What did i do wrong?

newfielander

New member
Hi guys, I'm a newbie to the site, and I don't have a whole lot of coyotes under my belt either. I'm from Newfoundland Canada, and only the last 10 years or so have coyote hunting being available to us.
Anyway, I have only gotten 5 in my life! But love every minute of it!
This winter I'm not having much luck whatsoever! Our biggest problem we have here in Newfoundland is the weather, it's ALWAYS WINDY!!
But last evening I got a chance to go try my luck, I'm using an Electronic caller and I was set up, done some calling with no luck other than a big hawk came right up to me! About half an hour before dark, I thought I could hear a coyote howling a few miles back the highway from where my truck was, so I raced back to my truck, back out the highway to where I only guessed the coyotes might be. Snowshoed out to a small lake, set up with the wind to my back blowing out across the lake. Not knowing if I was in the right spot or even if I did really hear a coyote I turned on a 15-minute rabbit in distress I created on a computer and had it added to my caller. When the call sequence played through, and I never saw anything and by now I only had a few minutes of daylight left, I waited maybe a minute and played a female coyote howl, instantly a coyote answered me only maybe 300 yards away behind a bunch of woods to my left! I knew I never had any time to spare so I howled back, and all the crazy coyote would do was howel back at me. I sat there and waited and wondered what to try next and no matter what I played all it would do was howl back at me. I decide to shut up and not move even though it was getting dark, everything was white with snow so I said maybe if I stop calling it might think I'm gone and then it might come over to where I am to check out the area and I would see him on the lake because of the white snow.It kinda worked, it came to the shoreline of the lake, by the sounds of how close it was but I could not see it. I felt for sure it will walk the shoreline to investigate the area for coyote scent. I was wrong. I had no choice but to bail out and go home again with no coyote. WHAT DID I DO WRONG!!!
 
I almost always have the wind at my back or crosswind and kill scores of coyotes.
Sounds like you were expecting the coyote to go somewhere it didn't want to or wasn't comfortable.
This time of year they can be stubborn. I have been dealing with two of these all week.
They can win in the short game and I may get them in the long game cause they will slip up.
 
Mr. Poppadopalis it's not much point to having the wind in your face, the coyote will come up behind you. Like any other animal, they live by their nose and also die by their nose
 
We can only speculate why it didn’t come in. I’m guessing the coyote smelled you. Sometimes they don’t want the expose themselves and come out in the open. Getting into the cover and calling may have worked but that is only a guess. You may have been in another coyotes territory so it didn’t want to cross an imaginary boundary we can’t see. It may have heard or seen you before setting up for your stand.

Every stand is different but I’ve killed a lot of coyotes on stands when the wind is in my face. Some will try to circle and try to get downwind but others will come straight in. I’ve also killed many coyotes with the wind at my back. If the wind is even close to blowing my scent cone in their direction, I’ll take the first reasonably available shot. Once they smell you, your chances of getting a good shot opportunity become very close to zero.
 
BrianID I hear ya, but no it was impossible for him to smell me from where it was howling back at me, but yes it was very possible that he could have heard me rush in as fast as I could, (trying to beat the darkness), I think if I had done one more cycle of distress rabbit, it would have came in. I wonder about using a crow call after distress rabbit. I know coyotes use crows to their advantage for sure, so when they hear a rabbit cry and are not sure if they should go check it out, but when they hear crows squawking, would they get really curious and come in I wonder. Another thing that concerns me is how loud is too loud, is it possible I had my caller to loud, seeing the coyote was so close in the first place?
 
I don't think Mr. Poppadopalis was telling you to call with the wind in your face. Most experienced callers will tell you to try and call a crosswind.
 
Once a coyote starts being vocal with you, prey distress doesn't often work. You will get better with time listening for what type of howl, bark, etc a coyote is saying and then trying to use vocalization to counter that. You need to also take into consideration the time of year, and what trigger is most likely to get a coyote to respond.

You need to get to your calling location as quietly as possible. If using an electronic caller, which you said you were, set the call up (typically in a crosswind) and position yourself so when the coyote is almost directly downwind of the call, they are in a perfect shooting spot for you, and have no chance of winding you.
 
Kirsch, thanks for your advice, I love to start off with some sort of howl, when I make a set, just to find out if there is any coyote in the area. But on this set, I just went to a distressed rabbit. I know ever setup is different and every hunter as their own ideas, but what do you prefer to do, let's say its just breaking daylight in the morning, what would you start off ya calling with? Anyone can answer this question as well.
I will add a youtube link, to show you the "special" coyote I'm after in the area I have been hunting, I call it special because of its color.
Take a look, and if it's against the forums rules to add youtube links please let me know I will remove it. (These are 2 different clips I have of this coyote.)


 
It depends on the time of year is a crappy answer but it is the truth. The time of year also dictates not only if I do howl first, but what type of howl I will start off with. Time of day can also play a role. However, I will say I am more likely to start off with prey distress in the situation you described if the first or last stand of the day when it is just starting to get light or get dark. I don't use a lot of prey distress after the sun is up for awhile because most coyotes are settled in for the day. You have to do something else to get them interested to move. Nothing is absolute with coyotes. Keep trying.

Nice color on the coyote. My fur buyer buys around 5,000 coyotes each year and has never bought a black one locally, so there probably isn't a lot of hope for me to get one in my home area.
 
