What's the #1 rule for all coyote hunters?
Definitely safety. It is very important to understand gun safety and how to properly use, transport, and clean your firearms. Also, maintain a safe environment by knowing your surroundings. Avoid aiming or shooting in the direction of homes or any livestock. Be aware, be cautious. It only takes a second to make a mistake that can’t be fixed.
What's the best caliber for coyotes?
I usually stick to anything below a .30 caliber. Depending on the range you plan to shoot, you may want to consider bullet trajectory. Some common predator rounds that are very effective out to 300 yards+ would be .223, .243, .204, .22-250. I personally love to use Hornady V-Max 55gr Varmint Express rounds for my .223 bolt gun and Hornady Leverevolution 160gr FTX for my 30-30 lever gun.
What coyote calls work best?
This will likely depend on the time of year, but coyotes have to eat year-round. So, prey distress such as birds, rodents, rabbits, even fawns work well regardless of the time.
Coyotes breed in the early part of the year and have pups in the spring. During the breeding season, you should try to use some challenge howls, pair howls, and some aggressive fight sounds, along with prey distress. After the pups are born, you want to try some pup cries, pup fights, and as summer rolls around, those pups will be out moving on their own, so this is a great time to use vocals such as lone howls, pair howls, and group howls. This time is called family bust up, and it’s the most active time of year for coyote vocals. Use that to your advantage.
Should you use an electronic call or a mouth call?
Me personally, if your state laws and regulations allow it, an electronic call is the way to go. There are hundreds of sounds that can be downloaded to a single caller. The use of a mouth call for coyotes takes a lot of practice, although it is much cheaper than an electronic caller. If you are interested in a mouth call, I recommend getting both so you can use them in tandem.
How much should you call — and how long should you sit in a stand?
As far as duration of calling time, I usually keep distress sounds to about 5-10 minutes max before changing to a different distress sound. I only leave a few seconds in between each sound. For howls, I only let the sound run for one sequence and then mute. I do not let the sound repeat itself. I’ll then give at least 2-3 minutes of silence after the sequence is over to listen for responses. Listen to real coyote howls in the wild and try to replicate what they do.
For duration on a stand, this also depends on the time of year I’m hunting. I tend to drag my stands out a little longer in the fall and winter up to about 45 minutes. In the spring and summer I shorten that to about 30 minutes max. In those spring and summer months you want to increase the amount of stands you’re making to cover more ground. Coyotes will be less likely to travel far to your location due to the denning season.
What time of day is best for hunting coyotes?
Coyotes are active in both day and night and you can effectively hunt them during both. Daytime hunters often find the most success during the first and last hours of daylight, when coyotes are naturally more active.
Should you hunt coyotes at night?
As primarily nocturnal predators, coyotes rely on the cover of darkness to move, hunt, and travel.
With the help of DNT Optics thermal and night vision technology, I can take advantage of those same conditions. Personally, I find night hunting to be the more thrilling experience. There's something about being surrounded by darkness, knowing your visibility is limited, and waiting for a coyote to suddenly appear in your optic that creates a level of anticipation and excitement that's hard to match during the day.
What's the best season to hunt coyotes?
Where I live, coyote hunting is permitted all year. There is no closed season. I find success mainly all year round — you just have to change your tactics slightly depending on the season.
How do you find coyotes — do you scout or run blind stands?
Word of mouth is a huge tool. Many landowners that grant me permission will communicate when they hear or see coyotes on their property and I’ll make a stand that night. Also, the use of cell cameras is a great way to see if coyotes are in your area. Another way you can find out is to use a Coyote Locator or Group Howl on your electronic call. Coyotes in the area will often respond, letting you know their location. Be mindful, the more you do this, the more you could be educating those coyotes. Sometimes something less conspicuous like a Siren sound will set them off too without them associating that to other coyotes.
Should you use a decoy for coyote hunting?
I hunt primarily at night, so I do not use a decoy. Decoys could be an effective tool during the day, especially a moving decoy like a spinning tail or something to catch a predator's eye and keep their attention off of you.
How do you set up to avoid getting spotted by coyotes?
I use the cover of darkness for walking into my stand, being careful and extremely quiet just in case. More times than not, coyotes are not in close proximity to you. You’re calling them to your location after you have moved in and set up in a good spot.
What's the most overlooked coyote hunting tip?
Patience. It’s called hunting for a reason. Coyote hunting is so addictive because it is not easy. The thrill would wear off pretty quickly if you just show up and shoot coyotes in a field. It takes time to refine your skills and experience will make you better. The best way to do this is to keep making stands and not get discouraged and go home.
How soon can you return to the same area after hunting it?
This depends on what happened during that hunt. If I was successful and killed a coyote, I tend to try that spot again after a week or two. If it was a blank stand or I missed a coyote, I normally give 3 – 4 weeks before returning. Sometimes leaving a spot uncalled for a couple of months will have positive results, especially if it's one you use frequently. The overuse or constant hunting of one area will educate your coyotes. They will recognize your calls eventually and this could make hunting those coyotes more difficult.