New to Coyote Hunting – Looking for Tips and Advice

M

Mightyhunterr

New member
First Post! I’m starting to get into coyote hunting and want to step it up a notch. I’ve got a decent handle on the basics, but I’m trying to learn more about the finer details — when to run certain calls, how to set up based on terrain, and what times of year tend to produce best.
I’m down here in south Mississippi, hunting mostly public land and WMAs, so pressure and terrain definitely play a factor. Haven’t got one yet but me and my buddy have seen several while deer hunting this year. Would love to hear how some of y’all approach calling setups, seasonal patterns, or anything your willing to throw at me.

Appreciate any insight
 
+1 for above advice.

I hunt pretty much all public land, it can be rewarding.

My advice for someone starting out.

1 hike in silently and never let the wind blow your scent over the area you will be calling to. Take the first useable stand, don't wander around looking for the perfect stand. After you finish the stand either a blank or productive then check out better locations at that spot. I don't know how many coyotes I've bumped or stands I've ruined by spending too much time looking for the perfect spot

2.dont try and get fancy alternating sounds, trying sequences. I like quiet sounds vole squeaks, bird sounds and baby rabbits. Leave your caller running and maybe vary the the volume a little.

3. Minimize movement and sound, if you just can't leave the bino in the truck. Scan before you turn on the caller or after you decide to quit the stand. If you can see a coyote in your binos he can see you lift them to your eyes because he is focused on where the sound is coming from and watching for anything that is there. Get set up and comfortable, once you turn on the caller you should be like a statue only slowly scanning with slow movements of your head and eyes. When you start it is hard to not swivel your head around trying to see everything right now. As you scan look for movement or things that weren't there on the last scan. If you see something don't get tunnel vision, keep scanning, keep that spot in your peripheral vision and watch for changes. I did not know how many times I've spotted something out of place well into the stand that just turned out to be a grey stump, and while staring at it have a coyote right in front of me.



A little story about sneaky coyotes. It took two guys out on a oil field road, lots of traffic we parked on a little hill and stepped over the side of the road bern, you could throw a beer can into the bed of the truck from the stand. There was the corner of the bare pasture that came up to the road and a spring a couple hundred yards out in the pasture the corner of the pasture that we were sitting about 10ft over was full of brush with brush running out along both fence lines. About five minutes into the stand the was a.coyote sitting about 20 ft away looking at the decoy clipped to the fence post. Both guys were scanning the pasture and I had to nudge the guy closest to me and point down and he had the calm to kill it. A.couple more minutes and there is one sitting on the other side 20 ft away and I had to point it out, it died but still the guys thought it was anomaly and we're sure they were going to see one out in the pasture when #3 comes in and sniffs dead #1 he made a get away before they could focus on him. So now they are watching the fence lines close.in and coyote #4 walks across the pasture about 100 yards out where they had been focused when the first three came in under their noses... I had to whisper, "he's out there" both were good shooters and doubled on him. Never count on coyotes to do the right thing

Have fun and good luck.

A public land hint, look for places no coyote hunter would hunt. I've had a lot of places that look unhuntable but a pair of waders will get you to spots that even educated coyotes will come into unafraid because they've always been safe there. Or like the little corner above, right next to the road. Ive posted pics of coyotes kill just far enough from the interstate to be legal. Here we have a lot of tight four strands barbwire that you can't crawl through or under. I carry T-post steps and a piece of carpet to toss over the top wire and hunt un-hunted land right along the road..
 
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AWS said:
+1 for above advice.

I hunt pretty much all public land, it can be rewarding.

My advice for someone starting out.

1 hike in silently and never let the wind blow your scent over the area you will be calling to. Take the first useable stand, don't wander around looking for the perfect stand. After you finish the stand either a blank or productive then check out better locations at that spot. I don't know how many coyotes I've bumped or stands I've ruined by spending too much time looking for the perfect spot

2.dont try and get fancy alternating sounds, trying sequences. I like quiet sounds vole squeaks, bird sounds and baby rabbits. Leave your caller running and maybe vary the the volume a little.

3. Minimize movement and sound, if you just can't leave the bino in the truck. Scan before you turn on the caller or after you decide to quit the stand. If you can see a coyote in your binos he can see you lift them to your eyes because he is focused on where the sound is coming from and watching for anything that is there. Get set up and comfortable, once you turn on the caller you should be like a statue only slowly scanning with slow movements of your head and eyes. When you start it is hard to not swivel your head around trying to see everything right now. As you scan look for movement or things that weren't there on the last scan. If you see something don't get tunnel vision, keep scanning, keep that spot in your peripheral vision and watch for changes. I did not know how many times I've spotted something out of place well into the stand that just turned out to be a grey stump, and while staring at it have a coyote right in front of me.



