Yesterday was the third time I've had coyote launch themselves and fly 4-5 feet off the ground and grab decoys out the top of a bush. It is fun to see, much like a dog catching a frisbee on the fly. I've been doing my part to eliminate this as we've so far killed everyone that has grabbed a decoy. One didn't get shot until he was a couple hundred yards away. He was the one that hung onto the decoy for a while, I had to do a grid search over his escape route to find it.
I've had two coyotes jump up in a bush and grab the caller and pull it down. They've succeeded at this better with one escaping.
One tactic I saw again yesterday that seems to be happening more, I think it is the cover I hunt. Is one coyote circling down wind of the caller/decoy a hundred yards or more and the second charging out of the brush almost straight downwind after sneaking in on the caller. It really looks like the downwind coyote is the blocker and the charger is the catcher. If the charger misses the pray it is going to be running down wind straight to the blocker without having its nose to help know of the danger. It is interest when it happens as I'm focused on the one I can see in the distance and have one rush out of the cover nearly at my side. So far every time it has happened I've had the scope cranked up waiting for a shot at the blocker and haven't got the one charging in close.
Another is that coyotes will almost always use any cover they can to approach the caller. Rarely will a coyote come straight across an opening but follow the edge or stay inside the cover to get as close as they can before coming out. I hunt these large openings in the Mesquite quite often and will see a coyote cross at the far end and the have to wait until the work their way into the caller just exposing themselves at the last minute when they are close as they can get to the caller.
My stand is the brush closest to where I'm taking the picture from watching the grass meadow beyond and my caller is about 30 yards out into the meadow. It is nerve wracking to know they are coming but you don' know where they are going to break cover and it is going to be fast and furious when they do.
I've had two coyotes jump up in a bush and grab the caller and pull it down. They've succeeded at this better with one escaping.
One tactic I saw again yesterday that seems to be happening more, I think it is the cover I hunt. Is one coyote circling down wind of the caller/decoy a hundred yards or more and the second charging out of the brush almost straight downwind after sneaking in on the caller. It really looks like the downwind coyote is the blocker and the charger is the catcher. If the charger misses the pray it is going to be running down wind straight to the blocker without having its nose to help know of the danger. It is interest when it happens as I'm focused on the one I can see in the distance and have one rush out of the cover nearly at my side. So far every time it has happened I've had the scope cranked up waiting for a shot at the blocker and haven't got the one charging in close.
Another is that coyotes will almost always use any cover they can to approach the caller. Rarely will a coyote come straight across an opening but follow the edge or stay inside the cover to get as close as they can before coming out. I hunt these large openings in the Mesquite quite often and will see a coyote cross at the far end and the have to wait until the work their way into the caller just exposing themselves at the last minute when they are close as they can get to the caller.
My stand is the brush closest to where I'm taking the picture from watching the grass meadow beyond and my caller is about 30 yards out into the meadow. It is nerve wracking to know they are coming but you don' know where they are going to break cover and it is going to be fast and furious when they do.
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