I find each hunter applies their logic with their tactics and it works for them but most likely won't work for me.
I have to use much different prep and execution that works very well for me even though it defies most mainstream logic.

I start about 80% of stands with a howl and sometimes get a response or not. Sometimes when there is a response I don't answer with my intent but rather mimic their response exactly.
Limiting exchanges reduces mistakes when faking their language, ie- less is better.
Soon you'll learn which vocals not to reply to and use a kiyi, whimper, or distress.
I also stay on set much longer than most for personal reasons and am surprised how many show up very late to check out what was really going on.
 
Originally Posted By: newfielanderMr. Poppadopalis it's not much point to having the wind in your face, the coyote will come up behind you. Like any other animal, they live by their nose and also die by their nose

you stated you are a newbie. you just showed it^^^^^. you have no idea what you're talking about. carry on.
 
I find when a coyote answers me I will answer back more aggressive and try to cut them off with a few barks before howling.

I did this this winter and had 3 answering me back. After the second time of me cutting them off they went quiet and 5 minutes later here comes 3 hard chargers over the horizon.

Sometimes nothing works. I was howling back with one coyote before for over 30minures. He was only 300 yards away and would move about 200 yards every few minutes then sit and bark howl at me. I assume he seen or smelt me some how. Sometimes they just know something is up.
 
Coyotes don't respond or act the same way in all of the different areas that we hunt them in.

In wide open spaces that don't have any cover and very seldom get a breeze over 5 mph the coyotes use their vision way more than they use their sense of smell. So in these flat open areas calling straight against the wind with my vehicle straight back behind me I am leaving a very narrow scent cone because my e-caller, myself and my vehicle are very close to being in a straight line against the wind.

We always lay down in the prone position with a rifle and on our backs or using a shotgun in open country. The coyotes can see us laying there most of the time but they are not afraid of something they see, that is 2 feet tall or less.

While rifle calling in open areas we set the e-caller about 40 to 60 yards away so if a coyote does go to circle around to the down wind side we can clearly see the coyote doing it, and if they do they are still in front of us or off to the side of us.

I call off of the top of ridges, hills and mountains with the breeze in my face heading straight up hill. Coyotes around here that have to climb up towards my caller only go a very short distance up and around the caller to get to the down wind side if they do go up hill to the down wind side.

If I am using my shotgun and my e-caller is 15 to 20 yards away and the coyote goes up past my e-caller 10 yards to get on the downwind side, that puts the coyote right in front of me 5 to 10 yards away.

Where coyote numbers are very high and there are not lots of people around I think coyotes run straight to the e-caller more often because if they make a big circle around they may not get to the animal in distress before other coyotes do.

I have taken quite a few pictures of coyotes over the years that were running with the wind that was blowing into my face. Most of the time the only down wind that I watch while calling coyotes is between me and my e-caller.
 
SlickerThanSnot, your comment did not answer my question, it seems there is always one like you in every town.
I think I may have explained my set up wrong, I guess. But if you were to watch any video's on youtube related to coyote hunting around fields or open areas the majority of guys if not every guy sets up looking out across the open field, not on the side of the field that the wind is blowing but on the side of where the wind is coming from. We all know "even newbies" coyotes like any animal generally try to get downwind before approaching something that as its attention. When I explained my setup how I waited at the edge of a lake. (in cover) looking out across the lake which was downwind of me. If the coyoted attempted to try and get my scent, I would have to see him walking out on the lake. why is that so wrong?
Seeing you are SlickerThanSnot, please tell me what these coyotes are trying to tell me.
 
Originally Posted By: Mr. PoppadopalisNever have nd at your back.

Coyotes will smell you 600+ yards out!

I'm with Mr. P, I sit with the wind on one shoulder. The coyotes around here like to come in downwind to take a look, but then they tend to approach from the sides or the rear of the caller. If I am using a rifle my call is out at almost 100 yards. If I am using my shotgun then maybe 50 yards.

In high winds I also like to use high pitched calls, like vole squeaks. I know it seems like you need to crank up the volume, but AzBushman and I were calling the PM convention in Elko a few years ago in high winds, and we had a coyote show up at 350 yards on only vole squeaks. Less sometimes is more. If you could get a coyote to howl back, try some vole squeaks or bird calls. Don't howl back right away, let them sit in silence, a lot of times they'll come looking for the howling coyote.
 



Originally Posted By: newfielanderSlickerThanSnot, your comment did not answer my question, it seems there is always one like you in every town.
I think I may have explained my set up wrong, I guess. But if you were to watch any video's on youtube related to coyote hunting around fields or open areas the majority of guys if not every guy sets up looking out across the open field, not on the side of the field that the wind is blowing but on the side of where the wind is coming from. We all know "even newbies" coyotes like any animal generally try to get downwind before approaching something that as its attention. When I explained my setup how I waited at the edge of a lake. (in cover) looking out across the lake which was downwind of me. If the coyoted attempted to try and get my scent, I would have to see him walking out on the lake. why is that so wrong?
Seeing you are SlickerThanSnot, please tell me what these coyotes are trying to tell me.




There's a reason his name is SlickerThanSnot and not Amb. SlickerThanSnot, I think you've learned it now.
 
newfie, im just saying when you say something like "not much point to having the wind in your face"

it sounds like you have no idea what you're talking about. because there is very much a point to having the wind in your face. or across your face left to right or right to left. that is all.
 
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