Hunting coyotes at dusk questions?

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frankr

New member
Well due to how busy life is getting my early morning hunts are getting fewer and fewer
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It looks like I am going to have to start hunting at dusk. So my questions are:


How many of you hunt frequently at dusk?


Do you prefer it to dawn or is there really no difference in your success?


Have you found anything that is really different when hunting at dusk compared to hunting at dawn?


Thanks
 
Originally Posted By: frankrWell due to how busy life is getting my early morning hunts are getting fewer and fewer
thumbdown.gif
It looks like I am going to have to start hunting at dusk. So my questions are:


How many of you hunt frequently at dusk?


Do you prefer it to dawn or is there really no difference in your success?


Have you found anything that is really different when hunting at dusk compared to hunting at dawn?


Thanks

1. I almost always hunt at dusk because...
2. I have more success at dusk than in the morning.
3. If you cannot hunt at night with a light, you are racing the darkness. Most of the yotes I have killed have been right before the need to turn on the light. You have to have a good scope with excellent "light gathering" properties, and I prefer an illuminated reticle.
 
I have called in a lot at dusk, its when they are one the move for food also and seem to want to get there before the competition does, but not always.
 
i like both. the only thing about dusk is as it keeps getting better and better, the more the light is fading.
 
....the downside is that the action has an abrupt end, when the sun sets. (assuming there is no night calling) I like dusk, but prefer sunrise for the shear fact of action tapers off instead of abrupt ending.

Anytime you are out calling is better than on the couch or computer!
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Tony
 
Originally Posted By: TonyTebbe....the downside is that the action has an abrupt end, when the sun sets. (assuming there is no night calling) I like dusk, but prefer sunrise for the shear fact of action tapers off instead of abrupt ending.



My feelings echo this. ^^

Love that first stand when it's just barely light enough to see/shoot and the next 2 or 3 right after that. The last stand of the day, just before it's to dark to see/shoot, is my second favorite..
 
Originally Posted By: frankrWell due to how busy life is getting my early morning hunts are getting fewer and fewer
thumbdown.gif
It looks like I am going to have to start hunting at dusk. So my questions are:


How many of you hunt frequently at dusk?


Do you prefer it to dawn or is there really no difference in your success?


Have you found anything that is really different when hunting at dusk compared to hunting at dawn?


Thanks
I think coyotes are more active at early light,often times they are on there way to den and you can catch them still moving,i agree with tony I do like the the action to tapper off instead of just ending.
 
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With my busy work schedule we almost always Hunt the last 2 hours of the day til dark,it seems the Coyotes are more anxious to get out and move then than in the mornings.I've done a few morning Coyotes Hunts and think I have only shot 1 or 2 Coyote's at that time of the day.All other times have been mid-day or late at close to dark.


Personally I would rather Hunt in the mornings as several mentioned because as the morning progresses You have more and more shooting light.I can handle morning hunts...my Calling Partner sleeps in when He can so that pretty well dictates going out as a Team...I've been Hunting Cut Hay Fields lately and have seen several Coyotes out in them looking for field mice and other rodents!
 
Dusk is my favorite time to hunt coyotes I just wish it would stay "dusk" longer. I always have good luck starting about an hour before sunset. I can usually get them to howl back so I can locate them easier at dusk also!!!
 
I have made stands at dusk and switched to NV when it was to dark to see with the day scope and found it was still to light for the autogated NV scope and had to wait another 30 minutes, the thermal works but works better after the ground and radient heat off the trees and brush has disapated

now in the winter it would not be a problem for the thermal and will try it next winter, start a stand 20 minutes before sunset on through twilight.
 
Dusk stands are good but I got tired of packing stuff up in the truck after dark only to hear coyote howls at or near the stands I just vacated. I'm sure many of you have witnessed this before and it can be pretty discouraging at times. I switched to night hunting and pretty much solved that problem....and never looked back. Nice thing about night hunting is you can get several hours of very intensive and highly productive calling time. At least that is what I have experienced here in IL. Only down side is that night calling requires entirely different equipment and tactics that you need to consider before going out and "educating" a bunch of new coyotes. If your state allows night hunting, move on over to the PM Night Calling Forum and get educated....with the right tactics and equipment your success rate will implode and you will find it difficult to ever hunt in the daylight again. Kevin
 
Originally Posted By: the impactzoneI have made stands at dusk and switched to NV when it was to dark to see with the day scope and found it was still to light for the autogated NV scope and had to wait another 30 minutes, the thermal works but works better after the ground and radient heat off the trees and brush has disapated

now in the winter it would not be a problem for the thermal and will try it next winter, start a stand 20 minutes before sunset on through twilight.
Night vision (NV) works great right at dark (about 1/2 hour or 45 minutes after sunset) as long as you set up to have the coyote/predator show up from the North, East or South. The western skyline will be too bright during this timeframe, and the autobrightness feature in all NV tubes will dim them down considerably when looking in this direction. It takes about 1 to 1 1/2 hours after sunset for the western horizon to darken enough for you to set up for that direction. Kevin
 
Killed many at dusk in the past but educated many in the process. The chances of coyotes waiting till dark to move in close and get educated goes up 10 fold. The internet and hunting camps are full of “When it got dark the coyotes lit up all around me”. I have very limited land availability so I cut my hunting off 2 hours before dark to cut down on the amount of educated coyotes.
 
I like both first light and last light hunting.

When the weather is warmer and daylight hours are longer I have had more luck at dusk. I think it's because they have had a long day of laying around and they are ready to get going.

When the weather is real cold I like to hunt them all day long and have killed them at all times of the day.

I like to vocalize with the coyote at first light as I have found the coyote to be more social in the early hours. I use some prey species calls also if the howling doesn't work.

I tend to use more prey species for dusk calling but when it gets to dark to shoot I like to vocalize as that is a great time to do some locating for future hunts.
 
I like both first light and last light hunting.

When the weather is warmer and daylight hours are longer I have had more luck at dusk. I think it's because they have had a long day of laying around and they are ready to get going.

When the weather is real cold I like to hunt them all day long and have killed them at all times of the day.

I like to vocalize with the coyote at first light as I have found the coyote to be more social in the early hours. I use some prey species calls also if the howling doesn't work.

I tend to use more prey species for dusk calling but when it gets to dark to shoot I like to vocalize as that is a great time to do some locating for future hunts.
 
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