First Coyote hunt ever! First time calling too. Learned alot.

L

longarm21

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So I went out today for my first Coyote hunt. I went solo, and I used hand calls. I got myself in position downwind of a huge clearing surrounded by trees, and called using my jackrabbit in distress call. I started out with the Ruffidawg Coaxer to open the stand up, but then moved to my Primos coaxer, and then it felt like the forest was coming alive. Ravens were moving around, and a magpie flew over. I knew this was a good sign as I had heard that "if you see a magpie, a coyote is nearby". I then tried a few mouse sounds using the whistler part of the Primos call. Sudden a huge owl swoops down in the field in front of me. I felt really good now about the sounds I was making. This was my first time ever attempting the coyote hunt as well as calling. This raised my confidence bigtime seeing an owl come in.

Right that moment I saw movement from the corner of my right eye. Yellow. It was a big furry coyote about 50 ft from me about 60 degrees to my right. He crossed the clearing by the time I saw him and he stopped when he got the edge of the treeline. I saw him looking my direction so I gave a few more mouse squeaks on my call. Reached down for my rifle and he moved quickly into the bush. He must have seen me move!

I gave a few more squeaks to see if he was circling me and try and draw him back out where I could see him. He didn't show. I then realised I had blown that stand and I had to relocate. I did so and had no luck the rest of the day.

I am happy - it was a learning experience and I now know just how careful these animals can be. I think next time I will have to choose a position where I will not have to move so much to adopt a firing position.
 
Way to go - at least you saw something. I learned the "dont call till your rifle is ready" the first year wolf hunting when i had one come out 15 seconds after I started and my rifle was leaning on the tree behind me...

Keep at it!
 
I just took my hunting safety course over this last weekend, and very intent on gettin out there to hunt yotes in the near future. The instructor was saying its very easy to call too much? That once you get there interest to let them come in closer and don't keep calling them?

Thoughts? I have also heard about using scraps from a harvested animal as bait too, but I would imagine that would cause problems with birds tryin to carry it off.
 
I did my first solo hunt on saturday. Coyote tracks all over the place. Called using a primos double Jackrabbit got the crows all stirred up but no dogs. I did 5 sits and didn't even see an ear. The tracks were fresh too. That was my third day coyote hunting this year, skunked every time. I think that primos call is going to go away.
 
longarm21 said:
Right that moment I saw movement from the corner of my right eye. Yellow. It was a big furry coyote about 50 ft from me about 60 degrees to my right. He crossed the clearing by the time I saw him and he stopped when he got the edge of the treeline. I saw him looking my direction so I gave a few more mouse squeaks on my call. Reached down for my rifle and he moved quickly into the bush. He must have seen me move!
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Now you're hooked, I am betting. ;) Once you've started calling, movement is your enemy. A coyote responding to the call will have already done an excellent job of localizing the source of the sound, and so will be searching for any movement (as well as working the wind, of course) to try and pinpoint that source. They are remarkably good at picking up even the slightest movement if they happen to be looking your way.
 
I set up with my rifle on the bipod and the butt on my shoulder the same as I do turkey hunting. I was burned a few times with movement, but this has little movement and works
 
jfarrell said:
I set up with my rifle on the bipod and the butt on my shoulder the same as I do turkey hunting. I was burned a few times with movement, but this has little movement and works
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Yeah that wouldn't have worked because he was to the extreme right of my peripheral vision. The problem with hunting with my bipod is that they tend to circle, and thus I have to swing way around to acquire them.
 
I prefer shooting sticks because it is so easy to "swivel" the rifle on them. Uneven ground is no problem either if you have to lift and reset them. You don't even have to take your eyes off the dog to pay attention to where you're setting them down. Make a set out of doweling from some lumber store, and see if you like them. Cost is minimal for the experiment.
 
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