EDITOR’S NOTE: After 30 years of hunting coyotes, H.S. pro staffer Allen Morris has learned that to take coyotes, he simply must eliminate the mistakes that keep coyotes from coming to him. Last week we looked at mistakes 1-3.
Mistake #4: Forgetting About Comfort:
You can bet on a Bunsaver. I believe one of the most overlooked factors in coyote hunting is comfort. Before I ever start calling, I find a comfortable place to sit and put down a Hunter’s Specialties Bunsaver so I don’t develop a case of fanny fatigue before the coyotes get a chance to come into range.
If I hunt in snow or rain, I like to use the Hunter’s Specialties Two-Way Strut Seat to get my fanny up off the ground and away from the cold and damp. The more comfortable you make your stand, the better calls you’ll make, and the longer you’ll stay on that stand to wait for a coyote to show up.
Mistake #5: Calling Too Loudly:
Call them...don’t spook them. Because I’ve been as quiet as possible going to my stand and setting up at my stand, I expect the coyotes to be really close when I start calling. For this reason, I start out calling very softly so that if there’s a coyote within 100 yards, I can take him.
I have sat out on my stand before, blown two rabbit squeals, and before I can blow the third one, I’ve had a coyote standing in front of me. I like the PC-1 or the PC-7 blow-type call when I call close coyotes.
Since I expect to see a coyote within the first 30 seconds of when I start calling, I keep my gun at the ready as soon as I put my call in my mouth. If you’re quiet going to your stand, you can and will take coyotes that quickly.
After my first series of calls, I’ll wait between 30 seconds and 3 minutes before I start calling again. If that coyote is within 100 yards, I should see him in that first 30 seconds to three minutes. I want the coyotes to come in hunting for me. At one time, I would push "play" on my Johnny Stewart electronic caller and let the call play continuously. If I didn’t see a coyote, I’d move to another location. But now I’ve learned that I want the coyotes to hear my calling, but not know exactly where I’m located so they will come in looking for me.
After calling briefly, then I don’t call at all for about 5 to 7 minutes. If I haven’t seen a coyote, I’ll start back calling a little louder. If I haven’t seen a coyote within 7 to 10 minutes after I’ve made my second call, then I really put some power behind my caller and try to reach out and touch every inch of the range I’m hunting. If I still haven’t seen a coyote after 15 minutes of calling, I’ll call again softer in hopes that a coyote has come in but still hasn’t gotten within sight. I know if a coyote can hear my call and is 2 or 3 miles away, he’ll need 12-20 minutes to get to my stand. I’m expecting that coyote to be close by and still looking for me. I’ll soften up my calls and not call as loud, but let him know I’m still there.
NEXT WEEK: A COYOTE HUNTER’S MISTAKE – USING THE SAME CALL WITH ALLEN MORRIS
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