Calling Yotes in South Carolina

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DuckHunttter

New member
Fellows,

I need some serious assistance. I have tried relentlessly to call in coyotes on my property in Union County, SC. As of now, my results have been.. well.. there have been no results. I have a foxpro electronic call and I'm thinking I may need to invest in some reed calls. The terrain here is completely unconsistent. Scrub oak here, tall pines there. The main thing we have to use for focal points are really just variations in the terrain like valleys or gulleys, creek beds and river bottoms, logging decks and roads. What should I do to have some luck? I sneak in late in the afternoon and early in the morning and most always use a cottontail distress or rodent distress. Also use lucky bird and even raccoon. I never so much as muster a response from the canines. I know there are ample yotes in the area because I have successfully trapped them and the sign in abundant. I figure my technique for calling must be just plain wrong. Could someone tell me what the heck to do?? I have completely sexy-ed up my Ruger M77 .204 and want oh so badly to dust a coyote with it. SOMEONE HELP ME!!!!! PLEASE!!!!
 
Just keep at it. March seems to be the toughest. Come May you can catch one trying to bring home the bacon (bring food to the new pups)and on through the summer. Come August the new pups will be out on their own hunting and they are a little dumber. Try the fawn distress and also have had luck with chicken distress. Yes you do need to have some manual calls in your bag. Seem to have quicker response with the mouth calls but they will also bust you quicker. I am no way an expert at this. I figure I have about 10% good luck. That's 90% no luck. Or 1 encounter in 10 trys. I personally define success as having a coyote show up when you want him to, not just happen to wander by. Getting a bullet into one is the ultimate success.
It does not work like you see in these videos from out west. I tell people thats why they don't make videos around here, it would be too boring. Speaking of other people, I have gotten where I don't even discuss this with them. They are all deer hunters, and don't have a clue about predator hunting but see it on TV and think they would all be experts at it(if they got off their butts and went out and did it). I don't have the heart to tell them that after hunting the predators for awhile, that deer are one of the dumbest animals in the woods.

Post a picture when you score. Good Luck!
 
Yeah, just keep at it!! It took me a couple of seasons at least to learn how to hunt them here in the mountains. We just don't have the #'s like other places and many times you may be calling and there is no coyote to hear it, just keep at it and you will be successful! Good luck!!
 
too true tgc, i hunt deer myself and they are by far the easiest game to take in the woods. Hunting squirrels is even harder than hunting deer. Anyways, I will pick up a few calls this weekend and give it another try. Have you ever used red fox pup distress? I've got it on my fox pro and it seems like it would call in red fox as well as coyotes cause I know they eat red fox pups. I have nothing against calling in a red or a gray either. I need a red and a gray to add to my collection at the cabin anyways.
 
No, I've never tried the fox distress. Seems good. I love to hunt deer too. It's a nice break to have something to bring home.
 
Originally Posted By: tgcNo, I've never tried the fox distress.

If you don't count the coyote pup distress; I've killed more coyotes with fox calls than all the other FP sounds combined! It's bad news for greys in the area as well!
 
The old Johny Stewert "Fox pup in distress" is a failsafe. It is the best Grey Fox call ever, plus coyotes come to get their licks in as well. However, this past year I have been playing FP's "Scream'n Grey" a lot (THANKS PRUSON!). I have not called as many Greys off it but the Coyote kills went up. Could be more yo-yo's in my area now???

Either way, you can't go wrong playing fox sounds. Coyotes WILL come to them and even if they don't; you still may end up with a stand like this...
Foxc.jpg
 
I agree with coleridge 100% on the fox in distress calls as it relates to calling in yotes. Here in Central Georgia I usually start with female howls, followed up with cottontail in distress. If nothing rolls in with 10-15 minutes, I'll throw down the yote pup in distress, followed by either the screaming gray fox or the gray fox in distress. There is something about that fox call that gets the yotes running in for their licks. In regard to the yote pups in distress calls, I use them year round. Many individuals that I've talked to think that the adult yotes are coming in to protect the puppies. However, rest assured that the adults know darn well where their pups are and are rather coming in to kill off and eat the puppies of another adult pair that they feel has invaded their territory. While the pup in distress works great for me in late April through mid May, I've found that it works about just as good throughout the entire year.
 
Same here DuckHammer. I'm new to the game and right now I'm chasing turkeys but plan to start back up in May. I haven't called anything in yet but I am also using a FX3 and shooting a 223 AR. I'm not going to give up but keep at it in the Low Country. I know a couple of predator hunters that are doing pretty good in your area.
 
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Duckhunttter, Got one this morning apr. 13. Female trying to circle around a cottontail distress at 350 yards (google earth)in a cut over. You can see a pic of my black coyote in this forum, calling in the east, with the title "hungry coyote" on page 2 or 3. Hope you are still at it.
 
I ran into a guy at Academy sports in Augusta that is from the low country of SC...can't remember the name of his town but I got his # and will ask him. Maybe you two can get together...
 
I have hunted in the Union / Whitmire / Joanna area of SC (gamelands & private) and have to say that in my experience, the coyote population is definitely not high. They are there, but I think they tend to have a wider ranging territory.
Hang in there, it is tough, but when it happens, it will be very rewarding!

burt2506
 
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