Connecticut Coyote Hunting

H

Hardwood

New member
Hi, I'm new here and was wondering how I should go about Coyote hunting in Connecticut on public land. I will be using a .22LR and most of the land that is open to me is mixed hardwood forest. There are a few small fields in some other areas, but they are generally surrounded by roads and houses in a largely mixed suburban/small farm setting.

I've read two very different bits of advice:

1) find an open field

2) call them in the woods

What is correct?

Also, currently I am hunting alone and was wondering what would happen if they came in behind me? Also we have Bobcats and Blackbears. I'm not worried about the cats. (I'd love to see one, though.) But I was wondering whether blackbears might respond to, and head towards, a predator call.

Thanks in advance.
 
Well I can give you my brief input on some of your questions. First I would go with a shotgun with the largest legal size pellet up to #4 buck if legal. I am stuck with lead or heavy shot #1 nothing larger or .22LR only. So far I keep it in the 40 yard range and the woods do not lend themselves to longer shots and I have had GREAT LUCK.

Stay in the woods and you will get downwinded its just a learning curve on every spot you hunt that only is prevented when you keep thinking about the past stands and what you didnt like about them once you started calling or after. When I sit down and my heart is pounding like a 10 point buck just stepped out and I havent seen a coyote yet I know I picked a good stand location. Other times after a minute or two I start second guessing and thinking I should have.... or shouldnt....

Then the following year remember what you liked the most and what you think gave you the edge on them from down winding you and things will start coming together. And I find they usually come in on the same approach as the last call in even when the previous died.

Also no bears or bobcats out in this part of the state just coyotes, fishers, coons and a few fox so no help here. Good luck.
 
Hardwood - I live literally on the Ma/Ct border.......Granville, Ma, and Grandy, CT.

Connecticut is very good coyote hunting. You may have heard different, but its good /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Ct coyote hot spots.......Grandby, Enfield, E.Windsor, Windsor, Avon, Colebrook Res, Torrington, Burlington, Suffield (burning hot), and down past the Uconn campus in Mansfield ( lots of public land there ). Killed stuff in all these CT towns, and a few more that slipped my mind.

Seek out private land in these towns, and get a centerfire rifle. Anything will do. Private land is the key..........early season..........October.........dumb YOY makes for easy action. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

This will help on private land, as no permit is required....This is from the CT state abstracts. I you ask to hunt coyotes and they say yes, go get 'em /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif Quote:
All hunters are required to have permission from the landowner when hunting on private lands. Verbal permission for the hunting of species other than deer and turkey is sufficient.



Bobcats are a no shoot in CT., so remember that.

I have killed tons of coyotes in CT over the last 30 years or so, but not many on public land.

Fields or woods are good early season, but woods take over as Fall wears on. Pressure from bird hunters, archers, and rifle hunters (deer) take there toll on a coyotes nerves. Woods works best then....... hands down.

Do you bowhunt? If so, don't do anything different except use a gun and call right out of your stand. Easy way to bag coyotes. I'd only use that 22LR with good tracking snow, as a double lung coyote will cover some ground before he croaks with the LR. He'll be dead, but you want to find him.

Season is only shut down one month in CT, (May I think) but I'd leave 'em alone 'till fall now. But the choice of course is up to you. They are (mostly) rubbed out up here already with the mild winter.

Here's a nice Suffield coyote from the Fall.

Picture021.jpg
 
Guys, thanks for the responses. I really appreciate the advice. When you guys hunt them, do you have a partner watching the downwind position? And if not, have they ever approached from your downwind "blindspot?"

Ceider: At 40 yards my semi-auto .22 is more than accurate enough for headshots on small dogs, and with CCI velocitors I'm really not worried about not having enough gun.

Sleddogg: I think I'll continue trying at least until the Spring Turkey season (in May when everything else is shut down). Coyote hunting is prohibited during the Fall Turkey season as well (October/November). And if you plan on hunting them in CT next season and need someone to watch your 6 let me know. I'd love to learn how its done. I live in Simsbury, right next to Avon/Granby/E. Granby. I'll also check out the UCONN area, as you've suggested.
 
