Wind currents, topography and coyotes.

[coyotehunter_1]

Before I ramble on, I know there are many knowledgeable callers here. I hope everyone understands how important it is to share what we can with those that are new to the sport of predator calling. This new generation of hunters is the future of our sport. By working together we can insure that they have a worthwhile predator calling experience. 


I find two categories of coyotes in my area. Those that live in the backwoods, seldom seeing humans and the ones that can be found around people. Backwoods coyotes will often change their daily habits when humans invade their territory. As an example, when pressured, becoming more nocturnal than normal. Those coyotes that exist closer to man are often more at ease in a human environment.
Don’t get me wrong, I feel these animals are the same as far as coyote make up. In both instances, their ability to adapt to different surroundings is a major factor for their survival.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
That being said, this topic pertains to all coyotes in general.

We know coyotes use sight, sound and smell to find food and alert them to danger. As callers we can use sight and sound to our advantage to draw coyotes into gun range. Odor is another thing altogether. Even when using strong cover scents, trying to fool a smart coyote’s nose is almost impossible. Their ability to detect and distinguish odors at great distances is one of their strongest attributes for survival.  Coyotes that have learned to associate human essence as a threat soon become skilled at avoiding Mr. Stinky Hunter.
Let me digress for a moment… I’m a timber hunter in the mountains of Tennessee. Although the edges of overgrown fields will draw my attention on occasion, seldom do I set up in open areas. Calling in heavy timber has it’s advantages (like giving the coyotes a sense of security) but at the same time it also has drawbacks. As a timber hunter I call in many more coyotes than I actually get to see. Utilizing the cover of heavy timber, the woods wise  coyote has a big advantage over the hunter. Where ever I make my calling stand I make every effort to exploit the surrounding landscape to my benefit, else I’m already beaten. Predicting where the coyote(s) will is appear not only depends on topography but also wind currents.

Wind currents, topography and coyotes, you say?
Air is usually hard to see so lets use a substance we can easily observe… water.
Imagine a small stream of water as it makes it‘s way through a gentle valley. Flowing over and around rocks and boulders, the graceful liquid swirls as it makes it’s way lazily over and around the obstacles. Sometimes it’s slow, other times it gains velocity as it pushes through narrow channels. Drop a handful of foam beads in the rambling brook, what happens? The beads first start out as a small mass but soon separate, spreading as the waterway takes them along. As does odors in a light breeze. Unlike our little stream, air is not confined but all around us. It rises and falls, swirls and twists, has few boundaries and many variables. The prevailing landscape often dictates how air moves around us. This factor is very significant not only for us predator callers, but also for coyotes.     
Most hunters will pay attention to general wind direction when setting up a calling stand but may not consider how easily their delicate bouquet can be carried by even the slightest breeze.

Just something to think about. 


 

coyotehunter_1

[FinsnFur]

Very nice Chet 

[bowjunkie]

  I agree makes ya think a bit huh

[Bopeye]

Wow......and you wonder why I hang with him.......

[Jimmie in Ky]

And what other factors besides topography do we need to look at in each situation?

Elavations that are drastic have a small problem with thermal wind currents caused by the rise and fall of daily temps.Add large bodies of water to the area and you compound that problem because water warms and cools much faster than soil and rock.

The steeper those hills and hollows the more splits you will have in that stream of beads you turned loose. These sudden changes cause eddies and swirls in wind patterns just like the rocks in the stream. When in doubt about a setup get some elavation to get you up into the prevailing wind currents of the area and away from the eddies that may occur.Jimmie

[THO Game Calls]

Jiimmy, I think you might have that backwards?        Land heats and cools faster than water - which is why the snow on the ground is gone, but the ice is still on the lake. 

Anyway, for anyone interested, this is a great article on wind management.  It is written for bow hutners but it works for us too

http://www.gcomag.com/pages.php?page=05/09/26/6722064

Al
THO Game Calls
www.thogamecalls.com

[centerfire_223]

There is a good article in the winter issue of Predator hunter that talks about the wind too. I will look at it again tomorrow. I may even take the time and type it up to put in here.

