The ugly truth about coyotes and how to hunt them
By Shannon Del Curto
To be able to outsmart and trick one of North America’s top predators is victory in itself. The coyote will prey or scavenge on just about anything, and since they are not necessarily the prey of other animals, management is needed by the ultimate predator: humans. Coyotes are found in almost every type of environment and have superb adaptability to their surroundings. They will strive and survive anywhere they can, making their way into ranches and neighborhoods, becoming very comfortable in areas where they can do quite a bit of damage.
Because of this, many areas allow coyotes to be hunted all year and without a bag limit. Coyote hunting is a growing interest as it helps with the practice of aiming, shooting quick, yardage, stalking and calling, and it is a great way to keep your rifle skills tuned in year-round or in the off season of big game hunts.
In the predator world, a ‘stand’ means the setup you make in an area to call predators. You sit the stand and turn on that call and it seems as nothing is going to happen. But when something does respond, it gives you an indescribable kind of rush. You have moments to make all the right moves if you are going to be able to harvest this animal – one wrong decision can forfeit your chance of harvesting the elusive coyote. When multiples come in, the rush is even more intense. They may respond as hard chargers coming right at you or they may be wary of what is going on and take their time coming in or hang up. Each stand and response is different and with the more time spent out calling, the better able you will be at determining where they may come from or how and what they will respond to best. Here are some tips to calling and hunting coyotes, but first, the understanding of why coyotes need to be managed.
WHY CONTROL?
Several studies have shown that in the past few decades there has been an increase in the coyote population. And with this increase, has been an impact on our deer population in the East, as well as our deer and antelope populations in the West. Originally, coyotes survived in the West, but have now expanded and flourished all over the United States. Coyotes are very opportunistic feeders and prey primarily on rodents, but will also consume birds, fruits, wildlife and livestock, and will scavenge any chance they can.
From a ranching perspective, coyotes can be detrimental to calving numbers. Coyotes will stay around the calving pastures and wait for their opportunity to enjoy the afterbirth from a pregnant cow. However, they will also not hesitate to attack the just-born calf as well. Luckily, cattle are very protective of each other and will stomp a threating coyote, if given the chance. Not only do coyotes stick around cattle, but sheep and goats are an area of concern as well. Livestock is the livelihood of a rancher and losing a single calf can be detrimental to the rancher, his operation and his family. Therefore, the management of these coyote numbers has to be done in some way because if they are allowed to produce and run in bands of higher numbers, they will gain confidence and attempt to take down larger prey.
Now for all my big game hunters who love to head to the field and see numbers of deer and antelope in the unit they are hunting, that begins with the control of predators such as coyotes. In the East, deer fawns make up more than half of a coyote’s diet. In the West, coyotes will prey on deer fawns as well as antelope fawns, creating a decrease in the populations. In cities, coyotes will prey on neighborhood pets. I’m sure you have seen pictures of coyotes taking off with house cats, and I have personally had coyotes attack a family dog. Whether in the wild or in the city, they prey on whatever it is they can find.
Along with management for ranchers and for our wildlife, coyotes can be carriers of multiple diseases such as distemper, hepatitis, rabies, parvo and mange. These disease outbreaks will affect the local population, but coyotes will adapt and continue to multiply.
Mange is a common skin disease seen by predator hunters. It is a parasitic mite causing hair loss and inflammation in coyotes. They lose weight and their fur, becoming extremely sick and miserable with itching and pain, eventually causing death to the host. Studies have also shown urban area coyotes with mange are more likely to exhibit undesirable behavior toward humans and their pets. If you happen to shoot a mangy coyote, I suggest you either do not touch it and leave it lay, if it is out of the sight of public, or dig a hole and bury it. Minimize your contact with the affected animal as mange can be spread to other coyotes, as well as any canine.
No matter how hard we hunt, trap or manage them, it is very difficult to make an actual noticeable dent in the coyote population. Coyotes will survive, females adapt by producing larger litters, they may even begin to breed at younger ages, and when coyotes are taken out of an area, others from elsewhere quickly come in and recolonize that area. It is a never-ending cycle, which makes coyote hunting a necessity and why in most states it is allowed year-round with no limit. Coyote hunting is about constant learning and observation of the species and their actions.
CALLS
Before heading out to the field, you want to have the right gear to do the job. You don’t want to end up educating more coyotes than you are shooting. It takes the right equipment mixed with lots of practice. Not every time out is the best day of calling, but the days you have success make all the blank stands or missed opportunities worth it.
