How many PA coyote hunters New member
- Thread starter Shootnshoot
- Start date
Flesh Eater
New member
I don't believe in educating them like that. I think if I were following up their location with a barrage of sounds and tromping in their direction they would catch on. But, playing a group yip howl and waiting for 10 minutes for a response isn't educating them. I'm pulled right off the road. They have no reason to believe those noises meant harm from humans.
Now, the dog runners around here educate them. They use locating howls and immediately turn the dogs loose when they get a response. This allows the coyotes to learn group yip howls equal dogs on their heels when they answer. I've had the same pack answer my location howls and come in on three different occasions to my same calls. I missed twice, and the third time the male wouldn't break cover to rush the call (if I had set up towards my neighbor's property I would've had him and he would've been 5 yards from me; but I wasn't thinking).
Not to mention, once these howls no longer persist and a week or two go by, I'm certain the coyotes have traveled the locating area, find no threat, and rule it out. Heck, one guy in a recent comp called the same spot three times in a 24 hour span and killed a coyote on the last set. These coyotes are smart, but they're not Einstein smart. They're not even as smart as a typical human, so long as you're not unloading your entire FoxPro sound list at them each time you call. Keep it natural. Keep your distance until you're ready to hunt. Once located (now) they'll be there for a week or two. No reason to keep locating every night.
But that's my 2 cents based on my personal experiences. Take it for what it's worth.
Now, the dog runners around here educate them. They use locating howls and immediately turn the dogs loose when they get a response. This allows the coyotes to learn group yip howls equal dogs on their heels when they answer. I've had the same pack answer my location howls and come in on three different occasions to my same calls. I missed twice, and the third time the male wouldn't break cover to rush the call (if I had set up towards my neighbor's property I would've had him and he would've been 5 yards from me; but I wasn't thinking).
Not to mention, once these howls no longer persist and a week or two go by, I'm certain the coyotes have traveled the locating area, find no threat, and rule it out. Heck, one guy in a recent comp called the same spot three times in a 24 hour span and killed a coyote on the last set. These coyotes are smart, but they're not Einstein smart. They're not even as smart as a typical human, so long as you're not unloading your entire FoxPro sound list at them each time you call. Keep it natural. Keep your distance until you're ready to hunt. Once located (now) they'll be there for a week or two. No reason to keep locating every night.
But that's my 2 cents based on my personal experiences. Take it for what it's worth.
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Flesh Eater
New member
I should also mention that on two occasions of calling in my local pack, they came in, crossing over ATV trails that me and my oldest ride daily on our property. Heck, the one day I was out on the property with a forester. The fire alarm went off and my husky and rott started howling, before long the pack of coyotes lit up in the wood line roughly 60 yards from me and the forester. That night, roughly 2 hours later, is when I called the male in for the third time, but wasn't set up properly to get a shot.
Your mileage may vary. There are too many factors when hunting these animals and no two packs, stands, or coyote kills will be the same. At least it doesn't seem that way around here.
Your mileage may vary. There are too many factors when hunting these animals and no two packs, stands, or coyote kills will be the same. At least it doesn't seem that way around here.
LARUEminati
New member
OP, I wouldn't get too hellbent on getting access to private land if you have public land around you. Don't get me wrong private land is preferred but I wound't not hunt if you only have access to public land. I don't have a stitch of private land and i've killed plenty, you just have to be persistent. You'll eventually learn what works and what doesn't for your area, at that point you become deadly.
Flesh Eater
New member
Originally Posted By: old catHow many have you killed?
This is absolutely irrelevant to the topic and is the most self-defeating question in the predator community. I will answer your question below, but I want to comment on this question first.
At what point (number killed) is an individual's opinion validated on the topic of coyotes? Do I need to kill 20? 50? 100? Please, tell me, and until I reach that number I'll refrain from sharing my personal experiences.
One thing I've learned, and most agree, is that there are no constants when it comes to coyote hunting. Running the same string of calls each stand isn't always going to produce results. There are so many variables in this, yet when someone mentions something that doesn't agree or hasn't been confirmed with another's experiences the question comes up; "Well how many have you killed?" Because clearly if it isn't a lot, or you haven't been hunting for ten years, then you have no business offering advice.
Let me ask you this, how much evidence do you have to support your claim that locating coyotes the night before is educating them to the point of not coming to your calls? If what you say is true, then you should probably tell Cook, Groseclose, and company to stop educating all the coyotes before they kill them.
Now, to answer your question, I've killed 2 coyotes. I started hunting this January, and have made 3-4 stands a week since then. I've learned a great deal. I've heard coyotes howling more than I ever have before. I've had them howling and answering during daylight hours (6pm), and I've had them come to calls in the afternoon on a hot sunny day (12:00pm). I've missed two coyotes, and haven't had a shot opportunity on 4 others. Called in more than 10, killed two, and have had them answer me more times than I can remember.
The one thing I've learned is that if there aren't coyotes in the area, you're not going to see any, or shoot any. Well, how do you find them? You locate them. In my area of PA, they're most vocal right at dark (usually 8pm). After the first hour of darkness they seem to go quiet around here. There are exceptions to this rule, however, but it's not the norm. At least not in my experience.
