Cold weather,deepsnow calling

VCinRI

New member
I have been to Maine several times coyote calling. I haven't been able to get one yet.
(The few I have seen taken are huge and look more like wolves.)
Plenty of tracks, yet no response's, I doubt the area was over called. Any input from you guys up north? Do you handle this situation differently?
Thank's
VCinRI
 
VC,

How long where you staying at each calling stand?

Also, what kind of calling sequence did you use?

RK

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Idle hands may be the devils work, but idle minds are so much worse
 
if the snow is deep and fluffy you have to set up close to them,this can be very diffacult.it is hard for fox and coyote to move in deep snow,they can't move fast and in most cases won't travel far to responed to a call.extended times on each stand are nessasary(because it takes them longer to get there)in the early ninties we had a major snow storm roll thru here,it dumped 29 inches of snow and it was pure powder.at this time i knew where there was two red fox dens and one coyote den.every day i straped on the snow shoes and check each den site out.after 3 days of no activity all of them came out but stayed right at the hole entrance.it apeared as though they were eating snow for water.after 13 straight days the coyote came out to feed and it took 14 days before the fox finaly came out.following there tracks i found that none of them went more than 80 to 100 yards away from the dens.at this time i figured that these critters would be easy pickens to hunt but i decided to observe them and maybe learn something.at the 16 day mark it warmed up and created a crust on the snow surface.at this time they were able to do some serious hunting.in places where its cold and the snow is deep for months,i'm not sure what the predators do.but here in n.y. snow storms that dump 2 or 3 feet of snow are rare.when it does happen they hole up for days making the hunting bad.also pine tree stands are good places to find predators.the snow in the heavy pines is not as deep and attracts the pray animals thus attracting the predators.
 
I hunt in the snow and cold. We're at 230+ inches for the season, 78 inches in Feb. In this area, the most activity can be found near deer yards. You'll find the most tracks in these areas, but you're not guaranteed coyotes either. I think that the coyotes really roam in a big area at this time of year. This would account for the tracks, but also for the lack of coyotes, unless they happen to be in the immediate area. This may not be true in all cases, but it accounts for some of the tough hunting that occurs here in the winter months. MI VHNTR
 
Try deer distress sounds in and around cedar swamps.The coyotes can get around a little easier in the swamps, and may be more willing to come to the call.Also try any places where cattle or other livestock has beaten the snow down.
 
We run into the same problems here if we have lots of deep fluffy snow--no movement. As soon as we start getting wind again (that doesn't take very long here) the snow gets wind packed and animals then move around a lot.

We also see the same thing re: response rates to calling around wintering groups of deer, or livestock being fed some distance from a farm/ranch.

We get plenty of snow here. I don't envy you guys that get those heavy lake effect snows. Ugh!
 
Steve, are you sure that I can't send some snow your way? The last "lake effect" storm left 24 inches of snow. The total is now 260 and counting. This is the second highest snowfall ever recorded here, with 272 being the record. It appears that it'll be a record setting year for snow, again. The real bad part is, the deer are really going to suffer another big dieoff. We've actually got people here hoping to break the 300 inch mark. MI VHNTR
 
VCinRI,
I believe the snow affects us more than the coyotes. It makes it alot harder for us to get in and out of stands and takes one heck of alot of energy and time to call numerous stands in the mornings. It also takes them a little longer to get there too. When there is any kinda crust on top of the snow they can move quite quickly. Your whole problem might be in finding them. I do agree they move around quite a bit and I know that up where I am here in Ontario there isn't near as many coyotes as there are in AZ or some other states. You need to find out where they are going to be when you start calling. They could be in the deer yard at night and then be 10miles down the road by morning. Coyotes don't den during the winter months but I'm sure they will be thinking real hard about digging this time of year. In a week or two when all this snow melts you can bet they'll be having their pups and I'll be hanging up the rifle till next year.
I've been seeing this coyote crossing the same field now about 3 or 4 times in the past week. I've returned to call it and nothing..... He's tail lights down the road probably about 10 minutes after I see him. I can't get to where he is going because I'm not too sure where it is and if it is where I think it is....I can't get in there to hunt....and neither can anyone else. Now, if I knew where he was heading or coming from and could set up in one of those areas to call him while he was there, I'm sure I'd have him.
smile.gif


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It's cold up here!
http://www.peterobor.net/~wolfz
 
MiVhntr,
All that snow in Michigan and there isnt any down here in the lower. Makes it difficult to see em at night. When you send some snow i'll take a super size order ok? Deer die off means at least one other animal will be doing well this spring.

Rob_,
Found me some really greedy coyotes coming up behind the farmers ranch. Found out also
why the numbers seem to be low in my area.
Wastewater plant that has many hundreds of acres 60% farmed the other wooded. well, no hunting in there except bow season. Trapping is allowed.....90 coyotes this year alone.
Thats about five miles from my place. geezes
mad.gif
 
Locator, I'd be more than happy to get rid of this white stuff. You can take a couple of feet, I'm sick of it! BTW, you'd better check your hunting regs, if you're hunting coyotes too much after sunset. The season for nighttime hunting closed on March 1st. Coyote hunting ends 1/2 hour after sunset, since fox season has closed.
The deer herd may take a real beating due to the snow depths and the cold. The WSI, Winter Severity Index, was at 97 the last time I heard. There are large dieoffs when the WSI hits 100. It looks like more poor deer hunting for a few more years, but the predators will really explode again, due to the large amounts of dead carcasses in the woods. MI VHNTR
 
MIVHNTR,
You betcha, Checked into it a while back.
We are allowed to take them at night even if the regular season is closed when they are doing damage or about to. All year without a license as well. Check that rule book guy.
Locator C-YA Hit the 10 spot!!
 
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