Coyote Callin Nowadays

[jdscholer]

I just took a long weekend, and went out to our vast sagebrush desert to do a little coyote calling. I took the seats out of the Jeep Cherrokee, making a poor mans camper out of it, kissed Mrs jd goodby and took off by myself.

I'm not a beginner at this, but it's been awhile since I've done it in a serious way. Apparently between me gettin older, and coyotes gettin smarter, my kill rate has gotten smaller. but WOW!!! I'ts still a blast.!!

I did four or five different set-ups per day for a couple of days, calling in a total of four coyotes. (that I saw) These dogs were all within easy kill range, and for two of them I should have had the shotgun. Sounds easy don't it. Well I killed just one dog.

Seems like they come in a lot more cautious than they used to, and generally had busted me before I did them. And where ya think that a coyote that suddenly appears 30 yards away would give ya plenty of time to shoot him as he runs away, think again. These devils are magicians at using the terrrain to dissapear from whatever scares them.

I use good cammo, with full headnet and gloves, but have to do something with my rifle which is a stock Rem 700, which sticks out like a sore --- thumb.

I'm also pretty "old school" with my calling, using my old mouth calls not the latest electronic stuff. More than ever I can see the value of having the caller placed a distance from the shooter, whether it is a buddy or

 

[rickyjames]

i would use the electronic calls. with the remote controls it allows you to be hidden away from the call causing less distraction and suspicion. the new remote decoys are effective too added to the calls. it also give you a greater field of view. being away from the call can give you a full 360 degrees to watch.

my cherokee seats fold down flat making a nice flat sleeping area, couple that with moving the front seat forward and i have a semi comfortable sleeping area and i'm 6'3". why would you take the seats out? i love my cherokee

 

[wyobohunter]

I've been toying with the idea of going electronic myself. The area just north of my house has dogs but it's a big ol' swamp. Fun place to run around on my snow machine but I only busted one yote last winter.

 

[jdscholer]

my Cherokee seats fold down flat making a nice flat sleeping area, couple that with moving the front seat forward and i have a semi comfortable sleeping area and i'm 6'3". why would you take the seats out? i love my Cherokee

I guess we can make this a coyote callin/SUV campin thread.

My rear seat doesn't fold down very flat or level with the rear deck. That combined with my desire for more room and storage inspired me to remove the seats. (only six bolts) Then I constructed a wooden frame, plywood covered box/platform which is level with the back deck, and extends forward about as far as the front seat would in its forward position. The lid of this box pops up and I was amazed at the gear I was able to cram into the space provided. (handi-man jack, short handled shovel, full sized axe, hand saw, hand winch, jumper cables, a couple small propane cylinders, ropes, hammer, spare flashlight, ahhhhh---I think that's it) This is all stuff that I like to have when I'm out where I might get in trouble and is also kind of a pain to have rattling around in the cab. My Cherokee is one of the few that doesn't have a top rack, and I haven't decided to buy or make a top mount cargo carrier for it yet. (but I'm gonna) I also love my Cherokee, and Mrs. jd loves hers.

Now back to the hunting. We used to do very well by setting up in spots where the brush was thick, and the coyotes were pretty much in our laps by the time they figured us out. We killed most of them with our shotguns - up close and personal. Now however I'm getting the feeling that I'm getting circled and busted by my scent before the dogs come in close. I think I need to set up in spots where I can see a little farther out at least in the direction that they are most likely to approach from.

I used to be kind of philosophically opposed to the electronic calls, but now -- I think I can deal with it. After all, if it seems like I'm experiencing an unfair advantage, I don't have to pull the trigger.



Here's a couple of pics from the old days. jd

 

[wyobohunter]

That dog in the firt pic looks pretty big.

I had plans to build the same sort of storage box/sleeping platform when I had a Cherokee. I'm now driving a pickup so I need to get a camper shell for my travel hunts.

 

[Daryl]

JD,

You and I have a lot in common.

I don't call as much as I used to, but I still LOVE IT!