First, some form of a call is needed. I carry hand calls and mouth calls as well as an electronic call. Hand calls are fairly simple to use and there are a good variety of them out there that will give a vast amount of sounds to use to call in coyotes. Mouth calls or diaphragm calls are good to have if you can master using them since they are able to let you be hands free and allow you to do what you need to when a coyote comes in. Both these type of calls give you the ability to sound different than already recorded sound files, but they do put the target on you since you are where the sound is coming from, so minimal movement is very important.
Electronic calls are great to have and best for someone who is just beginning. Electronic calls are used with a wireless remote where you can play sounds and also be able to place the call away from where you are sitting, so the attention will be where the call is placed, rather than on you doing the calling. There are hundreds of different sounds you can upload onto these calls to be able to have a variety to choose from. I have used FOXPRO for more than 10 years now and am currently running their CS24C model. FOXPRO offers hand calls, mouth calls and electronic calls in a variety of price ranges, if you need somewhere to start. Some states do not allow the use of electronic calls, so be sure to check your local laws. Another brand of mouth calls I have had luck using is Made For Killing (MFK) Game Calls.
COYOTE COMPETITIONS
For some predator hunters, there are competitions in quite a few areas around the United States. Social media pages are the best way to find information on these contests. There are both smaller, local contests and large contests, such as the World Championship Coyote Calling Contest, which is held in a different area each year (this year it was in Utah and previous to that it was in Arizona). Worlds is where predator hunters go head to head to see who will be named the World Champion Coyote Caller, and some of the biggest names in predator hunting hold this title.
These contests are sometimes in different platforms, but they will be a timed hunt. Some are one day, others two days, and the winner can be the one named with the most coyotes or possibly the biggest coyote. These contests give out money, rifles, buckles, E-callers and many other different prizes. They are a great opportunity to get out and meet fellow predator hunters.
Rules for each contest vary by area and the individuals who put them on. Some require a paper tag to write the time and date of the harvest and some require teams to place a ‘block,’ usually PVC pipe or wood, inside the coyote’s mouth with the time and date on it as well as with a time-stamped picture taken. This is all done to help reduce the chances of anyone cheating by trying to harvest coyotes for the contest out of the set date and times.
You do not need to be a seasoned hunter, as anyone can enter these competitions. If you think you want to try hunting these, the best advice I have is to scout your areas and make sure you can get in enough stands for your limited time hunting. When making calling sequences for contests, I like to keep them a little shorter at about 8 to12 minutes, that way I am able to get more set ups made in the time I am given to hunt.
GUNS & AMMO
The next thing you need is a rifle with a good scope – the most popular calibers are 22-250, .223, .243 and .204, though you can use just about any caliber rifle. A lighter bullet accommodates for a flatter trajectory – ideally you want a small entrance hole and for the bullet to expand and do the damage inside the body cavity without an exit wound. I am currently using a Specialized Dynamics 6.5 Grendel in an AR platform. It is a flat-shooting and hard-hitting round great for coyote hunting.
Heavier barrels give you more stability, but also more weight to carry from stand to stand. The most important thing when it comes to your rifle is that you become comfortable with it. Practice guessing yardages and taking shots, practice from the position you will be shooting on stand and practice shooting at smaller targets since the vitals of a coyote are quite small. A bad shot on a coyote can cost you as they have the will to survive and can go hundreds of yards without a leg or from a gut shot. You do not need a high magnification on your rifle scope – leave it turned down when calling and if one hangs up at a couple hundred yards, you will have the time to turn up your magnification to take the shot.
Along with your distance-shooting rifle, a shotgun can come in handy, preferably a 12-gauge with 3-inch shells. You can hunt coyotes with one or the other, but if you are able to, I suggest carrying both your rifle and shotgun to stand. There have been too many times I have not taken one or the other and it has lost me some coyotes. Pellet size is personal preference: a 00 buck will give you larger pellets, but less amount in your target; a 4 shot will be smaller pellets, but more on your target. (Some states may have laws you have to use a certain shotgun load or smaller for coyotes.)
OTHER GEAR
A good set of shooting sticks is a must-have. There are a variety of sticks available, such as Bog-Pods, Swagger Bipods and Night Goggles offers the Night Stalker tripod with the Kopfjager “Reaper Grip” Rest, which is the most sturdy set of sticks I have seen. Shooting sticks are important so you are able to be steady on your shots and to avoid taking any shots freehanded. Along with the bipods, a small chair is not needed, but can be used to make those longer duration stands more comfortable.
