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How To Hunt Coyotes

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How To Hunt Coyotes And Have A Lot Of Fun Doing It

So you want to learn how to hunt coyotes? Well that makes me happy because I love to hunt them and I love to teach others how to hunt them too!

This lens about How To Hunt Coyotes will share with you everything I have learned over the past 20 years of hunting the "Wiley Coyote". I have had a lot of very fun experiences and learned a lot about hunting the critters successfully. So let's begin...

Contents at a Glance

What Gun Will You Use?
What Clothes Should You Wear?
How Do I Find Coyotes To Hunt?
What Call Should You Use To Hunt Coyotes...
How To Hunt Coyotes On Ebay
Tell Me What You Think.

I'll start off first by going over what kind of equipment you will need.Then we'll move on to tips on how to find and hunt the old wiley coyote.

Everything I tell you here is based on my own personal opinions and what I have been successful doing in the past. Certainly there are others that will have their own opinion on what caliber rifle to use as well as what calls and other equipment to use. I'll just give you the basics of what works for me.

I use a.223 caliber rifle. But there are many other good calibers out there for Coyote Hunting. 22-250, .220 Swift, .222 Rem are some other very good choices.

My rifle of choice is the Bushmaster Varmiter. The reason for this is I can shoot coyotes at just about any range and not damage the pelt. And truthfully...it's the "coolest rifle" I have ever owned!

I use cartridges loaded with 52 grain hollow points. With this load I feel I can be confident in killing a coyote out to about 250 yards. I must tell you though that I don't shoot coyotes at that range very often. I like to get them much closer.

Now if I should happen to be hunting on a good snowy moonlit night, I use a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with BB shot. With this load I can be confident of killing a coyote out to about 50 yards. I do use 3 inch heavy lead shot though, and I suggest that you use no less. Your choice of shotgun is your own but I would suggest something with a full choke. I would also suggest a shotgun that is not terribly expensive because most of the time when you're hunting in the snow, it's going to get wet.

What Clothes Should You Wear?

I highly suggest that you wear camouflage clothing that blends in with the season and surroundings you are hunting in. In the spring I wear a lot of green. In the fall I wear mostly brown with a little green. In the winter and snow on the ground, I wear white camouflage. You get the picture...just do your best to blend in to the surroundings you are hunting in.

Another thing I do is carry a small back pack with some water and a snack or two if I am going to be hunting for a while. "Ya, Ya I know, when you look at my profile pic you will be saying"..."He's had more than a couple of snacks". And you would be right!

How Do I Find Coyotes To Hunt?

Scouting Will Help You Find Coyotes To Hunt

Here's the part of how to hunt coyotes that many will overlook.

If we are going to hunt coyotes, we need to know where they are...don't we? Hunting Coyotes where there are no coyotes is not much fun...it is a complete waste of time.

Scouting is the answer. Go out to the areas where you plan to hunt and look for "coyote sign". By coyote "sign" I simply mean evidence that they are in the area. You will be looking for tracks, dens, and skat (coyote droppings). I highly recommend looking around water holes and along creek banks for sign.

You can also talk to local landowners you hunt on to see if they have spotted coyotes and if so, where they have seen them.

Another way that I locate coyotes is to drive around areas I plan to hunt (usually in the evening) and give a long lone howl with my coyote howler call (more on calls later).

If there are coyotes in the area they will usually respond back to you with a howl themselves. I might add this is a lot of fun and very educational in itself simply because of the vocalizations you will hear from coyotes.

Another very important aspect of scouting is scanning the area for where you would want to be when you do go hunting. Pay particular attention to which way the wind direction could be for you to hunt the area. You certainly want to be down wind of the area where you would expect the coyote to come from (cover). At the very minimum you would want the wind to be crossing you or in your face is even better. Coyotes have a masterful sense of smell. You do not want them to smell you as you are entering the area you plan to hunt.

I keep a little notebook handy when I am scouting and make notes about which areas I can hunt when the wind is in a certain direction...you should too. It saves a lot of time when you are actually ready to go hunting simply because you will know where you can hunt when the wind is out of the north for example.

If the wind is out of the north, I want to hunt areas where I can get in and set up from the south (wind in my face) so that I can not be smelled by any coyotes or other predators in the area.

I know I'm getting very long winded here but this part of learning how to hunt coyotes is very important. If you can't get into an area without being seen, smelled, or heard, your chances of hunting a coyote successfully are very slim.

Below are a couple of magazines I subscribe to on Coyote/Predator Hunting. Both are jam-packed full of useful tips and stories...Click on either one for more info about them.

What Call Should You Use To Hunt Coyotes?

There are many ways to hunt coyotes, but calling them to you is by far the most fun!

There are many ways to hunt coyotes. But I believe the way that is the most fun and easiest to learn is to call coyotes to you.

In this section I'll be sharing with you not only how to call coyotes, but also what call to use when, where, and why. We have to think about why a coyote would respond to a call. A coyote will respond to a call for one of two reasons. He is either looking for a meal, or he thinks you are another coyote intruding on his territory.

By far the most widely used call for hunting coyotes is an animal in distress call. This would be the sound of possibly a dying rabbit, a fawn in distress, or some other prey that is in distress.

If you live in Western states, the call you would most likely want to use would be a jack rabbit in distress call. Because jackrabbits are more prevalent there. Here's an example of one distress call...Primos® Still Jackrabbit

if you live in the mid west to the eastern states you would most likely want to use a cotton tail in distress call. Because cottontail rabbits are more prevalent here (I live in Missouri). Here's an example of a cottontail call I use...Johnny Stewart Rabbit Distress Predator Call

A lot of people are intimidated by trying to call a coyote with a distress call. They don't think they know enough about how to blow the call itself correctly. Well I'm here to tell you that you in "NO" way have to be an expert to call a coyote with a distress call.

In fact I will go one step further and say that you would be hard pressed not to be able to blow a distress call well enough to be able to call a coyote.

Here's what I suggest for new hunters that have never tried to call coyotes before. Buy yourself a Closed Reed call. With this call you only need to blow a short "waa" into the call. Do this in 45 second intervals. In other words...waa, waa, waa, for 45 seconds putting some emotion into your calling by opening and closing your hand over the end of the call as you blow on it. Then stop calling for 2 to 5 minutes and then do it again for 45 seconds.

Now in between calls you need to be scanning the area for predators (coyotes, bobcats, fox, etc.) approaching. Do it with a minimum amount of movement. If you have to turn your head to see the entire area, do it slowly.

Now if I am hunting in an area that I have scouted and only found coyote sign I will call for about 20 to 30 minutes. If no coyote has showed up for his meal in that amount of time I will move on to my next hunting spot.

If I think there may be a bobcat in the area, I will stay a little longer because bobcat's usually don't come to the call quite as quickly. I may even stay for an hour or more.

Favorite Coyote Hunting Videos and Calls

Here's a list of my favorite coyote hunting/predator hunting videos and calls. Vote them up or down according to your own opinion. Feel free to add your own to the list

How To Hunt Coyotes