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Coyote Hunting for DUMMIES

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54K views 75 replies 24 participants last post by  bearfoot1  
#1 ·
This is for new coyote hunters who keep on asking the same old question “ looking for someone to take me out and show me the ropes”

1st lets get some things out in the open. I hate E-Scouters with a passion. They are lazy and helpless S.O.B.’S that just want a quick kill, there is no pleasing these guys what so ever. I have heard every excuess known to the internet on why they cant find them or need help. To be honest there is no helping the stupid. Stupid being someone who doesn’t put any effort into it and just wants to drive up and kill something. You don’t need to have someone hold your hand unless your still 3 years old. If thats what you think stay in the kitchen where you belong.


Most coyote hunting is common sense nothing more. Its no different than deer or elk hunting. So if your not seeing those chances are your not going to see a coyote either. Coyotes are everywhere in this state. There like cat running around in a neighborhood that doesn’t have any Chinese nearby.

There easy to find and easy to call in. when I say easy I mean if you don’t call one in or see one , in 5-8 working trips out you have some serious issues and are most generally from the time you step foot in your truck.

Were going to go over the basics 1st.

I get my gun and STUFF loaded and ready when I leave the house, or at the gate I am going to go through.. NOT when I get to the spot I am going to hunt.

My shotgun and or rifle is loaded (minus one in the chamber) my call if using an e-caller is out and ready if using mouth calls there in my pocket. I Always carry mouth calls regardless of what I am using.
If you don’t feel comfortable with that , that is FINE as almost every road you take off the highway there is a fence. That’s a perfect time to get your stuff ready not after .
I always have by buttseat ready as well so I don’t have to fiddle with stuff in the truck. My hunting partner has all her stuff ready before we get to the spot as well.
If you like to stand that’s fine, if you like to sit that’s fine too, BUT DON’T SIT ON THE GROUND take a folding camp stool. If you sit on the ground your going to move to much cause cactus will be digging in your butt or you hand. You have to be comfortable . not to mention your going to be moving your hand or legs for a better position and breaking twigs in the process. I know trust me I been there done that.

So for the sake of argument you stuff is ready to go.

You pull up to the spot you want to hunt. You grab your stuff and get out. Push the door slowly closed and lock it. (DON’T SET THE ALARM if you do turn around and go home)
Always park your truck hidden. If you park on top of a hill or drive on top of a hill or out in the open chances are your busted already.
If I am hunting hilly areas I usually park and walk to the next ridge to call. If I am hunting flats I park next to the brushy stuff with out running it over.
Chambering a round. In a ar-15 do it slowly and quietly same in a pump or semi auto and bolt action as well as a break action.
I know you guys like to hear the sound of a round chambering but the yotes hear it your busted and to be honest theres no need to do it. Coyotes don’t really care if your tacticool or not.

Walk to you spot into the wind is best but not a deal breaker.foxs and bobcats yes deal breaker. Don’t step on twigs rocks , don’t walk into bushes that make noise etc etc.
Sit your but down or stand in the bushes to break up your outline.
I usually wait 4-5 mins before I start calling as I like to survey the area and listen. If I am using an electronic call(when we bow hunt for them) I set it off about 30 yards than walk back and sit.
Start calling. I usually call for 30 mins, if theres bobcats in the area. If its not rocky and I am going after yotes 10-15 mins per stand. I have sat longer and done pretty good but most of the time your just wasting time.

When your in your spot or going to your spot. You cannot cough, snort sniffle, fart spit talk move to get comfortable(thats why you don’t sit on the ground). You move your eyes you don’t move your head,if you do move it slowly. if you have to scratch your butt or pick you nose. Move your hand against your body it hides movement. If your fidgety when your sitting go home cause hunting just isn’t for you.