Another thing you can add to your gear is a decoy; most common is something resembling a rabbit or some sort of prey that moves to take the coyote’s attention, allowing you to positon yourself for the shot. Coyote decoys are also used to help ease a coyote into your call. Although when using decoys, there is always a time and place for them. Coyote decoys are best in the breeding months and prey decoys are great early season, but sometimes in high-pressured areas, coyotes become more educated to these contraptions and may spook.
The last piece of gear that is very important is your camouflage. A coyote relies on its eyesight and can detect slight movement from far out, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend tons of money on clothing. Neutral colors work just fine as long as you are able to break up your silhouette and blend in well enough with your surroundings. I use a variety of different brands of camo for different areas I hunt. A lot of it is personal preference to what you think conceals you best. It’s also a good idea to wear a facemask and pair of gloves.
Coyotes blend well in lots of different terrain, although binoculars are not necessary, they can help distinguish a coyote coming from far or one that has hung up in the distance. I personally do not take binoculars on stand; to me it is unnecessary weight to haul when your rifle scope can double as binoculars, if needed.
THE HUNT
Even though coyote hunting is usually allowed year-round, the winter months are the best for calling when there is snow on the ground. At this time, coyotes are easier to see, and with a slight breeze, the sound carries much further. However, that doesn’t mean the only time to call is with snow, as coyotes can be called in a variety of weather conditions. Although I would say during a heavy rain is the least desirable condition to hunt coyotes, before a storm is great or after a long storm can be even better. Keep in mind this sport varies with each stand, each coyote and each location.
First thing first, you have to call where there are coyotes. Put some miles on driving, looking for any tracks, scat and, most importantly, don’t hesitate to talk with landowners. See where they have been seeing activity and ask to get permission to hunt their land. Look for areas that hold the prey of a coyote, such as rabbits and rodents.
Something that is easier to find is cattle – find cows and you have found coyotes. As previously mentioned, during calving the afterbirth is very desirable to coyotes, plus they will also eat the droppings of calves because they contain the milk of the mother. Also, in winter pastures where ranchers may be feeding, coyotes will eat the feed and rodents hidden in the hay bales.
Another idea is to go out at night and play some locator howls or sirens and see what responds. Mark that on a GPS, and then call a stand nearby that area the next day. Some states do allow you to hunt coyotes at night.
Once you have located coyotes, it is time to determine your approach on how you are going to set up to call them. This will vary on the weather, terrain and vegetation you are hunting. The stand is very important – it will make or break your opportunity at getting a shot. Get where they can’t see you, hear you or smell you. You also want to make sure where you plan to set up allows you to hide your vehicle to where an incoming coyote cannot see it or catch a glare from it.
When approaching the area you intend to call, be stealthy. Don’t slam truck doors, talk loud, break branches or stomp when walking. If you have to hit a skyline, be quick, but if possible, side-hill-it into your stand so you can sneak in undetected. When placing a call, try to minimize your track scent by one way to the call and one way back to where you are going to sit. Eliminate the amount of scent around the stand by not walking through where coyotes may cross when coming to the call.
If using hand calls, just be sure to sit with the wind in your face, or a crosswind, and that you are well camouflaged. With electronic callers, I prefer to sit a crosswind with the call about 50 yards upwind from me as coyotes depend on their nose, and if they get downwind of you, they are out of there. Not all coyotes will circle downwind, but they may if they have been called to before or want to catch a whiff of what they may be eating for dinner. When sitting 50 yards or so downwind, ideally the coyote should come into a good area for you to get a shot, but every coyote reacts different. If you have a partner, just be sure to have one of you sitting where you can see the downwind side and place the other closer to the call or where you see the best shot opportunities happening.
When it comes to sitting, I like to sit in the shade side of bushes or trees, but that is not always possible with the wind direction, so just be sure you have a background to break up your silhouette. Also make sure there is nothing on you or your rifle that may glare in the sun, as a coyote can see that from hundreds of yards out and bust you. If possible, have the sun at your back so any incoming coyotes will have the sun in their eyes, and with the sun shining on the coyotes coat, it will help you to better see them coming. The sun in your face makes you shoot into the sun and stick out to the coyotes rather than vice versa. Overcast days are great and then the sun is not a factor. Last thing when setting up is be sure if you need to turn left or right with your rifle and sticks that the area in front of you is clear enough to be able to make that quick move.
