Are Coyotes easier to call in this time of the year

[Rich]

"I think it depends on what vocalizations you use, more than anything. I howl to locate groups here all summer and spring. I also spend a ton of time out howling with the pups when they start to get vocal. I dont think I have every been busted when locating during the spring or summer. And it sure helps me find new areas to call every year as well."
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Kee,
The problem is that coyotes don't always respond by howling.  They often come in silence, and they will often approach almost any kind of howl. Shucks, they have even been known to approach the sound of a stupid siren. I admit that howling at night during spring and summer is a good method of locating dens, so that you know where to be come daylight. 

[keekee]

True Rich I will agree with that. But the location of were you locate from, and the vocalization used has allot to do with it as well. And how you go about locating as well. I often move very fast threw a area locating coyotes before I hole up some were to see what gets vocal back. There are several good ways to locate coyotes for referance with out getting right on top of them. A good map goes along way as well.

I gain allot more by finding area that hold coyote here and making sure I am hunting productive areas in the fall than I do by getting busted by one out of 10 groups. And even if I do get busted, does not mean I cant call them coyotes 4 months later. I would rather take the chance of getting busted by a group and locate 6 more groups, than spend all day calling area that does not hold good numbers of coyotes.

I very seldom howl or locate in a area the morning before I hunt it. All my locating goes on in the spring and summer. Then I return in the fall to do my killing.


Brent

[NASA]

All my locating goes on in the spring and summer. Then I return in the fall to do my killing.

IMHO, aside from damage control, that statement is the best and strongest reason for calling this time of year.  It's called pre-season (fur season) scouting.   

[George Ackley]

 I love to hunt coyotes all year long I am not a fur guy
What I am,Is obsessed with hunting predators, there is no waiting to fall just to kill a dog with a good coat
If your hunting adult in eastern PA I don't find them any easer in the spring and summer then they are in the fall and winter. I would hunt them 24/7 if i could.
It's all about the hunt for me..

After reading many of these post I can see I differ in many ways in my set ups and calling style.

But I would have to say No I don't think adult coyote at any easer this time of year.

Tomorrow  just may not come, So enjoy and go bust a primer

[Jimmie in Ky]

Another thing about coyote behavior. One or more young females often stay with the alpha pair through at least two winters. They act as a sort of nursemaids and teacher to the young.  This nurse maid works with the male to help feed the female and litter while she is at the den during th early weeks. At this stage in th pups life all adults are working almost constantly to feed them, the pups are about 8 weeks old now.

In a few more weeks you will start seeing pups in the fields near the den and if you are lucky you can see one of the adults showing them how to catch grasshoppers.

By late august the pups are hunting some on their own in the fields near the dens.

Den locations will change during the summer occasionally. Some think this is their way of getting rid of some of the flea infestation that occurs in the den. I think it is to find new hunting grounds for the pups to learn , just my opinion.

If you are seeing coyotes out at this time odds are 50 /50 as to sex of the animals.

I use howls to locate. Never been a big fan of howling as a hunting technique myself. Too many other sounds to use to get the territorial response from them.  I will use them to start a setup on occasion, but other sounds are used for the most part.

Bccont, your learning the game. Now think about those setups that were succesful. How did that coyote aproach? What could you have done diferently that would have kept the animals from scenting you or your partners ?What did you do to get spotted? Picture the area in your mind and think about diferent ways you could have setup there. You will learn a lot more from your mistakes than if you had made a kill. If it helps , draw the area out on a sheet of paper and look at all possibiliilties as to wind direction, aproach to the setup and cover available to you at the diferent locations. If you can get it figured out , you can go back and take those animals this fall. Jimmmie

[ohiobob]