Just a word of caution with the confidence in the 22LR. In the woods they sneak up on you fast and pop up out of thin air often times leaving you with your gun on your lap and no time to take your time on a good shot. Be prepard to pass up shots that can be far and few between. Know shotgun I only shy away from dead on and away shots unless they are under 30yards.
 
Quote:
Ceider: At 40 yards my semi-auto .22 is more than accurate enough for headshots on small dogs, and with CCI velocitors I'm really not worried about not having enough gun.




Bold words /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

243 is my minimum for any angle snap woods shooting. Tracked lots of coyotes with baby calibers. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif Out in the open, I'll drop down to 223 Remington.

"Posed" coyotes are hard to come by in the Northeast!!

Since we are neighbors, ( about 30 minutes from Simsbury) shoot me a PM, and we can talk about killin' stuff around here. I got some good callin' sequences and 30 years give or take to share.

Easy with the right approach, near impossible with the wrong headset. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif

You may want to re-think that 22 though, as the puppies around our woods get big.............

im000669.jpg
 
Sleddogg,

Thank you for the info on the call, i will have to one of those on my shopping list /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
Also want to thank you for the pointers you give us newbee's to the sport /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowingsmilie.gif
By the way, that is one big yote in the second picture /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
I hunt in CT as well and now that the coyotes have killed all the woodchucks they are about the only thing left of the varmints.

On state land I thought about what to use and considered getting a 17HMR as the 20 gr bullet might be better than the .22 LR. Considering the lack of shooting its easier to just carry the shotgun which of course would defend me against the bears here. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-006.gif

On private land I carry the CF rifle of the day which more often than not is a 243.

dsc008045ji.jpg
 
I also Live in and hunt Ct. I don't post much but I read a lot. we are hamstringed here on state land, 22 lr is marginal at best for coyotes, can it kill'em sure. 17hmr a little better shots UNDER 75yrds. I use a 12 gauge 3" or 3.5" loaded with #2 lead loads(the largest shot allowed by law) and can kill clean out to 50yrds. on privite land different story .243 with 58 grn.Hornady v-max does a great job!..I do most of my calling in the woods. Good Luck!...Bob..
 
I hunt out of new york,but for all ext. purposes i think were deaeling with the same dogs.i have hunted coyotes for about five years and have learned a good amount.my first couple years i have had success on fox at night but never saw a coyote.here is what i was doing wrong.of course some opinions may differ.the most important change was to hunt the woods. just as your not likely to see a ten point buck grazing in a feild during the day your also not likely to call a coyote into the open.my second change was to scratch the e-caller and use an open reed.call loudly with alot of emotion thirty seconds call, thirty seconds silence .this makes spotting the critters easier since you can concentrate on just watching.also makes it harder for them to spot you .since your not constantly saying here i am and thirdly hunt were you know theres coyotes scout them as anything else.i have found that just because it looks good doesnt always mean it is.and woods that dont look great to me have had alot of dogs using it. find lots of sign and hit it a few times things will happen. if you call were their comfortable thyll be less likely to circle - good luck
 
Vlad - Hunting in the woods, seems to make no difference what time of day.

In the open, crack of dawn is first pick for me.

Night hunting has always been the easiest time of all, but don't hunt Massachusetts at night due to firearm restrictions. NY and Maine are my first pick at night.

As for sounds, just copy this on an open reed. I am a run and gun guy, 10 minutes and gone. Regardless of what anyone tells you after 10 minutes, its RARE to have a call-in. Not never, but rare.

Sleddogg's rabbit

Here is a pic of a place I've killed coyotes like clockwork over the years right in Suffield, CT. I like to hunt transition cover, same as for whitetails.

DSC00236.jpg


This coyote was shot in the woods about noon. Bombed right in.... Response time was under 2 minutes.....very typical in the woods.

Picture040.jpg


Hope some of that helps. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
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