Rough night calling Educated/Smart dogs! What is your tactic?

C

CaliCoyoteCaller

New member
Fri night I went out to hunt as I usually do. On this particular night, I went to a 15,000 acre ranch that I have permission to call on. Me and 1 other guy have permission on it. This other guy is a very seasoned caller. Ive never hunted with him, but I know for a fact he has been calling dogs for over 30 yrs, so I doubt he educates a ton of coyotes.

Anyway, I hadnt been to that ranch in 6 months, and wanted to give it a try. I know there is a good number of dogs on that ranch because I hear groups howling at nearly every stand all over the ranch. BUT, them being on the ranch, and them coming to the call is 2 VERY DIFFERENT THINGS.

The first 4 or 5 stands were dry. I started out with some bird distress, then baby cottontail, then some rabbit sounds, like I have been on my other ranches. That seems to have been working pretty good lately, but not out here, and not tonight. The dogs wanted nothing to do with it.

After many dry stands, I told my partner, we are gonna change it up!
I started the next stand with some lone female long howls. (3 or 4 of them.) I waited a minute or 2 then went to Female Yodel for 45 seconds or so. Then waited about 3 mins, and went to coyote pup screams! Then to coyote fight! At the end of the stand, when I got to coyote fight, I caught 3 sets of eyes rolling in. Sadly, they circled way out, and went straight down wind, and there was nothing I could do. Once they got wind, they just set up out there for 5 mins and then left. At least the sequence worked, and we saw some action.

Next stand was blank.

Next stand, used our "new" sequence, and immediately had a pair of dogs howling back at us, prob not more than 4-500 yards. I waited a bit, then went to pup screams. They never showed their face. I waited a bit and went to coyote fight, and what do ya know, a different coyote came in from behind us. The "new" sequence worked again. He came to 35 yards and we popped him. Dog down!

That was the end of the night, and I had to go home, but I wrote all this to ask you a question. What is one of your "go to tactics" when calling educated dogs? Obviously, the rabbit prob aint going to work, so what do you like? All vocals? Pup sounds? A Mix? Fox sound? What'll it be?

Just curious to see what other guys do on the educated ranches.
 
Hey JD, another Cali caller here. We spend a fair amount of time shining the light as well. I can only speak for what works for us and we call only public land out here. We used to park the Foxpro on the hood and start calling and lighting. We'd have moderate success but we also had nights where we blanked. This season I decided to go back to hand calling and the results have been impressive enough for me to stick with it. Who knows if we've had a better pupping season or less pressure. all I know is on the last three trips the Foxpro never gets unpacked and we drop animals.

Maybe something to think about to change it up a bit. I also notice that we make a few more stands each outing because we can pull up and just start calling.

Anyway, good luck.
 
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Originally Posted By: SwitchHey JD, another Cali caller here. We spend a fair amount of time shining the light as well. I can only speak for what works for us and we call only public land out here. We used to park the Foxpro on the hood and start calling and lighting. We'd have moderate success but we also had nights where we blanked. This season I decided to go back to hand calling and the results have been impressive enough for me to stick with it. Who knows if we've had a better pupping season or less pressure. all I know is on the last three trips the Foxpro never gets unpacked and we drop animals.

Maybe something to think about to change it up a bit. I also notice that we make a few more stands each outing because we can pull up and just start calling.

Anyway, good luck.

Hey Switch, def nothing wrong with using some good hand calls! I may need to switch it up and start hand calling again and try it. I havent blown a hand call in nearly a year.

What area of Cali you in?
 
50,000 members on here and NOBODY wants to comment what their "tactics on educated dogs are."
C'mon guys, no body knows who you are or where you live....no body is gonna steal your "secrets."

