Calling Basics

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Phillip Howard

New member
Well, I'll be the first to admit that I don't know the first thing when it comes to predator hunting. I'm getting a Foxpro Hellfire with a Foxpro Black Jack decoy for Christmas and would like to take it out that afternoon.

I ordered the call from APC so I could choose the particular sounds I wanted and they consist mostly of coyote howls, distressed rabbits, squirrels, turkeys, birds, etc... and I would like to know how you guys call and in which order. Do you howl first or a distressed rabbit and then howl and for how long? How long do you sit in one place and then how far do you move? Any help will be very much appreciated and I will surely dedicate my first kill to yall. Once again, any help to get my started in the right direction. Thanks
 
you need to spend some time watching videos on youtube


Find a Mentor and have them show you the ropes

Find a Hunting club in your area and join them lots of knowledge in those clubs
 
I generally start with a coyote interrogation howl on medium volume for a few minutes on and off. Regardless of if I get a call back or not it at least lets any dogs in the area at least know that there's another "coyote" in the area. Then I'll go to some quiet rodent calls in case one is close by as to not scare them off with an overly loud sound. After about 5 mins of calling I'll wait in silence for a few mins and then turn the volume up and run a louder distress (ie. cottontail, jackrabbit). If nothing turns up I'll run pup distress for the last 5 mins. Generally I'm on a stand for 20-30 mins. And when I do move, I move at least half mile if I'm hunting a very open area. Also it helps to have some hand calls at your disposal to have a little different variation in sound, and it's always good to have a backup in case the e caller fails
 
put the caller up until you get 6 or more kills
buy a $20.00 close reed distress just blow on it it will work
read coyote 101 by Dr. Charles Shawley
any gun will kill a coyote
always have the high ground
keep the wind in your face
keep the wind in your face
and then make sure the wind is in your face.
make sure there are coyotes where your hunting
good luck
 
keep the wind in your face
keep the wind in your face
and then make sure the wind is in your face.


Unless you have something behind you to block a coyotes approach such as a body of water, high bank, or maybe worked farm ground (although I've had them cross that) I would have to respectfully disagree with this advice. Especially if using hand calls. Coyotes will often approach from or circle to the downwind which puts them behind you. I prefer to have a cross wind or quartering wind where I can at least see downwind. No disrespect intended, just my humble opinion.
 
I have killed far more upwind coyotes then downwind coyotes,(the way they come in when called) I sure dont let wind direction dictate my stand, I do try for a cross wind set BUT here in my area down wind circling coyotes are not a always situation by a long shot. I think it has a lot to do with hunting pressure in your area. If they come to a call and are killed they are not going to learn to go down wind because of past exp.Wind in my face isnt a big no no for me I have to agree with.


(put the caller up until you get 6 or more kills)
buy a $20.00 close reed distress just blow on it it will work
read coyote 101 by Dr. Charles Shawley
any gun will kill a coyote
always have the high ground

make sure there are coyotes where your hunting
good luck
This Info will MAKE you a better caller .
 
Originally Posted By: jerry malbeckI have killed far more upwind coyotes then downwind coyotes,(the way they come in when called) I sure dont let wind direction dictate my stand, I do try for a cross wind set BUT here in my area down wind circling coyotes are not a always situation by a long shot. I think it has a lot to do with hunting pressure in your area. If they come to a call and are killed they are not going to learn to go down wind because of past exp.Wind in my face isnt a big no no for me I have to agree with.


(put the caller up until you get 6 or more kills)
buy a $20.00 close reed distress just blow on it it will work
read coyote 101 by Dr. Charles Shawley
any gun will kill a coyote
always have the high ground

make sure there are coyotes where your hunting
good luck
This Info will MAKE you a better caller .


I think this a fair statement and the same is true for me. Probably because I set up downwind or crosswind of where I'm calling to. But it seems that if we ever leave the backdoor open one will come in it. You've been @ this far longer than I have and I certainly appreciate your input.
 
Titus' Rule is "Make them show themselves if they want the downwind." If you don't, you'll educate coyotes. You don't have to face downwind just monitor it. Good luck. You're going to have a blast!

BTW it's not even Christmas. How do you know you're getting a Hellfire?
wink.gif
 
Thanks for all of the great tips and I'm sorry I'm so late checking back in. However, the wind and educating them is what is scaring me the most. I know they have a great sense of smell but and they like to come down wind just as a mature buck would if he heard some rattling, but is there a way to beat them at this? I know yall said that you like to hunt a crosswind but I'm not exactly sure what that is

tt35 - haha fair question but these days mom just gives me her card and tells me to buy my own present
 
http://www.predatorswest.com/coyote101.py

Cross wind is setting up so that the wind is going from your right to left or left to right.
Think of the wind like moving water. Wind doesn't blow just straight it moves like a river with eddy's and swirls. I like to make sure that my down wind is open,meaning easy to see,no cover. That way if a coyote wants to wind me he must come in the open. All my hunting areas get hammered hard,mostly by newbys. Some times I set up looking down wind just because its been so successful in these over called areas.
Rule #1 of coyote hunting
DON'T MISS
#2
have fun
 
I was always told keep the wind to your back, goes get down wind and that's where you want them to come out at.. I'm confused as I'm new to this as well!!!
 