TIMING
Now let’s talk stand length and sounds. I suggest about 15 to 20 minutes, but sometimes up to 30 minutes. Be sure you are ready when the call turns on – no fidgeting. I have had coyotes, and even bobcats, show up within the first few seconds of turning the call on, and if I was still trying to get my rifle set or facemask on, I wouldn’t have gotten the shot. If there are no signs of something coming in, then you can cut the stand time shorter. Watch for birds coming to your call, simply for the reason coyotes will sometimes follow crows and hawks into a call, so birds can be an identifier of something better to come.
The sounds played can vary widely with type and sequence, as you never know what may trigger a coyote’s response. A rule of thumb I usually follow is to hit a sound in each area of instincts: parental, territorial and predatory. So with that, a pup distress for the parental, maybe some lone howls or other vocals as territorial and some type of prey distress to trigger their predatory instincts. You want to speak their language. With the experience and observation of their behavior will come the ability to recognize or mimic the different vocalizations of coyotes, what they all mean and when to use them.
Of course if you are in an area coyotes are not pressured, they are much easier to call in. When calling high-pressure areas, they have heard all the common sounds so try something different, such as a bird distress or mouse, rather than a rabbit. A prey distress in the fall may have more success than in the spring, as in the fall you are most likely calling younger coyotes from the past year’s breeding season. Pup distress is a sound that can work all year as it provokes curiosity, but can be best in the spring when denning season begins and the paternal, maternal and territorial instincts are at their highest.
You want to capitalize on the best conditions to hunt and what time of year it is. Females go into heat beginning of January into mid- to late February, and breeding coyotes are like rutting deer, you may find them out in the open or along tree lines looking for a mate. This time of year is when vocals can be used more effectively, just be careful on which vocals you choose to not scare off any not-so-aggressive smaller coyotes.
No matter the time of the year, coyotes are always hungry, so don’t forget about your prey sounds. A typical stand I will play a prey distress, some pup distress and some vocals all adding up to my stand length with some silence mixed in there. Don’t play straight 10 minutes of a rabbit screaming as realistically, a rabbit will not do that.
When playing the call, you do not need to have the volume all the way up as coyotes have much better hearing than we do and will hear the call from far away. If it is too loud and unrealistic, they will know something is up. You want to sound as real as possible – a small rodent or rabbit isn’t going to be able to scream very loud – so I like to keep it at a mid-range volume.
The volume level also depends on the terrain you are calling. In the open country, you want that sound louder so it will carry, and if you are in thicker areas, the sound can be played at a lower volume. Start the call volume low at first, just in case you snuck in close to some coyotes. Then slowly begin to increase your volume as if the prey is in more pain. If you have a coyote responding to the sound you are playing, do not change the volume or the sound – just allow that coyote to come in.
If a coyote does hang up, then try a different sound, such as a vole or lip squeak, and see if that gets him moving in your direction again. If you have a coyote coming in and he is in your shot opportunity area, let out your best “bark” to try to get him to stop. If he does, it will most likely not be for long, so be sure you are quick on that trigger and have him in your scope ready to shoot. Although some hunters do it, I do not recommend using the short, harsh three-bark series that is used to warn off other coyotes. And when walking into stands or during your calling sequence you hear those three-sharp barks, you have most likely been busted.
If you shoot at a coyote, hit or miss, don’t give up calling that stand. Play some ki-yis or coyote distress sounds as sometimes there will be other coyotes in the area that may also come in. Surrounding coyotes aren’t necessarily spooked by the sound of the shot – only the one shot at is most likely not going to come back.
Last thing I want to say about stands is make a lot of them – don’t just make one and think you don’t know what you are doing if nothing happens. Get out there, keep trying and something will give. It may be ten blank stands before you get something to show up, but that one time it works will make those worth it.
In summary, coyotes are a predator that needs to be controlled. While calling is very popular, there are also other methods of managing coyotes, such as trapping, spot and stalk, and bait (where legal). Get out and experiment to see what works best for you and your area. Don’t be afraid to try something new, and most importantly, have some fun! Also, coyote pelts can be sold to tanners, or skinned and tanned yourself, and some areas pay a stipend for harvested coyotes. And of course, if they are going to be disposed of, be sure to dispose correctly, not thrown out for the public eye to see. As hunters, we always need to respect our harvested animals.
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See Shannon Del Curto’s bio on page 8.
