I have to agree 100%, with everything you have been told so far.
A few things that I might add are.....
#1) As stated before, it's good to do your best to get permission to hunt other properties...especially in at least a 5 mile area circling your family's 440 acres...using that 440 acres as the center of the "circle".
{OBVIOUSLY, THE MORE PIECES OF PROPERTY WITHIN DRIVING DISTANCE, IS ALWAYS BETTER STILL. Hahahahaha}
Coyotes can have a seemingly large "territory" that they travel thru. Just because a coyote is in a certain acreage today, doesn't mean it won't be a few miles away tomorrow.
#2) Keep in mind that, just like a deer, a coyote doesn't really NEED a large piece of cover in which to feel secure. It might only be 1-2 acres, but if it looks "gamey", and you think it might hold a deer or pheasant...then there just MIGHT be a coyote bedding there.
I have seen coyotes (especially when it's not 4" of snow & blustery winds...but even sometimes then as well).....bed in plum thickets that were no bigger than an average 2-car garage....with those thickets being the only cover in a full section of drilled wheat fields.
#3) Once you've done your scouting, and found tracks, scat, "kill" sights (where a coyote has eaten it's meal of bunny/fowl)....take time to take in the surroundings.
What the terrain is; the plant life; possible water sources; ect.
Observe how the winds/breezes {the updrafts and downdrafts} move in that location.
Stand in various spots, and try to figure out lanes which the coyotes may come to your calling...or their escape routes.
Keep a log or journal of all the little things. They may seem trivial, but they also could spell either success or failure.
By little things, I mean the time of day in which you see various animals (and what animals they are), where you wish to hunt. Keep track of barometric pressures; wind conditions; the sun/clouds; when a certain spot that you have chosen to sit at (for a calling spot) is in shade.
Also, keep in mind, that regardless of whether open pasture or stands of timber....these weather conditions affect where a coyote prefers to bed down.
Less of an issue during warm temps.
But, when it's cold...a coyote will likely bed (in my observations) on a south-facing slope if the wind is from any northerly direction.
If all the draws and valleys run east/west...and the wind is blowing cold out of the west...don't be surprised to find a coyote bedded in the bottom of the draw, tight against an eastern-facing little "waterfall" (just deep enough to keep the wind at bay).
#4) When doing all of this scouting, and then hunting....think less like a human, and more like a predatory animal.
As flintrock mentioned, stealth is your friend.
When walking to your stand (and even to a point, when leaving)...don't walk like a human. Humans tend to walk "fast", even if they don't think that they are.
If you've ever watched a deer walk, you've probably noticed that when feeding, they normally take a few SLOW steps...then stop to either take a bite, or to look for danger.
It's been my observations that coyotes are somewhat similar. Unless they have a true destination in mind...and want to get there in a hurry...when they are hunting/mousing they will go a short distance and then stop to look around. And, they normally are light enough on their feet that they aren't heard when walking.
When humans walk, we tend to "crunch, crunch, crunch" thru the grasses.
So, the slower you can walk, and the lighter you can place your feet, the better.
So what if it takes a few more minutes to get to your calling spot.
If the cadence of your steps, and the noise they make, scare the coyote out of the area before you get there....then what kind of success will you have?
Besides, if you are walking slowly, it's easier to see twigs and stuff in front of your path...and be able to avoid them to make less noise.
Sorry, sir. I didn't mean to go off on a tangent there. And I hope that my suggestions didn't come across more like a lecture.
It's just how I am.
I will NEVER be anywhere close to some kind of so-called expert. But, I have been after coyotes for 40+ years. So, sometimes when I open the flood gates of my mind, it's hard to stop the flow again. Hahahahahaha
I wish you much successful hunting!! And look forward to you sharing your hunting adventures with us!
