Does anyone ever sit, and not call?

Flesh Eater

New member
Has anyone ever sat and not called at a location where there's heavy signs of coyote present?

I know of a couple uncut fields that look like prime mousing. Extremely far off the road, no homes around, cattle nearby. Another place has numerous dens dug out under large rocks on the top of a river hill. I'm wondering if it'd pay off to sit at these sites for as long as I could stand and see what shows up. Maybe set the FoxPro and eventually run some high frequency squeaks if nothing shows and the legs start getting numb and tired.

This past rifle season it seems everyone shot a coyote the first week of deer season. The local Facebook groups saw surges of 3,000-5,000 members, everyone wanting to take up coyote hunting. I just saw someone hunting one of my spots with the wind blowing right into the woods where they coyotes usually answer from, so I know the locals are getting educated to the entire FoxPro sound file. Just looking for another way to put some down.
 
In the great north forum member Snowshoes always talks about sitting/setting up on coyote trails up in Alberta and he’s extremely successful, based on the pictures they’re like grooved highways compared to what I see down here though. I’m sure you could sit in your area but I can’t imagine the success rate would be higher than calling, plus it would be d*mn boring.

One thing you have to consider during deer season is all the guys in the woods are also bumping around the coyotes, getting them on their feet and moving. Lots of them get killed because of that.
 
Originally Posted By: LARUEminatiIn the great north forum member Snowshoes always talks about sitting/setting up on coyote trails up in Alberta and he’s extremely successful, based on the pictures they’re like grooved highways compared to what I see down here though. I’m sure you could sit in your area but I can’t imagine the success rate would be higher than calling, plus it would be d*mn boring.

One thing you have to consider during deer season is all the guys in the woods are also bumping around the coyotes, getting them on their feet and moving. Lots of them get killed because of that.


The den site I found is beat down like that. It looked like a deer path! I was like, "Jack pot!" I think I'll sneak in there some morning around day break and see if I can't get them to show their faces near the den. Sometimes these coyotes are hard to locate during daylight hours. You almost have to sneak right up on them to get them to give up their location.

Trust me, I fully understand why these guys are slaying the coyotes early in rifle deer season. The trouble is making them understand it's not like that when you're calling for them. So, this year there were a lot of guys just going out there blaring their new FoxPro's. One guy reported running into someone hitting one of his spots. The gentleman made a comment about sitting and calling for 4 hours and not seeing a single thing. As if they weren't hard enough to hunt. Now they're doubly so! Ha-ha! I give the newbies a season or two and they'll give up when there's no call-ins.
 
Originally Posted By: Flesh EaterI give the newbies a season or two and they'll give up when there's no call-ins.

they might give up, but then a whole new bunch replaces them.

how many have you killed by calling (or any other way)?
 
Originally Posted By: SlickerThanSnotOriginally Posted By: Flesh EaterI give the newbies a season or two and they'll give up when there's no call-ins.

they might give up, but then a whole new bunch replaces them.

how many have you killed by calling (or any other way)?

I've killed two, missed 4, and have called in a total of about 40 coyotes in the last two years. Last year, and even the beginning of this year, I focused on night hunting mainly. What I've discovered is that the coyote is an extremely light shy creature. Nothing like our fox here. I can get them to the edge of the woods at night, barking, yipping, howling, make all kinds of racket, but can't get them to commit to stepping out into the open, or even close enough to the wood line that I can catch an eye. They usually stay 10 yards in. So, I've started hunting during the day. Quite the learning curve, and have learned just around day break and about an hour before nightfall is prime.

I've talked about this here many times, and really only other western PA hunters can understand, but finding these coyotes is the hard part. Every stand I've hit the past month during the day is littered with tracks. The problem is finding where they are. Are they coming through at night, or morning, or evening, every other day, every day, or once a week?

In order to find these animals once the sun comes up you pretty much have to be right beside them. Otherwise, you won't hear them, and they won't answer. I've gone so deep into the forest you couldn't hear a vehicle or a fire alarm, thinking they go deeper away from human contact during the day, and nothing. No idea where they go to during the day. Then I'll hear stories of them chasing escaped pigs through a farmer's field at 1pm. Go figure.