[Jimmie in Ky]

Your right Al I did right it backwards, thanks.

Lets put it this way. In the morning it rises and in the afternoon it drops into the hollows. Large bodies of water will cause this process to speed up or at least that is the way it seems to me. Even in what seems to be dead callm air , these wind currents are strong enough to pull smoke and your scent . So test your situation before you ever start calling. Jimmie

[THO Game Calls]

BIg fields will do the same thing.  They heat up and move air too. 

Which is something that we over look at times.  As the fields cool off faster than the surrounding woods, the woods suck the air in from the fields and our scent with it.  This is really important when it is dead calm becaue you are absolutely right.  You can feel the thremals but there is no wind.  I would ratehr hunt with a slight steady breeze than in a dead calm with thremals screwing everything up. 

AL
THO Game Calls
www.thogamecalls.com

[Jimmie in Ky]

That open field and woods situation brings another one to mind. You know those big bowl like areas you find in steep terrain?One with a decent thicket that you just know has a coyote or two holed up in there.

Funny thing about those places is that they cause eddies in the wind currents. Winds often hit the mouths of such hollows at an angle. This causes a swirling affect in that large depression like a whirlpool.  Your scent actually travels all the way around the hollow to the side oposite your position.

I like to get up high and stay in the prevailing wind currents. It isn't always perfect, but at least you will have elavation on your side. Jimmiie

[coyotehunter_1]

Good posts, guys!  Keep it up


Someone asked:

Have a question for you. Here in Central Kansas, I hunt areas that are hilly that flow down into river/creek bottoms.
I believe I stumbled into some type of thermal phenomenon that I can't explain.
My stand was halfway down a hill overlooking a creek bottom. When I walked in, the wind was at my back, temperature about 65 degrees, very warm for a November morning in Kansas. When I sat down underneath a cedar tree, the wind was at my back, and also in my face. The temperature in the creek bottom was 10-15 degrees cooler, and the cool air was rising up the side of the hill.

My reply:
This may not be the correct answer but it's possible you were experiencing a temperature inversion.

The National Weather Service explains a little about this subject.
www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/c...rsions.php

What are temperature inversions?
On most days, the temperature of air in the atmosphere is cooler the higher up in altitude you go. This is because most of the suns energy is converted to sensible heat at the ground, which in turn warms the air at the surface. The warm air rises in the atmosphere, where it expands and cools. Sometimes, however, the temperature of air actually increases with height. The situation of having warm air on top of cooler air is referred to as a temperature inversion, because the temperature profile of the atmosphere is "inverted" from its usual state. There are two types of temperature inversions: surface inversions that occur near the Earth's surface, and aloft inversions that occur above the ground. Surface inversions are the most important in the study of air quality.

How do surface temperature inversions form? The most common manner in which surface inversions form is through the cooling of the air near the ground at night. Once the sun goes down, the ground loses heat very quickly, and this cools the air that is in contact with the ground. However, since air is a very poor conductor of heat, the air just above the surface remains warm. Conditions that favor the development of a strong surface inversion are calm winds, clear skies, and long nights. Calm winds prevent warmer air above the surface from mixing down to the ground, and clear skies increase the rate of cooling at the Earth's surface. Long nights allow for the cooling of the ground to continue over a longer period of time, resulting in a greater temperature decrease at the surface. Since the nights in the wintertime are much longer than nights during the summertime, surface inversions are stronger and more common during the winter months. A strong inversion implies a substantial temperature difference exists between the cool surface air and the warmer air aloft. During the daylight hours, surface inversions normally weaken and disappear as the sun warms the Earth's surface. However, under certain meteorological conditions, such as strong high pressure over the area, these inversions can persist as long as several days. In addition, local topographical features can enhance the formation of inversions, especially in valley locations.