Silent coyotes?

J

Jerryrigged

Active member
So in my area, which I hunt all over the county, very, very seldom do I hear anything from the coyotes. Several spots I hunt are on high points, in previous years I would be walking in or selling up & hear them in various areas around me, off in distance. And then often would answer to my calls. Now recently, no chatter, either on their own or in response to my calls. When they come in, they come in quiet. A friend an hour south of me said they are very vocal around him. Could it be everybody & their brother educating em?
 
I noticed the same thing in 2021 and 2022. We have had good numbers of coyotes, but they have not been talking as much for some reason lately.
 
I almost never hear coyotes vocalize in the forested areas and I know they are in the area because I can see fresh tracks/scat. Up here I believe it is 100% attributable to the presence of wolves who would dearly love to shred them into little pieces.
 
When I use vocals this time of year, most of the time, I don't get any vocals back at me.

When coyotes come in, they come in silent.

My belief is that the coyotes coming in, the silent ones, 'own' the territory I am calling in, whereas the coyotes that vocalize back at me are usually very far away.

I think coyotes are always looking to upgrade their territory to a better one, consisting of better cover, more food, etc. I think this is why they howl early and late in the day. It's to find out who survived that day or night.

I used to have access to a private duck hunting club for coyotes. The club had 710 acres, and I would kill 2-3 coyotes on it most times I went, and I would usually go twice a month, October until mid-April.

This property had such good cover, with lot's of food, that there was always coyotes on it. As they say, 'Nature abhors a vacuum".
 
Oh, so I'm not the only one seeing this. I find it odd because used to hear them communicating a lot, and that coyotes in other areas still are heard a lot.
 
Originally Posted By: jcs271I almost never hear coyotes vocalize in the forested areas and I know they are in the area because I can see fresh tracks/scat. Up here I believe it is 100% attributable to the presence of wolves who would dearly love to shred them into little pieces.

Cougars also. Don't hear them when I'm calling in an area where they are working.
 
this time of year I get vocal responses often and if they vocally respond, they will also physically respond, just a matter of time.
 
This year vocalizations seemed lower, but harvest numbers were normal. Also noticed baiting seemed "slower". Longer periods to get a bait started, slower for returning activity after a kill.
 
can’t say I’ve heard them any less this year but I definitely have always had more come in silent.

Songdog there are many times when I’m calling that I have a pair start howling after I mute the call for a minute or so. I guess you would call it yips and howls. Sounds like one coyote doing some long howls and then another one starts yipping and screeching. They are usually about 3 to 400 away and out of sight in a wooded area. I have tried waiting for over 10 minutes and nothing. Other times, I have tried subordinate female in response and no action. I didn’t play a challenge howl because their howling really didn’t sound all that aggressive. Do you think I should remain silent and just wait longer and they’ll come in silent?
 
Jerry I hunt in NE Ohio and the dogs here do seem to really only be vocal during the Jan/Feb breeding season. Around Mid March they will "sound off" as group or pairs on their own, and rarely "reply" to howls. We've had best luck with "intruder" sounds. Sometimes they will reply with "attitude" sounding responses and my belief is that ONLY the "resident" coyotes will come to investigate the source. This late in season when they are paired, I try to figure what the audience is by throwing out a Territorial Female Bark Howl..If I get a Pair responding, I try a challenge howl, and wait. no show, I do some Male Barks..That usually provokes a territorial pair or an Alpha male/female out hunting his turf. If I hear a group I try to go to something non confrontational, like a young howl and after 5 mins a lower volume distress sound. Many say it's ineffective late season, but IMHO it plays on the "competition" for food nature of the group having to fight for food in between territories of the pairs.

FWIW- You have to be a good caller who tells a believable story to intentionally kill coyotes in our area. I think that a lot has to do with the huge amount of constant pressure from people's backyards during deer season up to Feb. and the large quantity of newbies "giving it a try" (aka educating them) when deer season ends. With the rise in popularity of night hunting due to lower priced optics etc, the dogs getter more and more cautious proportional to the pressure. If I drive 25 miles South to (where houses are miles apart instead of 100's of yards apart)...you can kill 2-3 a night using a generic Foxpro Rabbit Distress sound...lol But up here, you have to play chess with them to even have a remote chance of success..
 
Thanks! I do think a lot of em around here have been called. I try to be very selective, try to make them curious enough to come looking. I do spend a lot of time sitting in silence, watching & listening. I hunt all over Stark County, so never far from civilization.
 
Sometimes it seams every night they calling and answering from 2,3,4, directions, then nothing, but still tracks in the snow and pictures on my camera so still around. No pattern that I can see, but come to think of it, turkey gobbling seems to sometimes be the same way.
 
IME the best approach for "talkers" is pick one of the groups and gain access closer to where they are answering from. Once inside their territory run an "Intruder" sequence playing on their territorial nature. Then go after the others in the same way.
 
Originally Posted By: JerryriggedThanks! I do think a lot of em around here have been called. I try to be very selective, try to make them curious enough to come looking. I do spend a lot of time sitting in silence, watching & listening. I hunt all over Stark County, so never far from civilization.

I live in Stark and also hunt in Portage, Mahoning, and Columbiana Counties.
You're probably the one educating them all...lol

I PM'd you my number in case you want to join forces sometime.
 
Thanks Driven, no night hunting here with lights or thermal, moon only so I seldom bother. I hit most of these spots in daylight, and kill a few, Its mostly woods here, so its tight, and I know I call a lot I never see. Access isn't a problem, in fact a reputation for killing coyotes has opened up some good deer hunting for me.
 
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