Jimmie
I REALLY enjoy reading your post's because you have a certain way of explaining things that I MYSELF can understand
Plus YOU have killed quite a few Coyotes in your day,,unlike some other people on a certain board that just REPEAT
what they read on that board and pass it on as Gospel !
Now would this mean that I will be MORE LIKELY to see Coyotes in an open field teaching their pups to "mouse" and then later in the fall it will be less likely to see them in an open field ?
I know Coyotes DONT like to cross open fields unless they HAVE TO,,well I have been told that anyway, but are my chances of seeing a Coyote in a field better now than in the fall to late fall ?
It would make sense to me because in late June last year me and my 2 boys seen a Coyote mousing in a field while we were Groundhog hunting ,,the Coyote was on a little rise in the field so there COULD have been 10 more behind the rise BUT all we could see is 1 Coyote mousing,,it dropped over the little rise a few times and then came back up on the field and started mousing again,,so I think this goes hand in hand on your above post,,so am I right in thinking I will see a Coyote in a field at this time of year more then I will have a chance to see one "mousing" in a field in the late Fall?
This field was well Hidden from the road but it was only 40 yards from the main road but hidden well because of the contour of the land
Thank you VERY MUCH
Bob

[Jimmie in Ky]

In just a few more weeks coyote candy will be more available. The one thing that draws them to the fields more than anything I know of. Grasshoppers are number one on the coyote diet once they become available. That is how young coyotes start their hunting lessons. Grasshoppers are very high in protien and young coyotes grow like weeds on this diet. It's easy for them to obtain and plentiful.

You can see this behavior well into the fall, up until frost. It provides us with an excellent oportunity if we have the time to get out and just observe. An hour spent in an area where you know they are working in th afternoon can be a very good education. I have made a lot of observations when hunting other animals , fishing, or just working in the fields. I once spent four hours watching a red fox chasing hoppers. I've messed with young predators many times when I have caught them bedded down in the woods just so I could observe how they react first hand. OK so I may have educated a few, but what was that info worth to me as a hunter?

When we call them we are alerting them to somethiing else in their territory. Now why would a coyote expose itself when checking out what might be a butt whipping for them?  The first thing those youngsters did when I lip squeaked them was to look all around before they even moved in my direction. They knew the sound was close but they wanted to know what caused it just in case. You see there is a diference in behaviors when we call them as oposed to them hunting in hte fields. They want to see what is going on, but they want to be the winner in the fight, or an escape route if nescescary. This is why they rarely expose themselves in the fields when coming to the call. It is survival for them. This is why setup is critical. If we use these habits they have correctly, we can put them in a place where we can be the first to see, or hear them .

If you treat every succesful setup as a learning oportunity you numbers will climb significantly. Ask where they came from and why. What was their behavior at the time. Were they highly alerted or in a hurry or cautious. Step back and look at your setup and ask why did it work or why did it fail. Especially if it fails, leave your rifle and pack where you were sitting and walk all around it to see what the coyote saw. Jimmie

[Bills Custom Calls]

Jimmie I have gone over many of my stands. Here are some of the reasons I have come up with
First off calling cold spots gets you nothing you have to hunt where they are not where they have been.The times that I figured out I got busted most of the time the coyote came in above me on and old high wall and after watching this spot for a few months now I know this is a travel route for them.From that point when the leaves are off I can see my house and I am sure a coyote can see me so that gives him a heads up as soon as I head in his direction I need to aproach this place from the south and sneak up the hill with lots of cover.

OhioBob you know where this spot is we have hunted it and if you think about it you will come up with that also.
The horseshoe field where you want to hunt crows.

When I started this topic I never expected to get so much information.There is alot of Different opinions in here and all will be taken into account.
Thank You everyone for your input.

Bill

[Jimmie in Ky]

Bill, it's not just in how it aproached your setup. What other factors were in the animals favor besides th high ground?

Now you have figured out that this particular area is part of th normal travel lane. Where along this lane can you set up and give them a way to aproach that they will follow? You don't have to be on top of it ,but somewhere within a half mile that would give you advantage of wind and visibility. Think about the time of day these animals came in and from what direction. Follow that line in the terrrain backwards and see if you can figure out where they are coming from and just how close that might be .

We're looking for an oportunity to take not just one animal from this group but several over the season. The more you can learn about where they live, th better your chances of doing just that.

