Just can't use the fox skin anymore

J

jetman

New member
I had read that using real fur for a decoy rather then a picture .

I have been having a dry spell getting the coyotes to come in under 500 yards. I have been using a fox pelt over our fox pro for quite some time with diminishing effect.

Today I went out to our old river brakes area to do some early morning calling. I got out there shortly after sun up.

Very first place I got on to BLM land I hid the truck and made a set. Bang had 4 coyotes pop up over a ridge at like 800 yards. They charged in to around 500 and stopped and set down. I messed with them for an hour and, they never made a move and I let a hail marry shot go and ran them off...I had the fox skin as normal.

Next spot I left it in the truck ,and used Kugo, the Montana coyote decoy .

Bang same thing , 3 coyotes popped up and started in.

But this time they kept coming. That is till the got distracted probably by a mouse or something. I could see they where pups, when they lost a little interest I would hit a coyote howl and get them back on tract. It took a long time but they got in to my comfort zone. I barked to stop them, but the just kept milling around and would not stand still, soon they got "Under" me and I could not see them. One gave me a shot at about 150 and I took it.
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You would think it would be easy to find, Nope tall grass and grand stands of sage made it difficult .
The next 3 set where the same multiple pups coming in in there good old time. They all slipped in but would give me a shot.

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AND only one of these

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Just a bull snake


 
That’s kinda odd, I thought coyote hated fox! Well I’m glad you found a way to get em in closer, now you can start stacking em up!
 
Late last season I used a fox sound in an area that I knew there were coyotes. I had worn out the coyote sounds and rabbit. I thought fox would bring one in. All the coyote did was stay out of range and bark!! I thought for sure if they heard a fox in there area, they would come on the fly!! Wrong...…………….. Rudy
 
Originally Posted By: Infidel 762I don't think fox fur on your call is causing them to hang up at 500 yards.

Unless they are using Swarovski Bino’s!!!
 
Originally Posted By: jetmanYou don't think they can see it that far?
I can see them and I weir Trifocals.

it was moving they might see it at 500 yards.

otherwise, no. they are not seeing it at 500 yards.

i can sit out in the wide open when calling and coyotes will run right up to within a few yards of me if i stay perfectly still. they never see me.
 
Originally Posted By: SlickerThanSnotOriginally Posted By: jetmanYou don't think they can see it that far?
I can see them and I weir Trifocals.

it was moving they might see it at 500 yards.

otherwise, no. they are not seeing it at 500 yards.

i can sit out in the wide open when calling and coyotes will run right up to within a few yards of me if i stay perfectly still. they never see me.


True. But they do focus on sound as well.
 
Originally Posted By: atdOriginally Posted By: SlickerThanSnotOriginally Posted By: jetmanYou don't think they can see it that far?
I can see them and I weir Trifocals.

it was moving they might see it at 500 yards.

otherwise, no. they are not seeing it at 500 yards.

i can sit out in the wide open when calling and coyotes will run right up to within a few yards of me if i stay perfectly still. they never see me.


True. But they do focus on sound as well.

True, but they can also triangulate and almost pin point the location of the sound without a clear line of site. Like slick said, unless it is moving or maybe even sky-lined, but they are not picking up the texture of that object at that distance.
 
Plus 25 sets over a two week time in different areas , Many lookers all hang ups.
After not using the fox, next 4 sets , 4 dead coyotes and three times that called in . Hard for me to keep faith in the fox pelt.
 
Maybe the fox pelt had picked up an alarming scent, but I too doubt they keyed in on that pelt and became disinterested by sight alone.
 
Originally Posted By: jetman Hard for me to keep faith in the fox pelt.

wondering how you got faith in it in the first place?

nevermind. i saw in the first post that you wrote you read somewhere that it worked.
 
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Originally Posted By: jetman You never tried a decoy?







if you are asking me, the answer is heck yes. i went through the decoy phase. trying everything from home made to store bought. i determined many, many years ago that most of the time decoys hurt my success rather than helped it.

haven't used a decoy for many, many years now. probably never will again. they just dont help me.
 
I go back and forth.
But in the back of my mind I think your right most the time. Good concealment , sitting very still and working the wind is probably the best bet.
 
