In the meadows or in the woods???

[Frogman]

I am continuing to learn from you guys.  Now I am being told by some that in the East you have to get in the woods and thickets to kill coyotes.  Others tell me to hunt the fields and meadows.  I have only killed three coyotes.  Two were called into the meadows, one was in the woods.  Where do most of your kills occur?    What percentage in the meadows?     What percentage in the woods and thickets?      

Jim

[securpro]

I have not got a clue  I killed mine on the edge of corn fields while my buddy seems to always get them in the woods  In short I dont think one is any better than the other.............


But the one place I have'nt had any luck at all  THE COUCH  :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

[Frogman]

securpro,
       

But the one place I have'nt had any luck at all  THE COUCH  :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

I think that is the only thing I have learned for sure about coyote hunting.  You can't kill them from the recliner.
Everything else is open for discusion.  Meadows, woods,  how about it guys??  Wish I had enough posts to make this a survey!

Jim

[HaMeR]

I've called em & gone away with visuals in the woods more often than the fields yet I've shot both of mine in a hay field less than 50yds apart. 

Not much help huh?? 

[FinsnFur]

I agree with securpro, and there's a lot of variable to a question like that.

Hunting the meadows or open fields is common ground because coyotes loves edges, fence lines, and draws. It gives them some security in their approach.
My opinion....and that's all it is....is that hunting the open meadows watching the edges, fence lines and draws is a much easier way to hunt. Not necessarily the best way to hunt but I feel it's the easiest. Why?.....think about it, your looking into an open field, how could anything possible enter the field without being seeing?
With that being said...dont think that coyotes cant be smart enough to realize that the minute the enter that filed they are being exposed.
But you got it made.....as soon as they do, if they do, your locked on.

By actually entering their living room and setting up, you offer a much wider array of approaches, and you will never be able to watch them all no matter how hard you try. BUT....the coyote will be much more at ease weaving in and out of trees to approach the call, and why not?...he's surrounded by cover. The problem there for most is, they will still try to be cautious and as you lose confidence while time elapses on the stand you'll get more careless with your motion and they will pick you up much easier then if they were gazing across an open field.

So what offers more success? Open fields, or in the woods?
My theory is...that's dictated by each person. I get bored and start day dreaming when on an open field, way too much to focus on trying to see something moving that might be on the woods edge 300 yards away and spanning a parameter of a football field.
Set me in the woods, and I'll become part of the surroundings, setting as still as a corpse, watching and listening for even the slightest bit of movement....moving nothing but my eyeballs, and slowly at that.

[HaMeR]

Good post Jim. 

[canine]

Dam Jim......Did you stay at a Holiday Inn Express last Night  :roflmao:


JD

[FinsnFur]

What the heck does that mean JD 

[canine]

Haven't you seen them comercials, Jim? I'm just messin wit ya..

Sorry frogman, not tryin to hi-jack here

But, I must agree with Jim. Personally I try and pull them into open fields. When were videoing, that's almost a must, plus I like seein them workin there way in, you can learn alot more from the approach.


JD

[bushmaster]

It seems as if the yotes are more confident when in the woods or thickets here in Carolina.  Although, they are creatures of the edge.  So it really depends on your location, i think.  My sucess has come from setting up 20-50yds in the hardwoods, bordering a field or thicket.

[Bopeye]

The woods by far are more productive here, but I don't know your area. Edges of woods/fields, edge of hardwoods/pines, overgrown fencerows, etc. I've just seen a handful of coyotes in the fields here and even at that they weren't anymore than 20 yards or so from the thick.
Many times we try to put ourselves in natural funnel areas where they'll either have to expose themselves for a few minutes or they will have travel lanes cut off. Blowdowns can work good for cutting off travel lanes or small cliffs work well at funneling coyotes.

Bottom line though, it's relative to the terrain your hunting. I never practice shooting much past 100 yards, because I know I won't see them much past that where I hunt. Results are what count. If your killing them in the fields then let that tell ya something. I can tell you to hunt the thick, but why if you can kill them in the open? Let the coyotes do more of the teaching, afterall they are just like women. Always changing the dang rules.........

