Coyote Calling help

[relyt530]

How long do you guys let your e calls run? Do you start off low and get louder? Do you have it pointed with or against the wind? How far away do you put it from you? Need some tips. Called one in last week with foxpro and mojo paired together and coyote got about 160yds out, and then took off and never stopped.... I did end up putting some camo on the call to make it look more realistic. Just looking for tips from more experienced hunters. The area gets little pressure from either a rifle or call. Also any call suggestions during this time of year. I am in IL. Thanks in advance.

 

[Toby Bradshaw]

View attachment 997672 View attachment 997671 How long do you guys let your e calls run?

15-20 minutes max.

Do you start off low and get louder?

Usually.

Do you have it pointed with or against the wind?

Doesn't matter much -- if it's windy the sound is going downwind regardless. I usually point the speaker crosswind FWIW. I much prefer to call when it's calm.

How far away do you put it from you?

30-100 yards, depending on conditions and cover.

Called one in last week with foxpro and mojo paired together and coyote got about 160yds out, and then took off and never stopped

Did it wind you or cross your inbound track? You have to shoot them before they do that.

I did end up putting some camo on the call to make it look more realistic.

No need. They will run right to the call if they're not spooked.

 

[jds holler]

In my experience, a strong wind really sucks. We've experimented to see how far our sound carried against the wind, and it wasn't even a hundred yards. And of course the downwind side -- they wind ya.

The first two hours of daylight are the time to be working it. Not sayin that the rest of the day is always unsuccessful, but not nearly like those first couple of hours.

If possible, use terrain to hide your approach route to your stand. I love little bumpy hills with lots of shallow ravines. Ideal approach is with the sun at your back and the breeze in your face.

Young first year dogs will often run right up with reckless abandon. Older, wiser ones WILL try to circle at a safe distance to get downwind of you. I'm pretty sure that there are some wise ones who will never get killed by a caller. jd

 

[WindSurgeon]

Let your call go for no longer than 5 to 10 mins to start. Keep the sound very low. Wait 15 minutes before calling again and keep an eye out. Coyotes will come in and just take a peek seemingly out of nowhere. Run your next call a bit louder. I will change up from a distress call to a coyote vocalization, again very short 5 minutes max (pup sounds seem to work where I am). if one hangs up and you need it to move, hit the mouse squeek and let it run until it yote comes into view/range. If nothing shows after that, time to move. If the wind is howling above 20 mph, IME calling is less effective, but the caller needs to be loud to be heard especially if you are in a wooded area. If the wind is high, I usually don't hunt.

 

[msinc]

I can tell you that calling western coyotes is a whole different ball game than calling the ones in the east. That said, it looks like you are in Illinois, so I don't know how the ones "in the middle" act.
I know the guys out west get tired of hearing about how much harder it is to call "eastern" coyotes...you would think a coyote is a coyote and make no mistake, they are pretty slick anywhere you hunt them. I have found that the ones here in the east are extra tough. I have never waited more than a minute or two between calling. These ones around here might start to come in, but if I were to shut the call off for 15 minutes they are gone. I might call for 5 -8 minutes and shut down for 1 or 2, then resume.
I only hunt them at night using night vision. I have had them respond during the day after having howled and getting a response the night before. I start low and work up in volume, but the biggest thing that got the most responses is to use multiple callers. Set them up so you can play the farthest one then go to the middle one and than the closest. The coyote thinks the animal is getting away and usually will come closer. Not always, but doing this you have a way better chance of him not just hanging up and leaving. Now, if all of them hang up and go away then you got something else going on...do you smoke??? If so, find another hobby, or maybe try hunting them in California.
Try some rabbit scent, red fox scent or a dead rabbit nearby as a cover scent. Never shine a light on them and go into your calling area as stealthy as possible...absolutely no talking or carrying on.
The bottom line, never underestimate just how slick Mr. Wile E. can be and good luck. One more thing,go on predatormasters and buy a howler from ultramag...be sure you get the one with the rubber band and elk call mouth piece, not the open reed type. Learn the female mating call.

 

[justpassinthru]

I asked a successful hunter about this once and he replied, " if someone came into your house and put a bunch of stuff out of place, you'd know something wasn't right and be on the alert wouldn't you? Well, all outdoors, is the coyote's house."
Just try to make anything you do, look and smell normal in Wylie's house.

 

[hogpatrol]

TAG

 

[fredo]

A very wise coyote caller coined this phrase a long time ago: "it ain't chess, its checkers"
The more I hunt around the country, the more I realize the simplistic truth of that statement.

I will say this: if a coyote has the opportunity to see or smell any part of you, or your gear, before gettn' shot, you have already failed at the most basic part of calling coyotes. That being, picking the right stand.

If a stand doesn't check all the boxes for being 'right', then WALK AWAY.
And if you don't know what makes a stand 'right', then no amount of magic sound(s), decoys, or cover scent will help. Start at the start, and set your stand up right.

Checkers...

 

[284winner]

I asked a successful hunter about this once and he replied, " if someone came into your house and put a bunch of stuff out of place, you'd know something wasn't right and be on the alert wouldn't you? Well, all outdoors, is the coyote's house."
Just try to make anything you do, look and smell normal in Wylie's house.