I'm not alone in my frustrations here. The majority of western PA hunters have a hard time killing double digits. As always, I always invite guys who say otherwise to come and show me.

However, one interesting thing I saw was an estimated pressure map for deer hunting. It estimated that the central portion of western PA is hands down the most pressured area, which is probably why we have a stricter point restriction than most other WMU's. Sounds like excuses, I know, but when you have a pile of guys hunting the same pack of coyotes, calling gets that much harder.

EDIT: I should add that ALL of this changes come early summer to early fall. Then it becomes much easier. Coyotes are more confident in howling during the day in the thick, thick brush (probably because they feel safer). However, hunting them at that time SUCKS. It's hot, there's ticks everywhere, and the mosquitoes will eat you alive. But, it's where I've called in the most coyotes. Fur is garbage, but population control works well then.

Although, I do know someone who has luck hunting at night here and has killed 10 this past fur season. He's hunting Amish country about 30 miles from my house. Less pressured? Maybe, but he's hunting extremely large fields with minimal wood lots and is mainly calling in single coyotes. I rarely call in a single, and usually always a pack. No idea why night hunting works for him and not me. We set up exactly the same way (wind, calls, position), and run the same sequences.
 
Last edited:
I feel your pain. Eastern Ohio along the PA line is equally as bad, I find some sign, but not a lot. One of the biggest challenges is not just locating them, but trying to gain access to the property to hunt them, it's hit or miss. Most of the farms / properties in my area are less than 80 acres, so trying to pin down a coyote or two that has a range of a few thousand acres is next to impossible. I'm finding that many of the properties are owned by people that live in other states and getting ahold of them is a dead end. I don't know of a lot of hunters that are after them, so I guess I have that going for me....for now.

EDIT: And the TICKS, don't get me started on the ticks!
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: reloader326I feel your pain. Eastern Ohio along the PA line is equally as bad, I find some sign, but not a lot. One of the biggest challenges is not just locating them, but trying to gain access to the property to hunt them, it's hit or miss. Most of the farms / properties in my area are less than 80 acres, so trying to pin down a coyote or two that has a range of a few thousand acres is next to impossible. I'm finding that many of the properties are owned by people that live in other states and getting ahold of them is a dead end. I don't know of a lot of hunters that are after them, so I guess I have that going for me....for now.

EDIT: And the TICKS, don't get me started on the ticks!

Wow. Word for word for my area. I'm only 30-40 minutes from the PA/OH border, so I know what you're dealing with. In my local area finding the owners to fields is very easy, since their houses are usually at the edge of them. However, now that I'm hunting the woods I have a standardized letter typed up and plan on mailing it out to the tax address in the hopes of hearing something. However, any time I've done this before no one has ever called back.

I found a great spot across an unused railroad track where I'm allowed to hunt now, but the landowner lives in California, and it's a trust. No idea if I'll ever get permission. Most of the locals believe it if ain't posted, it's free game. I just can't do it.

It's really frustrating when I find a great piece of woodland that looks like it's holding a pile of coyote, only to find it's a cluster of 20 parcels, all around 15 acres each. Ugh. No houses. Just random owners from Pittsburgh, California, Texas, wherever.
 
These coyotes will howl any time of the day once the leaves are so thick you can't see into the woods. However, from late fall to now, it's dang near impossible to get a daylight howl. I'm convinced once rifle deer season hits they mostly go nocturnal. Although, they seemingly go quiet at night around that time, too.

Then there's the dog runners, hitting every spot imaginable sometimes daily, and with utmost certainty every weekend after Christmas until about now.
 
Originally Posted By: Flesh EaterEDIT: I should add that ALL of this changes come early summer to early fall. Then it becomes much easier. Coyotes are more confident in howling during the day in the thick, thick brush (probably because they feel safer).

