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Coyote hunting 101

petey

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Coyote hunting 101
« on: December 16, 2010, 05:32:43 PM »
Okay, so here in CT, there's not a lot of hunting to be done. We have a deer season, turkey, waterfowl, upland bird but only where stocked, and small game.  I keep hearing about how the coyote population is on the rise and I've had friends with them in their backyards.  One of my hunting grounds always has prints in the snow and I have seen them on trailcams pointed at gutpiles.

As you all know, I'm new to hunting of all sorts.  I am interested in getting out for some coyote hunting.  Where does one begin??  Let see, land.. check. I've seen sign there. Several plots totaling 700acres.   Rifle, check. i'm using a .243 with all sorts  of handloads to try out from 55gr gameking to 85gr hollow points.  The part I'm iffy on  is the calling and such.
I would be hunting hardwoods with an open field or frozen lake.  I have a couple of mouth calls. They are much cheeper than the electronic ones that get mixed reviews.  I want to make sure this is a realistic idea before I commit to a good electronic call. 
So given my resources (and lack of anyone that hunts coyotes locally) where do  I start?  What time is best to try? Early morning, evening, or midday??  I've read online info on calling but I'm still not totally sure.  What kind of stance should I be in?  Treestand, camo at the edge of the field, blind? 

I figure i will combine my time to include ice fishing and some target practice if I dont call in any coyotes.  This will allow for plenty of trial and error, but any advice on how to start would be really cool. 

ffree

Re: Coyote hunting 101
« Reply #1 on: December 16, 2010, 06:01:46 PM »
Coyote hunting is like gold prospecting, coyotes are where you find them. Once you get to where you want to try a stand, don't slam car doors and the time for talking is over. The best thing to do is put in your time calling, don't call to much or to loud at first, and try to sound like you are a rabbit that just got hit by a car. That dog is going to try to get a whiff of you before he gets to close to where he hears the call coming from. Once you get set up don't move around, he could be right behind you. Use your eyes without moving your head. Give him a chance to get close enough for a decent shot. I have probably killed more with a shotgun than with a rifle. Time of day to hunt, mornings and evenings, but I have shot them all day. Don't take a bad shot if you miss all you have done is educate them and he or she won't be back. It make take a few trips before you get one or even get one to come to the call. I make notes of all my trips, where, weather, time of day, time of year, etc. Pretty soon it all spells out a pattern. Good Luck and good calling

hunter dude

Re: Coyote hunting 101
« Reply #2 on: December 16, 2010, 07:38:20 PM »
i have yotes in my back yard i have shot them at different time of the day i have it ez i just walk in y back yars see them across the field and shoot them with my son's 243 useing a 100 gr silver ballestic tip i have killed two this way and one with 00 buck sitting over a gut pile with my shotgun my son's dog was attacked and lost her front leg i hate yotes with a pasion when ever i see one here at home or on the lease it's one dead dog they realize they are getting hunted cause they started comeing out at night here but i can see and shoot a few still during the day good try new stuff but most of all have fungood luck hunting
« Last Edit: December 16, 2010, 07:42:54 PM by hunter dude »

zonie

Re: Coyote hunting 101
« Reply #3 on: December 16, 2010, 07:52:38 PM »
Petey :  I personally like mouth calls Haydells govn's call with rabbit and squeeker is a good one as are most ,  I like lohman calls also.   I do use a cheesey tape player I have had for years with external speaker and Johnny Strewart tapes. I also like taking a piece of fur or something very light that blows in the wind, even some turkey feathers tied to a wire stake and set it in the ground out in front of you 30 40 yds away if possible.  Something that will catch their eyes and focus in on.

The main thing with yote calling is head to toe camo, no smoking, no moving around  if at all,  use your eyes.  I prefer to sit on the ground with me backed into a big bush as far as I can get or my back leaning against a tree. Watch the wind.try and set up your shooting lane with the wind in your face.   The dogs will sometimes circle so be prepared.  Normally we drive the roads and look for canyons or heavy areas and park the truck 1 /4 mile away or so and walk in quietly.  No talking and no jacking a round in the chamber.  I prefer to start with the call very low at first then build up to it's extremely loud .  The yote's will zero in on you within about 2 or 3 degrees, they have a very keen since of direction.  I don't call non-stop at least when calling on low. Yote's get very educated with calls so vary your calls from stand to stand.  Bob cats and Lion are very sneaky so it may take 30 minutes or longer, be patient.   Yote's I'm not very impatient as with fox, and will usually stop in 15 minutes or so and move to another location.  Early morning or late evening with my preference right a daylight.  If it's a nice long road or good  open area I may walk for a couple miles and call every 1/4.  If not I will drive to where I think would be a good spot.  Don't discount near town these dogs have a habit of snagging  the neighbors cats.  