It was just a topic of conversation.
 
we use the FoxPro shockwave and when were having a rough night that caller allows two sounds to play at once. We will run a rabbit distress and some type of fox or fighting sound mixed in louder than the distress call. seems to bring in animals hanging up deep in the brush or brings new animals in. I would think a caller and hand call together would work the same
 
I'll let you know Monday. They're having a derby this weekend so I'm going to hit it hard Thursday and Friday. Then I'll ask the participants how they call heavily pressured coyotes,
 
Seasoned hunters shouldn't be educating squat. They should be killing them. Lol. I feel like every coyote that hears a call is going to come investigate. You may never see them, but if they can hear it, they'll come. I like to set one guy facing down wind for smart dogs. Or sometimes if I know exactly where they're hunkered down at. I'll let my partner go a couple hundred yards in front of me, and I'll just call for him. Those are my two tips. That or just keep calling him over and over. Eventually they'll screw up.
 
You may not be calling to educated coyotes, if it's only the 2 of you on that ranch.

Here in Colorado, I was out on the Eastern Plains one Mid-December hunting geese. On the property due N of us, I could see a few coyotes outlined in the snow, so I grab the bino and there are 2 groups of coyotes maybe 100yds apart. There are also 2 coyotes very near to each group. Every few minutes, I see a coyote get up from one of the groups, circle the 2 coyotes, then return to the group. This activity went on for hours.

Several days later, I'm in the same spot, hunting geese, but now have my coyote calls with me. As it starts to get light, I can see the 2 pods of coyotes in about the same spot, and see again that there are 2 coyotes near each pod.

I start with rabbit in distress, and one or 2 in the pods stand up and stare in my direction, then they circle the 2 coyotes and go back and lay down with the group. After about 15 minutes of no takers, I start with a lone coyote howl. Again, one or 2 stand up and look, but none will come. I howled a few times maybe every hour or so, and nothing.

Long story short, after giving it quite a bit of thought, I believe the groups were males and the 2 near each pod were females. I think the males were circling the girls, sniffing if they were ready for mating, and then laying down again to wait. None of the males wanted to risk going for breakfast and having his buddy get the 'honors' of breeding.

I think this explains why my kill numbers go down during mid-December into early January, then things pick up again.
 
Originally Posted By: CaliCoyoteCallerOriginally Posted By: PowellSixOSeasoned hunters shouldn't be educating squat.

Unfortunately, it happens to the best of them at times.

Lol. I know. Sarcasm has a tough way finding it's way through the online forums.
 
Originally Posted By: K-22hornet.You may not be calling to educated coyotes, if it's only the 2 of you on that ranch.

Here in Colorado, I was out on the Eastern Plains one Mid-December hunting geese. On the property due N of us, I could see a few coyotes outlined in the snow, so I grab the bino and there are 2 groups of coyotes maybe 100yds apart. There are also 2 coyotes very near to each group. Every few minutes, I see a coyote get up from one of the groups, circle the 2 coyotes, then return to the group. This activity went on for hours.

Several days later, I'm in the same spot, hunting geese, but now have my coyote calls with me. As it starts to get light, I can see the 2 pods of coyotes in about the same spot, and see again that there are 2 coyotes near each pod.

I start with rabbit in distress, and one or 2 in the pods stand up and stare in my direction, then they circle the 2 coyotes and go back and lay down with the group. After about 15 minutes of no takers, I start with a lone coyote howl. Again, one or 2 stand up and look, but none will come. I howled a few times maybe every hour or so, and nothing.

Long story short, after giving it quite a bit of thought, I believe the groups were males and the 2 near each pod were females. I think the males were circling the girls, sniffing if they were ready for mating, and then laying down again to wait. None of the males wanted to risk going for breakfast and having his buddy get the 'honors' of breeding.

I think this explains why my kill numbers go down during mid-December into early January, then things pick up again.

Thats very interesting. Its always fun when you can spot some coyotes way off, and see their reaction to your call. It kinda gives you insight to what they do when you can see them. I always thought it was pretty cool when that happens.

Your assumption may be right. Them lil suckers smart, and you never know whats going on in their mind, but not wanting to lose the honors, may be what they were "thinking."
 
Originally Posted By: PowellSixOOriginally Posted By: CaliCoyoteCallerOriginally Posted By: PowellSixOSeasoned hunters shouldn't be educating squat.

Unfortunately, it happens to the best of them at times.

Lol. I know. Sarcasm has a tough way finding it's way through the online forums.

Very True!! Sometimes, its just hard to read text....You cant ever tell the connotation.
 
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