Originally Posted By: swampwalkerYou won't always be successful, but eventually you will understand why they've been so difficult for you and what you need to do to about it. There is a steep learning curve that takes time and effort to figure out. There's a systematic approach to it all, that can only really be known through gaining experience.
My approach now consists of finding land owners who are having them show up in their yard, howling near their property on a regular basis, etcera. Basically, I find out where they are. Then I acquire permission to hunt. Sometimes I can use a rifle, but sometimes it's shotgun only. After I acquire permission I print out maps of the property, houses, possible routes for the coyotes, wind direction, then I figure out how to set up so they'll give me a clear shot. I watch the wind, wait for the perfect time, then hit the area.
My last stand was perfect, but they refused to come out into the field. They were right there. However, if I don't have permission to hunt where they are, there's nothing I can do to move in, and have to wait for them to come onto the property. Most farmers here have 100-600 acre farms and that's it, and it never fails there's houses, roads, etcetera to deal with and fields that span 600 yards to a small patch of woods with houses or highways beyond them.
Hunting in the thick of the woods at night would be perfect, but it limits my vision to roughly 25 yards around me. I have really nice lights, but they just light up the under brush, which messes with my eyes. I tried night hunting in thick woods once. Had a coyote come in ten yards away and all I could see were eyes, and didn't want to shoot without 100% confirmation.
I've tried day hunting, but I've never heard a coyote howl during the day. So, I'm pretty much just hoping they're around when I set up.
So, it isn't that I don't know what to do, but there are a lot of limitations here. We have a great spot between two large college towns, but there's houses, highways, cows, etcera to hunt around. Makes it tough.