So lets say your spot is done, you been there 20 mins and you saw nothing. Keep the caller running(if using and e-caller) and stand up slowly. Keep your eyes peeled, cause bobcats and foxs are more than likely watching you. Coyotes have a tendency to run by you and you not see them but then hang around if the call is still going sometimes.
Claudia and I had one yote run by us one time with our bows. He saw her draw back and bolted even faster. we sat down for 15 more mins and kept the e-caller going. she got up and there was 2 of them 40 yards away just staring at her. They were pointed in the direction away from her but just staring at her. she drew back and tried to walk around the bushes to get a shot, but too many bushes in the way to take one. they just walked away not run but walked. with a shotgun or rifle could have possibly got one or 2.

Pick up and go to the next spot. I like a min of a ½ mile between spots. With a mouth call I usually go for a mile between spots as its louder. That you will have to figure out on your own as different spots react differently to sound and its all experience.

Clothing:
If you do need a jacket cause its cold put it on at the gate not when you get to your spot to hunt. The less time you spend at your truck the better. Remember the yote already heard you coming hes a running or walking the other way already.
The only clothing item I think that makes a huge difference in hunting is boots vs tennis shoes. If your a chub and walk hard, or if you walk hard. Boots wont work for you as they make too much noise. Wear tennis shoes there very quiet. Listen to the way you walk. Boots will be always louder than tennis shoes due to the hard souls. DON’T walk on rocks with boots its loud. Don’t step on branches.

Camo: Its not necessary period I don’t give a rats behind what anyone says it has never been proven to me that I need it in 30+ years of killing yotes and hunting. It does help you blend in, but if your not moving you don’t need it. if you move a lot might not hurt. I don’t use it. I wear earth colored clothes and blue jeans, its all personal preference .

I'll add some more later and maybe check it in case I am missing anything.
 
#2 ·
Thx Delw, this is actually pretty informative. What time(s) of day are best? I did notice while out on my javey hunt, the yotes were calling in the early morning n jus before sun down. Even heard a rabbit scream just after it got dark, freaked me out!
 
#3 ·
they pretty much always get vocal early in the am and late in afternoon. that doesnt mean they will come into a call.
what it does mean is if you happen to be sitting on a ridge with a long range gun you can get some good sniping going.

My opinion all day long is good for calling from sept-may I have called them in in july and aug during 118 degree heat but its not fun sitting in the sun.
if they think there is a free meal there going to go after it.
 
#5 ·
Dewl

THANKS! Reading this, I think I see where I am going wrong!. I typically get ready at my truck as I am at the spot versus before getting to the spot (fence or at home). I thought I was quiet but see/understand that this is not true. Reading, every little sound makes a difference and maybe it is just that one little point I was not considering "loud" is.

Guess I was just taking nice strolls in the desert ;-)


Thanks!!

Steve
 
#6 ·
Dewl

THANKS! Reading this, I think I see where I am going wrong!. I typically get ready at my truck as I am at the spot versus before getting to the spot (fence or at home). I thought I was quiet but see/understand that this is not true. Reading, every little sound makes a difference and maybe it is just that one little point I was not considering "loud" is.

Guess I was just taking nice strolls in the desert ;-)

Thanks!!

Steve
doesnt mean your wrong but too many people hang out at there truck making noise. always griped me when I took out people. clanking this and that opening the door 10 times because the forgot something 10 times

Good Post Delw. But as you and I both know they will still ask dumb questions because they dont read the posts before they ask. Oh Well you did a good job. Now I know what Im doing wrong, walking to heavy.
oh yeah they will ask. walking heavy hahaha my daughter came up with that term while deer huntnig last year. I told her she was loud in the boots hitting the rocks. she goes "I dont walk heavy" i'm like cool term
 
#11 ·
...If you're out with a group and want to do your own predator hunting, how far from main camp will be needed? A couple miles?
I've walked out of camp an 1/8 mile and shot a coyote. I've shot coyotes within 1/4 mile of others camps.
 
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#8 ·
Great post for the few of us who read. (It was not wasted effort!) There's certainly a few points I would have missed.

If you're out with a group and want to do your own predator hunting, how far from main camp will be needed? A couple miles?
I cant answer that question cause I dont go out in groups.unless its my own kids and wife. And I dont go hunting without them. I hunted by myself for years and I would rather hunt with my kids than hunt alone.