90% of the time I call and set up straight against the breeze or light wind and I always use a e-caller.

When calling off a mountains and ridge tops I am almost always near the very top of the mountain or ridge with the wind blowing straight up hill towards me. So there is very little space between me and the top of the ridge or hill. Just over the top of the hill or ridge is where my truck is parked.

The only coyotes I have ever seen circle to the down wind side going up steep hills or ridges is a very small circle like 5 to 10 yards. So if I am rifle calling and my e-caller is 50 yards in front of me I am seeing enough of the down wind side. The sound doesn't carry very well over the mountain behind me because the speakers are pointed the other way and plus my truck is back there anyway.

On flat country calling I try to enter the calling area from the down wind side so the sounds and smells of my vehicle are blowing back behind me. Then I try to leave the truck straight against the wind and set up my e-caller calling straight against the wind so the scent cone from my truck, myself and my e-caller are all in a straight line making just one scent cone and it is back behind me.

If your truck and all your scent is blowing back behind you towards the way you drove in, that area is not the important to watch. In the open country I call in the coyotes just don't circle down wind that often, I could see them doing it if they were because it is so open.

If you are setting up with your speakers pointed down wind you sure as heck will have more coyotes coming in and heading to the down wind side. The more a coyote moves toward where the speaker is pointed the louder the sound gets.

Since I set up to call the coyotes in from the up wind side or against the wind I also use lots of volume. I have never seen coyotes back off because of high volume.
 
Don't be confused. There are probably as many opinions on this as there are ways to set up. To simplify it ask yourself what you don't want. IMHO I don't want MY scent blowing to where I THINK or KNOW coyotes are at or going to be coming from. (They may come from anywhere but that's part of the game). I don't want them to smell me before I get a chance to see them.
I don't want the bright sun shining on my face or front.( It magnifies me to them). I don't want silhouetted( I want something behind me to break up my form). There's a lot of guys that set up in the wide open with much success I'm just not one of them. I don't want to be down in a hole looking up and out at everything because (I usually can't see enough. I like to have an elevation advantage if possible). I don't want to make noise getting into my stand and I don't want to be visible to them on the way in or while there, if at all possible. So if you're having trouble figuring out what to do then maybe try figuring out what not to do would be easier. Again, just one persons opinion and we are all different. Good Luck!!!
 
Here's a tip from a professional (not me I learned it in a class). To find where you're going to be productive, hit the roads around an hour and a half before and after sundown. Stop every couple miles or so and bark and howl and then listen. You'll soon find out where old leg lifter and his lady friends are by hearing them. Mark that spot on a map. When you get a few places laid out where you know the dogs are, come back and set up with your distress calls. Hit a few. How long you stay on stand depends on the country and the cover.

The best times to call are around sunrise, sundown, night, and when the whether is very, very cold. When your bones chatter because it is so cold the dogs are on the move hunting for food to try to stay warm. You'll also see them better from a distance if they hang up coming out of cover if it's snowy.

You need a good book and even some videos. Learn as much as you can about the coyote. You'll be a better hunter and you'll appreciate the hunt more.
 
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Quote: and when the whether is very, very cold it's a wonder that guys down in TX., AZ., or N.M. can even kill a coyote, if this were true.
In other words, this simply isn't true. Some of my best days, and others that I know, have killed a truck load of coyotes on warm, for the time of year, days. And although first few stands in the morning and last stand or two in the evening might be the highest percentage stands, a guy can certainly have action all day long.
 
Yeah I agree songdog, it's got be the coldest days of the year. All 3 of them...lol

The most productive and easiest days for me are before or after a snowstorm. It's snowing right now so I'm babysitting a fire, the winds kicking too. So I'll stay inside and hit it early tomorrow. Nothing like calling a hungry cold coyote...

I prefer to set up in a crossword so that I can see my downwind side...be careful on your entrance and exit to your stands as well. Don't wanna skyline yourself. Keep to the terrain that's out there.
 
Originally Posted By: songdog Quote: and when the whether is very, very cold it's a wonder that guys down in TX., AZ., or N.M. can even kill a coyote, if this were true.
In other words, this simply isn't true. Some of my best days, and others that I know, have killed a truck load of coyotes on warm, for the time of year, days. And although first few stands in the morning and last stand or two in the evening might be the highest percentage stands, a guy can certainly have action all day long.

Didn't mean to make it sound like that was the only time (did I
frown.gif
) It just that in my (somewhat limited) experience the coyotes will be up and moving if they're cold. I can see though why some people (myself included most of the time) don't want to get out in the teeth chattering cold.
 
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