Coyote Behavior

AWS

AWS

Custom Accessory Maker & Retired PM Staff
As I peruse the internet, I see a lot of people building "Coyote Hunting Rifles" most are big 6mm of some sort, heavy barrels, chassis with scope more suited to prairie dogs. So what is the fascination with long range rifles for coyotes. I'll admit I have two rifles I have set up for what I call open country, I rarely take them and the few coyotes I've killed with them have been under 50 yards.

What causes a coyote to hang up at longer ranges? If a coyote is willing to commit to 500 yards why doesn't it keep coming to 400, 300, 200, or less.

So what are your thoughts. I'm going to share some of mine, some your going to think I'm a crackpot. I really want to hear your thoughts and you can't offend me.

Conditioned coyotes, they've had experiences that modify their responses.

1. I hunted a place in WA where I ran into coyotes would sneak into to the stand keeping in any available cover and scan the surrounding high ground. Another time three stopped and started milling around not panicked but I think that the road was just 300 yards away and they would have to expose themselves any closer.

2. They see things. We hunted a canyon in NV , hid the truck and hiked in. We expected the coyotes to come up out of the valley into the canyon draining into the valley, it had been a tactic that had been working well. One coyote responded up on the opposite plateau when he reached the edge to drop down into the canyon he turned and headed off. My nephew dropped him at 275 yards. We went over to find him and walked the top of the canyon and could see the truck from almost the exact spot he turned. From the valley and the bottom of the canyon the truck was invisible and if we hadn't had to go find him would never have known he could see the truck.

He turned at the left high spot on the edge of the plateau and Jon killed him crossing the notch on the top on the right side of the picture.
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3. Sounds, I have this theory that coyotes can hear things we can't. A hunter buys a new caller, a different brand than he's been using and his response increase and he attributes it to the brand. I find if I go into a slump I change brands of callers and boom coyotes. Or the hunter buys somebodies sounds and they really start producing for them. Here's my theory, companies have their sounds, Lightning Jack is the same sound that came out on the FX-3 as the latest and greatest FP, they've cleaned it and change the frequencies but it is the same sound from the original recording.
Same with JS sounds, they are all from the original recordings. I don't think the coyotes are reaction to the sound but ambient sounds that carry through the process of adding sounds to a caller. That's why adding sounds from different sources and using different brands can trigger responses. There are no ambient sounds that trigger caution.

4. Sight and hearing, coyotes have both in excess. Lifting your rifle or binos to scan are movements that focus a coyote's vision same with reaching down to change volume or sounds. Another is reaching to dial power, paralax or dial range. Sound is pretty self explanatory noisy safeties, shuffling your feet, coughing etc.

Your thoughts.
 
IMHO there are 3 distinct hunting area. large 'desert' public type land, large farmed/cropped land and small wooded/pasture land. Each has it's 'needs'. 200 yds is about over the property line for me. Seems like most here are first two types. Another aspect. Most yotes live about 3 yrs., how much about danger do they learn in that time? Most areas they are the top predator so 'educated' is about getting, not being food. 'Out of place' sight or sound might alert them but is it associated with 'danger'? When you use a caller and they stop, is it because they 'learned' it's not food or are they 'scared'? Same with you moving or making sounds.
The ones I've shot are sitting, waiting for dinner. I'm not totally invisible or silent (night with IR).
Edit: "What causes a coyote to hang up at longer ranges?" Seems like coyotes are competitive/territorial and look for food. Can a yote decide if a call is food @ 200 yds? I used to fish Tuttle Creek at night. Yotes sounding off all around most of the night. They were NOT looking for food that I could tell. So use a challenge at long range and 'food' for near?
 
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Itā€™s cool to have those rifles šŸ˜Ž

Just kidding, I went from a .308 to a .243 mainly for weight and quicker recovery time. Itā€™s my ā€œdedicatedā€ coyote calling rifle, but does pull double duty on hogs when 2 or less are on camera.
All my shots are generally 100yds or less. I do have a couple spots that I could possibly shoot 200yds not that either caliber would have an issue at that distance.
 
"Sounds, I have this theory that coyotes can hear things we can't."

A dog can hear a silent whistle. Can we?

A couple of decades ago, I bought a brand new, basic Foxpro (it looked like a 6V flashlight) , loaded with Turkey calling sounds, off Ebay, for a very good price. I then purchased the computer connector from Foxpro in order to download sounds to the caller.

At the time, a very well known E-call manufacturer, was giving away (no charge), a portion of their library, so I erased the Turkey sounds and loaded the 'normal' coyote sounds.

I carried, and used, that caller for 2 full seasons, without a single coyote coming in to it. Not one. I could start the set with the E-caller, and nothing showed for 8-10 minutes, then switch to handcalls, and a coyote would show up.

I am convinced that a sound got onto the recordings which the coyotes heard, but neither me, nor my hunting companions, could hear it.


