Best method for coyote locating in semi-suburban areas?

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PAScott66

New member
I have many properties to hunt coyotes and fox. My farms are mostly easily accessible from main roads with lots of homes close by. I want to do more howling to locate coyotes in my area but have always found it next to impossible due to the homes all around.

Does anyone have any specific experience locating in built up areas or areas where the best place to learn if coyotes are near the property would be right by houses? Seems almost impossible to me without drawing all sorts of unwanted attention.
 
The biggest problem we had in those circumstances when I lived in Tennessee were. .... wait for it ... neighborhood DOGS coming to the call. We could call in a German Shepherd or Collie in short order. :LOL: :cautious: I can't could the times we were busted and aggravated by domestic dogs when we tried to call areas like that even for the fun of it.

My rule of thumb became if other folks were within calling range it was not a good place to hunt. Far to much chance for a ricochet to go where it wasn't intended.
 
Unfortunately all my calling areas (places I regularly hunt and can safely hunt) are in more densely populated areas. The best way to explain it is by saying I don’t have 1000 acre expanses or even 300 acre. I hunt 30 acre, 75 acre, 150 acre parcels. I have lots of them. You make a good point about calling in domestic dogs. I don’t so much have to worry about it. 99% of people here keep dogs in their homes or there are some that are tied up. We def know we’re near residential homes when we call because dogs will sometimes bark in the distance.
I just wonder though is there a way to howl to locate coyotes without waking the homeowners or drawing lots of unwanted attention? I like the idea of locating but just haven’t figured out if there is a best way to do it when my hunting lands are surrounded by homes and my lands are all right off main roads.
 
You want to get dogs worked up start howling. I’d go subtle, coyotes will find you. They don’t always howl back anyway. Wouldn’t think locating would help much in small areas.
 
Heymartay said:
You want to get dogs worked up start howling. I’d go subtle, coyotes will find you. They don’t always howl back anyway. Wouldn’t think locating would help much in small areas.
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Yep I’m sure any domestic dog would get fired up. I guess why my question is always so hard for people to wrap their head around is these aren’t really small areas. I may have 4 farms each about 100 acres but miles apart. It’s rare around here to have properties next to each other. So the challenge is being there when coyotes are there. Hence my curiosity on how can I use howling in my area with my spead out farms to pinpoint where coyotes are? I have 130 farms. I kill 7-10 coyotes per year here. Maybe if could find a way to howl to locate FIRST I could go from 7 -10 kills per year to 20 or 30 right? So how to approach it when my properties are all right off main roads with other homes close by? Sometimes I literally park in the owners driveway and my hunting stand is a 100 yard walk from his house. I’d love to be able to locate and if nothing howls back then I don’t have to walk the 100 yards to a dry stand.
The challenge isn’t domestic dogs it’s main well travelled roads and other homes all around. Its a geographical residential problem and wondering if anyone else has found a method that works in these type of busy areas?
 
Used to hunt farms like that in Illinois. Park in the yard and go behind the barn and call. Hundred yd walk Had around 20 farms to hunt, would hit 4-5 a night in a few hours a few times a week depending on wind direction. Call in 50 or so in a couple months time. Proves coyotes travel cause I consistently would call coyotes at same areas.
 
If your going out to locate you might as well make a stand out of it. At least you won't be educating them if they are close and come in.

As with any where tracks and scat are the best tell tales. You can get a rake/hoe and make a smooth spot a yard across in trails and a little coyote urine. You will see their tracks and age their passing.
 
I hunt many spots like you. NO LOCATING ! It’s called cold calling. Hunt it like they are there. Sometimes they are & many times they aren’t ! When you do multiple stands & don’t call any in it’s called THE GRIND !
Its just part of the game in the area’s we hunt.
HAPPY HUNTING 😃 !
 
Pa. Mick said:
I hunt many spots like you. NO LOCATING ! It’s called cold calling. Hunt it like they are there. Sometimes they are & many times they aren’t ! When you do multiple stands & don’t call any in it’s called THE GRIND !
Its just part of the game in the area’s we hunt.
HAPPY HUNTING 😃 !
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Yea Mick I think you’re right. I was hopeful that someone around here would have some successful method of howling to locate that I could use without the police or neighbors showing up to yell at me lol.
 
Sounds like some of the places I call, like pa Mick said just go in and call, maybe try going more into the center of the property sometimes that works for me, I also try to get to some properties before it gets late, I also let the landowner know that I will be around calling and I give them a round about time that I will be there.
 
PAScott66 said:
I have many properties to hunt coyotes and fox. My farms are mostly easily accessible from main roads with lots of homes close by. I want to do more howling to locate coyotes in my area but have always found it next to impossible due to the homes all around.

Does anyone have any specific experience locating in built up areas or areas where the best place to learn if coyotes are near the property would be right by houses? Seems almost impossible to me without drawing all sorts of unwanted attention.
Click to expand...

