Hunting Washington Forum
Other Hunting => Coyote, Small Game, Varmints => Topic started by: Bennick16 on September 12, 2015, 10:19:47 PM
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Hey guys, so I have been out hunting close to 10 times and I've only gotten one coyote (which I didn't even call, I just happened to stumble across him and got a lucky shot off). Do you guys have any suggestions or tips to getting responses and results? I know they are there. They start howling when I do my calls sometimes and there are lots of tracks and skat. I went up to my cousins house in the loon lake area in the woods and took my ecaller just to practice. Within 10 minutes I called 7 coyotes in, and that next morning I called 3 more and two wolves. Is it impossible to hunt these things in the open plains? It gets really frustrating with so much effort and very little to show for it (except tone calf muscles :chuckle: )
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You just need to use any cover you can on your approach and set up If they can see you headed to your spot they won't show up. How are you setting up? Sitting? Prone? Also in those wide open areas some times the coyote have larger territory's and are more spred out. It could be warning howls your hearing when calling. Fwiw never call unless your ready to to shoot. You just educate them making it harder to call yotes the next time. If you turn on a call make sure you got a gun. Good job on the calling but next time don't let them learn anything. :tup:
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All i can say is,dont start calling until you are ready,as in hidden and give it a couple min. before calling to let your activity settle out.Dont move at all dont let anyone your with move.Any movement at all even to scratch they will see and your busted.Use a decoy that will hold their attention,Put the call a ways away from you. good luck.
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I am usually sitting in sage or laying frown overlooking a valley or canyon. That's a good point about how they must have larger territories due to the spread out landscape. Wow really just scratching will get you busted? That might be it 😁. I called them in knowing that I will never be able to hunt there because there are too many close houses, so I was just giving it a try. Hopefully as the weather gets colder the dogs get more active
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Very slow movement can be ok but they say a coyote can see a mouse jump at 300 yards. Idk if it's true or not but I've had them bust me even when I know they shouldn't be able to see me. Sixth sense or somthing. For those areas with houses close by pack a shot gun and some #4 buck shot. I've seen them killed with turkey loads even. Good luck :tup:
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Your e-caller will make it easier to make minor movements without being busted. Make sure the e-caller is far enough away that it affords you this. :tup:
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If your up on top make sure you find shade or get super low. I have noticed calling in open is tough for me too. I kill them often at my house in chattaroy but when I go out to west plains I have a harder time. Look for water.
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Are you doing anything for scent control? My hunting experience for coyotes over the last two years sounds very similar to yours. Scent is kinda the one area I haven't really touched yet, and I am starting to wonder if that will help? I know they have very good sense of smell, I just usually try to plan my stands according to the wind.
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Best bet is to play the wind. I don't believe you can hide from a coyotes nose. I'm a smoker so I'm sure I can't anyway. I like to set up so I'm down wind of the call and so the coyotes can't wind me with out showing them selves giving me a shot. If the setup isn't perfect I won't do it. I have used rabbit urine and coyote urine in my side winds left and right if looking down wind. I like it 10-20 yards off to each side to work as an attention getter. Often when a coyote hits a scent it wants to check out it follows it at a 45 degree to the wind. They just work the edge of the scent cone. I don't always do this but it's worked for me out in the sage brush areas and open hay field edges But sometimes it's just not possible with out being busted. When doing it this way I use a spray bollte opened up so I get a good long shooting squirt instead of a spray so I get the scent out past my ground scent. Playing the wind is way less complicated but its useful in certain areas I hunt.
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Scent is critical. A coyotes nose is his best asset. I hunt open areas pretty exclusively and my method is to creep in super slow before the sun comes up and then usually Ill sit for an hour before calling.
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Are you doing anything for scent control? My hunting experience for coyotes over the last two years sounds very similar to yours. Scent is kinda the one area I haven't really touched yet, and I am starting to wonder if that will help? I know they have very good sense of smell, I just usually try to plan my stands according to the wind.
I've thought about this too. I look at the wind forecast the night before then plan my stands out on Google earth. Maybe I'll have to try it!
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Thanks for all the info guys, I really appreciate it. I will work on my stealthiness and scent control and report back if I notice anything working. I think another think I need to do is work ok keeping my downwind more visible.
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I'd also try to incorporate some kind of decoy to your setups. It doesn't have to be anything fancy either. Maybe just a turkey feather tied to a limb or bush, or a small chunk of deer hide on a pull string. I once called in a trio of coyotes from half a mile away, using a stuffed animal on a 50' rope dangling on a small cliff. Killed two of them at about 50 yards.
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I'd also try to incorporate some kind of decoy to your setups. It doesn't have to be anything fancy either. Maybe just a turkey feather tied to a limb or bush, or a small chunk of deer hide on a pull string. I once called in a trio of coyotes from half a mile away, using a stuffed animal on a 50' rope dangling on a small cliff. Killed two of them at about 50 yards.
I have a mojoy decoy that I place right next to my alpha dogg caller
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They are very will educated in our open country. Pups this time of year may give you half a chance. Details become very important. Movement, scent, background, distance, etc. Be careful out there.
