I am really getting into coyote hunting as well as turkey hunting, and I will be buying a .243 this coming wednesday for my new hobby..
I was just wondering what YOU as a coyote hunter do to take coyote and be successful. Stories would be great, and potential setups would be really helpful too.
Any information on calling or baiting would be great too, thanks for your time guys :)
There are two very important things to remember. 1-watch the wind 2-learn to howl
243 is a great yote and deer gun. When i hunt them with shot guns i hunt really thick cover like cedar thickets. With the rifle you can extend that range. A 243 will reach out and touch them. Get several calls. I use cotton tail screamers and squeakers. Some good audio on line. Call like somethings really got a hold of you. Watch the wind. I usually hunted with a partner. We could watch up wind and down. Yotes usaully try to slip in and get a whiff before coming on in so a guy watching down wind often gets a shot.
I am not an expert on the matter but I do know that at times a fawn bleat also works really well. Kamski and I have both killed a yote while using one. I was deer hunting an early doe hunt a few years ago and tried a bleat and 5 mins later an average size yote shows up so I greased him. I think last year Kamski got the itch and used a bleat during the winter and brought one in and took his. I dont think either of us had to wait to long before the yotes showed up after we hit our bleats
Go deer or turkey hunting.Thats when i kill mine.When i say im going coyote hunting i see nothing. :icon_thumright:
I haven't hunt them for quite awhile but I always had the best luck calling early and late in the day with very little or no wind. I usually used an open reed rabbit call that was capable of making a lot of different sounds.
Last year in the late fall season for turkeys I got mine the first morning out. We went coyote hunting that evening and saw nothing. Had to leave for home the next mid morning (breakfast you know) and saw two on the way home hunting in the snow. Like above my guide used rabbit squealers to try and bring them in. In my youth down in So Cal there was a bounty on them so I did trap a lot yotes and shot my share, we used spoiled chicken and rabbit parts to attract their noses and that worked every time. Make sure bait is legal where you hunt first.
Coyote are TOUGH as far as calling. The animals we have here in the north are completely different than those out west. I've killed about a half dozen by calling and about 20+ in front of hounds. I only call at night. Try finding areas that are unpressured by other callers. Once a yote busts you he'll remember and will be even more cautious from that point on.
I use two headlamps for scanning (Predator Light and Smart Light), both are red LED's. I have a Kill Light 250 mounted on my firearms for a shooting light. I use a 12ga most of the time at night shooting Dead Coyote loads or #4 buck. Coyote vocalizations work best during the mating season (late Jan/Feb). Best advice I can give you is don't give up and play the wind at your setups. Moonlight nights with fresh snow are one of my favorite times to hunt, no lights are necessary.
Here's a few yotes.
(http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e163/beagleguy/P2060192.jpg)
(http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e163/beagleguy/P2130203.jpg)
(http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e163/beagleguy/chet002-12.jpg)
Man I wish we could use lights. The department complains about problem coyotes, but if they really wanted to make it easy on us to kill them they would let us hunt with lights.
awesome pics beagler :icon_thumright:
243 is what myself and friends use on the yotes it is plenty of gun. Like other have said watch the wind. If you can take a fresh killed and stake it out then set up with wind in your face or slight cross wind you should have no problem killen yotes that way you dont have to use the call much.Good luck and post some pic's. :z-guntootsmiley:
thanks guys... Went out saturday afternoon, and what an awesome experience... A group of 30 or so hens snuck up on me, and walked right up pecking so close to my feet she hit my boot. I made a noise when i realized just how close she was, and she took off putting, but stopped on the back side of the tree i was leaning against. Also got within 60 yrds of 2 nice sized does. It was a great time out :)