Those are all the young & dumb pups, you'll notice that year after year. They'll howl like clockwork that time of year and then once they wise up it's few and far between or not at all.

You can get them during the day, I mainly hunt daylight. You just need to be in the thickest of thick stuff. Primetime first or last light you can hit your more friendly stands, friendly as in you can see more than 50 yards.
 
Originally Posted By: LARUEminatiOriginally Posted By: Flesh EaterEDIT: I should add that ALL of this changes come early summer to early fall. Then it becomes much easier. Coyotes are more confident in howling during the day in the thick, thick brush (probably because they feel safer).

Those are all the young & dumb pups, you'll notice that year after year. They'll howl like clockwork that time of year and then once they wise up it's few and far between or not at all.

You can get them during the day, I mainly hunt daylight. You just need to be in the thickest of thick stuff. Primetime first or last light you can hit your more friendly stands, friendly as in you can see more than 50 yards.

If the coyotes I called in last summer were pups they were freaking huge. Pretty sure the younger dogs gave up the location but a good sized bugger came storming in each time.

I can't see more than 50 yards anywhere in our woods. Too much undergrowth.

Two weekends ago I was specifically going to get into the woods and call to this pack. Well, stupidity got the best of me and I set up an hour before day light. Sure enough. They came in right where I expected them to, but they wouldn't break cover (imagine that). Had I stuck to my original plan I would've been run over by 5 coyotes, and the shotgun would've had some play time.

Then last week I called a single coyote in from the pack behind my house, but it decided to show up around 7:45pm-7:50pm, and I had started my walk out. We almost crossed paths and I heard him challenging me from behind. No light set up on the shotgun, so all I could do is let him think he'd run another coyote off.
 
Originally Posted By: LARUEminatiOriginally Posted By: Flesh EaterEDIT: I should add that ALL of this changes come early summer to early fall. Then it becomes much easier. Coyotes are more confident in howling during the day in the thick, thick brush (probably because they feel safer).

Those are all the young & dumb pups, you'll notice that year after year. They'll howl like clockwork that time of year and then once they wise up it's few and far between or not at all.

You can get them during the day, I mainly hunt daylight. You just need to be in the thickest of thick stuff. Primetime first or last light you can hit your more friendly stands, friendly as in you can see more than 50 yards.

Do you ever hunt the brush at night? It's nearly impossible to see in, but I'm sure I could train my eyes.
 
Originally Posted By: Flesh EaterDo you ever hunt the brush at night? It's nearly impossible to see in, but I'm sure I could train my eyes.

I assumed we were talking about daytime hunting, which like I said other than first light or last light is all done in the woods itself or swamps, no fields. At night fields or frozen water are really the only option here as we can't use lights, the more moonlight/snowcover the better unless you have a thermal optic or gen3+ NV. Sitting in the dark and not calling hoping something comes by just seems like lunacy to me. Pretty much everyone calls over fields or frozen swamps/ponds at night if I had to guess.
 
Originally Posted By: LARUEminatiOriginally Posted By: Flesh EaterDo you ever hunt the brush at night? It's nearly impossible to see in, but I'm sure I could train my eyes.

I assumed we were talking about daytime hunting, which like I said other than first light or last light is all done in the woods itself or swamps, no fields. At night fields or frozen water are really the only option here as we can't use lights, the more moonlight/snowcover the better unless you have a thermal optic or gen3+ NV. Sitting in the dark and not calling hoping something comes by just seems like lunacy to me. Pretty much everyone calls over fields or frozen swamps/ponds at night if I had to guess.

Yeah, we were discussing day time calling/hunting. Figured I would ask, though.

NV and thermal are illegal here. I think if we could use them calling them into the field might be a little easier.

I hear of some guys killing obscene numbers, but there's never pictures. And the guys who are killing these numbers supposedly run suppressors and illegally use NV. Again, no pics, so I call B.S.
 