Seems to be more and more people hunting summer coyotes and guessing they never "forget" over summer like I like to think they do. Sounded like you killed pups on your stands and the first group sounded like adults that more than likely have been called.

I have played with the decoy thing as well, and for the most part think its a waste, not saying they don't work, but most of time you could kill them without.

In my opinion you get maybe 1 or 2 cracks and getting a coyote to come into a call after that it seems to be pretty iffy. You might sucker them with the rabbit, then again with just howls, and after that they best be in the mood for what your playing.

I have seen it more and more in my area and between my cousin and I we are pretty much the only callers in most of our areas, and we keep track of what was played or used.

One spot we call has been a gimmie for a coyote every year for the last 6-7. This year first time in called in 4 killed 2. Think it was two months later we try it again. Run through a different sequence and nothing. Hit a locator howl and boom one howls 200 yds in front, play with her forever and get a different pair to come from way different way.

The first coyote that howled in front was the same one from the first time in, as she had a pretty distinct howl.

These sets were also done under the moonlight.

So I would say if they can remember two months they lost a friend or two, I would guess in areas they hear callers 12 months a year it gets pretty tough.
 
Jetman, you are somehow getting busted.

Pups stopping at 500 yards....wow!

So, couple of things, scent, and call wise at a young age.

The down fall of a push button caller is that the coyotes will hear a lot of the exact same sounds...no way of getting around it. You are going to have to mix things up. Hunter Lee is dead nuts right on when it comes to keeping track of the sounds you use. These coyotes are very, very smart.

Next is your scent. I carry a puffer bottle that I use to check the wind direction. If you don't have one, they are cheap...archery supplies. Another tool to use is sewing thread on an alligator clip, I just keep walking off and leaving them.

If you see coyotes coming in down wind, you know you are going to get busted at some point. If you determine that they are busing you way out there, then you can attack "Scent" issues, and perhaps throwing some attractant out their to put out more parts per million than your body is generating. We used some trappers tricks to attract coyotes when we were hunting coyotes in competitions, and they darn well work.

In areas where coyotes get smart from a lot of calling, you are going to have to get very imaginative in using new ideas, dilute your scent, know your wind, put out attractants, create a scent drag.

Concerning decoys, they carry scent of the truck and you. Best spray a decoy with rabbit urine. I have had coyotes run OFF with blue Buggs Bunnys and White lamb chop hand puppets that were sprayed with rabbit urine. I wire my red fox pelt to a bush as it has been grabbed twice as it was sprayed with rabbit urine also. Coyote decoys that were nothing more than pelts drooped over a bush scared off a lot of pups and yearlings, but the territorial thing along with rabbit urine got us a few. You can only carry out so much crap.

Jetman, if stands are made from the same location from time to time, this is NOT a good thing!

Watch your Barometric pressure, and Major and Minor feeding periods, hunt accordingly..I can not stress this enough. If you are hunting on Pretty Days with high barometric pressure or pressure rising, then this could explain why coyotes just loose interest. You should have a barometer in your home or truck, or both.

There is nothing that beats being in a rich population of coyotes that are not call wise, with weather being right. A guy that finds himself in this situation can smoke, not bathe for a week, break all the rules in the book, and still stack up coyotes like cord wood. However, this is the exception to the rule of how we hunt.

Jetman and HunterLee, in your areas, I would use Various hand held howlers, learn the coyote language. They will have no defense if you watch your scent and throw out some attractant to defuse your scent. Two guys hunting together that know how to howl will slaughter the coyotes in your area.

Hunting call wise coyotes is the most demanding sport there is. What a rush it is when you call in and kill that Dominant coyote!

 
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I am very aware of sent and try to use the wind in my favor. In very light winds, AKA calm, the winds are terrain driven and can switch in any direction I know.
There looking AT my call not so much me We have hunted for 30 years and typically sell 50 to 100 pelts a fur year. We hunt off fur season for practice and fun.
Pups many times get distracted when coming in and need to be reminded of what there doing. Yes I do believe they can and do see a fox skin on the horizon at 500 yards. I can see them and tell a general direction there focused on and there eye sight must be better then mine... NO decoy or apparently the RIGHT decoy is better then the wrong decoy.
 
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