Lessons Learned....Lessons Shared

As most of you know from reading my posts, I am a passionate coyote hunter. There are books and articles on coyote hunting and many videos. Bang and flop videos can be very misleading to hunters new to the game in regard to coyote hunting success. Enjoy them, but don't take them to heart. The two best ways to become more proficient at coyote hunting are simply the company of a mentor and field experience. As to the latter, it's probably the best teacher. Probably the two most dificult challenges to master are stealth techniques and calling....but not that difficult to learn.
The sound of a dying rabbit is well known to all coyotes, for they hear it many times during their feeding activites...but be aware it can be overused and unproductive at times. Understand, the basics of coyote calling are patience and persistence. Both of these lead to confidence and faith in your ability. Myself and a friend did inshore saltwater guide fishing in the past. There are times when fish strike as fast as you can cast and other times there seems to be no fish around regardless of the techniques applied. This also applies to coyote calling. A dedicated coyote hunter expects such times...he just keeps working at it and toughens it out and is there when things pick up again.
I believe the best way to learn the coyote calling technique is to work and study with someone who has mastered the art. By the way, I don't consider myself a master of the art...I'm always the pupil. If you don't have a mentor the next best thing is buy a record or tape on coyote calling and a mouth call. I've heard that about 95% of the people who buy predator calls will try them a few times without reading the instructions, draw a blank and toss them in a drawer with other game calls they've never learned to use. You have to give yourself a chance to learn.
There are three kinds of coyote calls: the open reed call, the closed reed call, and the electronic call. There are different kinds of mouth calls other than those the mimic injured rabbits that attract coyotes. One of those is the KiYi call which usually has a brass shim which mimics a coyote pup that is hurt. This call can also produce a howling coyote sound. Others mimic the mouse and are known as mouse squeekers. I believe these two additional calls are an absolute must to learn to use. The mouse is a great coaxer and I seldom leave a stand without trying the distressed pup call. It has produced at times when everything else has failed and the one call that gives the hunter a chance at a double when one coyote is already down.
I am grateful we are now in the age of electronic callers. I've had several in the past, but today's top of the line electronic callers are state of the art. The advantage in their use lies in the fact that there are smart and there are dumb coyotes. As a rule, a coyote may be tricked only once with a given sequence of calls and will seldom be called twice the same way and even then, only after several months. They are the best at tricking call shy coyotes. Coyotes respond to a call for several reasons...hunger being the logical reason but, as I've learned, may not only be the real one. Coyotes want to know what is going on in their hunting territory even when not hungry. I've found that curiosity can also be its undoing.
Ok...as to my lessons learned. You may be aware of some of these from your own hunting experiences, but it is my hope that perhaps just one may be of benefit to your own hunting success. When I first started coyote hunting I didn't bother spending any time checking for coyote sign. A coyote track is usually egg shaped with the two front toenails pointing inward and the set of coyote tracks in the mud or snow is normally in a straight line. Always check for dropping and tracks along roads and trails the morning after a rain or snowfall.
In choosing a hunting area its best to have some idea of the pressure it has had. I've learned that hunting in open country coyotes are most likely to be found in big open pastures in early fall. Later on, after being chased by dogs, vehicles and humans, they begin to use rougher terrain.
I'm sure you are aware that one of the critical steps to success is ALWAYS CALL INTO THE WIND. It's just a hard fact that the coyote's sense of smell is so keen and its so important to keep the wind in your favor, otherwise its just a waste of time. You just have to accept the fact that a COYOTES FACILITIES ARE SUPERNATURAL.
All talking must cease before you get out of your vehicle and start your approach and don't try to drive as close as possible to your hunting set-up. It goes without saying to park your vehicle downwind and walk there into the wind. From this point on until you finish your calling sequence, there must be no talking. Communicate with HAND SIGNALS if hunting with a buddy and sit among bushes or other cover tall enough to break up your outline. In short cover, lie prone. On rocky hillsides sit in front of a boulder, not behind it. Do the same with a thick clump of brush. Doing this you can see from all directions WITHOUT MOVING.
Limit the number on hunters on a stand...you and a buddy is max. You can USE A SERIES OF SHORT NOTES on a call to signal each other without moving or speaking when an animal is sighted. I enjoy hunting with a friend, but seem to have always had more success calling by myself...less chance of a fumble, I guess. THE CALLER IS IN CHARGE. He will pick the calling site, place his companion and, after the calling begins, he will make all the decisions including when to stop.

THE APPROACH: Your approach to a site will vary as to location. I follow this procedure: Figure out where the predator is most likely to be and from which direction you expect him to come. Coyotes usually rest in cover during the day...sometimes on hillsides, in gullies and draws or swales near the tops of hills. In COLD weather they will likely lie in the SUN. When its HOT they seek SHADE. Go directly and quietly as possible to where you will begin calling. Don't mill around and be indecisive. ALWAYS KEEP BELOW THE HORIZON, preferably high on a slope or overlook but never on top of it. Always have a GOOD VISUAL COMMAND. It goes without saying when hunting prarie land to never stand up...coyotes pay little attention to a hunter in the sitting position provided his clothing BLENDS WITH THE COLOR of
the ground cover. When hunting with a buddy, sit relatively close together to avoid shooting each other when a coyote runs to investigate a sound....and remember ANY MOTION OF THE CALLER OR COMPANION MAY SPOOK A COYOTE INSTANTLY.

