Hunting & Fishing First coyote hunt - lessons learned

[Red Ryder]

Some of you may recall that about 3 months back, I posted a question asking whether a ghillie or some other form of camo was required for coyote. Yesterday, I went out for groundhogs and in Pennsylvania, law requires the hunter to wear a flourescent orange hat and a vest or shirt. I was also carrying a 16lb tactical rifle in an AICS stock and bipods.

I was using a Foxpro (can't remember the model) that I'd purchased 2nd hand off another forum. I'd never hunted coyote before and so I really had my head up my butt. I placed the call about 100 yds away. As it turns out, I should have put it about 150 yds away and in a location with clear ground around it. Not knowing which call I should start with, I hit the male coyote call. No results. Then the coyote Ki-yi call. No results. Then...I selected the coyote pup distress call. I kid you not when I write that it was not even 5 minutes before a coyote came charging and I'm serious when I say it was charging toward the call.

I've hunted in this area all my life and I've never seen one coyote. I was as surprised as could be when I saw that coyote running at me. Unfortunately for me, I had put the call in a low place in the field and there was a hump between me and the call. That coyote ran here, it ran there, it ran everywhere. And with a 16lb rifle I simply wasn't able to handle the gun fast enough to bring it to bear. I suppose you could say I had "rifle erectile dysfunction." Danged gun was just so heavy I couldn't keep it (the rifle) up in firing position.

And I must admit, I had a case of coyote fever. I mean I was stunned at how soon after I'd hit that pup distress call the coyote came. AND I was hunting at <span style="text-decoration: underline">11:15 AM</span>! Never figured I'd see a coyote out at that time of day. Plus, as I said above, I'd never seen a coyote out there so I was only 1/2 believing that anything would show in the first place.

So, the lessons I learned were these:

1) I indeed do NOT need camo.
2) Put the call where it can be seen so that when the coyote starts buzzing around it, a clear shot is available.
3) Use a lightweight, manuverable rifle or at least place the call at a great enough distance and in such a location to utilize a heavy tactical rifle.
4) ALWAYS set up in such a manner that I could use a tree trunk or fallen log or something to support the rifle. Though I must say, vegetation and terrain features did not lend themselves to this. But since they didn't I should have selected another site.
5) ALWAYS believe that if I'm hunting something, that the animal CAN show up.

I made some rookie mistakes today. Common sense mistakes. Being surprised was the first. Good thing this was not a military ambush situation or I wouldn't be writing this.

 

[RebelYell]

Re: First coyote hunt - lessons learned

Sounds like they were lessons well learned. Good luck the next time.

I never hunted coyote like that,actually ,I have never even shot a coyote unless I was in a moving truck. Just be careful, dang laws prohibit drinking while driving here.

 

[BgBmBoo]

Re: First coyote hunt - lessons learned

Well you are off to a good start. half the battle is just getting them to come to the call.

This time of year the pup in distress works very well cause this is the time of year for pups.
Next time start out with a rabbit in distress.

You are 100% right about the cammo. I gave up on cammo about my third time out hunting yotes. They see movement really well...so just sit still. Try and put yourself down wind of the call....they rely heavily on their nose. If you can sit up against a tree, bush, or big rock, I find that works well for me.

Stick with it...coyote hunting is a blast.

Take care,Stan

 

[Whoshotya]

Re: First coyote hunt - lessons learned

Hmmmm... Thanks for the confirmation on the pup distress tactic. Sounds like a good idea this time of year. I may give that a try. Or could it have been the combination and sequence of all the calls? Whats some of the more experienced "Easterner" yote callers think?

 

[ut755ln]

Re: First coyote hunt - lessons learned

I am not an eastener but I have found moving the calls works well as does alternating the calls. We have a remote controlled speaker with 40 calls and I have had particular luck with distressed cotton tails, coyote pups, females in heat and mail challenge calls. If we don't pull any in during the first 30 minutes we move the call a couple hundred yards and start up again.

 

[Red Ryder]

Re: First coyote hunt - lessons learned

I tried to take into account the time of day. Now I'm not a coyote expert like some but I figured certain calls were more appropriate for certain times of the day - like the coyote Ki-yi call. Also, I didn't think that a coyote here in Pennsylvania would have ever heard a baby pig distress or feeding pigs sounds since we don't have them, yet.

 

[skinney_7]

Re: First coyote hunt - lessons learned

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RedRyder</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Also, I didn't think that a coyote here in Pennsylvania would have ever heard a baby pig distress or feeding pigs sounds since we don't have them, yet. </div></div>
I've had many coyotes respond to animal distress sounds that don't particularly live in our region, might be worth a try... don't rule out the camo... when hunting smart dogs, you'll need every advantage you can get... a dog doesn't come in on one sense... they have great vision, smell and hearing, when you beat all three, and can hold the x-hairs still enough to make a good shot, then your kill ratio will increase.

 

[Fred_C_Dobbs]

Re: First coyote hunt - lessons learned

Coyotes are extremely cagey -- smarter than domestic dogs -- which leads to them having very distinct personalities. Which makes them very individualistic and very unpredictable. So there are rules of thumb but no one seems to have read in the 'yotes to these rules.

