Coyote Hunting - Easier said than done!
Deer season is over and the post-hunting blues are starting to set in. What is a great way to get out and not only improve your shooting skills but help the control other population of large and small game animals? It’s called coyote hunting. Populations of these animals are really growing across the country and they’re beginning to take a toll on other wildlife. There has never been a better time to add to your trophy collection and reduce the predator pressure on local game and bird populations by coyote hunting.
If there is snow on the ground when you are coyote hunting, “spot and stalk” is an excellent method to use. For this to work, you’ll need a good set of binoculars and a spotting scope. First you’ll spot, then you’ll try to stalk within a range for a good clean shot. It’s sometimes best to drive around on the roads near the woods, especially after a newly fallen snow and look for coyotes who may be out or bedded down for the day. With a fresh covering of snow, you can also spot tracks and follow them with your spotting scope when coyote hunting. By doing this, you are trying to find the direction it’s headed or holed up for the day and then you’ll proceed to stalk the cover by yourself or with your partners. Whichever method of “spot and stalk” you use when coyote hunting, you’re going to find that it’s a bit more of a challenge than any other game you’ve ever hunted!
There are a few different types of calls you can use when coyote hunting. The key to successful calling is to call where there are coyotes within a hearing distance. The more places you call, the better are your chances for success. There are mouth-blown calls you can use or electronic calls. Both depend on what the situation is and will basically give you equal results. In my opinion, I prefer the mouth-blown calls. They take a bit of practice to master but are easily portable so you can carry them no matter what type of hunt you’re on. When I’m setting up for a calling sequence when I’m out coyote hunting, I usually call at a soft volume for the first 30 second series of calls, just incase there are coyotes nearby. Doing it this way, I’ve often had coyotes appear within 30 seconds to a minute of my first calls. If I’m in an area that’s a heavy brushy cover, I’ll keep the volume of my calls down and my locations a mile or more apart.
Regardless of the methods you use when coyote hunting, as a hunter you’re taking on a challenge that can only become more addictive as time passes. You might even find that you’re wishing for the other game seasons to be over and done with so you can get started with coyote hunting!