Yote calling can be a great rush expecially multiple dogs coming in from across a wide area like a freight train non- stop.  If they stop and hang up after watching them come in SHOOT.   You are busted.  My new favorite rifle is an AR-15 in open areas for this reason multiple dogs and fast shooting.  I don't really like calling alone in my area because of Mtn Lions,  Bears will come in also but they don't bother me too much.  When I'm using a rifle in really open areas I like to use a high bipod and leave it set up at the ready.  Shot guns I just leave on my lap.  Whatever is comfortable for you.  This is not a place for nice shiny fancy guns. I get so anal about it gloves and face mask.  Basically like you are Turkey hunting.  

A couple of my friends use Savage 24's over under combo guns shotgun/rifle scope mounted usually 12 ga # 4's and 223.  If they come in so close just point down the barrel and let loose with the 12 ga.  Your senses will be on max volume especially here,  and they will come up from behind,  just don't move.  Where I get screwed up is when they come in to my right and can't swing fast enough.  My wife got really pissed at me one day when I took her out I had her sitting in back of me a few yards (mistake) and the dog came up and couldn't figure out what she was and was sniffing  and breathing on her.  She lost it !!!  by the time she screamed  all I saw was the little doggy at warp nine. If you do hunt with a partner be side by side a few yds apart.  I don't get them to come in every time even though I can hear they yoteling.  Like I said they get real educated especially from the same old calls.  Here we have Yote's contests various off hunting times in the year it's like a 20 dollar buy in and 3 points for bobcats, 2 for fox and 1 for Yote's usually runs 2 weeks to a month.  It's kind of cool, hard to do with a lot of pressure.   Once you get one to come in it's all over you are hooked.   Ron  

 

Re: Coyote hunting 101
« Reply #4 on: December 16, 2010, 08:17:09 PM »
Petey:Ron won't lead you astray.I have never had good luck and am still learning.We can legally hunt at nite in Texas with spotlights and most have come then with Johnny Stewart calls on my cheapo cassette.
Roger
Faster horses,younger women,older whiskey,and more money.

zonie

Re: Coyote hunting 101
« Reply #5 on: December 16, 2010, 08:54:02 PM »
Roger :  My buddie just called his son took a 9 point whitail near Sterling 217 # field dressed.  Not sure when he got it last couple of weeks I  guess .  Said no deer at all in the drought area we were talking about. Will be on the road tommorow in Houston on Sat evening.  Snowing in town will see how the roads are in the morning.  Ron 

petey

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Re: Coyote hunting 101
« Reply #6 on: December 17, 2010, 05:37:51 AM »
Thank you guys.   I'm not afraid to ask here becasue I know people will steer me in the right direction.  Right not I'm not willing to stop hunting just because deer and pheasant seasons are over.  Its good to hear that mouth calls are good to use.  I've felt that I can build a better electronic call with spare parts round the workshop and an mp3 player.  I downloaded like 100 different files from distressed rabbits to coyote yelps that I could easily use. 
Thankfully, there are no mountain lions or bears to worry about up here.  Foxes are okay to get, but not bobcats.  I guess its more of a curiousity thing for me. 
I think I have a pretty good plan in mind.  I have 2 spots 5 miles from each other, one that I'll be fishing.  There is an old homestead foundation on a hill by a field that I always thought would be perfect. We camp there and the wind is always at your face and there are good cover spots that still offer good shooting lanes.  I'll give it a try!!

MikeyD_243

Re: Coyote hunting 101
« Reply #7 on: December 17, 2010, 12:44:17 PM »
Hey guys,

I've never hunted for yotes either, and like Petey, I am not against building a call in the shop either. I did get one, while elk hunting, but that was just a matter of opportunity. (No calling involved.)