THE CALL: The actual calling is not as important as your approach to the calling site. When using a hand call I find that starting off with a series of high-pitched screams that imitate a rabbit in mortal agony, blowing the call for one minute or less best. Then, after a short pause of less than two minutes, I go through the sequence again with less volume. I try to make this fade into a series of weakened bleats with hand cupping and uncupping over the call. I do not let a false note bother me..I just keep calling with an occasional pause. Remember, a rabbit fighting for its life does not emit perfect screams. The more you practice this, the better you will become. TK knows that my practice at calling at home drives my wife nuts...but practice is essential. THE MORE PAIN, FRIGHT AND URGENCY you put into your calling the more likely you will be successful calling in coyotes and other predators. When a rabbit gets attacked by a predator it lets out a long loud scream of terror and hurt.....waaaaaaaa, waaaaaaaa, waaaaaaa, then breaks off into a series of short, gasping cries....waaaa, waaaa, waaaa and finally fades into whimpers....waaa, waaa, waa, wa, wa, wa, and the calling dies away. Then the predator will strike again and the rabbit squalls again. It is important to remember that you should mimic the squalls in seperate breaths and each squall or breath should be distinct. THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART OF ACTUALLY CALLING. How do I know this....two reasons failures vs success calling from many stands and secondly, I once was hunting in CRP grass and witnessed the nearby strike of a hawk on a cottontail rabbit and will never forget the sounds of distress from that rabbit...what better teacher! I was so mesmorized by the sight and sound of that attack that I failed to notice a coyote responding to the attack, as well. Also, I have noticed that FoxPro has got this identical sequence down pat.
When calling, a coyote may come in sight a minute after beginning calling, the next may take his time. Most, but not all, show up within the first 5 minutes or so. Alot depends on the cover. In heavy cover I remain on a stand a minimum of 15 to 20 minutes, one open plains stands 20 to 45 minutes. I've learned not to be in a hurry to quit. I have left a few stands only to look back when it was too late seeing a coyote sneaking in or leaving. If a coyote, fox or bobcat stops and turns back without coming into gun range just keep calling because they can often be coaxed back in. I have been shocked into an adrenaline attack many times by the cautious approach of a coyote simply materializing out of nowhere when I first catch a glimpse of him sitting and looking directly at me! When you first see a coyote approaching from a distance it is important to CEASE CALLING and not to resume as long as he continues his approach. He may stop several hundred yards away. This is when your practice of "coaxing" calling pays off with a few short gasping cries, faint whimpers and squeaks at close range will bring him into gun range. OK...he's in gun range...now what? The biggie...and one thing that is difficult to master with the excitement and adrenaline flowing. DON'T BE IN A HURRY TO RAISE YOUR WEAPON OR REPOSITION. Move only whenhe's out of sight or prepared to take an instant shot. When I'm scanning the distance and suddenly see a coyote sitting on his haunches watching me I FREEZE AND LET THE COYOTE MAKE THE NEXT MOVE. His great sense of curiousity will most often bring him in for a closer look. DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF SHOOTING AT A PREDATOR WHEN FIRST SPOTTED. Be patient...wait for a sure shot. Trust me on that one...been there, done that. If there are two or more hunters, THE CALLER SHOULD BE THE FIRST TO MOVE AFTER A SEQUENCE OF CALLING only after he has scanned the landscape for new arrivals. A dead calm wind is ideal but the hunters have to be extra careful not to make any noise. A light breeze isn't bad and covers some small mistakes but calling into the wind over 10mph is exceedingly difficult. Several other things I have noted when calling is coyotes don't mind moving around in light snowfalls but do not like moving in rain and actually prefer moving around on cloudy, foggy days. Hence, some good winter hunting. (but with different calling tactics). A standard of calling I try to use is, when calling in upland areas jackrabbit or cottontail distress calls seem to work best. But in bottom land close to rivers, ponds and creeks bird distress calls seem to work best. A good tip to remember is don't be afraid to move from your distressed rabbit calls and mix up your calls as the season moves along. Probably the most difficult calls to master are the coyote vocalization calls that are quite effective during the winter and spring months. Again, FoxPro has an excellent sound library of coyote vocalization calls.

EXPECTED ACTION: Ok, you've become fairly proficient at calling. Now what kind of action can you expect? An excellent success ratio would be one coyote called for every three stands....but don't feel you are failing if that doesn't happen. In average calling country success can be measured by a caller calling in a coyote with every five to eight attempts. I have called from stands a dozen times or more without success and then call in a coyote from three or four stands in succession. Depending how efficiently you work, you can make perhaps 10 - 12 set-ups in a day. But remember, a half dozen very good set-ups will be more productive that a dozen sloppy ones.
Coyotes differ...they are true individuals. Like each of us, they vary in intelligence and sharpness of senses. There are call-shy coyotes and there are suckers for calls. I imagine their are countless coyotes who have learned from escaping after being called in. Its probably true that those coyotes cannot be tricked again until they have experience the cries of a real rabbit and have gotten a meal from it. One thing I've experienced is, that more often than not, the coyote will do what is unpredictable. My best source of coyote hunting has always come from the permission I have received to hunt private farms and ranches. If I am the only one hunting that property I have much more control over probable outcomes than hunting public lands where I am not sure of the hunting pressure on coyotes. When hunting these areas I'm not going to shoot at a coyote out of range or near the maximum potential range of my rifle or shotgun. I'll save him for another day rather than educating him and losing the possibility of putting him on the stretcher on another day. I'll try my best to observe previous coyote behavior on that property i.e, travel routes, coyote sign, where they have been spotted or responded to coyote locator calls and try to adjust my tactics accordingly. Its all part of an on-going learning process. There have been days calling when I think to myself that I've really got a grip on this and then experience those days when I second guess myself and think I haven't learned a thing. But one thing for sure....my enthusiasm for the sport has never lessened. It is my hope that someone interested in predator hunting has picked up maybe just one hint from the experiences I have shared that helps him or her become more successful and enjoy this great sport of predator hunting even more. Have fun and always expect the unexpected.