Next year I'm gonna set in the middle of a cornfield making butt squeeks...........it worked this year for some.....

[Jimmie in Ky]

Ya just got to go with the flow of traffic where your hunting. Sounds simple doesn't it.

Your working an area like the LBL it's out in the timber you go,thats where they are most of th time .You've also got to get high in order to have a half a chance the way the winds work in there. Those ridges are covered in timber.

Get out in the rolling hills of farm areas and you have another ball game. Hills are not usually so steep as to mess withthe winds so you have a bit more control. Fencerows and woodlots are plentiful right along side the open fields. The animals use all kinds of travel lanes out here. A travel lane may be a drainage ditch that runs across a two hundred acre field. Those woodlots and thickets are the cover for bedding areas, not hard to get them to the edges and out where you can get a look at them. Choiices for setup also open up a bit for you out there as well. You have fencerows and woods corners to use, maybe even an old piece of equipmet that is covered in honeysuckle will work.

Scout it and take a little time to look it over befoe you setup to make sure your six is covered and call away. Jimmie

[coyote101]

It has become obvious to me as I read this post that the rest of you are doing something wrong.  In all the time that I have been coyote hunting (five weeks) I have somehow managed to kill just as many coyotes from the couch as I have anywhere else!

Pat

[THO Game Calls]

Sometimes we confuse fields with a lack of cover when in fact, the 20 or so yards of deep shadow at dawn or dusk the creep out from the edge of the wood line are as much "cover" to a coyote as a deep woods trail.

Al

[vvarmitr]

This question kinda reminds me of the time a good Christian man was asked how he could tell the difference between the Lord speaking to him or the devil in disguise. It's real simple he said. If it's the Lord I argue w/ Him & if it's the devil it's easy to agree w/ & I go right out & do it.     

Froggie Ol' boy I can't believe the verbage these guys have laid on you about a question that is as near to being a dumb question about coyotes as you can get. (We all know there are no dumb questions.  ) But since I got to meet you & your crew at the LBL & took a liken to ya, I will tell you the answer real simple like ...
If you are in the woods the coyotes are in the field & if you are in the field, the coyotes are in the woods. HELLO! It don't get much simpler than that!

Now as for being on the couch & not getting any coyotes  .... are you leaving a door open so they can get in????   A pix is worth a thousand words ...

[KySongDog]

   :roflmao:   :roflmao:   :roflmao:   :roflmao:  leave the door open      I KNEW I wuz doin somethin wrong!   

[DirtyDog]

  :roflmao:  :roflmao:  :roflmao:  :roflmao:

[CCP]

Jim that is a good post and agree with most of what you are saying.

I kill way more coyotes in the woods and small fingers of woods that lead to clear cuts or thickets. Coyotes seem to be more reluctant to move out into an open field. If a coyote is more secure in the woods and that is where he mostly lives during the day why not call him there.

There are  hundreds of threads on the internet asking what is the most important thing in calling coyotes?   Yeap! "thats right" most all the answers rate setup as #1 and so do I.

Not necessarily the best way to hunt but I feel it's the easiest.

I agree you sneak in get the wind blowing out in the field and voila! they usually appear in the open trying to get down wind or down the fence line. I have killed many like this but as I said earlier I kill a lot more in the woods. I find field setups most productive in sept and in unpressured areas.

I have found here where I live you can kill 5 or so coyotes a year hunting around the fields but if I want to increase that to 15 or 20 I got to get in the woods.

Here is another plus for hunting in the woods. If you field hunt most of your shots are past 100 yards. In the woods most of your shots are inside 40yards now which sounds more fun.

[FinsnFur]

OHHHHHH OHHHHHHH!!!

Inside 40 yards does!...Inside 40 yards!


I was wondering when you'd reply this thread. 

[CCP]

Vic you must have been dreaming because that ain't no coyote that is LASSIE  :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: