Some success and some questions

[Farmer8430]

After being busy and having a bit of dry spell it felt really good to get some coyotes on the ground the last couple weeks
This was a spot and stalk that I had to take a 230 yard shot on as he heard me walking in the snow.

Then another night while I was laying in bed I heard some coyotes howling outside so got my hunting clothes on and scanned the surrounding area. To the north of me I saw a fox working the fields and with no cover and crunchy snow to sneak any closer I set up on a embankment 500 yards away from the fox and and started calling with baby cottontail. After a few minutes the fox came right in and I was able to get him. As I was walking back from retriving him I heard the coyotes howl again to my south. I got in the truck and drove down the road a 1/2 mile and walked in to a spot with some back cover on a field within 200 yards of the woods I thought they might be in as I did not see them in the surrounding fields. I started calling with some male howls with no response and then when I did a female howl multiple groups sounded off. After scanning a bit without seeing anything I switched to pup distress and seen 2 coyotes pop out of the woods 800 to 1000 yards to my south. They came the whole way in a fast trot and I was able to shoot one at 75 yards but missed the second due to a rushed first shot and then a malfuction. Here is the video


This was definitely my best night calling ever as I have had limited sucess calling and better luck spotting and stalking.
So my question is how close do you try to get to where you think the coyotes are? Is it better to set up close so if they dont leave cover you have a shot? Or is it better to stay farter out and try to call them into the open? While it isnt like out west most of the ground I can hunt is fields surounding patches of woods. I have been going within 100 to 200 yards of the woodlines but having this success calling farther away it makes me wonder if I would be better off staying a ways out especially with the crunchy snow lately.
Thank you

 

[limbhanger10]

I'll assume Pa and MI a very similar in terrain and woodlots/ farms. And the weather is pretty much the same.

Whenever the ground or cut crops are frozen or the snow is crunchy and iced over, we try to be careful on approach to calling area...if were spooking deer from a distance..we know we'll spook the coyote. If that means staying a 1/4 to 1/2 mile away thats what we'll do.

If the ground is wet/dry and not frozen...we may try to get within a 200-300 yards of a woodlot or field they may be in.

 

[varminter .223]

We prefer to be as close as we can to the cover we feel the coyotes are in but far enough away there is time to find them if they charge in. 150 yards or so I'd say is a good place to be. Challenge is getting into a good shooting spot where the coyotes can swing in and approach down wind of the call without getting down wind of you.

 

[case-nh]

I try to give myself as much open ground as possible. They will use cover, draws, waterways frequently on there approach. That being said, I will approach areas were I don't have as much open ground as quietly as I can. If it's a "dry" approach were things are crunching more I will not set up as close or set up somewhere farther away. Same goes for crunchy snow. Right now I have not been out for several weeks as we had rain following a snow that froze on top and you could roll a tank in quieter than walking right now as well as it being arduous walking as each step feels like it might hold you but you break through. I have had coyotes pop out from cover very close by and my quiet as possible approach has paid off.