Originally Posted By: reloader326I feel your pain. Eastern Ohio along the PA line is equally as bad, I find some sign, but not a lot. One of the biggest challenges is not just locating them, but trying to gain access to the property to hunt them, it's hit or miss. Most of the farms / properties in my area are less than 80 acres, so trying to pin down a coyote or two that has a range of a few thousand acres is next to impossible. I'm finding that many of the properties are owned by people that live in other states and getting ahold of them is a dead end. I don't know of a lot of hunters that are after them, so I guess I have that going for me....for now.

EDIT: And the TICKS, don't get me started on the ticks!

I just looked up 2018 Mosquito Creek stats, to get an idea of the coyotes to hunters across the state. It's hands down the biggest PA competition. 4,836 hunters registerd, 193 coyotes were turned in, and probably 92% of them were taken with dogs. PA isn't exactly a state I'd come to in order to hunt coyotes. At least not by calling, anyways.
 
If you have called in 40 coyotes and only killed two your trouble is in the way you're setting up. Plan a stand to get coyotes into a position where you can kill them. Work on that element. Having coyotes howl and bust ya from over yonder isn't a success. Shooting one in the face with a shotgun at 25 yards is a success. There is a difference...
 
Originally Posted By: GCIf you have called in 40 coyotes and only killed two your trouble is in the way you're setting up. Plan a stand to get coyotes into a position where you can kill them. Work on that element. Having coyotes howl and bust ya from over yonder isn't a success. Shooting one in the face with a shotgun at 25 yards is a success. There is a difference...

I'm not getting busted "over yonder." The wind isn't even near them, and they can't see me. They simply refuse to expose themselves in the open. I'd say the evidence is in finding almost zero tracks in open fields the entire winter. Also, what do you think I'm doing? I'm TRYING to get them to come out and try to get downwind so I can shoot them. It just doesn't happen. You can go back and forth with these dogs for an hour at night and never see one come out.

Either lights spook them, or they simply avoid fields without standing corn or hay to protect them here. I know everyone thinks a coyote is a coyote, but ours have adapted to our area quite well. You can put miles and miles on and NEVER locate a group of coyotes here. Then some nights you might find two. They're all there, but they won't let you know.

You're one individual who always comments on my posts and I would gladly have you come hunt all my spots to show me how this works in Missouri.

EDIT: I watch those Downwind Outdoor guys calling these coyotes across a field during the day and I've NEVER seen that happen here, nor heard of it. I watch those unmentionable diaphragm guys getting coyotes howling all the time at night. You get about a 10 minute window at night to hear them, then who knows where they go. I have put everything into practice, and nothing works. Only thing I know to do is to wait for everything to turn green, and get in tight in the thick [beeep] woods.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: reloader326I just looked up 2018 Mosquito Creek stats, to get an idea of the coyotes to hunters across the state. It's hands down the biggest PA competition. 4,836 hunters registerd, 193 coyotes were turned in, and probably 92% of them were taken with dogs. PA isn't exactly a state I'd come to in order to hunt coyotes. At least not by calling, anyways.

Yeah that’s a big hunt, for around here anyway. Some big coyotes killed.

[/quote]

Yeah, but my point was the numbers. Almost 5,000 hunters across the state. A possible $19,000 on the line. 3 days to hunt. Only 193 coyotes turned in...not many.
 
Originally Posted By: Flesh EaterOriginally Posted By: GCIf you have called in 40 coyotes and only killed two your trouble is in the way you're setting up. Plan a stand to get coyotes into a position where you can kill them. Work on that element. Having coyotes howl and bust ya from over yonder isn't a success. Shooting one in the face with a shotgun at 25 yards is a success. There is a difference...

I'm not getting busted "over yonder." The wind isn't even near them, and they can't see me. They simply refuse to expose themselves in the open. I'd say the evidence is in finding almost zero tracks in open fields the entire winter. Also, what do you think I'm doing? I'm TRYING to get them to come out and try to get downwind so I can shoot them. It just doesn't happen. You can go back and forth with these dogs for an hour at night and never see one come out.

