Coyote Calling Techniques

Hunting for coyotes is rather a complex process, much more elaborate than hunting for other animals. This is mainly because coyotes need to be called and not pursued or chased, as they are solitary, wondering creatures. But the act of calling requires many other aspects to be taken into consideration and put to use, such as the all-important preparation, scouting for the right place to do the calling from, the set-up and the crucial element called camouflage. Only after completing these requirements should you do the actual calling.

Hunter calling for coyotes

Preparation is a delicate process in which you have to take notice beforehand of the things you will need (like your camouflage equipment, scope, gun, ammo, shades, distress callers etc.) and take them with you. Also, as a part of the preparation process, mental preparation can prove indispensable for any successful coyote hunt. You have to let all of your problems aside and focus only on finding and shooting as many coyotes as you can. Otherwise, without a clear head, it can be impossible to concentrate on getting prey and therefore, the whole experience would be meaningless. So remember to fully examine your mental state and only go hunting when you can be sure no problems can interfere between you and a fruitful hunting reward.

Scout Well Before Calling Coyotes

A crucial element for any hunting experience, and especially when the prey is coyote, is the process of scouting. It is a plain fact that you cannot call a coyote if there isn't any to be called. When you're out in the field, look for scat or coyote tracks that will show coyote presence in the area. In addition, take notes on where you see coyotes over and over, as those will be the areas that you want to target your calling upon. Landowners are excellent resources of hints on where they see coyotes on their lands and where they think would be fine places to call. Look for spots that have high concentration of the coyote's favorite prey, like rabbits, deer, prairie dogs and mice. If you search for these types of areas you're bound to find coyotes.

Next comes the critical step of setup. Needless to say that knowing how and where to position yourself in the stand will win you half of the battle, so-to-say. Therefore many aspects have to be given a lot of thought before engaging in the calling itself. Pay high attention to the direction of the wind constantly. The coyote's sense of smell is highly developed, and shouldn't be ignored. When you set up, be sure you place yourself either with the wind straight in your face or with a crosswind. The coyotes are known for circling downwind to gain the scent advantage, thus the perfect setup would have to be with a crosswind and enough open area downwind to observe any coyotes that might be circling. It is also imperative that you call with the sun facing at your back. This will make it more difficult for the coyote to see you. Another significant aspect of setting up is position yourself in the shade. By doing so, you will hide your position and make it more tricky for the coyote to spot you.

Camouflaging your presence is an important aspect of a hunting session and needs not much further stressing. It is imperative to blend into your surroundings by matching your camouflage clothing to the terrain you hunt upon. It is also decisive to cover all exposed skin areas, and this includes your face as human skin is extremely reflective and coyotes will notice this. Another important element of camouflaging is to try and limit movement when you're on stand. Coyotes have dedicated eyesight and will notice even the slightest movement you make. If you truly must move, do it slowly and intentionally.

Camouflaged hunter

Last but not least, there is the actual calling itself. Learning how to properly use a mouth blown rabbit-in-distress call is a fairly simple task. Almost any of the calls on today's market are liable to work just fine for you. Remember to stay about 30 minutes on each stand, particularly when calling in an open area. If you are in an area that is greatly wooded, you may only stay 10-15 minutes on stand because the sound of the call won't travel very far. You will want to make calls for short intervals of time, for instance call for 20-30 seconds, then wait 2 minutes, and then repeat.

Remember all these things, put them to good use, practice until you no longer have to rememorize any of them and you will usually have a rewording hunt and a lot of fun while doing it.