Coyote Hunting in Idaho Help

S

StarFox_64

New member
I have recently started coyote hunting in Idaho. I live in Rexburg. I've never hunted for coyotes before. If I drive about 20 minutes out of town, I get to BLM land and supposedly it's full of coyotes. I've seen them crossing the road and I've found scat and stripped bones of other animals. The landscape is tall grass (2 feet) and a TON of sage brush. I like to walk in from off the road about a mile and find a highpoint to view the land. When I find one of those, I'll make my stand there. I bought a FoxPro Inferno for my caller. It's like their lower end of the middle grade stuff. It's pretty loud but its always windy in the open areas.

I've been out about 3 times for four hours at a time and haven't seen any coyotes. I was wondering what others do for coyote hunting under similar landscape conditions? Also, is my caller too weak when it comes to how loud it can go? Keep in mind I can see out for a good mile before there's a shift in terrain.

Any help and tips would be greatly appreciated!
 
Don't skyline yourself, typically if you can see them then they can see you.
Watch the wind it can make you or break you.
Careful not to overcall an area.
 
During the day, in cold weather, coyote will bed out of the wind in the sun if possible. Always assume they will not respond if they see,hear or smell your approach. The level of wariness increases with hunting pressure. You may have to call on a crossing wind which will help carry sounds further to areas you have located coyote , this will help limit chance of being seen or heard.
 
Keep hunting, keep reading on here, there are a lot of good hunters that post and share AND most of all don't be suprized when one shows up cause if you keep going out it will happen.
Good luck
 
Im just a bit south of you but havent hunted this area, just moved here.

My best guess is it is like Boise area, everyone goes and buys a FoxPro at Cabelas, everyone goes out and hammers the [beeep] out of all of the public land within 25 or so miles of Idaho Falls. Not saying the coyotes wont still respond but they will be a bit more skiddish. Was just out shooting this evening, had 2 coyotes start howling couldnt have been much more than 150 yards out and they didnt seem to care about the gun fire so who knows.
 
Try some different sounds with your Fox pro. A well known hunter I know won the world coyote calling championship one year with woodpecker distress as his go-to sound. Like others have said, make sure you have areas your sound goes into that the yotes didn't see or hear you. You will get coyotes coming in at some point. Guaranteed.
 
Ditch the fox pro learn how to use hand calls. You can make plenty of sounds with open reed calls. The coyotes get use to the electronic calls pretty quick. Keep after it.
 
You've been out three times, that's not enough time to expect anything.

My guess is that the area has got significant hunting pressure, and that you have been made before you start calling or shortly after. Your caller is plenty loud, I almost never run my caller louder than 3/4 volume. A coyote can hear low volume a long way out, max volume is probably audible for coyotes at 2 miles.

Coyotes are smart animals, you can't walk out there with an electronic caller, sit down and turn it on and expect a pack of coyotes to come up and lick your hand. You have to HUNT them, pay attention to wind, how you approach the stand, the cover they are in, etc... Just because you did not see them does not mean they are not there, when they are not moving they can be very hard to see in sage, even more so in tall grass.

I think many hunters new to calling coyotes have exceedingly high expectations. Its not like you see on the hunting shows. Those guys are likely quite good, but the shows are also edited. And the stories on the forums are almost always the best most successful hunts. Very rarely does someone post how they hunted all day in seemingly good country with no success.
 
First thing I would concentrate on is STEALTH. You must be quite getting into the area, unseen, and not winded. It does you no good to walk into an area if your scent cone is blowing into the area you want to call. If your pickup is visible the dogs won't come in to that area.
Get away from town as much as possible. If an area looks good to you for calling it's looked good for every other guy trying to call in a dog. Google maps is a great tool and even better is the ON X app. It shows private ground and public ground overplayed a google maps type satellite view. If you go into an area the first time more then likely you will walk in with a less then great path. Look at it on your way out as to how you could approach it better the next time. Many times I will not go into an area on a particular day because the wind is blowing the wrong direction for me to walk in.
Keep the sun at you back. Nothing worse then trying to put the crosshairs on a dog with the sun shining in your face.
I prefer to have a cross wind of some sort on my stands. If you have a good breeze blowing into your face you will not see most dogs as they will try to come in down wind of the call.
Calls are the area I struggle with the most. I personally have called in more dogs with a hand call then an electronic call. I'm of the belief that the coyotes get very educated when the have heard the same cottontail distress over and over again played by the same call that was on sale the previous Black Friday. I rarely take my electronic call out anymore.
If you are calling in magpies and crows you are calling in coyotes. I look for birds of any sort being flushed as a sign there could be a coyote coming in.
Snow helps tremendously in being able to spot coyotes. They have an amazing natural camouflage.
 
Lots of good advice, don't skyline line yourself. Walk into a area you plan to call in draws and low spots. And glass the area, I can't stress enough glass, glass glass. I can't count the times I've glasses especially before getting up to leave and seeing a coyote looking at me out there. If they stand still in brush/ grass its tough to pick them out. I'm a hand called myself and trust me Idaho's chuck full of coyotes. It's one of my favorite places to hunt them.
 
I am new to it as well, started last year as did my hunting buddies. I have hand calls and a E-caller. We got out in BLM in central Oregon.

