Crosswind calling

coyote6974

coyote6974

New member
Last night it rained all night long. I thought that today would be an excellent morning to break out a call and see if I could get lucky. Although there was still some light drizzle around it was a perfect morning. Just somewhat breezy. For the past month or so I've been checking sign around a secluded wheat stubble field on my farm that is borderd on the east and west by standing corn and on the south by a thick fencerow and soybeans. Seeing lots of scat and tracks every time I checked the field I figured sure I'd have some luck when the conditions were right to call here. I snuck into the south edge of the field and set up using the fencerow to hide myself. The wind was out of the west northwest at about 12 to 15 MPH. I began with a howl followed by some cottontail distress. I'd repeat the distress calls every 5 minutes or so. I'd been on this stand about 30 minutes and was just about to surrender when I saw an adult coyote move across a 20 ft. swath I'd mowed just for this occasion between the wheat stubble and the corn on the east side of the wheat field. The coyote went into the standing corn appearing unaware that I was anywhere around. The coyote crossed about 350 yards straight north of my stand. At the time I saw the coyote move into the corn I was sitting still with my rifle across my lap, and the wind was still blowing in my face from the west north west. I felt I was in a perfect position. I had not moved for a few minutes other than to wipe some drizzle off the barrel of my rifle.
As soon as the coyote entered the standing corn I blew another series of dying rabbit blues on my primos mouth call. I remained on the stand for another 30 minutes calling off and on. The coyote never responded to my calls. As i've called in numerous coyotes with this same call I have to wonder if this coyote was just too far upwind to hear my calling. Does anyone know just how far a coyote can hear a longrange mouth call against a 10 or 15 MPH crosswind as I had this morning? Last winter I had a similar situation with two coyotes but was able to stalk, locate and shoot them one at a time after they'd separated.

Shaking my head..Coyote 6974
 
i have no idea how far a coyote can hear up wind. however once my partner and i were walking to do a set up in a valley when we spotted a coyote mousing below us at 200yrd. we had a slight breeze in our face and the coyote was up wind. i'd guess the wind to be five mph.i gave out a slight lip squeek and he picked up his head and looked right at us, busted. i never thought he would hear that but i was wrong and really pissed off the partner.
Sportingly
cracker
 
I think sometimes they just don't come regardless of your best efforts. It's even more frustrating when you can see them and they still don't come.

Good Huntin

Byron
 
If I can see them I quit using the mouth calls. A couple of years ago while deer hunting, a yote moved down the canyon around 200 yards from me. I had left the call in the truck,,,hmph. So I began to lip sqweek when he went out of sight. He came back and stopped on top of the facing canyon ridge. You should have seen the fur fly when I busted him with the 257 Improved. Never underestimate the lip sqweek. They can hear it over 300 yards.
 
I would say he could definetely hear you he was either full or had spotted something he didn't like and decided he wasn't going to investigate any further. I have had coyotes come from well over 500yds in a steady 15mph wind on the plains up here, it took a few series but they catch a little bit of one of them and they would start coming, or next time try doing a quick howl with a good howler it seems like they can hear that better and the howlers are usually louder calls to begin with.
 
It has amazed me in the past a few times that I could see a coyote way out, but yet it could hear me when I called. Somethings to concider when the wind is blowing are: is the coyote in an area that the wind is making a lot of noise by rustling leaves, such as in standing corn or in tall CRP, is it over a hill from you, or is it in a canyon. Some times we need to concider how sound travels in heavy cover, over hills, in canyons, and how much noise the wind is making as it blows through thick cover or through canyons, etc. Obviously, if your in flat land area, the sound should travel further than if you or the coyote are in thick cover, or over a hill. Like was said above, just because a coyote can hear the call doesn't always mean that it will come.
 
Thanks to you guys that responded..Just something i've kinda wondered about. I seems that sometimes if you see them out in a field and call they'll run ya down. Other times they don't even look a caller's way..

Good hunting y'all..Coyote 6974
 


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