Here is a short and to the point article on the basics of coyote calling and hunting.
Clothing: You want to pick a clothing that matches the surrounding area you are going to be calling in and a clothing that will be suitable for the weather. For the summer months pick a type of camouflage that matches the color of the foliage that you will be hunting in. Camo works great for concealing you as it breaks up your outline. For the snowy months anything white will do. I usually wear painters throw-away coveralls. They slip over my regular coveralls and they only cost around $5 at Wal-Mart.
Rifle/Caliber: You will never get a straight answer when you ask people what their favorite rifle or caliber is. A light weight rifle is almost a must if you make many stands in a day and walk many miles. Some people prefer bull barrel rifles but it makes walking a lot more difficult. Picking a caliber is based on what you want to do with the coyote. If you want to save fur then anything from a .17 to a 22-250 will work. If you want a caliber that will reach out and touch a coyote 500 yards away and don’t care about saving the fur then anything from a 243 and up will suit your needs. The smaller calibers can reach way out there also but the light bullet is easily effected by the wind and doesn’t quite pack the punch as the bigger calibers.
Picking A Stand: You want to pick a stand where you have seen sign of coyotes such as scat and paw prints. It is best if you can find a slightly elevated area above the surrounding ground so you can see the coyotes as they come in. Coyotes usually try to come into the wind to smell the prey so face with the wind to see them while calling. When you are walking to the stand try not to silhouette yourself against the sky. Walk in valleys in ravines and try not to make much noise.
When To Call: It is best to call in the early morning or in the evening. Coyotes will be out and about at this time. They like to rest during the day so if you call in the middle of the day your chances of calling in a coyote are not as great as calling in the morning or evening. Calling coyotes is also best in the winter months. The furs are prime and coyotes will come to the call easier because of the lack of food during winter. If you live in the southern states it does not matter as much but it matters if you live in the north.
Calls and Calling: Coyotes are opportunists and will eat anything that is edible if it becomes available to them. Cottontail and Jackrabbit distress is most commonly used for calling coyotes. Rabbits are to coyotes as steak is to us, its hard to pass up a juicy piece of meat! If you are starting to call I would start to learn these two distresses.
After you have mastered them its time to try to learn coyote vocals. Howls are very important. They can locate coyotes so you know where they are, they can challenge coyotes so coyotes will come into fight, or they can invite coyotes in for a little Chicka Chicka Bow wow during mating season. Pup distress also is a very good call year round because coyotes will come in to either help the pup or kill it.
When calling with distress calls it is best to call for 30 seconds to a minute and then stop for a minute. After you have waited the minute start calling again for about 30 seconds to a minute and then stop. Keep doing this for around 15 minutes. Some people like to call longer just in case there is a coyote far away that needs time to come in. Other people call shorter to get more stands in but 15 minutes is a good time to start out at until you figure out what time limit is best for you.
This is what works for me in my area. Lets hear what some of you have adapted to your areas to call coyotes.
Thanks for reading,
Jerrett
Clothing: You want to pick a clothing that matches the surrounding area you are going to be calling in and a clothing that will be suitable for the weather. For the summer months pick a type of camouflage that matches the color of the foliage that you will be hunting in. Camo works great for concealing you as it breaks up your outline. For the snowy months anything white will do. I usually wear painters throw-away coveralls. They slip over my regular coveralls and they only cost around $5 at Wal-Mart.
Rifle/Caliber: You will never get a straight answer when you ask people what their favorite rifle or caliber is. A light weight rifle is almost a must if you make many stands in a day and walk many miles. Some people prefer bull barrel rifles but it makes walking a lot more difficult. Picking a caliber is based on what you want to do with the coyote. If you want to save fur then anything from a .17 to a 22-250 will work. If you want a caliber that will reach out and touch a coyote 500 yards away and don’t care about saving the fur then anything from a 243 and up will suit your needs. The smaller calibers can reach way out there also but the light bullet is easily effected by the wind and doesn’t quite pack the punch as the bigger calibers.
Picking A Stand: You want to pick a stand where you have seen sign of coyotes such as scat and paw prints. It is best if you can find a slightly elevated area above the surrounding ground so you can see the coyotes as they come in. Coyotes usually try to come into the wind to smell the prey so face with the wind to see them while calling. When you are walking to the stand try not to silhouette yourself against the sky. Walk in valleys in ravines and try not to make much noise.
When To Call: It is best to call in the early morning or in the evening. Coyotes will be out and about at this time. They like to rest during the day so if you call in the middle of the day your chances of calling in a coyote are not as great as calling in the morning or evening. Calling coyotes is also best in the winter months. The furs are prime and coyotes will come to the call easier because of the lack of food during winter. If you live in the southern states it does not matter as much but it matters if you live in the north.
Calls and Calling: Coyotes are opportunists and will eat anything that is edible if it becomes available to them. Cottontail and Jackrabbit distress is most commonly used for calling coyotes. Rabbits are to coyotes as steak is to us, its hard to pass up a juicy piece of meat! If you are starting to call I would start to learn these two distresses.
After you have mastered them its time to try to learn coyote vocals. Howls are very important. They can locate coyotes so you know where they are, they can challenge coyotes so coyotes will come into fight, or they can invite coyotes in for a little Chicka Chicka Bow wow during mating season. Pup distress also is a very good call year round because coyotes will come in to either help the pup or kill it.
When calling with distress calls it is best to call for 30 seconds to a minute and then stop for a minute. After you have waited the minute start calling again for about 30 seconds to a minute and then stop. Keep doing this for around 15 minutes. Some people like to call longer just in case there is a coyote far away that needs time to come in. Other people call shorter to get more stands in but 15 minutes is a good time to start out at until you figure out what time limit is best for you.
This is what works for me in my area. Lets hear what some of you have adapted to your areas to call coyotes.
Thanks for reading,
Jerrett