I have a local group that has given me the slip for years. Sign was very abundant where I thought they should be but no matter where in the area I called nothing. I gave up on them for the time being and just yesterday a local I was visiting with gave me th key I needed. He had observed the male on numerous occassions crossing the road to hunt in that area. His crossing was one I had omited due to it's closeness to a number of houses.  It being the only spot along that road where cover is right for them to use, I failed to think of those thickets on the ohter side as a possible bedding area. This particular group is vocal only late at night, after 1 in the morning. I have been missing the right spot by no more than 3/4 of a mile when I called. But due to terrain features and the way that group is using them, I have just plain missed them.  Getting to them is going to pose some problems with the winds the way they play through that area, but with a little planning I can wait for the right time and get a few of them.  The largest farm in this groups area is one hundred acres or so. Most parcels are twenty to thirty acres and each with a house on it.Where this animals is crossing I can see three houses right now. In the fall with the leaves off I will be able to see five. The crossing point is two fencerows meeting and linking a ridgeline and a hollow .Only sixty feet of open area to cross. Jimmie

[Bills Custom Calls]

Jimmie

There is a hollow that runs to the west off this ridge and this ridge runs pretty much North for about 1 mile with another hollow dropping off of it and that one is growed up fairly well with grapevines ground briars and multiflower roses and then runs down through a pine thicket I do not have permission to hunt this hollow.My guess is that is where the coyotes are hiding out.I do have permission to hunt the open field above this so I have no daytime cover might make good night hunting though.

Bill

[ohiobob]

Bill
The horseshoe field you are talking about,,is that the field we called the first time I came down there? and are you saying you should enter from the Road that runs up to the top of that high wall ??? I thought of that the first time we called down there,, BUT the reason I thought of that is from my Deer hunting from tree stands and the advantage of being High off of the ground
do you remember where we walked out and tried that last stand AFTER we shot at the coyote,,remember when we looked out over the left side of the high wall and we seen those few houses,,is that where you think they are coming from ??? I thought of that too,,do you think where we seen the tracks where that yote went down the high wall and took off REAL QUICK  ,,do you think he hit the bottom and went left ??? because we seen the tracks in the ash that went straight down BUT after that where do you think he went?
Bill
Here is another thought,,when we sat on that last stand,, where the coyote tracks were and over looked that small field,,well do you think if we called where we were on the FIRST stand, and put a shooter where we sat on the LAST stand,so the shooter could cover where a Yote might walk along the bottom of that hill where the tracks were?
I know I shot s deer 1 year with that tactic SINCE I figured out that Deer and ANY SMART animal uses the VERY LAST piece of cover to hide behind,,they would hug the bottom of that hill because if someone is sitting where I shot at that yote NO ONE would see that Coyote walking along the bottom of that hill AND that would Probably Bring him out to where he could see or wind us where we were on the first stand? the more I thought about it the more I thought there is a couple of GOOD paths that Coyote could have followed that would have put him at the BOTTOM of those few hills hiding him from the spots we would sit
and then wouldn't that be along the same area where you said you see them cross your drive way at ???
I'm not sure where all this plays into the wind direction because I'm not familiar with the directions of anything down there,,would you NEED a special wind direction to get at them since you are not allowed to hunt where you say there is a Pine thicket ???
We need to figure this HIGH WALL Warfare out because there is a place out here that me and you are going to go to that has High walls all over the place with a few pine thickets about 4 acres and it sucks because the tree bottoms are only about 1-2 feet off of the ground,,I guess we will just have to figure out where they can ENTER these pine thickets and cut them off BEFORE they get into the pine thickets  damn this Coyote hunting in strip pits are a pain isn't it ?
BUT once we get 1 figured out the rest will come easier,,I HOPE anyway 
Bob

[Bills Custom Calls]

Yes Bob the old road that goes up to the top of the high wall is what the coyotes are using as a travel lane.the wind usally comes from the west around here.If you are standing looking right at that road the wind hits almost in the back of your head.Once the coyotes come down that road they go left or right and run along the bottom of the highwall no more then 20 yards out so you are right they do stay close to the bottom of the highwall.
Now move yourself closer to my house south east of the Highwall road I am saying if we come up the hill there we can stay in the trees never cross the fence see the top of the highwall and the road going up there that gives plenty of cover and good veiw.