The only exception I have found to that statement and if your a deer hunter, you know that the breeding season throws alot of that caution to the wind. Calling coyotes during the breeding period sometimes takes coyotes to many of their non home ground territories. I've called and killed effectively males coming to invite calls by a female that otherwise IMO would not have or would have cautiously approached and possibly figured out the set. Checkers for sure as Fredo says is the operative game of man and coyote. The breeding season is still somewhat a game of checkers but the male's tend to move their pieces without looking many times causing a win for man. This is more of an exception than the rule. I've won the game a few times however at this time of year.

 

[mikeinct]

If legal put some bait near your call...Can of tuna, cat food or old meat scraps...mike

 

[fredo]

If legal put some bait near your call...Can of tuna, cat food or old meat scraps...mike

If you set a stand up 'right', a coyote would have to expose itself (and be shot), before it ever got a whiff of whatever 'attractant' was put by the call.

By all means, do what you think works. But, that ain't playin' checkers...

 

[nmkid]

When I lived out West, (sigh) I would wear some camo overalls and hat that had set in a cloth bag with some small branches of sage. Got to my hunting place, dress up and never used any other kind of scents. After I was done hunting I would cut fresh sage and stick my clothes back into the sack until next time. Sage is pretty "pungent" and at times the smell was quite overwhelming sitting in the middle of a bush and calling. Yes, it was a pain putting on /taking off the coveralls during the course of a morning hunt if I went to 2-3 spots. But, it worked and many times I had dogs come up 10-15 feet besides me in different winds and I never got busted.

 

[jds holler]

I'm sitting out this whole season; laid up at home with a shattered heal bone. The only coyote fix I get is reading and participating in these "Coyote Calling Threads". And thank God for old memories, and old pics. Here's a couple of mine. jd

 

[matty]

Ask about the same question, you can check out my post if you would like

 

[snert]

I'm sitting out this whole season; laid up at home with a shattered heal bone. The only coyote fix I get is reading and participating in these "Coyote Calling Threads". And thank God for old memories, and old pics. Here's a couple of mine. jd

So which pilgrim is you JD?

 

[370bc]

Im in Madison County IL, and the Yotes in these parts have heard every call a thousand times. Therefore, they only respond at night. Get thermal vision and you will start walking and stacking.
What I do is find the trails they travel and set up, up wind and wait for them to come to me. Hand warmers, toe warmers, chair, shooting stixs. and a thermos full of coffee. It works for me. The only thing i have ever called with my fox pro are domestic animals and coons. Too populated in these parts Im guessing. I set up 100-200 yards away if I can.
Good Luck!

 

[justpassinthru]

I'm sitting out this whole season; laid up at home with a shattered heal bone. The only coyote fix I get is reading and participating in these "Coyote Calling Threads". And thank God for old memories, and old pics. Here's a couple of mine. jd

Looks like you got it figured out!

 

[Patch700]

You made mention that the area you hunt is heavily pressured... You will need to aproach this in a way that they have not been exposed to yet .. Having said that i would dedicate a whole day to the area , calling just after sun up for about 15 minutes with alot of volume and wait... ALL DAY , do not leave the blind until at least noon.. If time permits , call again just before sundown but ONLY if you have time to wait a couple hours before leaving the blind.

My experience with heavy pressured areas is a patience issue on the hunters part.. I have watched first hand from afar where a pair of dogs came in hot to the call and then turned tail only to bed down 40 yds from where thet turned tail.. My father inlaw waited for 40 minutes and left the blind , came back to the truck and said he had been busted.. I said well you have now lol they are still bedded in the same area. I watched the whole thing as i was going to setup at another blind in a pasture to the south of us. We sat in the truck and glassed them for over two hours where they would get up briefly, sniff around and bed down again. Patience pays off when exiting a blind in a heavily hunted area , if your brain tells you its time to leave , give it another hour lol.

Good luck.

 

[msinc]

...You will need to approach this in a way that they have not been exposed to yet ....
Good luck.

This!!!! And it may be as simple as frequently changing the call sound. This seems to make things happen for us when using prey distress sounds. Switching from a rabbit in distress to say a baby gray fox in distress might get a response, especially if no one else is doing it this way. Sometimes it's as simple as going from a baby cottontail to a snowshoe hare or really raspy jack rabbit. Just like when your wife picks out new jewelry...it usually has to be something different that she is not used to that catches her attention.
Sounds strange, but it has proven to work many times for me and if nothing else is getting it done then it has to be worth the try.

 

[Sniper338]

A shot and a miss is an educated coyote... dont miss!

I set my call out 50-150 yards. I use baby cotten tail, pups, pup distress when its the time of year they are dropping pups, it always works..

Other times jack rabbit distress, rabbit distress works for me. Dont turn it up too loud. Coyotes hear better than humans. It was explained to me long ago that a coyote hears say 10 times better than you do so loud to you is really loud and unreal to them.

Keep the sound to a beleivable notch.. where it would sound more normal...

Camo on the call dont matter.

Lights on the call at night matter!

I run for a few minutes then sit for a few minutes, then run again for a few min.. off and on... 2 to 3 min at a time.

Decoys i let them just run the whole time. Ive had coyotes run in and pounce on them. Decoys work!