Close cover for coyotes

AWS

AWS

Custom Accessory Maker & Retired PM Staff
I'm a day hunter and find close/thicker cover far more productive than open country. Even in open country coyotes seem to use every bit of cover to hide their approach. I believe I'm hunting mostly bedded coyotes.

Here on the desert I like to hunt thicker cover within a half mile of some type of water. I've also had great luck hunting small openings in even thicker cover. The action can be exhilarating with coyotes appearing from nowhere.

So how many of you like to hunt in the thick instead of trying to call them out of it?
 
I preferred to hunt the edges. Water sources are important here as well.
1783791266215.jpeg
 
Water is super important here in southern Nevada but read an article somewhere about coyotes traveling up to 10 miles in a night to get water. I have to stretch that radius from water a bit more than a 1/2 mile down here in my experience but definitely within a couple miles or maybe a litte more.
 
Day hunting which I do very little of is always in a thicket with a scatter gun here in SW PA. As said above, fast and furious, it can be. The last I shot was at 12-15yds and I only saw him at 25ish.
 
Hunting thick cover with a shotgun and hand calls is definitely my favorite. I find it less successful than an ecall and rifle but seems more rewarding when it pans out.
 
We do pretty good on calling in coyotes in open country and in areas we can only see 25 to 40 yards. We call in coyotes quite often in areas that there is no water for 2 or 3 miles. By using a shotgun in thicker cover it gives us thousands of more acres to hunt, that would be very hard to hunt coyotes with a rifle.

Even in wide open country we almost always have a shotgun and a rifle on our calling stands. If we had two rifles on our calling stands we had quite a few coyotes get away because we couldn't get them to stop. With a shotgun and rifle on our calling stands we didn't have very many coyotes get away.

IMG_8757 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/156463377@N08/, on Flickr

I got this above coyote with my shotgun by laying down on my back about 15 yards away from my Foxpro. I can no longer lay on my back and sit up to shoot coyotes with my shotgun like I did when I was younger.

IMG_2400 - Copy (2) by https://www.flickr.com/photos/156463377@N08/, on Flickr
IMG_2408 - Copy by https://www.flickr.com/photos/156463377@N08/, on Flickr
The two above pictures are my son sitting up to shoot a coyote with his shotgun from laying on his back.

If I could only make one type of calling stand, it would be sitting in the shade of a juniper or sage brush with my shotgun where I can only see about 40 yards. I don't miss very many coyotes with my shotgun when they are 40 yards away or less.
IMG_8036 - Copy by https://www.flickr.com/photos/156463377@N08/, on Flickr
 
I think it depends where you're hunting. In places like Arizona, I've seen guys do really well in thick stuff and most of their kills are with a shotgun. In Idaho, Montana and South Dakota, I've seen guys do well in more open stuff.

I hunt mostly Utah, Wyoming, and Nevada. I like to sit on the edge of the brush when I can but sometimes the area doesn't allow that so you better pack a shotgun šŸ˜‰

It's all about learning your region and perfecting it.
 
AWS said:
I'm a day hunter and find close/thicker cover far more productive than open country. Even in open country coyotes seem to use every bit of cover to hide their approach. I believe I'm hunting mostly bedded coyotes.

Here on the desert I like to hunt thicker cover within a half mile of some type of water. I've also had great luck hunting small openings in even thicker cover. The action can be exhilarating with coyotes appearing from nowhere.

So how many of you like to hunt in the thick instead of trying to call them out of it?
Click to expand...
We started hunting Red Fox 1964. Most any given day(day light hours). The Reds would be holed up(sleep in) a den hole or field drive culvert tube. Roughly 1:10 days they would bed down out in open areas. We started hunting coyotes Fall/Winter 1968. Pretty much the same odds as the reds. However, rather than sleeping bedding down in a culvert tube or den hole. The coyotes chose ground cover(weedy areas, timber & brambles). What I'm getting at is. 10% of my hunts. Of red fox or coyotes. Would bed down for the day out in open areas. They are the ones I laid eyes on.
 
Last edited:
medic joe said:
We started hunting Red Fox 1964. Most any given day(day light hours). The Reds would be holed up(sleep in) a den hole or field drive culvert tube. Roughly 1:10 days they would bed down out in open areas. We started hunting coyotes Fall/Winter 1968. Pretty much the same odds as the reds. However, rather than sleeping bedding down in a culvert tube or den hole. They coyotes chose ground cover(weedy areas, timber & brambles). What I'm getting at is. 10% of my hunts. Of red fox or coyotes. Would bed down for the day out in open areas. They are the ones I laid eyes on.
Click to expand...
Speaking of coyotes. Some will already be bedded down pre-Sunrise. The rest will be in transit heading towards a bedding area. Up until until around to 9-10am. Very few will still be on the move after 11am. My observations were very consistent over many decades of hunting coyotes.
 
Last edited:
medic joe said:
Speaking of coyotes. Some would already be bedded down pre-Sunrise. The rest would be in transit heading towards a bedding area until around to 9-10am. Very few would still be on the move after 11am. My observations were very consistent over many decades of hunting coyotes.
Click to expand...
One more thing about once a coyote is bedded down for the day. Other than a stimulus that will make them get up & move. They will stay put all day. Other than rising up on their feet. When the wind direction changes. They will rotate their body so the wind is at their backside again. When the wind does change direction. They will typically only move a few feet from where they were bedded down initially.
 
Back
Top