The houses on the left .  Go to the top of the ridge behind those houses go to the left follow that about a 1/2 mile and then it drops into that  hollow that is so thick.

As for the coyote that you MISSED when it came down off that hill he didn't want anything to do with that feild at all his closest cover was the woods and that woods runs into the railroad cut and that woods and the RR cut can bring him right back to where they cross the driveway not sure if he would have crossed the State Route and into the strip mine on the other side of the road.I heard pups yapping one night close to the RR cut a few weeks back.
Wind direction around here needs to be from the North or west to hunt most of the ground I have  anything South or east I might as well stay home


Bill

[ohiobob]

Bill
yep I agree with you on all of that,,I REALLY DOUBT that Coyote crossed the main road,,BUT hell I don't know what the hell a Coyote will and wont do,,that is probably why I don't have 1 killed yet  but I WOULDNT THINK he would cross that road,,of course he can out run those horse and buggies  :roflmao: but from everything i have gathered from these Boards,,the 12 million Video's I have and from seeing a few LIVE coyotes operate it seems that if there is a hill they like to walk the bottom of it and hug the bottom tight too,,they are like a BIG Buck in that regard
BUT the thing that baffles me is WHY did that Coyote come across the field where he did,,I KNOW he was STILL walking the bottom of that rise and the ONLY reason I seen him the first time is because i seen him walk past the 1 foot gap where the 2 small hills met at the bottom,,,SO HE WAS FOLLOWING THE BOTTOM of the hill so we COULDNT SEE HIM and if it wasn't for that small gap I would have NEVER seen him,,BUT why do you think he didn't walk the bottom of the hill where we seen his escape tracks ???
just when I think I got 1 of their tricks figured out they make a liar out of me,,BUT they do hug the bottom of hills anytime they can so far from what i have seen,,that 1 I seen mousing last year while me and the kids were Groundhog hunting did the same thing,,used a very little rise in the field to hide and that Coyote did it well,I could have shot but it was in summer AND me and the kids enjoyed watching it jump up and down mousing 
so what do ya think Bill,,looks like you are figuring that ground out pretty good now 
Bob

[Bills Custom Calls]

Time will tell Bob

Bill

[coyotehunter_1]

Why did the coyote cross the road?   
To show the possum it could be done. 


I don't know how it is in everyone's home area but around here, like our deer, coyotes will cross roads... sometimes even during daylight hours. There are roads and highways everywhere here. Over the years, I have found several locations that coyotes often use as crossings. Most of the time it's places where they can quickly get across and into cover. I have found they will also use large culverts and bridge under passes to get under roads.  Although coyotes are smart, like poor ol' possum, sometimes they just don't quite make it. 
We have a section of I-40, a major 4 lane interstate, where the only way to gain access to the other side... cross in the open.  Despite the fact that they get flattened from time to time, coyotes are seen there on a regular basis. Near my dad's place, one smart old coyote there can be seen patiently sitting by the state road and waiting for traffic to pass before crossing.




Disclaimer: Due to various reasons, coyotes may behave differently in your area.  Believing that all coyotes will react exactly the same everywhere is imprudent to me... I've learned better.     

[FinsnFur]

  Disclaimer

[FinsnFur]

By the way....is it true the coyotes down there have an accent when they howl?

[CCP]

Believing that all coyotes will react exactly the same everywhere is imprudent to me... I've learned better.

No truer words have been spoken. This is why I like to start out my answers with this is what I have found to be true in my area.

[CCP]

is it true the coyotes down there have an accent when they howl?

They don't howl much here but up the road they are more vocal.

I think it is because Southern coyotes are more of a gentlemen breed. The Yankee coyotes are more vocal but all that loud Howlin usually don't mean nuthin. there just all howl and no action :roflmao:

[Bills Custom Calls]

CCP so what your saying is all talk and no action :roflmao:


I guess I should have said

That coyote that Bob missed had no reason to cross the road to get out of harms way lots of cover around here

Bill