It's been my experience that they tend to show themselves at midday more when there's a full moon. My thinking is they're hunting under the full moon, napping/resting 10 hours or so, then starting over. When there's less illum from the moon, they hunt more at dusk and dawn and chill out through the dark of night and the midday.

Except there's always those that ignore the rules of thumb.

I live in the east, too, and 'yote hunting range typically is less than 100 yards. Every coyote I ever have seen in the wild has seen me too. And I wear camo head to toe, incl. mask and gloves. The ones I'm able to kill just don't manage to figure out I'm a threat before I get the shot off.

Smell is altogether another matter. If their nose says "Run!", they don't ask "Huh?" until they're the next county over.

You might want to buy or build a bipod. Every 'yote hunter I know uses one religiously. I have a monopod I usually use. They're a little pricier but the whole rig is easier to swing than a bipod if I have to make a 90° move.

Mating season is mid winter to early spring so depending on when the mating began where you are, you're either late in the whelping season or they've begun the weaning. Conventional wisdom is that mom and dad spend a lot of time in the den with the whelps until the weaning begins, then the hunting activity picks up. But small game also is plentiful in the spring, and they're keen on protecting the whelps from other 'yotes, so prey distress calls tend to be less effective and coyote sounds like dominant male challenges moreso. I do tend to use more calls like pups in distress this time of year but they still come to ol' Lightnin' Jack from time to time. In fact, Lighntin' Jack is my most productive call despite the fact there are no jackrabbits here. All of which goes to the point that what passes for wisdom to a coyote ain't so conventional.

 

[Guest]

Re: First coyote hunt - lessons learned

Call 100 yrds out? Ur call needs to b about 30 yrds out, when one hangs up u dont want to take a 2-3-4 hundred yrd shot if not needed.

 

[KJMOC]

Re: First coyote hunt - lessons learned

Good story. You can call them almost to your muzzle if you are downwind from them. I don't buy into "they're real smart" thing (at least my experience doesn't lead me to believe it) but if they smell you, they are gone.

Also, a short bark can and will most times freeze them for a few seconds to get a shot off. I'm no real hunter but do love eradicating varmints any opportunity I get. Coyote shooting is a f-ing blast, no pun intended.

 

[skinney_7]

Re: First coyote hunt - lessons learned

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: KJMOC</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I don't buy into "they're real smart" thing

I'm no real hunter but do love eradicating varmints any opportunity I get. Coyote shooting is a f-ing blast, no pun intended. </div></div>

so you don't think a coyote gets educated ie. call shy, gun/shot shy??? since you said your a varmint hunter not a predator hunter, have you ever rolled into a prairie dog town thats had guys throwin lead @ dirt dogs for a couple days straight??? if/when you do, as soon as you show up, you "might" get one shot off, then everythings gone, all hole'd up... even "stupid" varmints get educated to the sound of a vehicle or gun shots. Now you go Predator hunting in an area no has called for a year or possibly the area has never been called, you'll see some pretty damn dumb dogs, or i guess you could just call them "uneducated" you still need to get to your set & set up correctly, but the chances your gonna have dog on ya fast and hard are good, same applies to a virgin prairie dog town... have plenty of ammo cause you could be in for hours of kill shots.

 

[Guest]

Re: First coyote hunt - lessons learned

Skinney is correct, Iv been coyote hunting for 15 yrs, they are very smart and can b educated very easy, I have been after a big red female for over a year, 1 shot over her back has led to 3 encounters with a educated coyote sneeking in and leaving w her life.

 

[Fred_C_Dobbs]

Re: First coyote hunt - lessons learned

Forgot to address the blaze orange bit.

All dogs (canids) have less of an ability to see colors than humans. Most of the "hardware" in a coyote's eye is built for detecting motion in very low light, so there's not much that's left over for distinguishing colors. The spread of colors they see in full daylight is about like what a human sees at twilight, except they see everything in shades of yellow and blue. But they still have extremely sharp acuity, which is why some companies offer orange camouflage.

The black patterns on the orange helps to break up the outline. Coyotes are completely unable to see the color green so what appears red, orange, yellow, or green to us all looks like shades of yellow to them.


My first set of homemade shooting sticks were made from fiberglass electric fence poles. I got two poles and a bag of castrating bands at the Co-Op for less than $6, tax and all. I wrapped camo duct tape on the sticks both to guard against the glass splinters they tend to give up when they age, and to break up the stick's straight lines. I use the castrating bands to lash them together. Castrating bands are much stronger than regular rubber bands, and more resistant to rotting from ozone and sunlight. IIRC, I stole the idea from this guy. The fuel hose is optional.