I found a website a year or so ago called www.varmintals.com He has some mp3 calls there that are free to download. I thought I could just put them on my cell phone and stick it about 40-50 yds out and turn it on. He has a 20 minute set, that I could loop, or just after the 20 minutes, move to a new location.

Could you guys take a look at the calls and see if they even sound right or not, or would I be better off getting a tape or whatever? I'll look up the actual url for the calls, and post later.

Thanks,

Mike!

hunter dude

Re: Coyote hunting 101
« Reply #8 on: December 18, 2010, 08:35:23 AM »
hey zonie next time in houston give me a call we could have lunch or something i would love for you to meet my family i live in pasadena just out side houston just  shoot me a p m next time

Oregon Jim

Re: Coyote hunting 101
« Reply #9 on: December 18, 2010, 01:56:06 PM »
Hunter Dude,

This is a piece of grape shot, or canister shot, almost certainly fired from Sam Houston's Twin Sisters cannons during the skirmish with Santa Anna's army on the day before the Battle at San Jacinto. I found this shot not a quarter mile from Santa Anna's capture site in Pasadena, Texas.

hunter dude

Re: Coyote hunting 101
« Reply #10 on: December 18, 2010, 10:45:06 PM »
 :o   wow jim i that is so cool i love history my great ,great and a couple of more great grandfather was deaf smith he burned the bridge to keep santa ana army from escapeing i take my family there every year for the re enactment   about how long did you live here in pasadena

Oregon Jim

Re: Coyote hunting 101
« Reply #11 on: December 19, 2010, 09:43:46 AM »
One of my distant grandfathers was Aaron Cherry, one of the early settlers in the Trinity Valley, and two of his sons took part in the siege at San Jacinto where Ben Milam was killed, and according to the story, they were in the party that captured Santa Anna. They were friends of Sam Houston, and interpreted with the local indians for Houston.

Much of my family still lives in the Houston area. I have lived there several times. I was an oil refinery operator at the Crown oil refinery in Pasadena and was laid off in 1985, so I raced to Oregon and have lived here since then.

petey

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Re: Coyote hunting 101
« Reply #12 on: February 05, 2011, 10:15:10 AM »
**sigh** I really have to stay out of sporting goods stores.  I thought about buying an electonic caller, but the expense vs the reviews kind of put me off.  I happened to be at cabelas yesterday and picked up come CCI primers (which seat so much better than the Rems i was using)  and some factory .243 ammo to tweak my new Vanguard before experimenting with handloads...  Can you believe what they did... I say the Power Dogg... they didnt have it all season when it was priced at $150 (not that I would have bought it).  I saw it in the bargain cave flyer for $120... still couldnt bring myself to buy it.  Yesterday they had a palate of them for $99.  So tack on $32 for primers and $19 for ammo and guess what... I have enought to use my $20 off coupon.  Then I have $47 in cabelas bucks. 
Okay for that price, i'm trying it.  Of course there is 3ft of snow on the ground but the wife has winter break here in 2 weeks so i'll give it a try.I've been playing with it in the house and my girls love it.  I'll report more on it in a few weeks.

james7mmwby

Re: Coyote hunting 101
« Reply #13 on: February 05, 2011, 10:26:23 AM »
Sounds like fun Petey. I just picked up an electronic for $70.00 Canadian. I can't remember the brand name right now, it looks like a mini megaphone with a bunch of different calls on it. I also picked up some rabbit scent. Going to soak some rags in the stuff and use the rabbit call and see what presents itself, wolf coyote or fox any will do. This morning my wife says "can you get enough to make me a coat" that sounds like an order to go hunting to me LOL.

James

Re: Coyote hunting 101
« Reply #14 on: February 05, 2011, 11:49:02 AM »
Petey:There is no way you can pass up a good deal like that. ;D .Let us know how it works.I got a good lead on an inexpensive, weekend, DIY turkey lease Thursday.I have had a hankering for a Semi 3 1/2 12 gauge for turkey for a while,(paying for a lease,need the best tool for the job.Right?)So Ruger and I hit the gunshops, Gander Mountain,and Academy this morning.I saw the Power Dogg in Gander Mountain and it looks like you got a great deal.

James:Sounds like you have a license to hunt. :D
« Last Edit: February 05, 2011, 11:52:35 AM by terminator »
Roger
Faster horses,younger women,older whiskey,and more money.