What am I doing wrong?

C

CB23

New member
So I just picked up coyote hunting this summer when I bought a tikka t3 lite in .223. I’ve hunted my whole life. I’ve come to realize song dogs are much harder than deer turkey and every other small furry creature I’ve come across.

Equipment: tikka t3 .223. Redfield revolution 3x9x40 (as soon as I put it on a vortex 4x12x50 will be put on it) Adjustable bipod, small seat maybe 4 in high, scent killer, Foxpro deadbone. So my call choices are limited. I’m saving up money for a better model. So advice on that would be greatly appreciated.

I have around 700 acres I have permission from landowners to hunt on in SW Michigan which is mostly fields orchards (some clean cut and some overgrown) and woods between 5 to 20 acres.

I only hunt when the wind is in my favor, either cross or in much face and try to always have a line of sight downwind. I try to set up with the sun at my back and always with a backdrop behind me of some kind with camo from head to toe including my face and hands. Now I know there’s dogs out there. I have plenty of trailcam pics or personally heard them or been told by land owners they are out there except I’ve never called in a single one.

So maybe my call sequencing is bad? Any tips of any kind would be greatly appreciated.
 
I’ve hunted early morning mid day and late afternoon till I couldn’t see. I’d like to hunt at night but I need someone to work the light. My huntin buddies all live out of town so getting a light guy has been difficult
 
You may be doing everything perfect but right now is tough hunting. They have been harassed for a long period. Plus this is often the beginning of a lull before mating season.
700 acres sounds like a lot and may get you a dog or two now and then. 700 acres might be one set here.
They have already heard the dying rabbit and are tired of it.
Good equipment list there
 
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Ya the 700 here in Michigan, where I’m at seems pretty solid. Most spots tend to be at least a quarter mile or so from each other with a couple being 5 plus miles away. Out west, with so much more open land on ranches and such I know a lot of the guys have a lot more land at there disposal. Here though the largest individual lot I have is 178 acres. Across the street I have another 40 acres. I’m smart enough to know I’m after the same group of dogs between the 2.
 
Get set quietly, from the walk in to the getting comfy.

Let the area settle, in the woods I wait till the birds start chirping or 3-5 minutes. Set up with something behind you, a bush works better then a tree. Seems a coyote can pick out tree cancer.

Use a distress sound barely loud enough for you to hear from 40-75 yards(how close I usually set up to my call) and run it for a few minutes. On my icotec that’s 1 power. Then I go to 3-4 power. At about 15-25 minutes I’ll flip to pup distress on 6-7, max power. Let it run 5-10 minutes then shut it off and wait.

Nothing at 30 minutes get up and move 1/4 mile or more. That’s only 400 something yards. I prefer 600 or more.

Tips: set up so there’s easy approaches for a coyote and sit so you can see them with the least amount of head movement.
Only move your head, and even then try not to move much.
Put the remote down but within minimal reach after setting volume.
Low magnification kills more dogs, they’ll pop up at 30 yards and be gone in seconds
Don’t shoot a running dog unless he doesn’t stop after some barks/yips
Be confident before shooting. If you miss he’ll be much harder next time
Scan ranges while letting the area settle, know your DOPE for hold overs

I got more last year with a $80 icotec and 12 sounds then a FoxPro with 150 sounds. Some guys here use just a couple hand calls. Use what you have but learn the set up before adding more calls. Rabbit distress is over used because it still works great!
 
And on the rabbit calls, should I just avoid them and stick with woodpecker, fawn and nuthatch distress? From what I know there isn’t much pressure on them around here. There’s some trappers and the farmers will take a shot at them when the opportunity is there but not actively hunting them. How long should I play a sound before I mute? Or how long should I stay muted?
 
Ya I went out today and didn’t pick a good entrance into the woods, some prickles snagged me and made too much noise so I just turned around and walked out. I’ll need to do some more scouting once deer season ends, find the most likely routes they would use. And bushwhack some routes to calling spots. That might be a problem of mine. I’m setting up blind sometimes. Not sure what my set up looks like from their point of view? What looks good sitting down might be totally blown from the other side I suppose. Jan 1st is the last day of deer season so on the second I’ll be out again, spend a couple days walking all over the land and really thinking about what they might do rather than picking random spots that just seem good
 
The best advice I can give for educated coyotes is slip in by walking into the wind, get set and play a non aggressive (female long, lone or yodel) howl at the loudest volume your call sounds clear at. Let it run its full sequence (should be just a few seconds) then keep quiet for 7-8 minutes. No other sound. After the 7-8 minutes, play the same sound again. Repeat this for 3-4 cycles.

I have killed a lot of unkillable coyotes with that play.
 
At all costs have the high ground advantage,even if its a foot above ground level,much easier to see them against the snow covered ridges and hills and boy do they come in fast.mostly at the last minute of light,so fast that you wonder if you really called one in or if you are seeing things. I always use coyote pup distress as the last sound of the set. good luck
 
Listen to the birds, specifically crows and magpies, as you walk into an area. If you hear them kicking up a fuss the coyotes have spotted you and are moving out ahead of you. The birds are watching them leave and alerting other wildlife to their movement. Trying to call dogs this wary is an exercise in futility. You don't say if the 700 acres are yours alone to hunt or if others are hunting them as well. If other people hunt it as well this is a tough time of the year to chase coyotes. They have probably been called or shot at and they find people to be unfriendly. Waiting 2-3 weeks until the rut starts may be a good idea. Calling sex crazy dogs is a lot easier than calling some who were just shot at when they tried to find a dying rabbit.

Best of luck and don't get discouraged!!
 
Only hunting done there is deer and occasionally a guy comes and hunts rabbits with his beagle. I’m sure the farmers who own the different lots shoot at them when they get a chance but none of them actively hunt them
 
In your area the coyote could have a territory of 2000-3000 acres. I often find that small property may have coyote sign but the coyote may not be on it for several days(or nights) and they may be 2-3 miles away from your setup. The wind, weather, biological cycle,and food sources all play apart of when coyote visit or pass through property that is a part of their overall territory. Bait will often make visits to small portions of a coyotes area more predictable and frequent. During the day,for most of the year,coyote have a preferred bedding area. During the active breeding cycle that may change or hunting pressure can alter it. If you are randomly calling small pieces of a coyotes overall territory, you are basically cold calling and coyote response is really luck or chance. Scout, read tracks, do your best to figure out the main travel routes. And be careful with setups so you kill and not educate them. Regional climate and land use will change coyote behavior.
 
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