Either lights spook them, or they simply avoid fields without standing corn or hay to protect them here. I know everyone thinks a coyote is a coyote, but ours have adapted to our area quite well. You can put miles and miles on and NEVER locate a group of coyotes here. Then some nights you might find two. They're all there, but they won't let you know.

You're one individual who always comments on my posts and I would gladly have you come hunt all my spots to show me how this works in Missouri.

EDIT: I watch those Downwind Outdoor guys calling these coyotes across a field during the day and I've NEVER seen that happen here, nor heard of it. I watch those unmentionable diaphragm guys getting coyotes howling all the time at night. You get about a 10 minute window at night to hear them, then who knows where they go. I have put everything into practice, and nothing works. Only thing I know to do is to wait for everything to turn green, and get in tight in the thick [beeep] woods.

You really can't take constructive criticism can you? You ask for help, post about your troubles and when someone then gives you some advise you get defensive, offer excuses and suddenly somehow know enough to argue about the advise offered. The good Lord gave us all two ears, two eyes and one mouth for a reason, if I personally were in your shoes I'd talk less, listen and watch more. I wasn't being a smartazz and had no ill intent. I fully expect that now you'll completely lose track of my point in the original post here and focus on being offended. Carry on...
 
Originally Posted By: GCOriginally Posted By: Flesh EaterOriginally Posted By: GCIf you have called in 40 coyotes and only killed two your trouble is in the way you're setting up. Plan a stand to get coyotes into a position where you can kill them. Work on that element. Having coyotes howl and bust ya from over yonder isn't a success. Shooting one in the face with a shotgun at 25 yards is a success. There is a difference...

I'm not getting busted "over yonder." The wind isn't even near them, and they can't see me. They simply refuse to expose themselves in the open. I'd say the evidence is in finding almost zero tracks in open fields the entire winter. Also, what do you think I'm doing? I'm TRYING to get them to come out and try to get downwind so I can shoot them. It just doesn't happen. You can go back and forth with these dogs for an hour at night and never see one come out.

Either lights spook them, or they simply avoid fields without standing corn or hay to protect them here. I know everyone thinks a coyote is a coyote, but ours have adapted to our area quite well. You can put miles and miles on and NEVER locate a group of coyotes here. Then some nights you might find two. They're all there, but they won't let you know.

You're one individual who always comments on my posts and I would gladly have you come hunt all my spots to show me how this works in Missouri.

EDIT: I watch those Downwind Outdoor guys calling these coyotes across a field during the day and I've NEVER seen that happen here, nor heard of it. I watch those unmentionable diaphragm guys getting coyotes howling all the time at night. You get about a 10 minute window at night to hear them, then who knows where they go. I have put everything into practice, and nothing works. Only thing I know to do is to wait for everything to turn green, and get in tight in the thick [beeep] woods.

You really can't take constructive criticism can you? You ask for help, post about your troubles and when someone then gives you some advise you get defensive, offer excuses and suddenly somehow know enough to argue about the advise offered. The good Lord gave us all two ears, two eyes and one mouth for a reason, if I personally were in your shoes I'd talk less, listen and watch more. I wasn't being a smartazz and had no ill intent. I fully expect that now you'll completely lose track of my point in the original post here and focus on being offended. Carry on...

I'm not offended at all. I'm hunting coyotes that won't come out into even a small opening at night, and rarely, very, very rarely ever give up their location unless it's the middle of summer. So...if I can't get them out, and can't find them, exactly how do I go about this other than countless blind stands? My original post was asking about sitting and not calling. You basically gave me information I already knew and try to put into practice, but it's hard when you can't find coyotes when the sun is up. Do I just follow tracks for miles?

You realize you seemingly know enough to offer up advice that's all over the internet, but have never hunted here. What would you do if you heard coyotes once on maybe thirty locating trips? Always found tracks, but never could get a howl during the day. I'm hunting a ghost, man. The last coyote I called in barked twice like a domestic dog, the. just showed up ten minutes later. There were domestics near where it barked from. So...
 
Last edited:
Back
Top