How many stands do you make in an area?

the noobie

the noobie

New member
Getting back into it. One thing I have always struggled with is how many stands can I make in an area? I am out west so I am not in some of the dense areas that you guys have back east. I feel like some days I spend more time driving than I do hunting. Maybe I just need to keep hunting through noon and into the mid afternoon but it seems like if I do not have luck by 10:30 I wont see anything else. At least until the snow is on the ground and they are hungry.


Lots of land and lots of coyote sign. Today I made my first stand and nothing. STarted walking but wasnt sure how far I needed to walk before I hunted again. Made a second stand about 700 yards away (measured roughly on google maps) but wasnt sure if that was too close to the first or not.

I finished my 2nd stand and started up into the canyon further for number 3 and the wind picked up and started to get unbearable.

How many stands do you guys make in an area?

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I hunt completely different from you, I try to find stands as close to the road as possible and drive about 1 mile between sets.

Casey
 
I was about 1 mile off the state highway which is extremely close to the road for my usual hunting.

I am used to eastern MT where my parents live. Out there it was just a few sections of BLM and State scattered amongst private. Out there it was drive and hunt and drive and hunt. Where I am currently at in Idaho is tons of BLM and State so I dont know what to do with all the free space.
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Originally Posted By: crapshootDepending on terrain, vegetation and wind, half to 2 miles between stands. Hop on a 2 track and cover some ground.

How far do you hunt from your vehicle on usual? Once the snow sets in I am not sure how much driving I will be able to do out here.
 
I normally try to space my stands at least a mile apart in open country when there is minimal wind. In thicker cover or windy days I will sometimes move only 800 yards. I normally walk at least 400 yards from my vehicle before calling in open country but I have made a number of successful stands where I walked less than 100 yards. Close to busy roads can sometimes be great places to call as long as coyotes can approach your stand without being too visible to the cars driving by.
 
Originally Posted By: the noobieOriginally Posted By: crapshootDepending on terrain, vegetation and wind, half to 2 miles between stands. Hop on a 2 track and cover some ground.

How far do you hunt from your vehicle on usual? Once the snow sets in I am not sure how much driving I will be able to do out here.

No snow in southern nevada. But usually between 50-300 yrds
 
I usually go to the next best looking spot and call right from the drivers seat typically.
A few flatter areas I make it a short distance from the truck.
 
It all depends on the country in my opinion. Out west I usually go a quarter mile or so before the next stand. Until later in the year I don't get too far from the truck, a few hundred yards at most as long as the truck is hidden.

More stand in a day usually ends up in more coyotes.
 
Originally Posted By: bhallowsIt all depends on the country in my opinion. Out west I usually go a quarter mile or so before the next stand. Until later in the year I don't get too far from the truck, a few hundred yards at most as long as the truck is hidden.

More stand in a day usually ends up in more coyotes.


Yeah thats why I was wondering. Trying to maximize my time spent hunting.
 
Originally Posted By: skinneyDepends on the gear selection you use, and how much pressure is in the area.



My chubby butt doesnt haul as much gear as you guys do lol. Trying to stream line my gear and get light and fast.

I have not yet hunted this area enough to know the pressure. I am thinking they get hammered by road hunters. It seems like there is always a bunch of E calls for sale locally so I am not sure if they are hunted hard or if guys buy $400 e calls then get buyers remorse and offload them later.
 
Originally Posted By: the noobieOriginally Posted By: skinneyDepends on the gear selection you use, and how much pressure is in the area.



My chubby butt doesnt haul as much gear as you guys do lol. Trying to stream line my gear and get light and fast.

I have not yet hunted this area enough to know the pressure. I am thinking they get hammered by road hunters. It seems like there is always a bunch of E calls for sale locally so I am not sure if they are hunted hard or if guys buy $400 e calls then get buyers remorse and offload them later.

I'm not saying you need to carry, or even use a lot of gear for that matter. BUT in certain instances the number of stands one can make is directly correlated to what we use.

