Coyote techniques

What methods do you guys use? What calls do you guys use? Do you go in daylight? Do you go at night with the full moon? I generally go at night with the full moon. I have a Fox Pro caller and 99% of the time I use the distress calls. I am a very unsuccessful Yote hunter. Just curious to hear how you guys do it.

I’m no pro but from what I understand, I’d encourage you to stack your game plan with learning to use mouth calls as well. You can add emotion and expression to the situation whereas your caller can’t. Use the mouth calls to present multiple coyotes or multiple scenarios.

See, almost everyone is getting electronic callers and if the same stuff keeps getting used, “educated” coyotes are going to be reluctant to move. Mix it up and get in their heads.

I have a nephew that’s just getting started and I know there’s no shortage of dogs in our hunting grounds so he went up solo and used distress calls……no responses, no shows. I told him to start mixing in some howls and use mouth calls and he’s getting responses……..now, if only he could hit ’em!

For a real good illustration of getting into the coyote’s head, pick up Randy Anderson’s “Calling all Coyotes: 2”. He demonstrates an entire season and shows how different situations require different tactics but can still be done.

I hunt coyotes primarily in the daylight hours during the winter months. The rest of the year I let them walk since fur is worthless. But, since fur is worthless price wise, spring can be very productive as well.

I have used e-callers and hand calls, but always end up going back to the hand calls. Like StillaKid mentioned, mouth calls can be made to sound more realistic than e-callers.

My favorite brand of calls are Primos and use a variety of howlers and rabbit distress calls. But, don’t overlook fawn bleats, deer calls, turkey diaphragm calls, or even elk calls. All of these calls can be made to sound like a critter in distress.

This time of year I like to let out a couple of lone howls and sit for awhile. If no response, belt out a short series of distress sounds and wait. How long you sit and call all depends on the terrain, time of year, and if you know there are coyotes in the area. SOmetimes they come in right away and other times it may take awhile. Almost every situation is different and experience will allow you to know which calls to use and how long to wait before moving on.

There is a lot to know to be successful in hunting coyotes. Sure, sometimes a guy gets lucky and gets one right away, but consistency takes time and knowledge.

What type of terrain do you plan on calling?

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MY BEST LUCK COMES WITH A MOUTH CALL AT FIRST LIGHT. I USUALLY SNEAK IN TO THE COVER WITH THE WIND IN MY FACE AND AN OPEN FIELD TO MY DOWNWIND SIDE. WHEN IT GETS LIGHT ENOUGH TO SEE MY CROSSHAIRS I START WITH A HOWL AND SOME LIGHT BARKS OF EXITEMENT THEN FOLLOW WITH A SERIES OF EMOTIONAL RABBIT IN DISTRESS CALLS. YA NEED TO MAKE THE CALL SOUND REALLY DESPERATELY PAINFULL WHILE DOING THIS USE YOUR BARKER CALL WITH EXITEMENT. I USE A BARKER BY DAKOTA-YOTE CO. THIS SEENS TO BRING IN EVEN THE MOST CALL SHY YOTES! I USUALLY WAIT AT LEAST 30 MINUTES BEFORE I RE-CALL OR LEAVE. WATCH THE WIND! YOTES HAVE GREAT NOSES. MAKE SURE YA KEEP AN EYE OUT ON YOUR OPEN FIELD DOWNWIND SIDE.IF THEY’VE BEEN SHOT AT BEFORE THEY’LL CIRCLE YA. BRING A FRIEND TO WATCH DOWNWIND AREAS. ON A GOOD DAY WITH COYOTES IN THE AREA YA SHOULD GET ONE RESPONSE IN 3-4 SET-UPS. GOOD LUCK AND SHOOT STRAIGHT!

Swimingjig, Night hunting is ok, but not my flavor. I hunt during daylight hours. First and last light are typically the best….. There are exceptions. If you find a situation where it is bitterly cold and a new front (meaning precipitation) is on the way, hunt all day. Deep snow makes life hard for the coyote so they need to hunt longer to feed. Another good time to hunt all day is after a bitter cold front has subsided. A lot of times they really feed heavily and move a lot just after a front has passed. Wind is the enemy of the coyote hunter. Try to call on still days or days with calm winds. Always keep an eye out downwind, coyotes will almost always circle down wind of the call. They might circle 20 feet or a quarter mile, just depends on the circumstance. They best is when you call in a double, a lot of times they absolutely throw caution to the wind and literally race eachother to the call. I have had them run withing a few feet of me before they realize something is wrong. Talk about fun! I use both had and electronic calls and they all work. I also have a custom howler made by Rich Cronk in Iowa. It is a top notch call made from a cow horn. Google Rich Cronk and you will find his site. Well worth the money. Remember this, at least this is my opinion. When howling to coyotes, you do not want to have a conversation with them. If they answer you, depending on how they answer, you are probably best to shut up and get ready. Many times when howling to them they come in silent too. Howling should be a good bed at this time of year with either challenge or lonesome howls.