On the topic of my local pack, they were just howling behind my house last night at 9pm with my dogs, who were howling at a fire alarm. I quieted my dogs down, and less than 100 yards in the thick woods were the coyotes. Now, I ride quads back there, I've called this coyote in twice, one time taking 3 shots at him with a 12 gauge (obviously the last two were on the run). The last time I called him in twice, and moved on him 4 times, and had him howling back at me more than fifty times. In your opinion, this coyote shouldn't be answering my dogs, the fire alarm, or my calls, but he and his pack do. [beeep], by most accounts, they shouldn't even be in the area anymore, and should be three counties over!
But, whatever. I've met PA guys who've hunted coyotes for 4-5 years and never called in one. So, I must be doing something right. Or is it just beginners luck?
I'll say this. I don't give one flying F how many coyotes ANYONE has killed. I want to hear every single experience I can, because I learn something from every single experience shared. Period. An individual's personal experience, in my opinion, holds more valuable information than how many they've killed. But, what trumps that is actually hunting these animals, experiencing close encounters with them, and learning from past mistakes, which is what I'm doing. Had I not missed twice, I would've had 4 coyotes in my first year, in PA, all calling. I personally feel that's quite the success for a PA hunter on their first year. But, others might not feel the same, and I really don't care.
So, let me know how many I need to kill before my opinion on the topic becomes validated so I can stop wasting my time posting here.
Thanks!
This is absolutely irrelevant to the topic and is the most self-defeating question in the predator community. I will answer your question below, but I want to comment on this question first.
At what point (number killed) is an individual's opinion validated on the topic of coyotes? Do I need to kill 20? 50? 100? Please, tell me, and until I reach that number I'll refrain from sharing my personal experiences.
One thing I've learned, and most agree, is that there are no constants when it comes to coyote hunting. Running the same string of calls each stand isn't always going to produce results. There are so many variables in this, yet when someone mentions something that doesn't agree or hasn't been confirmed with another's experiences the question comes up; "Well how many have you killed?" Because clearly if it isn't a lot, or you haven't been hunting for ten years, then you have no business offering advice.
Let me ask you this, how much evidence do you have to support your claim that locating coyotes the night before is educating them to the point of not coming to your calls? If what you say is true, then you should probably tell Cook, Groseclose, and company to stop educating all the coyotes before they kill them.
Now, to answer your question, I've killed 2 coyotes. I started hunting this January, and have made 3-4 stands a week since then. I've learned a great deal. I've heard coyotes howling more than I ever have before. I've had them howling and answering during daylight hours (6pm), and I've had them come to calls in the afternoon on a hot sunny day (12:00pm). I've missed two coyotes, and haven't had a shot opportunity on 4 others. Called in more than 10, killed two, and have had them answer me more times than I can remember.
The one thing I've learned is that if there aren't coyotes in the area, you're not going to see any, or shoot any. Well, how do you find them? You locate them. In my area of PA, they're most vocal right at dark (usually 8pm). After the first hour of darkness they seem to go quiet around here. There are exceptions to this rule, however, but it's not the norm. At least not in my experience.
On the topic of my local pack, they were just howling behind my house last night at 9pm with my dogs, who were howling at a fire alarm. I quieted my dogs down, and less than 100 yards in the thick woods were the coyotes. Now, I ride quads back there, I've called this coyote in twice, one time taking 3 shots at him with a 12 gauge (obviously the last two were on the run). The last time I called him in twice, and moved on him 4 times, and had him howling back at me more than fifty times. In your opinion, this coyote shouldn't be answering my dogs, the fire alarm, or my calls, but he and his pack do. [beeep], by most accounts, they shouldn't even be in the area anymore, and should be three counties over!
But, whatever. I've met PA guys who've hunted coyotes for 4-5 years and never called in one. So, I must be doing something right. Or is it just beginners luck?
I'll say this. I don't give one flying F how many coyotes ANYONE has killed. I want to hear every single experience I can, because I learn something from every single experience shared. Period. An individual's personal experience, in my opinion, holds more valuable information than how many they've killed. But, what trumps that is actually hunting these animals, experiencing close encounters with them, and learning from past mistakes, which is what I'm doing. Had I not missed twice, I would've had 4 coyotes in my first year, in PA, all calling. I personally feel that's quite the success for a PA hunter on their first year. But, others might not feel the same, and I really don't care.
So, let me know how many I need to kill before my opinion on the topic becomes validated so I can stop wasting my time posting here.
Thanks!
SlickerThanSnot
New member
how many you killed old cat?
SlickerThanSnot
New member
if i never killed another one i would dang sure feel i have killed my share. but that dont mean i am done. lol to be more specific, i sold 38 last year. killed another 10 or 12 that were not worth skinning. just got started this year. killed 8 in the last 2 weeks. 2 of those had mange pretty bad.
but yeah, not enough yet.
but yeah, not enough yet.
You are doing well. Coyotes here are not worth skinning. I went to a fur auction last year, one lot of coyotes started at 50 cents. The lot that sold for money worth skinning, did not even come from this state. I skinned one he was old & the same color as the ones Wiley Coyote kills in Canada. Killed 32 last year & 13 so far this year. Start in July quit in March to give them time to raise pups.
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