An example, using a suppressor, I feel and have experienced more times than not, I can make twice as many stands in the same area as opposed to not using one. Sound doesn't carry as far, it's not as loud, the animal may not initially relate it to an imminent threat from 1/2 a mile away, as one might with an unsuppressed gunshot from the same distance.

Terrain and wind play a big part in this as well. So does having the ability to get in, then go the next 400-800 yards on foot and do it again. The more discreet the better.

You might find a moderate advantage with a 12oz. Ti suppressor that will not slow you down at all, probably won't even notice the weight.

Calling tactics, also should be noted, again with atmospheric variables, lot's and lot's of things to look at when trying to cover a certain area, with multiple stands.
 
The noobie said:
It seems like there is always a bunch of E calls for sale locally so I am not sure if they are hunted hard or if guys buy $400 e calls then get buyers remorse and offload them later.

They watch TV callers that fist pumps & do a happy dance thinking it's easy and it's not so they get frustrated and dump their $400 call. I
 
Originally Posted By: Hellgate
They watch TV callers that fist pumps & do a happy dance thinking it's easy and it's not so they get frustrated and dump their $400 call. I

That's tooooo good! I might increase the 400.00 to 700.00 though.
 
Originally Posted By: skinneyOriginally Posted By: the noobieOriginally Posted By: skinneyDepends on the gear selection you use, and how much pressure is in the area.



My chubby butt doesnt haul as much gear as you guys do lol. Trying to stream line my gear and get light and fast.

I have not yet hunted this area enough to know the pressure. I am thinking they get hammered by road hunters. It seems like there is always a bunch of E calls for sale locally so I am not sure if they are hunted hard or if guys buy $400 e calls then get buyers remorse and offload them later.

I'm not saying you need to carry, or even use a lot of gear for that matter. BUT in certain instances the number of stands one can make is directly correlated to what we use.

An example, using a suppressor, I feel and have experienced more times than not, I can make twice as many stands in the same area as opposed to not using one. Sound doesn't carry as far, it's not as loud, the animal may not initially relate it to an imminent threat from 1/2 a mile away, as one might with an unsuppressed gunshot from the same distance.

Terrain and wind play a big part in this as well. So does having the ability to get in, then go the next 400-800 yards on foot and do it again. The more discreet the better.

You might find a moderate advantage with a 12oz. Ti suppressor that will not slow you down at all, probably won't even notice the weight.

Calling tactics, also should be noted, again with atmospheric variables, lot's and lot's of things to look at when trying to cover a certain area, with multiple stands.


A supressor is on my short list. We've been talking about moving back to North ID so up in those forests it would be extremely helpful aswell. The bolt gun would need rebarreled but the ARs are ready to go. Just need to get it done.
 
Here in wide open Colorado, I tend to go about 300-500yds between stands, depending on terrain, wind, temperature, time of year, and 'feel'.

Yes, I know my call sounds reach out further than that, but, I think that sometimes they will not travel very far for a call, but will come in when they only have to cover a few hundred yards, and sometimes I've seen them coming in from waaay out there.

This isn't a perfect example, but take a water glass and draw a circle around it, now, move the glass 2" and draw another circle. The circle is the distance my sounds travel, so even by moving 300yds, I should be reaching 'new ears' or maybe just sounding more enticing to a close by coyote.

One ranch I've been hunting for 20+ years is about 6,000 acres, and I am not allowed to drive on any of it, so, I walk it. This ranch lead me to shorten the distance between sets to get more stands, so more hunting and less walking. I usually do very well on this ranch.
 
I skin and put my fur up for sale so if I can shoot and get the kill back to the pick up with out killing my self the better my day. One dead coyote on the stretcher is better then 3 left in the bush. I usually drive anywhere between a 3/4 to 3 miles to where I know I can walk into an area and walk out pretty easily a little heavy. Last Saturday killed a big 35lb male I had to pack 300ft uphill and a 1/4 mile back to the truck.
 
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