I did a lot of reading before I went out the first time. Most of it here. Wind is huge. We also walk a mile in before we make a set. I think most folks don't walk that far.

We try to limit 3 guys max on a set. If we have more hunters, we split up. Found out this is big... they will bust you every time.

We managed to call in a few our first time out. First set my buddy was so amped he took the first shot as the yote was on a full run to the call.... swing and a miss.... LOL. But then we were hooked.

Saw nothing the rest of the day. so we went to the motel, and dissected everything we were doing. Wind, where we walked, where we heard the howling (super frustrating to hear the lil bastards and nothing comes in) in relation to our approach etc etc etc.

Next day we hunted 1/2 a day, and got 2 to come in, and we got one. Then we were really hooked.

But again, LOTS of "homework" before we ever went. Everything from talking to people who hunt, looking at Google Earth for hours, reading bookd, this forum and magazines, [beeep] even watching coyote hunting videos.... with a beer of course. Anything you think might help.

Next trip over was with 5 guys.... taking a buddy and his son. Heard em howl ever set, saw 1 yote at 500 yards for about 1 sec. all day. It became obvious they were busting us on the way into each set. but with 1 rig it was hard to split up.... so we shot some rabbits to break up the day.

Good luck, you'll get em....
 
6724 said "Very rarely does someone post how they hunted all day in seemingly good country with no success."

I had a 'honey hole' all to myself for coyotes, for maybe 20 years. According to the owner, nobody else hunted coyotes on the property. Usually, I would take 2-3 coyotes from this 710 acre spot each time I went out. However, there were days I got skunked as well. It happens, even with a 'honey hole'.

Lot's of good advice for you so far. Try driving farther out of town, watch the wind, try different sounds, watch the wind, set up with more open areas downwind of you, watch the wind, watch the wind.

If there is one thing I would etch into concrete about coyote hunting, it's 'they will always try to come in downwind". Make it difficult for them to get downwind of you without them exposing themselves

Picking your stand is very important, and, to me, that depends on several factors, including wind direction, sun position, terrain, etc.

Foxpro makes great callers, but, it seems like everybody has one. Any coyote that has been tricked with a Foxpro, and survived the encounter, has that sound burned into his mind. I believe coyotes can be 'Foxpro'd out', as I do very well on heavily hunted public lands using hand calls.

Keep trying and, watch the wind.
 
Just my .02.....your caller is fine. Trust me, they can Hear it in windy conditions.
1) make sure that wind is in your favor.
2) walking in a mile? Up to you? But really not needed, IMO. Even though you may think the terrain requires it. Farther you walk in the more likely your making to much noise and may get busted without you knowing.
3) I know the area, best to get out farther out of town.
4) don’t strictly rely on an E-Caller alone. You might want to try hand calls and diaphgraming. If the area is called heavily, they get use to the e-call sounds!
5) try vocals, but you really need to know how to use the proper vocal sequences and time frame between each call. (Get as much info on this) it will make you more successful.
6) try calling in areas that may not “look great” most may pass on these locations! There is “NO” absolutely perfect area. You will never know, unless you try it!
7) keep your calling to a minimum on each stand, no reason to call for an hour or so! Again, this is simply my opinion...the more locations you hit will dramatically up your success rate.
8) keep your sequences consistent...if distress, stick with distress, if vocals stick with vocals, yet you could use (most) Pup/Coyote distress in combination.
9) Most importantly!! Never Ever “GIVE UP!
Good luck....Drop
 
Originally Posted By: 6724You've been out three times, that's not enough time to expect anything.


Very rarely does someone post how they hunted all day in seemingly good country with no success.

These are two very true sentences IMO. I think I went blank for an entire year once, might have been my second year.

Honestly if you want to shorten the learning curve, there is no substitute for going with someone that knows coyotes and how to hunt them. I bumped into my hunting partner on a ranch I was calling and he was trapping. He's hunted and trapped coyotes for over half a century, trapped 97 one year. He wasn't a real experienced caller but that's the least of it honestly. Our success rate has dramatically improved over the last 5 years.

And ya, very few post stories of failed hunts, though I think everyone has had plenty of zero kill days. Even though any day hunting is a good one, it makes kind of boring reading.
 
Anything in the Custom Call section. Every maker on this forum is top notch and their calls are as well. You won't be disappointed in choosing any of them. Grab one that catches your eye and you won't regret it
 
Originally Posted By: West.Mass.HunterAnything in the Custom Call section. Every maker on this forum is top notch and their calls are as well. You won't be disappointed in choosing any of them. Grab one that catches your eye and you won't regret it

This.. it's like black rifle fever.. can't have just one. I now have a 6 and 4 drop lanyard full of calls.
 
Well GREAT! I just got my first AR Lower, and then looked at uppers, and found an upper and lower kit minus the receiver, and thought, I could use this upper with my lower, then build this lower, then get a 300 upper... and BAM, I am in the trap...

So this is gonna happen with calls too.... ARRRGGGGG
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If you want to continue using just the e caller go out and find sounds to download onto it. Just my .02¢. They have probably heard the preloaded sounds a billion times or more. I always carry a lanyard though for when the foxpro inevitably dies. Stone coyote calls (badtothebone) makes a great open Reed. Every i have bought from the custom call makers section is phenomenal. They are doing auctions sometimes 2 times a week and you can get a screaming deal.
 
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