But to answer your question which is an odd question,because your asking something that most people with common sense would know. Thats get away from people if you want to hunt.
However close to towns is pretty goood
 
#10 ·
How far from the truck do you guys usually walk? I've made a few stands and I've been going probably 2-300 yards. I usually drive to a hill, then hike to the opposite side of it and call from there, I use the hill to hide the truck and in theory block some of the noise from where I am planning on hunting.

I like having the vantage point of a hill too
 
#16 ·
Theres no sense in it in Arizona. there are roads everywhere. you want to cover as much ground as possible and your calling them in so why walk 1/4 mile and try again when you can drive and call and make 4-5 stands to 2 walk.

My daughter loves to walk while hunting and its enjoyable cause she finds some really cool stuff. but for yotes and fox's and even bobcats she knows the closer to the roads are better. for one simple reason Road kills. all critters like a free meal.

Delw
 
#17 ·
i use my ATV as much as i can. towed to the general area and ride to all the spots, can cover a lot of ground that way. it has a Benz silencer muffler on it and basically has not exhaust sound, tranny sounds are louder than the muffler! i creep in, cut it off and then walk 25-50 yards to the bush or whatever cover there is.
 
#18 ·
PS,
Don't forget to breathe! If you do, you will start to get light headed and probably miss your opportunity. If you do breathe, try your best not to be a mouth breather, they can smell bad breathe or freshly brushed teeth a mile away. If you accidentally shut your door too loud just wait a few minutes, they will think you left. Please try and be ethical, .243 is a minimum and .300 WM preferred. Shotguns don't work and are for the birds, or for birds i forget.
 
#19 ·
PS,
Don't forget to breathe! If you do, you will start to get light headed and probably miss your opportunity. If you do breathe, try your best not to be a mouth breather, they can smell bad breathe or freshly brushed teeth a mile away. If you accidentally shut your door too loud just wait a few minutes, they will think you left. Please try and be ethical, .243 is a minimum and .300 WM preferred. Shotguns don't work and are for the birds, or for birds i forget.
Theres no such thing as ethics when your Killing varmits especially yotes.,

i use my ATV as much as i can. towed to the general area and ride to all the spots, can cover a lot of ground that way. it has a Benz silencer muffler on it and basically has not exhaust sound, tranny sounds are louder than the muffler! i creep in, cut it off and then walk 25-50 yards to the bush or whatever cover there is.
I just got the jug back on the kids polaris about 20 mins ago. it junked a piston just before Christmas when the kid was riding it.
so now everything is brand new or rebuilt. gotta put the tank back in ,cowling and tune it up.
before this Fall / hunting season I would like to get another one cause if this one breaks to gets stuck I am walking to the truck with out it and doubt I would go back to get it unless I had another one to pull it back to the truck.

They sure beat, beating the truck up. last year was the 1st year we used it in 5 years and unfortuantly we used it in nov.
 
#20 ·
Quads are nice, park the truck and trailer at head of road and unload and ride quad to hunting areas, sure saves the truck. On pig hunt I rode quad to area that no normal truck could get to and it was easy on quad. I love mine. 243 Min.? I love using my 223 with jacketed hollow points, have not had any problems yet, puts them down quick. There are alot of guys that use shotguns and I do to, extended full choke tube with #4 shot works great out to 40 yards, they drop like a rock if hit in right spot.
 
#21 ·
I use my AR and my SG. Eric gets all those dogs of his with mainly a shotgun. Rifle is really no good in the thick stuff, #4, 3" buck goes through it like butter. I take them both on the quad and then terrain dictates what i use. If elevated then i'll use the suppressed AR if level and on game trails it's the shotgun. Since i only got 4 this year, plus 2 feral dogs.........i was really lazy! 3 coyotes with the SG, the rest were with the AR, 55 grain soft points have never failed me.
 
#22 ·
lol nice write up. I think the only reason I would ask for someone to go with is because I don't own a caller yet. Did have some of those MFK callers but the dog got ahold of them. Seems like a E caller will be the way to go next time I get around to buying a predator caller.
 
