviM »

I think with the popularity of coyote hunting growing so fast, companies are trying to make huge profits off different techniques. (decoys,electronic calls,ect) What new hunters need to understand is exactly what your wrote Jamie. I know when I first got started in coyote calling, I had to have all the new gadgets, and i wasn't killing coyotes. I finally figured it out and started hunting "simple" and my numbers jumped up. Magazines, and videos in my opinon are doing more harm to a new predator hunter than good. You made an excellent point Jamie in that your best knowledge comes from spending time in the field and trying to understand coyotes first hand, not through a magazine article or videos.

Good post Jamie, it really makes you think!
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Tim Anderson
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Tim Anderson »

Very good read and i agree with 90% of it.. Well done.. :mrgreen:
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Prairie Ghost »

Well put coyotehunter I agree 100% knowing your coyotes is the tough part and the most time consuming! The task of actually getting them dispatched is not nearly as tough as some people out there want to make it seem.

Dcoy your are right that type of thinking works for most things in life a good example College.... If you are doing your homework and studying all semester and keeping up with the class you don't need to cram for the final because you already have the knowledge. IF you do as i did and hunt coyotes all semester and then buy every crib note and old study guide that you can and cram for three days before the final you end up with problems!! Coyote hunting is no different do the work before hand and then the rest with fall into place.
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by EO caller »

Good words of advice coyote hunter. I needed that. Kind of like when your on a baskette ball or football or baseball team and your struggling. Just get back to basics. Good coaching. I have to admit that before I logged on I was going to ask what everybody thought about this bait bucket deal I read about in a magazine. But now I'm thinking that I need to calm down on all the gimmicks that I've been thinking about buying. All winter I had good luck with just a couple of calls, some decent camo and a good gun. I'm starting to travel away from home and call unfamiliar country. I dont have time to really scout the areas much but I do have a good sense of were coyotes hang. Any advice when you kinda have to fly blind?
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Coyotehunter »

look for fresh Scat and Tracks, if possible get there at night and try to get them to howl at you.
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Tbush »

HMMM... Most of us know your not an idiot and you speak your mind and beleive in what you say and do. No fancy show off trendy stuff just down to earth common hunting sense,you relay on your instincts and exp. you said it very well.

I do read some of those mag. articles and very rarely get any ideas (common sense ideas) agian thanks for the insight coyotehunter :D
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Tbush »

coyotehunter or coyotewhisper'r :wink:
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by huntinND »

Very true, I think a lot of these magazine articles hurt the success of people that are new to predator hunting rather then help them. They should have more articles on coyote behavior and biology then these things that people tried that worked for them once. A lot of us didn't become successful callers because we read a lot, it is because we are out there doing it. The coyotes themselves are going to be your best teacher.
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Tim Anderson
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Tim Anderson »

I'm not looking for an argument with anyone and yes i agree some products talked about in the mag. are'nt needed to be successfull for calling coyotes..
I got the pred. mag. and just glanced through it..

The guy useing the bait buckets is'nt inventing anything new, he is just modafying it some to his advantage.
What he is doing is makeing portable draw stations to bring any pred.s that are around into his area, trappers have been doing this for years and callers have to by looking for a dead cow or horse that coyotes have been feeding on and then makeing stands nearby. Nothing new and it helps to get a few extra coyotes..
Where i live we use dead deer carcasses to bring the coyotes in and then we track them down..

Misting. Is it needed to be successfull? NO!
Not everyone lives in an area where you can see for miles let alone 40 yds cause the cover is so thick and this is where misting is used mostly. Just like trapping you want a lure that will get the coyote to stick around longer and work the set more and this is what misting does> It keeps the coyote around long enough to get a shot off.. I know of two callers that use it for contest hunts and both do very well in there area on contests.. One of them even uses a step ladder in the thick stuff and it also works well. Just another tool..

Electric callers: Is it needed to be successfull?
It depends on the person, not everyone can blow on a hand call and be effective. The caller also produces sounds that are very hard to duplicate with a hand call ..
Sound from a good electric caller carrys farther than a hand call so you can make youre stands farther apart if calling blind. Some callers have some sounds that are as perfect as you can get and i believe these are needed to bring in the wisest of coyotes. perfect stand and perfect sounds.
I know about a half dozen state trappers that use there electric callers quit abit.

Like i said i agree with most of youre post Coyotehunter so don't take mine the wrong way i'm just looking on both sides of the fence is all.. Good hunting and have a safe fall...T/A
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Coyotehunter »

I do not want to leave anyone with the impression that I was saying that these things tools are ineffective.

I am just saying that you need to be on coyotes, and stay on coyotes if you want any type of consistant success in the field.

We use to scout duck ponds all summer and intensley watch them as season got closer. So you know where to set up your decoys the day you are going to hunt.

Deer hunting I use food plots, trail cameras, and lots glassing to find my deer. Checking river bottoms and ponds to see where they are watering, and looking for bedding grounds.

Fishing we use the depth finder, find structure, look for old creak and river beds, fallen trees, and fish. If we picked up fish we would mark it and come back to it time after time and catch fish.

Scouting is the most important part of any successful hunt.

Scouting when it comes to coyotes is just as important if not more so than any other game animal you are going to hunt in North America.

Some how this gets completely ignored in most articles that you come across these days. But they are quick to tell you to go out and buy the newest product that there mag is promoting.

I just want guys know that when someone tells you location, location, location. Well that is what they mean. If you have a bait bucket, and a bottle for misting and are calling in a Wal-Mart parking lot you probably are not going to have much success.
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Tim Anderson
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Re: “How to kill coyotes without having a clue”??

Post by Tim Anderson »

[quote][I am just saying that you need to be on coyotes, and stay on coyotes if you want any type of consistant success in the field./quote]

Well said... Thats why i locate in the A.M. and hunt all day.. :)
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