BigTen, I hope you are right about the honey-hole coming back active in the winter. When I first visited the site, the snow was covered in coyote tracks, going every which way. They were feeding from the 'dead pile' this rancher had.
I haven't figured out "how small is too small" of a space to hunt over. I'd like to get on some irrigated land, but that tends to have little in the way of cover. There are also neighboring farms in every direction, and at least one ranch house to stay away from (to a degree).
As mentioned previously, no cover can be ok, just make sure you are lying down, etc. When I first started hunting dogs (15ish years ago) I was always trying to find the "perfect calling spot" where you could see a long ways, elevated, good cover, etc. One year I flat ran out of those in the areas I hunt so I began to call areas seemed harder to call (visibly). By that I mean, I didn't have a wide open expanse in front of me to see them coming in. (I actually think that may hinder smarter dogs.) I started walking into flat areas with CRP grass or just sage and finding a BARELY elevated hump, or possibly a depression that they would have to (and this is the important part of my success) walk through to be down wind of me. While it is good to hunt with the wind in your face almost all of the time, don't like it as much calling yotes (I've had too many come in RIGHT BEHIND ME and I don't get a shot.) I like a side wind, preferably to my left (as I'm a right-handed shooter).
Call those "awesome looking" coyote spots, but don't be afraid to call a thicker or "tougher" area with a smaller opening down wind. Other hunters will have by-passed them, and the dogs there are more comfortable to come in to a call when they don't have to expose themselves. (Why you dirty dogs
)
By the way, coyote sign comes and goes, but where I like to concentrate is where there are an abundance of last years dens. I have found that while they can cover large distances, a lot of dogs tend to be "home bodies" and at least return to the same to breed. I could be wrong about this, but after hunting the SAME black coyote three years in a row at the SAME spot, I began to have more confidence in this theory. I wouldn't worry if the sign is old, the fact that there is sign means you are in a dog area, start calling it.
