Tucson area hunting - Heading out for the first time!

And don't hammer the same area over and over. We usually call an area once a season, then lay off it. In areas where eveybody and their brother go call, it gets pretty lean. not that they take all the animals, they just get call wise, and less responsive.

Get on google earth, and satellite scout. Saves time and fuel. As Bushman said, more stand=more animals. It's like a batting average. An AZGFD biologist told me that predators are successful 20% of the time, and you are a predator. That DOESN'T mean that you are going to go 5 stands and get something. You could go 99 stands with nothing, and get 20 on the next stand.

Pay attention when you are going into a stand, look for tracks, and scat. That will tell you what predators are in the area, and what prey animals are in the area. That helps to determine what calls are going to work the best. If you do go into an area that has gotten a lot of pressure, try a off the wall call, something that they probably have not heard.

I am with Bushman, you don't really need to hike for miles, I have had coyotes and foxes charge right past the truck to get to us, just watch you noise level when you get out of your vehicle. The sound of a car door slamming carries a long way. You could burn yourself before you even get out to your stand, even if you are hiking in.
 
Originally Posted By: bignastySnowmanMo


when you say an area how big is that area

we hunt off Arivaca rd which is a huge area



We pull stands every mile or so. So if I have pulled a stand within that 1 mile area, I will usually leave it alone till next season. But even hitting a stand every mile, there is still a LOT of desert that you can still cover. I just don't go back to the same stand over and over. That just doesn't pay off. I will go back to a stand that I have spotted cats and foxes, they don't tend to learn as fast as coyotes. And Bushman and I have gone back into areas that we have seen coyotes, but have not been busted by them or have thrown shots at them, and that has worked. So be patient, if you can't get a good shot, don't take one, just lay low and let them get out without spooking them too bad, then you might be bale to come back later in the season and have some luck. But guys that go back time and time again just get frustrated.
 
I do things similar to others on this thread. I expect to call in critters for about a half mile radius from my stand in areas with thick desert vegetation. I give them about 15 minutes to get there. If none show up, I move down the road a mile or so and try again. The direction I walk from the vehicle depends on wind direction so my scent cone blows toward the vehicle. I set up my stands far enough away from the vehicle so it cannot be seen which is usually around 200 yards. I might return to the same areas I have previously called days or weeks later because animals move around. Good Luck!
 
All the info is very appreciated! If I get a chance to head out this weekend I will update with any changes, and hopefully a kill!
 
Originally Posted By: Wldcat10All the info is very appreciated! If I get a chance to head out this weekend I will update with any changes, and hopefully a kill!
We will want to see pictures of your trophy coyote.
 
SnowmanMo said:
And don't hammer the same area over and over. We usually call an area once a season, then lay off it. In areas where eveybody and their brother go call, it gets pretty lean. not that they take all the animals, they just get call wise, and less responsive.

Get on google earth, and satellite scout. Saves time and fuel. As Bushman said, more stand=more animals. It's like a batting average. An AZGFD biologist told me that predators are successful 20% of the time, and you are a predator. That DOESN'T mean that you are going to go 5 stands and get something. You could go 99 stands with nothing, and get 20 on the next stand.

Pay attention when you are going into a stand, look for tracks, and scat. That will tell you what predators are in the area, and what prey animals are in the area. That helps to determine what calls are going to work the best. If you do go into an area that has gotten a lot of pressure, try a off the wall call, something that they probably have not heard.

I am with Bushman, you don't really need to hike for miles, I have had coyotes and foxes charge right past the truck to get to us, just watch you noise level when you get out of your vehicle. The sound of a car door slamming carries a long way. You could burn yourself before you even get out to your stand, even if you are hiking in.
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Definitely listen to the AZGFD and USDA biologists. Also I remember buying some plat maps from the BLM office (outside of AZ) and they were a wealth of knowledge of yote sightings.

Agree with the noise from your vehicle. Also watch when crossing fences, a USDA biologist I used to hunt with called the fences 'prairie harps'

Get inside their heads.... Your entering their domain, your visiting. Your coming with less than 1% of knowledge to their 99%. Tell a story with your calls, don't just 'play the music' - Randy Anderson would always start with a howl to wake them up. When it comes to volume; less is more! Play a sound.... Wait a minute or two. Play something else. Think story: A howl [pause] a rabbit distress [pause] violently distressed rabbit. Learn the different howls.

Do not rely on a electronic call.... Everyone and their brother has one. And with the same sounds you may have. Also, do not underestimate calls that may sound strange. A baby crying is a good one. There are many others. Worth a shot for those stands that don't produce. And remember there is more than one yote in your area. Is it easier to go to another stand or wait another 5 minutes or so in the same spot. Coyotes are generally in small groups, just not next to each other.

I am a seasoned Dakota coyote hunter, although I have not hunted them in Arizona (long story) while I lived here for the last handful of years, but thought I would share. A coyote is a coyote is a coyote... but ours up north have awesome pelts! ;)
 
While this post is thirteen years old it is still fun to read I usually make a pilgrimage to AZ once a year, sometimes for a day or two or a week to chase coyotes, fox and javelin if I get a tag. AZ has a lot of great camping and alot of it free or low cost. I want to take my boat over there and fish and hunt lake Mohave some day. I've camped north of Bullhead city, near Searchlight and up at Willow Beach.
 
Didn’t notice it was 13 years old. I was about to comment that some of those areas mentioned are hit hard by hunters. Halfway between Phoenix and Tucson is only an hour away from hunters in both towns, not to mention hunters from Maricopa, Casa Grande, Coolidge, Florence, and others.
 
You might want to try South of Three Forks, there are some Palo Verde tickets in there that nobody used to call, they are all looking for places they can see a coyote a half mile off. I used to do well down on the refuge, check to see if you can still hunt coyotes on the refuge. I kill coyotes every year in the brush NW of Douglas, state and BLM is patchwork in there so have good info. There was some to me good looking area south of I-8 west of Casa Grande that I always wanted to get into.

Last year we called in three fox and a coyote east of Florence and south of Superior in the hills while hunting javelina.

Hopes that helps.
 
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AWS said:
There was some to me good looking area south of I-8 west of Casa Grande that I always wanted to get into.
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Well documented drug trafficking corridor. I would find myself spending more time looking for 2 legged critters instead of 4 legged critters.
 
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