alf
Well-known member
I've been struggling the last month, either not calling in anything, or coyotes just not committing.
I've had several come to the 200 yard mark, stop, look around, and disappear.
The 2nd time it happened, I decided to shoot when he turned & headed back where he came from, but missed, dammit, hate to educate them.
Another night I had one that I couldn't coax out the standing corn. He went back & forth 3-4 times down below me, then disappeared, but popped out of the corn 250 yards away heading for Dodge.
On another set, I started with some lonely female howls, & had instant response fairly close. Despite the favorable wind, I never got an eye on one.
Several nights ago, I had a pair coming at the 23 minute mark, dipped out of sight, then reappeared on the knoll, stopped, & turned 90 degrees heading up the hill. I changed the sound 2 more times to persuade them to head my way, but they ducked out of sight. I kept calling, & a couple minutes later had one of them coming. He stopped, then boogied out of sight. I was seating tight in a wooded fence row, & was watching him come through the tree branches, so no chance of a shot, dammit again.
So the other night I got the brainstorm to take my Flambeau full body coyote decoy. I was setting on a north/south fence line facing east, wind from my right out of the south, blowing towards the woods where I expect the action to come from. Next to the woods was a chopped corn field just replanted into something, so basically bare dirt. I set the caller on the upper edge next to the hay strip, and put Mr Coyote 10 yards back, facing the caller.
I skipped the coyote vocals this time, & stuck with rabbit calls. A bit past the 20 minute mark, I finally had one coming directly towards me from the east. He came in & out of sight in the hay before I turned on the recording, just in time to see him look down the hill, see the decoy (I'm assuming) and started beat feeting it up the hill.
I managed to make the shot, and break out of my slump.
Ended up being a young male, so I figured he wasn't looking to get his butt kicked. I wonder if an adult would have acted the same?
I've had several come to the 200 yard mark, stop, look around, and disappear.
The 2nd time it happened, I decided to shoot when he turned & headed back where he came from, but missed, dammit, hate to educate them.
Another night I had one that I couldn't coax out the standing corn. He went back & forth 3-4 times down below me, then disappeared, but popped out of the corn 250 yards away heading for Dodge.
On another set, I started with some lonely female howls, & had instant response fairly close. Despite the favorable wind, I never got an eye on one.
Several nights ago, I had a pair coming at the 23 minute mark, dipped out of sight, then reappeared on the knoll, stopped, & turned 90 degrees heading up the hill. I changed the sound 2 more times to persuade them to head my way, but they ducked out of sight. I kept calling, & a couple minutes later had one of them coming. He stopped, then boogied out of sight. I was seating tight in a wooded fence row, & was watching him come through the tree branches, so no chance of a shot, dammit again.
So the other night I got the brainstorm to take my Flambeau full body coyote decoy. I was setting on a north/south fence line facing east, wind from my right out of the south, blowing towards the woods where I expect the action to come from. Next to the woods was a chopped corn field just replanted into something, so basically bare dirt. I set the caller on the upper edge next to the hay strip, and put Mr Coyote 10 yards back, facing the caller.
I skipped the coyote vocals this time, & stuck with rabbit calls. A bit past the 20 minute mark, I finally had one coming directly towards me from the east. He came in & out of sight in the hay before I turned on the recording, just in time to see him look down the hill, see the decoy (I'm assuming) and started beat feeting it up the hill.
I managed to make the shot, and break out of my slump.
Ended up being a young male, so I figured he wasn't looking to get his butt kicked. I wonder if an adult would have acted the same?