#23 ·
I believe cgmartin was joking with you guys on the 243-300 no one is that dumb



just goto the store and buy a hand call they run from 3 bucks to 20 bucks simple to use and more effective.
The only reason we bought a e-call was because we shoot them with a bow and need the advantage of having the caller somewhere not by us.
one hand call can give you many different sounds by just changing your pitch.
I cant use the open reed calls my daughter can, they are good for changing pitches.
half reed calls are good for changing pitches(this is what I use most.

closed reed calls like the circe you cant change pitchs but the work good.
erik has some bellow type calls and you can see the results you just push the bellows with your fingers.
 
#28 ·
Its funny, because I am that DUMMY. I have never hunted Coyote, didnt grow up with guns, parents were anti gun. I am pretty much teaching myself to hunt in my 30's and want to know what the hell I am talking about so I can at least give my sons the basics when it comes to that.

I never wanted an easy kill, but what I always wanted was a base of knowledge so I wasnt doing anything incorrectly. I never had that base of hunting knowledge that a lot of people on this forum get when they were younger. I wouldnt mind going out with someone who is just as ignorant as I am to be honest, takes the pressure off, lol.

I enjoy watching the sunrise, being outside with mother nature, and learning a new skill from the ground up. I love to challenge myself and the Lord knows that Hunting has been my most challenging attempt at something new in my life (other than raising kids, lol).

I am not a great shot, I dont know a ton about guns, I dont know alot about the animal itself, and I am from Ohio so I didnt even grow up in this habitat. What I do know is I give it my all, have dedicated myself to learning as we go, and am enjoying it a ton. I cant say everything I have learned is self taught because it is forums like this that enable me to "pick the brains" of people much more informed and much better hunters than I probably ever will be, and I dont have to feel out of place doing it.


I have really come to enjoy rabbit hunting and this has enabled me to learn as I go on what to look for, how to move, when to not move, etc.... I am still a lousy hunter but I have fun and that is the important part.
 
#29 ·
What constitue in your mind a lousy hunter?
Only lousy hunters I know are those who dont try . Killing something doesnt mean your a great hunter even killing a monster.
Everytime you go out and hunt and come back alive and had a good time its a sucess. Take your kids out and you will be an automatic sucess in many peoples minds.
 
#30 ·
I guess I phrased that incorrectly. I was trying to say I, as a hunter, am still in the beginning stages of ability and knowledge.

This past saturday, I took my oldest (4 years old) out "Rabbit Hunting". And by hunting, I mean "scouting". We had so much fun. He was checking out the rabbit droppings, picking our route, would take 10 steps and then out loud he would count to 60, lol. The interaction we got to have between father and son was, in my opinion, the best part of hunting I have ever experienced. In all honesty, it is up there life experiences as well.
 
#32 ·
Your on the right track by taking your kids with you as long as your safe. As a suggestion you might want to take the Hunter Ed class given around the state year round, Look up the G&F website for Hunter Ed. As the class will not teach you how to hunt so to speak, it will give you an understanding on Gun safety, Types of firearms, and general all around info for wildlife in the state. Its usually has a small fee to cover expensives. Plus a a bonus you will get the all important BONUS POINT. Which will give you 1 extra draw chance in big game drawings every year for your lifetime. Good Luck and let us know how its going.
 
#33 ·
Like you--my family was against guns and my dad's idea of roughing it was a Holiday Inn on vacation. I am in my 50's and have really just begun to get started as well. Nothing like being out there and having some "down" time from work. As it was said, do not think I am a "dummy" at this, but learning and open to learn more. Just get out there when you can--

While I do like to have company when I get out--not to chat, just for safety, I will begin to get out more on my own now that I have some experience with rabbits (THANKS GUYS!!!!) and wonder off at a comfort level.

Thanks for the post--keep getting out!
 
#38 ·
Steve took it well! whole camp was laughing, so he turned it around tightened her down, and the knobs were at 3/12 instead of elevation on top it was on the side and windage was on the top! (i'm guilty of doing this a couple times too), fixed that problem, torqued her down due to Fern's excellent tool set, and i think it was either right on or just like 2 shots to zero perfect! All good fun!!!!!!