Let me introduce you to a new Predator Masters member, Rigo. I first got to talk to Rigo when he pm’d me about finding some more resources so that he could learn more about predator hunting. He said that he had been reading on Predator Hunting 101 and just wanted some more information.
Well, I can’t think of a better way for someone to learn coyote hunting than to go out with someone who does it. So being that he and I live not far apart, I volunteered to take him out. We corresponded back and forth a few times to make sure that he had what he needed. Then we scheduled our hunt.
Our schedules worked out such that we were able to hunt on a weekday morning which was good, since the area that I proposed to hunt in tends to be overrun with people on the weekends. From recreational shooters to folks racing around tearing up the desert in side by sides and on dirt bikes, it’s no place for a predator hunter on the weekends.
As you’ll see in the video our first stand was early in the morning just as the sun came up. The wind was right and we slunk in and got set up quietly. Now, I warned Rigo that late March and early April are a bit hard to call successfully. The coyotes have paired up and mated and the females have already either dug dens or at least have staked out their territories. But one thing I know is that you can’t win if you don’t play. It’s a 100% guaranty that you aren’t going to call in a coyote from the couch.
On our first stand, we got a coyote to howl. I did this by throwing in a howl that I don’t normally use. One from the guys at MFK. But we didn’t get the coyote to come in. This was a lot of fun for Rigo since this was his first stand and he got to hear one howl.
We broke down our stand and moved on. On the next couple of stands, the same thing happened. They would howl back with that howl, but they wouldn’t come in. So, I told Rigo about my three strikes rule. Call a stand the same way three times. If nothing shows up, change something. So on our next stand I changed up my call sequence. I traded out my normal howl for the MFK howl, and since I couldn’t get them to commit using my usual prey distress calls, I swapped in prairie dog distress. Sure enough, on the next stand, we had one come in. But something spooked it off and it took off before we were able to get a shot downrange. But now we knew we had a successful recipe.
So on the next stand we moved into an area that I felt could have good denning locations, right on the edge of a big wash with high, soft banks. The wind had reversed itself by this time and we were able to keep the truck out of the wind. We slid in, and got set up, along the edge of a fence line. The wind was blowing towards a very thick brushline and my hope was that the brushline and the fence would funnel coyotes to us.
Hope you enjoy the video...
Mo
Well, I can’t think of a better way for someone to learn coyote hunting than to go out with someone who does it. So being that he and I live not far apart, I volunteered to take him out. We corresponded back and forth a few times to make sure that he had what he needed. Then we scheduled our hunt.
Our schedules worked out such that we were able to hunt on a weekday morning which was good, since the area that I proposed to hunt in tends to be overrun with people on the weekends. From recreational shooters to folks racing around tearing up the desert in side by sides and on dirt bikes, it’s no place for a predator hunter on the weekends.
As you’ll see in the video our first stand was early in the morning just as the sun came up. The wind was right and we slunk in and got set up quietly. Now, I warned Rigo that late March and early April are a bit hard to call successfully. The coyotes have paired up and mated and the females have already either dug dens or at least have staked out their territories. But one thing I know is that you can’t win if you don’t play. It’s a 100% guaranty that you aren’t going to call in a coyote from the couch.
On our first stand, we got a coyote to howl. I did this by throwing in a howl that I don’t normally use. One from the guys at MFK. But we didn’t get the coyote to come in. This was a lot of fun for Rigo since this was his first stand and he got to hear one howl.
We broke down our stand and moved on. On the next couple of stands, the same thing happened. They would howl back with that howl, but they wouldn’t come in. So, I told Rigo about my three strikes rule. Call a stand the same way three times. If nothing shows up, change something. So on our next stand I changed up my call sequence. I traded out my normal howl for the MFK howl, and since I couldn’t get them to commit using my usual prey distress calls, I swapped in prairie dog distress. Sure enough, on the next stand, we had one come in. But something spooked it off and it took off before we were able to get a shot downrange. But now we knew we had a successful recipe.
So on the next stand we moved into an area that I felt could have good denning locations, right on the edge of a big wash with high, soft banks. The wind had reversed itself by this time and we were able to keep the truck out of the wind. We slid in, and got set up, along the edge of a fence line. The wind was blowing towards a very thick brushline and my hope was that the brushline and the fence would funnel coyotes to us.
Hope you enjoy the video...
Mo