PAScott66 said:
Unfortunately all my calling areas (places I regularly hunt and can safely hunt) are in more densely populated areas. The best way to explain it is by saying I don’t have 1000 acre expanses or even 300 acre. I hunt 30 acre, 75 acre, 150 acre parcels. I have lots of them. You make a good point about calling in domestic dogs. I don’t so much have to worry about it. 99% of people here keep dogs in their homes or there are some that are tied up. We def know we’re near residential homes when we call because dogs will sometimes bark in the distance.
I just wonder though is there a way to howl to locate coyotes without waking the homeowners or drawing lots of unwanted attention? I like the idea of locating but just haven’t figured out if there is a best way to do it when my hunting lands are surrounded by homes and my lands are all right off main roads.
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PAScott66 said:
Yep I’m sure any domestic dog would get fired up. I guess why my question is always so hard for people to wrap their head around is these aren’t really small areas. I may have 4 farms each about 100 acres but miles apart. It’s rare around here to have properties next to each other. So the challenge is being there when coyotes are there. Hence my curiosity on how can I use howling in my area with my spead out farms to pinpoint where coyotes are? I have 130 farms. I kill 7-10 coyotes per year here. Maybe if could find a way to howl to locate FIRST I could go from 7 -10 kills per year to 20 or 30 right? So how to approach it when my properties are all right off main roads with other homes close by? Sometimes I literally park in the owners driveway and my hunting stand is a 100 yard walk from his house. I’d love to be able to locate and if nothing howls back then I don’t have to walk the 100 yards to a dry stand.
The challenge isn’t domestic dogs it’s main well travelled roads and other homes all around. Its a geographical residential problem and wondering if anyone else has found a method that works in these type of busy areas?
Click to expand...

Are you night hunting or day hunting?

First....Don't over think your set ups. Set up right at the house/shed/garage/barn if you have permission to and if the terrain allows.
Communicate with the landowner prior to hunting and ask them to turn all outside lights off. Depending on the time off year most home owners have no clue there are coyotes 100 yards from their house carrying on. Talk to the land/homeowner the next day and ask if you disturbed them by being closer to the house. Have to owner contact you when they hear or see yotes.---Hot Intel --and get in ASAP within reason.

Second....Timing and time you hunt them. Some areas seem to do better than others later and vice versa earlier. Most are better during the week and weekends. It may take a year or 2 before you figure out what works best for a particular property...time...time of year...wind direction. But...being coyotes, just when you think you have it figured out, they'll throw that wrench into it.
I have properties, like many others here, that consistently produce if it's hunted once a month....but may wait almost 2 months to hunt it again. I have spots I'll go to every other week and be VERY conservative, give a couple calls wait a half hour and leave... come back 3-5 hours later and get a response.

Third...One of the things I try to do is less talking and more watching. I don't get discouraged if I don't get a response. Many times in mix residential/ag areas, coyotes will take their time...they navigate road traffic, houses, electric fences. Most times it's a minimum half hour before I may get a visual or a response.
I key in on deer and dogs.....they ALWAY know when the coyote is on it's way in. Deer have got more coyotes killed for us by giving away their approach, which took away the "oh ship" surprise factor.


If you have 130 farms...25% may be consistent producers....it's trying to determine how to go about the other 75% that's the tough part.
I believe we are at 62 coyotes for the season(July 1- June 30) so far.......very few have been on properties that we have never killed on in the past....but we keep going back to the ones that haven't been very productive to try to figure out a piece of the constantly changing puzzle.
 
My suggestion is to walk those properties looking for scat, scratch marking, and of course tracks. That will give you an idea of those with heavier use and those that might have only transient coyotes. Plus, it will give you an opportunity to figure out how to set up each stand for various wind conditions. While onX, Hunt Stand, Google can give you an overall idea about stand selection, there is no real substitute for walking the properties up close and personal since you don't have a really good idea of where the coyotes are using consistently.
 
Scouting for sign can tell you where they live. Once you know where they live you can call those areas with a high rate of success. The better you scout your hunting areas the better you will be able to choose where and how to call.
 
If you’re hunting small areas you’re most likely gonna use the same calling spot. Most likely your parking in the farmyard so to me it all depends on wind direction where I’m going to hunt that night. Like they’ve said it’s cold calling, I say hit your spot 20 minutes and move on to the next. To me wind tells me where I hunt. I don’t want to walk all over the place at night boogering things up.
 
I'm with Mick. Many of my properties are not that big or far away from homes. Either have to do a stand, keep it subtle at times, or if insistent on locating use a siren. If they are there hunt it right away, may have moved on an hour later.
 
Just go out and hunt
like many have said coyote's travel here today gone the next
I would bet you stand a good chance be safe have fun
 
Only issue I have when calling near houses is road traffic. Calling is way more productive, when road traffic is few to no vehicles passing by. In some places that means morning/evenings drive time is going to be a bad time.
 
Invest in a bunch of cheap trailcams, then place them according to best scouted locations that you can quietly access.
You'll see where and when they've been active.
Around my locations (suburban SE), yotes don't howl much, just sneak around at night trying to avoid deer hunters.
 


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