 

[KJMOC]

Re: First coyote hunt - lessons learned

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: skinney</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: KJMOC</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I don't buy into "they're real smart" thing

I'm no real hunter but do love eradicating varmints any opportunity I get. Coyote shooting is a f-ing blast, no pun intended. </div></div>

so you don't think a coyote gets educated ie. call shy, gun/shot shy??? since you said your a varmint hunter not a predator hunter, have you ever rolled into a prairie dog town thats had guys throwin lead @ dirt dogs for a couple days straight??? if/when you do, as soon as you show up, you "might" get one shot off, then everythings gone, all hole'd up... even "stupid" varmints get educated to the sound of a vehicle or gun shots. Now you go Predator hunting in an area no has called for a year or possibly the area has never been called, you'll see some pretty damn dumb dogs, or i guess you could just call them "uneducated" you still need to get to your set & set up correctly, but the chances your gonna have dog on ya fast and hard are good, same applies to a virgin prairie dog town... have plenty of ammo cause you could be in for hours of kill shots. </div></div>

Like I said, I'm not a hunter in the sense some of you gents are. I've done a little coyote thinning and in my experience, it's been easy relative to the limited "other hunting" I've done. If someone is blowing up a spot day in and day out, I suppose any animal would vacate the area. I don't necessarily think that makes them "smart" per se however, you seem to have much more experience in this area so I will defer to your call. I was only sharing my admittedly limited experience.

 

[skinney_7]

Re: First coyote hunt - lessons learned

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: KJMOC</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: skinney</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: KJMOC</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I don't buy into "they're real smart" thing

I'm no real hunter but do love eradicating varmints any opportunity I get. Coyote shooting is a f-ing blast, no pun intended. </div></div>

so you don't think a coyote gets educated ie. call shy, gun/shot shy??? since you said your a varmint hunter not a predator hunter, have you ever rolled into a prairie dog town thats had guys throwin lead @ dirt dogs for a couple days straight??? if/when you do, as soon as you show up, you "might" get one shot off, then everythings gone, all hole'd up... even "stupid" varmints get educated to the sound of a vehicle or gun shots. Now you go Predator hunting in an area no has called for a year or possibly the area has never been called, you'll see some pretty damn dumb dogs, or i guess you could just call them "uneducated" you still need to get to your set & set up correctly, but the chances your gonna have dog on ya fast and hard are good, same applies to a virgin prairie dog town... have plenty of ammo cause you could be in for hours of kill shots. </div></div>

Like I said, I'm not a hunter in the sense some of you gents are. I've done a little coyote thinning and in my experience, it's been easy relative to the limited "other hunting" I've done. If someone is blowing up a spot day in and day out, I suppose any animal would vacate the area. I don't necessarily think that makes them "smart" per se however, you seem to have much more experience in this area so I will defer to your call. I was only sharing my admittedly limited experience. </div></div>
na, man i completely understand your point... in some areas they just aren't hunted that hard and are easier to call and kill, but the areas that are hunted hard the coyotes become "smarter" and are able elude the hunter... every spot/area is different... the more people who explain their personal experiences hunting, the more info the op can take into acct... experienced hunter or not.

 

[Guest]

Re: First coyote hunt - lessons learned

They get educated fast on public land especially, with deer, rabbit, other hunters going in and out they learn sounds and smells quick.

 

[badseed]

Re: First coyote hunt - lessons learned

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RedRyder</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Danged gun was just so heavy I couldn't keep it (the rifle) up in firing position.

</div></div>

Don't they make a pill for that? LOL

 

[Red Ryder]

Re: First coyote hunt - lessons learned

I've been trying to think of a funny take off on "viagra" but can't think of anything!

+1 on the bipod idea. With a 16lb rifle though, I'd better look at a tripod set up. Ah gees, MORE weight to hump!

 

[gonzaga]

Re: First coyote hunt - lessons learned

The time off day has less of an effect compared to the sound that you were using. Coyotes are very protective of their young and their territory. I use a decoy dog to hunt coyotes, and a coyote will come in to kill or run off anything that is in their territory. Coyotes are moving and hunting all day long.

I would suggest using a bipod and/or shooting sticks, it will greatly improve your success. I live out West where we hunt in the wide open, so we shoot prone most of the time. My son shot his first coyote this February at 286 yds, laying prone and using a bipod.

Keep at em though, I wouldn't give up on the whole camo thing. It doesn't take long for coyotes to get smart.

 

[Sportin Wood]

Re: First coyote hunt - lessons learned

If you had a bipod why not go prone??

 

[Killswitch Engage]

Re: First coyote hunt - lessons learned

why dont you throw one of these together for 20bucks or so and you can throw your 16lb rifle up on it any where. then you have a really solid platform and the whole thing weighs 1.5lb or so

 

[skinney_7]

Re: First coyote hunt - lessons learned

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: StanwoodSpartan</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If you had a bipod why not go prone?? </div></div>
easier said than done... if u see the coyote befor you get set up and start calling, and you can make the shot its easier prone... but when you have a hard charger or a circling dog... prone don't work that well when you need to make a quick pivot...

 

[Red Ryder]

Re: First coyote hunt - lessons learned

I would Killswitch but I can't recognize what I'm seeing in that pic. It appears there is a standard camera tripod there. But the part that the rifle is sitting on and how it's attached to the tripod is unrecognizable.