Coyote hunting in CO

heyfrank

heyfrank

New member
Hello! I've never hunted coyote, but I've become obsessed with the idea the last few weeks, and I'm planning my first hunt. I've gotten lots of great information on this forum, but I'm curious if anyone has some good info on coyote hunting in Colorado, preferably around the western slope. I'm hoping to hunt the area around Gunnison or Montrose, since i have places to stay there.

I'll be hunting with a .243, and I'm a good distance shooter. I'm assuming that's a good caliber to use?

I'm just curious about hunting really treed areas, as opposed to desert plains? Almost all the DVD's I've watched show people hunting in open fields and dessert type terrain, and I'm wondering if there are any different techniques I need to use hunting coyotes on forest land instead of open plains?

I've picked up a handful of different calls and have been practicing with distressed rabbit calls, since this area has a ton of rabbits. Just thought that would be a good technique. But again, I'm new to this sport, so I'm flying blind.

Any advice would be really appreciated.

Of course, if anyone on this forum is from Colorado, I'd jump at the chance to tag along on a coyote hunt, just to get my feet wet. I could even hook you up with a free room in Gunnison for your trouble. Just in case anyone is looking for a hunting buddy.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Frank
 
Frank, your .243 will do just fine.

Hunting the mtns. can be tough. The snow is deep, the walking is tough, and it's not easy to access forested areas without a snowmobile.

I'd plan on sitting at the edge of cover with a meadow at my downwind side, and try to call coyotes into the meadow, or try to call them across a meadow from other heavily forested areas, as opposed to going into heavilty forested areas and trying to call them. Make them go into the open where you can see them and you'll have a better chance of killing them.

A rabbit distress is a good starting point, but this time of year a guy should be using howling too, maybe more so than the rabbit distress.

I use to go to the mtns. to call coyotes, but then decided that I like to kill more coyotes and started going to the plains instead.

Good luck, and don't forget your snowshoes..
 
Songdog, thanks for the great advice. I do have an ATV and was planning to take that, but looking for an open plain might be the best bet.

I'll also try a howling call. I actually picked one up, but I'm wondering if I'd have better luck with a digital version? I've read that coyotes actually "talk" to each other when they howl, so might be difficult for me to learn how to create an accurate sound with a coyote call. Would be fun to try, but I want to be successful.

Maybe a distressed pup call? Can't wait to get out and try!

Thanks for the help!
 
I've been hunting in the mountains on the front range with no success. But then we've had fires and drought take a toll. I'm not seeing many rabbit tracks. If you have a place with a lot of rabbits, spend some time there. Like Songdog, I look for clearings that I can call them into. If you have open country to hunt, that might be better. Good luck.
 
Thanks for the advice. I'm curious if you've ever tried hunting in the Park County area, around Spinney or Tarryall Reservoir? There's a lot of open plains there that might have more visibility.

I drove that area last weekend and there's a lot of open space that I thought I could try. Just wondering if you or anyone else has had any luck in that area?

Thanks!
 
years ago we killed 2 coyotes and a bobcat near Tarryall Res. one day. That was the best day we had up there. At the time there weren't alot of coyotes in that area, but if you could find them, they would come to the call.
The cat that I shot up there came real quick to the call. But we later learned that we had set up right on his door step basically.
The good thing about the coyotes up there is that they have got fur worth selling, just got to find them.

We also did some calling east of Beuna Vista and had some success on coyotes also.
 
I hunt the mts a fair bit, and I avoid the trees during the winter. With the snow piled up in the trees, I think coyotes have a tough time hunting in there.

Find a large meadow/open area and things change. There are usually more coyotes here, probably due to better access to food, and a better chance to catch it. It appears that coyotes will migrate much like deer and elk.

The fur is better up there, but there are more coyotes per sq mile on the eastern plains, but many of those eastern plains coyotes have mange. I have not seen any mange in South or Middle Parks, yet.
 
If you can get to the blm and statewildlife areas around Blue Mesa, in Gunnison County...North of the lake, there is lots of open space and with the light snow that we have this year, you should be able to get in without too much effort. Gunnison county has more coyotes than any other county in the state according to DOW....Wish I could get away this weekend to go with you...but I am locked into other activities. If you make it over the hill to Montrose, there are a couple of spots just off Highway 50 on the south side of the road on the Montrose side of Cerro Summit that are BLM and I have had some luck in there...the yote in my avitar came from that area.

Good luck.
 
Bloodhound, thanks for the tips. I haven't made it to that area yet but I'm hoping to go soon. That area around Blue Mesa sounds promising.

Really appreciate the help!
 
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