coyote sense of smell

A_TownDawg_Hunter

New member
I was wondering if anyone can help me with a few questions. i'm a big time bow hunter in michigan, but am just getting into predator hunting. how does a coyote's nose compare to a mature whitetail?? From how far can a coyote wind you??
 
Coyotes will wind you a lot further than a deer will. I've had them catch my scent from several hundred yards. The stronger the wind, the further they will smell you.
 
But, they can't smell red... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
I don't know exactly how much better a coyotes nose is then a deer but the biggest difference is they don't hesitate. A deer smells you it might run but alot of times they stomp there feet, weeze, or just walk off with there tail up. A yote smells you and its gone.
 
If you are Deer hunting in a stand and a Coyote walks by your stand. You know you are in great shape because if you stop and think how many coyote's have you ever seen come by your stand vs. deer? A coyote's nose is alot better than a deer's and a deer's eye sight is better that a coyote's but a coyote's eye sight is very good but a deer's is something like 10x greater that ours.

Have a great day!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
It's not how far away they can smell you, it's what happens right after. It's been my experience that a deer will often stop, smell some more, become alert, snort, etc. Often they then turn and walk away. I've never seen a coyote linger at the smell of fresh human scent - as soon as they hit a track in the woods or get downwind they immediately sense danger and run.

I'm sure they could wind you from several hundred yards depending on conditions. Use their trust in their sense of smell to your advantage, especially if you use a decoy. They will typically circle downwind of a decoy/attractor. You can start planning a hunt by being even further downwind.
 
It's not that they can smell a decoy and call, but rather that you can typically count on a coyote circling downwind of the decoy/call location. This is because of the trust they put in their sense of smell. As a general rule, I put my decoy/call out upwind so that if a coyote does appear it will be between me and the decoy/call, and focused in the direction of the caller.
 
I've heard that deer smell 6 parts per million and that coyotes smell in the parts per trillion. I don't know how accurate it is but it's not hard to believe, as I remember back to times when I've called coyotes in and seen them coming in to 7 or 800 yards, the wind shifts and within a minute they stop, raise their nose to the air and hightail it out. Maybe it was something else, but they sure seem to smell good.
 
The coyote is non other than a wild dog. Just think of how good the k-9s sense of smell is. A police DOG picks up a scent trail much better than a police deer. Must be something to that!
 
Quote:
The coyote is non other than a wild dog. Just think of how good the k-9s sense of smell is. A police DOG picks up a scent trail much better than a police deer. Must be something to that!



True... but even within the canine species some breeds have much better scenting capabilities than other breeds. Hounds have been chosen and bred for this ability whereas some other dogs do not seem to have equal abilities. I’d be willing to venture a bet that canines that are forced to use their nose to hunt and survive have about the sharpest noses within the species. Coyotes would seem to be right there at the top of the heap… /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
A coyote puts a deer to shame on the smelling department. You might fool a deer with cover scents, odor eliminators, but not a coyote. The wind is your safest bet, also, if the wind is angling towards a coyote, but not enough for him to smell you, it will hear you most of the time before you are in range to shoot.
 
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