A little story about sneaky coyotes. It took two guys out on a oil field road, lots of traffic we parked on a little hill and stepped over the side of the road bern, you could throw a beer can into the bed of the truck from the stand. There was the corner of the bare pasture that came up to the road and a spring a couple hundred yards out in the pasture the corner of the pasture that we were sitting about 10ft over was full of brush with brush running out along both fence lines. About five minutes into the stand the was a.coyote sitting about 20 ft away looking at the decoy clipped to the fence post. Both guys were scanning the pasture and I had to nudge the guy closest to me and point down and he had the calm to kill it. A.couple more minutes and there is one sitting on the other side 20 ft away and I had to point it out, it died but still the guys thought it was anomaly and we're sure they were going to see one out in the pasture when #3 comes in and sniffs dead #1 he made a get away before they could focus on him. So now they are watching the fence lines close.in and coyote #4 walks across the pasture about 100 yards out where they had been focused when the first three came in under their noses... I had to whisper, "he's out there" both were good shooters and doubled on him. Never count on coyotes to do the right thing

Have fun and good luck.

A public land hint, look for places no coyote hunter would hunt. I've had a lot of places that look unhuntable but a pair of waders will get you to spots that even educated coyotes will come into unafraid because they've always been safe there. Or like the little corner above, right next to the road. Ive posted pics of coyotes kill just far enough from the interstate to be legal. Here we have a lot of tight four strands barbwire that you can't crawl through or under. I carry T-post steps and a piece of carpet to toss over the top wire and hunt un-hunted land right along the road..
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sounds a lot like how I deer hunt! I hunt in the NASTY stuff, or on the edges of it where its somewhat walkable (as in your not on your hands and knees), I was curious on the calling, I see a lot of guys make their own calls or just get a bluetooth speaker, I know you don't want to be to loud with the call cause its just unnatural
 
I agree with doggin coyote, there is a lot of guys that will say high volume will scare them off, in my experience that has not happened I don't typically use high volume to start mostly half or a little above, the time I have started high I have had them run straight to the call now this has been daylight and decoy running and believe me it was hard to stop them, I am sure there are some that will evacuate the county but has not been all of the time for me anyway.

Good Luck, and a warning, IT IS VERY ADDICTING, may cause loss of focus at times and the need to buy more predator hunting gear.
 
I think loud has its place but we're talking about an animal that can hear a mouse doing the "Electric Slide" under a foot of snow, the snap of a safety at a hundred yards.

Here I'd be loud, cattle, wind and any close coyotes would have busted you getting to the stand. I killed one here using the power pole in the distance to break up my silhouette
tizRl9.jpg



Here I would use mild sounds
PnIUhQ.jpg

When your hunting country that has a road every mile, a lot of pressure and everybody blasting Lightning Jack at top volume, mild sounds(maybe quiet was the wrong word) like mentioned seem to peak a coyotes interest.
 
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Mightyhunterr said:
First Post! I’m starting to get into coyote hunting and want to step it up a notch. I’ve got a decent handle on the basics, but I’m trying to learn more about the finer details — when to run certain calls, how to set up based on terrain, and what times of year tend to produce best.
I’m down here in south Mississippi, hunting mostly public land and WMAs, so pressure and terrain definitely play a factor. Haven’t got one yet but me and my buddy have seen several while deer hunting this year. Would love to hear how some of y’all approach calling setups, seasonal patterns, or anything your willing to throw at me.

Appreciate any insight
Click to expand...
Day or night ?

SJC
 
For the above discussion of volume. First call, get their attention (loud) and then back it down from there. If you walked in and didn't scare any coyotes, then the coyotes are still a distance from you. If you were even a little bit close to them, they are gone. Each subsequent call, back it down a little. The name of the game is to get the coyote searching for the call. Always remember, every hunt is a learning experience. Been hunting for 43 years and I still am learning.
 
Incredible hearing, good eyes/nose. At night in the winter, coyote can hear the little squeeze squeaker calls well past 200 yards here. And yes occasionally I start and finish with it.
 
Megalon said:
For the above discussion of volume. First call, get their attention (loud) and then back it down from there. If you walked in and didn't scare any coyotes, then the coyotes are still a distance from you. If you were even a little bit close to them, they are gone. Each subsequent call, back it down a little. The name of the game is to get the coyote searching for the call. Always remember, every hunt is a learning experience. Been hunting for 43 years and I still am learning.
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In thick cover, you aren't likely to know if you spooked any coyotes on the way into a stand site.
 
Megalon said:
For the above discussion of volume. First call, get their attention (loud) and then back it down from there. If you walked in and didn't scare any coyotes, then the coyotes are still a distance from you. If you were even a little bit close to them, they are gone. Each subsequent call, back it down a little. The name of the game is to get the coyote searching for the call. Always remember, every hunt is a learning experience. Been hunting for 43 years and I still am learning.
Click to expand...

i am a coyote calling expert. its the coyotes that are to stupid to realize they should be running right to me :ROFLMAO:
 
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