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There seems to be a fair amount of interest in hunting coyotes. I've put together some info that may help.
INTRODUCTION TO HUNTING COYOTES
Canis Latrans, the coyote, the most adaptable animal in North America. You can find him at seaside, in the desert, in the forest, and in the city or on the bald prairie at forty below. He will kill anything he is able. He will eat almost anything he can find whether animal or vegetable. His sense of smell, hearing and eyesight are better than excellent. Put this together with his social structure and his skill as a hunter and you have a Challenge ahead of you.
Fortunately predator hunting doesn't require a person to get a second mortgage to buy a bunch of specialized equipment. Depending on the type of terrain, a hunter can use a shotgun with 00 buck or 4 buck, or any center fire rifle. The shotgun is effective up to 40 yards, and believe me, when coyotes come inside that range, things happen in a hurry.
As for optics, a fixed 4 or 6 power scope would certainly work, and a variable 3x to 9x may be better. I personally do not see the need for anything more than 9 power and most of the time my scope is on 5x or 6x. The binoculars that are used for other types of hunting should be put into service for coyotes. I use them every time I set up, even in heavier cover. If you plan to shoot the long shots, a rangefinder would come in handy. Most of us are not as accurate at judging distance as we think we are, especially in the wide open spaces.
More important than firearm choice or optics, is the ability to shoot accurately. This means you must be completely comfortable with your firearm and it means practice before you get into the field. If you are going to take the 200 yard-plus shot, you had better be able to hit a 4 inch circle all day long at that distance on the range. It is much harder in the field with 2 or 3 coyotes coming in on the run. Too often we spend hours and hours preparing equipment and traveling and less than 30 minutes a year shooting our rifle.
Camo clothing is important, but almost any pattern will get you started. You may want to be more specific after you have been out a few times. Snow cover simplifies things as any white coveralls would work.Since you will be sitting for extended periods, it is critical that you have clothing that is comfortable.
The one piece of specialized equipment required for this type of hunting is a call. Most of the calls mimic some animal in extreme danger or distress. There are calls that imitate any animal from rabbits, birds, etc. A Coyote is not particular as long as it sounds like an easy meal.There are two types of calls on the market today: electronic and hand held. While electronics are becoming more widely used they are expensive and can be unreliable. While Hand held calls are easiest and least expensive calls to get. yet, within this group of hand held calls there are open and closed reed calls. Closed calls are very similar to calls used for ducks and geese. They are fairly easy to master, but have a tendency to freeze up in colder temperatures. Open reed calls require a little more practice, but freeze up is not a problem and a hunter can produce a wider range of sounds. Once you have mastered the distress call, you may want to include a howler in your bag of tricks. A good howler allows you to have some interesting encounters with coyotes.
It seems like such a simple thing, but if you are to have success you must call where there are coyotes. If you are hunting on public land, you will have to do some scouting. Maybe you've seen coyotes in areas that you hunt for other game. If not, look for sign, dens, scat or howling at night.
Having found an area that has coyotes, we now must decide on a blind location. While a person can hunt successfully solo, it is a benefit to have a partner to watch your backdoor. It is common for coyotes to try to come in downwind. Once you reach your spot, get set up so you have a decent field of view and some shooting lanes. Coyotes can and do come in from any direction. call anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes. If you don't see something by then, move to another spot. call anytime through the day from dawn to dusk.
I hope this helps, Good hunting!!
Canis Latrans, the coyote, the most adaptable animal in North America. You can find him at seaside, in the desert, in the forest, and in the city or on the bald prairie at forty below. He will kill anything he is able. He will eat almost anything he can find whether animal or vegetable. His sense of smell, hearing and eyesight are better than excellent. Put this together with his social structure and his skill as a hunter and you have a Challenge ahead of you.
Fortunately predator hunting doesn't require a person to get a second mortgage to buy a bunch of specialized equipment. Depending on the type of terrain, a hunter can use a shotgun with 00 buck or 4 buck, or any center fire rifle. The shotgun is effective up to 40 yards, and believe me, when coyotes come inside that range, things happen in a hurry.
As for optics, a fixed 4 or 6 power scope would certainly work, and a variable 3x to 9x may be better. I personally do not see the need for anything more than 9 power and most of the time my scope is on 5x or 6x. The binoculars that are used for other types of hunting should be put into service for coyotes. I use them every time I set up, even in heavier cover. If you plan to shoot the long shots, a rangefinder would come in handy. Most of us are not as accurate at judging distance as we think we are, especially in the wide open spaces.
More important than firearm choice or optics, is the ability to shoot accurately. This means you must be completely comfortable with your firearm and it means practice before you get into the field. If you are going to take the 200 yard-plus shot, you had better be able to hit a 4 inch circle all day long at that distance on the range. It is much harder in the field with 2 or 3 coyotes coming in on the run. Too often we spend hours and hours preparing equipment and traveling and less than 30 minutes a year shooting our rifle.
Camo clothing is important, but almost any pattern will get you started. You may want to be more specific after you have been out a few times. Snow cover simplifies things as any white coveralls would work.Since you will be sitting for extended periods, it is critical that you have clothing that is comfortable.
The one piece of specialized equipment required for this type of hunting is a call. Most of the calls mimic some animal in extreme danger or distress. There are calls that imitate any animal from rabbits, birds, etc. A Coyote is not particular as long as it sounds like an easy meal.There are two types of calls on the market today: electronic and hand held. While electronics are becoming more widely used they are expensive and can be unreliable. While Hand held calls are easiest and least expensive calls to get. yet, within this group of hand held calls there are open and closed reed calls. Closed calls are very similar to calls used for ducks and geese. They are fairly easy to master, but have a tendency to freeze up in colder temperatures. Open reed calls require a little more practice, but freeze up is not a problem and a hunter can produce a wider range of sounds. Once you have mastered the distress call, you may want to include a howler in your bag of tricks. A good howler allows you to have some interesting encounters with coyotes.
It seems like such a simple thing, but if you are to have success you must call where there are coyotes. If you are hunting on public land, you will have to do some scouting. Maybe you've seen coyotes in areas that you hunt for other game. If not, look for sign, dens, scat or howling at night.
Having found an area that has coyotes, we now must decide on a blind location. While a person can hunt successfully solo, it is a benefit to have a partner to watch your backdoor. It is common for coyotes to try to come in downwind. Once you reach your spot, get set up so you have a decent field of view and some shooting lanes. Coyotes can and do come in from any direction. call anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes. If you don't see something by then, move to another spot. call anytime through the day from dawn to dusk.
I hope this helps, Good hunting!!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Edward Smith on
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I have a lohman 3-n-1 predator call. It has a squeaker, rabbit distress, and a howling function. It's an okay call (closed reed). It was cheap and easy to use. May not be perfect but for me just starting out I think it will do for now. how about you?
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I hear Fox pro is the cats meow, but I think Rob is the man to ask on this one. He might have heard of one better. when it comes to the Coyotes he is the man. Cheers, Ed
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Permalink Reply by Walter Meadus on
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I am just getting into predator hunting and I have been doing my research. I looked at a Fox Pro at a local retailer here in St. John's and the price was pretty high ($550.00+tx) are there other eletronic call options that won't be so hard on the wallet?
Thanks Walter Meadus -
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Thanks Ed I will check them out for sure. I noticed that you are using a manual call, how do you find that? Was it hard to master?
Walter -
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Not really, lot easier than a duck call. I like the call, and so do owls! Nearly got nailed by a great horned owl the first time I used it. the bloody thing came out of nowhere. I don't know who got the bigger scare me or the Owl! LOL
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