Stand improvement

[captpschar]

Went out today for my first live fire attempt at coyote, no dogs showed up, that's okay, I'm here for some pointers to improve my stands.  I'm most of the way through a liter of beer so this may not be totally coherent, please read with care.

On reflection my approaches I think are fairly solid, as I managed to sneak in on and surprise a deer before first light, my fawn calling got it moving and it made its way onto the path and came my way for a few moments before it spotted me and realized what was going on and dipped into cover, which leads to my first set of questions which are about stand setup:

1) Im fairly sure the deer spotted me because at the moment it emerged I was fiddling with my call and on noticing it I moved too quickly to put it in my sights before recognizing it and I think my movement gave me away.  How much time/work do you guys put into concealing your position?  Do you try to find cover? Do you move brush? Do you just rely on stillness and camo?

2) On most of my stands I had scouted the area earlier but had not nailed down a specific stand location ahead of time.  Do you guys normally scout and establish a position beforehand or just wing it?  If you wing it, how do you balance that against the need to approach silently and concealed?

3) There were a couple times when I really felt that something was happening or about to happen, and I persisted and cranked up my effort past the 20-30 minutes, and a couple of other times when I felt right off that nothing was going to happen and I let things go at 10-15 minutes.  Do you commit to a length of time on each stand?  Do you listen to your feelings in making decisions like that?  How much credit do you give your intuition on a stand? 

I'll have more questions when I've digested some.  I'll have to revise my pack system and dial in my transitions, work on my calling, probably I should get a wind indicator, we'll see.  What do you guys think of 1) 2) and 3)?

[AWS]

I rarely worry too much about concealment beyond having a good background to break up my shape, get too concealed and you've lost your ability to see or shoot in but a limited direction, again hunting closer cover a remote caller will focus attention away from you.  I will enhance stands upon leaving them but not upon arrival.

I try and be as stealthy as possible approaching a stand, watching for any thing that will crunch underfoot.  For example,  my partner and I hunted for a week in eastern WA after a heavy snow fall and rain plus dropping temps down near zero.  We had eight inches of very crusted snow and spent 3 days crunching into stands and never saw a coyote.  The following three days we retraced our first three days carefully stepping into our old tracks and killed six on those same stands.  Beware crossing barbwire fences as they can be nearly a telegraph system to a large part of the area , I always prefer to crawl under than to climb over.  I try and always approach a stand so my scent cone will never cross the area I plan to call to.

As above I try to never let my scent cone cross the area that I plan to call.  Scouting and knowing stand locations is great.  I do a lot of blind calling in a number of different states each year.  2018 I hunted coyotes in WA, NV, NM, and CO, I run off of maps of the area and have a pretty good idea of where I'm going to call to and how I have to approach the stand area.  I sneak in and take the first decent stand I come to taking a marginal stand over spending more time trying to find an ideal stand.  After the stand is completed if I really like the spot I'll improve the stand or hike around and see if there was a better spot.  I also hunt and area for a while, I'll hit an area for a week, living out of my truck and will get to know the area and make my maps with stands.  I will usually hit stands a couple of times during that week.

[captpschar]

——I try and be as stealthy as possible approaching a stand, watching for any thing that will crunch underfoot. 

——I try and always approach a stand so my scent cone will never cross the area I plan to call to.

——After the stand is completed if I really like the spot I'll improve the stand or hike around and see if there was a better spot.

You’ve helped me see that if I don’t master my approach skills then I’ll never know whether my other skills are developing or holding me back.  A new mentality: to focus first on perfecting my approaches and not worrying too hard on anything else unless I’m confident my approach went well.  First things first I guess.

Towards this end I’ve just picked up a chalk wind indicator, as the wind where I’m learning is really light and inconsistent.

It also never occurred to me to combine my scouting with my stands.  Obviously a good idea.  Thanks for that.

[captpschar]

Second time out, brought a wind tester this time and caught out and surprised a doe and fawn pair, approaches getting better, still no coyotes.  I think I'll try two more times and then give in and take your advice on the remote caller.  They must be scouting and winding me, or they're not around at all.  I guess we will find out.

[Bofire]

Be careful about changing things around a stand, Coyotes know every bush where they live, slime in/slime out, talk in your truck, watch the wind, try to be in shade, break up your back ground, since you have intruded in the stand area already, scout it our before you leave, look for trails, routes for you and coyotes, the littlest ditch is a route for a coyote. try calling all the way in and stopping early. Little noises like "kissing your thumb joint" when your rifle is up. Look for ears, legs, little pieces, be ready to shoot when you START to call. Sometimes I Bark at them to stop them when coming in close, be ready to shoot if you do. Hunt a lot, try not to miss.
Carl

[captpschar]

try calling all the way in and stopping early.

Carl can you say more about this?  I’m not sure exactly what you’re describing.

[Bofire]

When you see the coyote coming in, some folks quit calling some call all the way until they shoot. My experience is that if you stop calling they will slow down, might make the shot easier but they might divert and not come all the way in.
Carl

[captpschar]

When you see the coyote coming in, some folks quit calling some call all the way until they shoot. My experience is that if you stop calling they will slow down, might make the shot easier but they might divert and not come all the way in.
Carl

Alright, so you're saying I should try that both ways, got it.  Thank you.

[Bofire]

  Also, sometimes when they come in they are moving and hard to get on, you might try "barking" some guys "whistle" or yell and the Coyote will stop for a few seconds, for you to shoot. Be ready to shoot when you make the first sound when you start calling and when you try to stop them.
Good Luck Go hunting, you will learn what to try, just like fishing!
Carl

[tallcooljuan]

All great advice in my experience.  Here's my two cents:

1) I approach a stand as if I'm stalking the stand.  In other words I'm in stealth mode long before calling or glassing.  I would rather sit in the open with a backdrop of brush (the sun to your back is super important) than sitting in brush.  You have to see far downwind.  Sit still with good camo in the open (not skylined) and you can get away with a lot.

2) I wish I had time to scout and then hunt.  I scout and hunt at the same time.  If you don't like the stand, call it anyway.  You don't have to go back.  Remember, coyotes are everywhere.  This is how you find "secret spots."

3) Coyotes show up when and where you least expect them.  That's part of what makes it fun.  Don't give up on a stand because of a gut feeling.  You might just be discouraged.  I have a much different style of time on a stand than my friends.  If you call for more than 20min you can't call very many times on a short winter day.  I would advise to stay on the last stand of the day until there is absolutely no safe shooting light.  That's when they seem to show up for me. 

Wind is critical.  I'm less concerned about the wind being at my back, face, or cross, than I am about knowing the wind direction.  You must be able to see well down wind if you're hunting by yourself.  I am more concerned about being shaded with the sun to my back than having the wind in my face.  If the wind's in your face, coyotes will come in behind you and you'll never know it.

[captpschar]

So when you call you’re typically putting most of your attention downwind, is that right?