When they hang up, sometimes they just need more time to commit, for whatever reason.

I was hand-calling a huge open area, with a ridge about 3/4 of a mile to the North. After about 15 minutes, I notice a white/silver spot at the very top of that ridge, and I thought 'game on'.

Long story short, it took another 30-35 minutes for that coyote to come in. He would come closer by about 2-300 yds at a time, pace back and forth, and then come another 2-300yds closer, until he finally appeared at 30 yds.

When my hunting days are over, and I'm sitting in a wheelchair, drooling on myself, I will remember that hunt!
 
I've had many coyotes hang up at 200-600 yards. I think there are multiple reasons they hang up.

#1 Some coyotes are just a lot more cautious than others. They may have been educated in the past or just born being more cautious.

#2 They see, smell or hear something that causing them to hang up.

#3 They don't want to cross an invisible boundary that we as hunters might not recognize. It could be a fence or road they don't want to cross into another coyotes territory or an open area that they don't feel safe exposing themselves in.


Sometimes switching sounds gets them to come all the way in. Other times that change in sound makes them loose interest or scares them off.
Several years ago I built an AR 10 in 6mm Creedmoor thinking it would be the perfect coyote rifle. It shoots well and hits coyotes with authority. After killing a few coyotes with it, I leave in the safe more often than not. It is heavy to pack around and the recoil makes it more difficult to watch the bullet impact compared to a 223. If I was shooting at coyotes at 200+ yards often I would pick it over my 223 but I don't shoot long shots at coyotes often. When it is windy, I do find myself taking one of my 6mm or 22-250 over a 223.
 
#3 They don't want to cross an invisible boundary that we as hunters might not recognize. It could be a fence or road they don't want to cross into another coyotes territory or an open area that they don't feel safe exposing themselves in.

I agree with the crossing into another coyotes territory, as being a factor in them hanging up, especially starting in January.

Once they have paired up for mating season, they can get defensive about their territory.

I believe that was happening with the coyote in the story I related above. He was very hesitant to cross into another coyotes territory.
 
I live in the Red River Valley of the North, flat as a table top and you can see for miles. A lot of the coyotes I see are halfway across the field. I built a custom 25/06 just for hunting these critters. It weighs 13lbs, has a 2oz trigger and and launches a 70 grain blizking at 4000fps.
 
I used to live up there before there were coyotes, east of Downer. The question is why will they only come only halfway across the field and not the rest of the way, they've already committed to halfway
 
#1 reason for a coyote not committing to up close a personal, they have survived a similar situation.
#2 I also believe there can be sound out of our hearing range from ecallers, new or old, A sound that confuses them.
#3. They trust their eyes and what they're seeing doesn't "match" what they're hearing.
 
I left in 1980, about the only place I had a drink was the municipal liquor store in hawley. I wasn't much of a drinker and only went there when a friend played music there.
 
Erich, I really have no answers. If you had asked me 20 years ago I would have had answers. I've since learned more about what I actually don't know.

- DAA
 
I know never say Never when it come.to coyotes.

From my experience if I can't get a coyote closer than 300 yard I think I've done something wrong.. I try and learn from every stand. I think I'm doing better every year.
 
K22-hornet said:
#3 They don't want to cross an invisible boundary that we as hunters might not recognize. It could be a fence or road they don't want to cross into another coyotes territory or an open area that they don't feel safe exposing themselves in.

I agree with the crossing into another coyotes territory, as being a factor in them hanging up, especially starting in January.

Once they have paired up for mating season, they can get defensive about their territory.

I believe that was happening with the coyote in the story I related above. He was very hesitant to cross into another coyotes territory.
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I believe you are spot on K22-hornet.

Many years ago. I identified 3 pairs of alpha coyotes. I identified them in my old hunt area amongst the rolling hills. I positively I.D'd them. As I zoomed in on them with my 80x spotter scope. I also recognized them due to their fur coloration, body size & where I would see them. Travel, hunt & bed down for the day. Due to many visual observations of the 3 alpha pairs. They had primary bedding areas. When the wind was from a specific direction. One of those 3 pairs I had observed with their litters over 2 continual winters. I took note of their territorial boundry's. Which was in my estimation was roughly a 1/4 mile wide give or take. That buffer/overlap area could've been much wider? I just can't say for a fact.

Anyway, during those 2 winters I noted 2x where another coyote was seen on their land, while being bedded down. Those two coyotes I had no idea where they came from or lived. I suspect they were both transient/dispersed coyotes. A behavior I noted about the trespassing coyotes was. While bedded down was. They constantly panned around 360 degrees. As if they were paranoid about the "locals" showing up. The 1/4 mile give or take over lap areas. I named "no man's land" or in other words a buffer area. Whereas other coyotes would trespass w/o reprisal(that I know of) by the territorial alpha pair.
 
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