I much prefer mouth calls, and I still use them a lot. I do have a makeshift e-callre that I use occasionally (for certain types of stands, or when I'm feeling lazy), but I actually (most of the time) call more coyotes with the mouth calls. Heck, I still use an old Weems Wildcall, and they haven't been made in many years. That and a custom buffalo horn howler seem to pair up pretty well for me.

I liken calling with hand calls to fly fishing, and using an e-caller to dunkin' worms. Both result in coyotes, but one is more of a "purists" method, and can be far more effective when mastered. Besides, I'd rather shoot one coyote called with a mouth call than 5 with an e-caller.

I've been out one evening this fall, called in two coyotes (same stand), and got them both. I was lucky, no doubt, but the first one gave the second one away when it looked back just before I pulled the trigger. I switched targets and shot the farthest one first, then got the close one.

Both were young of the year, so their first education was costly.

With all the pressure on them though, the coyotes are getting smarter and harder to call. I guess I've killed enough of them that it wouldn't bother me if I never shot another, but I'll keep going out and trying. It does make a fella appreciate each one, that's for sure.

Daryl

 

[jdscholer]

Daryl, I also have the old Weems Wildcall, with interchangable jack/cottentail inserts. And the coyotes still like it. I bought one of the Lil Dog howlers this year but it hasn't done much for me. I'm not feelin real savvy with it. Here's another of my pics from the old days. That little dog has long since crossed over into "Huntin Dog Heavin".--- And took a bucket of my tears with her. jd

 

[Uncle Buck]

I bought an electronic caller for my nephew. He talks me into buying a lot of things I/we/he does not need. Anyways, I have used it a dozen times, but have not had any luck so far. Maybe the wrong time of day, the wrong place, or just not paying enough attention to what we are doing, I am not sure. I know we have coyotes here, because I see them from my window at different times of the day.
On thing we were considering, and I would like your opinion of, is putting the electronic caller down a rabbit hole. Do you guys think that would work?

I remember as a youngster the old man I hunted with would take a puppy and tie it out by itself and use it for 'bait'. We always took the puppy home with us and never lost one to the coyotes, but I just can not bring myself to do that.

 

[L_Killkenny]

Uncle, more than likely your set-ups are bad. Wind, cover and appraoch. Top that off with there has to be critters in hearing range. Most begining callers call critters that they never see due to bad set-ups. No need for a rabbit hole trick. It's a bad idea. You would be limited in your set-ups and won't be very effective. It's a waste of time and movement too. In the west you can get by with just plopping your behind down anywhere and see the occasional critter. Not so in the east and in farm country.

People still use dogs for decoys. We're talking dogs trained for the job not just dogs staked out. But that would work too.

LK

 

[jdscholer]

I think that most of us make the mistake of calling areas that we have already exposed ourselves to, either by sight or scent. And calling to a coyote that you see standing out in the open is pretty much just educating the critter.

It's usually kind of frustrating to me trying to figure the exact best spot to plop my butt down and start calling; too much visibility and they will see you first. to little visibility, and they'll often smell ya first. And then of course if there's no coyote within hearing distance of your call---- well ya know. When you stack it all up, the odds of being successful on any given stand are less than great. jd

 

[williamd]

I have used all kinds of calls and have had a blast ... and good success. There is just something more challenging and satisfying in using a mouth call in day light (we can hunt with lights at night in much of SoCal).

 

[BUTCHER45]

I called in, and killed my first coyote not to long ago.

Between using a handcall (bite-style), the fact that I was hunting all by myself, calling the coyote to within about 15 yards, and shooting her with my .45caliber air rifle, that hunt was about as special as it can get. Oh, and doing it here in the thick Western Oregon woods was pretty sweet, too.

Hunting alone is sounding like more and more of a good idea to me. Most say that two hunters will make twice the sound of one hunter, but in my case the other hunter makes like 4+ times the noise I do. All kinds of noise.

I've only hunted with one person that has been anywhere close to as quiet as me. I work hard to stay in all-out ninja mode at all times while hunting, and believe my first coyote would not have come in had I been as loud as so many others are (she was likely bedded down about 175-250 yards away from my stand at the most, she showed up quick).

There are probably a lot more "new" predator hunters out there these days that are educating the coyotes. The sport is growing fast along with, and due to the coyote population in many parts of the county.