First time coyote hunting

[Aleebee156]

I live on the peninsula out west, but will be traveling for work near Eprata end of Feb and thinking I can do a Fri-Sun coyote hunt. There is some BLM land adjacent to Ephrata I was thinking about getting into and using a foxpro to call em in. I have never done it before, but figured I'd give it a shot. Is my rudimentary plan sufficient? ha. Or does a guy need to be a bit more precise to find some success tagging a few coyotes? BLM make sense to y'all? 

I'll be running my 223 bolt gun

Thanks for any input!

[GWP]

Be aware of where you are shooting and what hunting season is open and the rules  would be my first advice.
I have had yote hunters lined up on prime bird hunting property during waterfowl season with a drop off and small lake below them. They pulled out when I was heading up the hill to them to have a discussion about their shooting lane background.
The only reason I knew they were there was I heard the dying rabbit call and glassed to see what was going on.

[Loup Loup]

That time of year, forget the distress sounds, most of the time. Use coyote talk. And be stinghy with it. It’s the coyotes you don’t hear that are coming in. Give the stand a longer time.
Personally, I’d get out of town and do some hiking.

[Aleebee156]

Loup Loup - Out of town east or west? Im just not finding a lot of public land outside of a few BLM chunks. West into the mountains yea... Guess I assumed the flats east of the mountains were going to be better for the coyotes.

GWP - yea, always. Unfortunate you had that experience. I appreciate that heads up. Can be a good reminder for guys coming into flat country that hunt mountain terrain most the time.

[Loup Loup]

I prefer the hills. The flat land has mostly been burned over. No cover for coyotes or you. You get seen from a mile out your busted and don’t know it. Less he does a warning bark.
The hills you can make your approach over a ridge ,get settled, and not be visible to the country your calling to for very long.
Problem west of there the land trust, nature conservancy, has bought up big tracts of land. Fancy fences and all posted. Says hunting by permission, but I’ve never heard of anybody being granted permission.
I always say, thermalists out, that 85% of the coyotes have nothing to fear from 85% of hunters. Go test your mettle.

[bearhunter99]

I prefer the hills. The flat land has mostly been burned over. No cover for coyotes or you. You get seen from a mile out your busted and don’t know it. Less he does a warning bark.
The hills you can make your approach over a ridge ,get settled, and not be visible to the country your calling to for very long.
Problem west of there the land trust, nature conservancy, has bought up big tracts of land. Fancy fences and all posted. Says hunting by permission, but I’ve never heard of anybody being granted permission.
I always say, thermalists out, that 85% of the coyotes have nothing to fear from 85% of hunters. Go test your mettle.

Very much agreed!  It used to be easy but now it is tough to find good places that don't already get hammered.  Most coyotes have become very call shy - too many guys out there training them.  Main reason I bought a thermal - they are a lot dumber at night.  Now I just have to deal with jacknobs calling in because they heard a gunshot so somebody must be doing something illegal somewhere 

To be successful in daytime - first find a large enough piece of ground and check it out the night before to see if you hear them vocalizing - try to pinpoint where they are at with a pin drop.  Next day during daylight make a plan to get into that area unseen and try calling.  They haven't been as responsive to distress calls this year (in my opinion) because the weather hasn't got them haggard.  They should respond to howls but use them sparingly as they get called to a lot unless you really get out there far from the road

[Aleebee156]

I got some really great responses here. Attempting to not take advantage of it too much... one last question: Reading both your reports is making me want to venture west of the columbia river. Which sounds awesome to me. Is a guy on track out that way or has he gone too far?

One of the pulls to the flats, and I hear what y'all are saying and I see the same things during other seasons of hunting as well, is that Grant County has the highest number of coyote harvests in the state. By a lot. And Grant county obviously stops at the columbia river. Kittitas and Douglas counties have significantly lower harvest numbers. Do y'all know if there is something skewing those numbers for Grant county? Are there a bunch of private guided dog hunts somewhere in the county raking up the numbers? What is your take on why so many more coyote harvests in Grant county?

[birdshooter1189]

I just looked up the coyote harvest numbers on WDFW site. I Didn't realize they posted those.  I'm responsible for nearly 1/4 of the coyote harvest in Kitsap county in 2024 

Grant county is great for coyotes. There are lots of them there, there are lots that get harvested there, and there are still lots left.  Some areas will get heavily pressured, while other spots will see nearly no pressure. The trick is finding those right pockets, at the right time.

I'd say don't worry so much about total numbers or flat vs steep.  Focus more on where you can find promising looking spots that you think might not be over-pressured.

When I'm planning a trip, I try to e-scout and mark 15-20 potential spots for a day.  Some spots I'll drive up to and quickly realize it's not going to work (posted, bad layout, people/activities nearby, etc.), other spots might work out.  I'll also not hesitate to return to a good looking spot and call it again a few hours later.  I usually aim for 30-60 minutes total time from set to set.....but I also won't hesitate to spend a few hours getting into and working a spot if I'm optimistic about it.

[birdshooter1189]

For some spots you may want to set up in an open area and blast the volume loud and far, but for many spots you will do better if you can sneak in quietly to some stucture or terrain and play softer volume for anything that may be close by.

[762Gunner]

I think I know the BLM land that you're talking about that is adjacent to Ephrata. I've been trying to get up there and do few stands myself. Spent time last fall in there deer hunting and there was a lot of coyote sign. DM me if you want a few points in the area.

[BKMFR]

I just looked up the coyote harvest numbers on WDFW site. I Didn't realize they posted those.  I'm responsible for nearly 1/4 of the coyote harvest in Kitsap county in 2024 

Grant county is great for coyotes. There are lots of them there, there are lots that get harvested there, and there are still lots left.  Some areas will get heavily pressured, while other spots will see nearly no pressure. The trick is finding those right pockets, at the right time.

I'd say don't worry so much about total numbers or flat vs steep.  Focus more on where you can find promising looking spots that you think might not be over-pressured.

When I'm planning a trip, I try to e-scout and mark 15-20 potential spots for a day.  Some spots I'll drive up to and quickly realize it's not going to work (posted, bad layout, people/activities nearby, etc.), other spots might work out.  I'll also not hesitate to return to a good looking spot and call it again a few hours later.  I usually aim for 30-60 minutes total time from set to set.....but I also won't hesitate to spend a few hours getting into and working a spot if I'm optimistic about it.

Where did you find Coyote harvest stats in Washington?
Thanks

[762Gunner]

2024 stats didn't populate for small game but here is a link to the 2023 one.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/management/game-harvest/2023/small-game#coyote

[Aleebee156]

@birdshooter1189 HA! 1/4 of the game harvests... That's unreal. Awesome. Not sure I'll ever be able to say that myself ha. Thanks for the guidance in your posts. I am gettin antsy to get out there now. I am really hoping I can hop back on here after my work trip and post a photo of my coyote for y'all!