Coyote Hunting: Your Next Obsession

Deer season is over, now what to do?  Possibly it’s time to try your hand at calling coyotes.  Yes, here in Maine you can sit on a bait pile or have an alarm system on a bait at your house which are of course are very effective but if you’re the type that doesn’t have the patience to sit somewhere for very long you’re not only suited for tracking bucks but also calling coyotes.  Let’s take a closer look. 

Coyotes (Canis latrans):  

We’re fortunate here in the pine tree state that we have options on how to keep the coyote numbers in check.  Trapping, bait hunting, calling and hound hunting are all valued tools that we as hunters (regardless of what type) should always continue to support.  Humans will never eradicate coyotes from the landscape. They are survivors like few other species.  We all know as hunters and conservationists the importance of a balanced population.  Although I do have a couple of bait sites that I try to frequent as you can tell by the nature of this writing, calling is my passion.  Bouncing from one location to another seems to keep me engaged enough to keep things exciting and I’m a true believer in numbers.  Hit more spots, do your due diligence and you’re bound to see more is the theory I subscribe to.  

Day vs. Night Hunts

Predator hunting shows on television or YouTube might lead you to believe that hunting coyotes during the daytime is pretty simple.  It’s not impossible but given our terrain and vast woodlands it is pretty tough in the northeast.  Really, you’ve got nothing to lose so it’s worth giving it a try.  I’d suggest the bigger bang for your buck is night hunting.  As we all know coyotes are more active at night, being they don’t have any predators in the wild aside from disease and each other.  

What Rifle to Use

What do you need? An accurate rifle to start.  Popular calibers for coyote hunting range as wide as calibers for deer.  .20 calibers would likely be the preferred projectiles.  243. 22-250, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 Grendel, and .223 are all well respected rounds for the task at hand.  For daytime calling a 12-gauge shotgun is also hard to beat.

You’ve got your weapon, now onto optics.  

There’s no need to get crazy right off the bat.  It’s easy to find yourself sliding down the slippery slope of almost needing a second mortgage on your home to acquire some of the newest fang dangled gizmos.  My recommendation would be to dip your toe in before jumping into the deep end.  A rifle with a decent daytime scope will work just fine.  If your gunsafe houses .30 calibers that you use for deer, try that.  Many have had great success night hunting on the snow with moonlight and no artificial light.  Not easy for sure but can be done.  From there you can add lights.  Green, red, white?  There’s a million different theories on what coyotes can see versus not.  I’d tried it but never had success with any so I can’t share any words of wisdom other than, come to your own conclusions.  

Night Vision and Thermal Scopes

Next on the list of possible optics is night vision.  For those that aren’t familiar night vision essentially gathers ambient light and illuminates within the confines of the scope.  Infrared light can also be used in illumination of targets.  Night vision has become “relatively” affordable and one of the greatest features of night vision is being able to positively identify your target.  For someone new to night hunting it takes some experience to recognize the differences between coyotes from fox and even domestic dogs.  Like anything, though night vision does have some drawbacks.  My friend and I were once hunting an old clear cut.  There was just enough vegetation that when two coyotes came in, he found that his night vision was illuminating the vegetation and the brightness of this kept him from seeing the coyotes behind it. 

Lastly is thermal.  Thermal scopes recognize the presence of heat compared to the other environment within the view of the scope.  I won’t pretend to know the inner workings of these devices.  Heat can show up in a myriad of colors based on your preference and scope. Thermals are definitely on the higher end of the investment scale.  As night predator hunting has gained popularity so have the options for night vision and thermal.  

Calls

Predators have been called with a simple hand call or diaphragm call for years so again, don’t think you have to go to a top-of-the-line electronic caller on your initial foray into the predator calling world.  Those hand calls and diaphragm calls will work great.  There are plenty of options to fit your budget if you do decide to go electronic.  We’ll discuss tactics shortly but one benefit to electronic calling is having the call separate from you.  It’s amazing how coyotes can hone in on a sound from a distance, pinpointing its exact location and that’s where they’re headed.  If the sound is coming from you that sometimes means they’re coming in directly at you.  This obviously means a smaller target and a greater risk of being recognized and busted.  

Camouflage 

Whenever the latest catalogue (that’s a magazine-type thing, kids) comes to the house I often flip through it thinking it’s simply marketing for hunters however I recognize that our environment in the northeast is different than other places.  I’d suggest simply trying to blend in.  A dark figure standing in a moonlit snowy field might not always be to your benefit.  The old school Halloween costume of cutting a head hole off of a white sheet is simple yet effective.  Staying in the shadows without snow I’ve been known to wear just my old trusty farm chore clothes, you likely can determine the brand.  

Tripods/bipods

If you already have one, bring it.  If you don’t have one, a simple bipod can be fashioned easily enough with some sticks and cordage.  Coyotes are a small target using a resting advantage definitely helps when it’s time to pull the trigger.  If you’re trying to scan a field for 15+ minutes with your rifle/optic, you’ll either be really strong at the end of the stand or you’ll figure out that a tripod makes life easier.  

Tactics

First and foremost, you’ll need a place to go.  Believe it or not but some people aren’t huge fans of a gunshot behind their house when they’re sound asleep at night.  Asking permission can sometimes be awkward but it’s recommended especially for night hunting.  

Figure out where coyotes are.  Putting miles on your boots is the most effective way.  Information from farmers and landowners is also a great tool.  Trail cameras set up for bigger game often reveal the presence of coyotes as well.   Coyotes can travel many miles during the course of a day/night so if you see a track, much like a deer don’t think it’s going to be within earshot all the time.  

So, you’ve done your homework getting some dirt to hunt and you’re relatively sure some coyotes exist within the zip code.  Time for calling.  

There are arguably a ton of triggers for coyotes, but these are the primary ones in my opinion:  mating, territorial, food and protection.  Coyotes breed normally late January thru March.  They have their litter 60-65 days later.  They’re not big fans of sharing their house with strange coyotes and they protect their pups like any other mammals.  We use this knowledge to our advantage.  Rabbit and bird distresses are effective for ringing the dinner bell.  I’ll add that I’ve found these to be more effective in the fall and winter.  Vocals/howls fit into a few of our trigger categories however there are variations to those.  Challenge howls and general howls (like hello, anyone around?) are a couple of examples.  There’s also looking for a mate type howl.  Lastly there is the distress and fight sounds.  Like the crowd that gathered in high school when the pushing started, coyotes will come to investigate and/or protect one of their own.  What has worked for me has been trial and error.  A lot of errors at that.  

Duration

Shooter’s preference.  Tournament shooters out west stay about eight minutes I’ve learned.  Some people will work a stand for over an hour.  Being of limited patience without the motivation of a response to my calling I’m usually around the 20–25-minute mark.

Wind

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention our arch nemesis the wind.  It’s always a challenge here in the northeast to get a wind that blows in a consistent direction for more than five minutes.  Do what you can.  A majority of the time they will try to get downwind.  Open areas such as fields and clear cuts do help to minimize that.  Thick woods with limited visibility are obviously difficult for this reason. In an ideal world I’d prefer a cross wind as opposed to blowing directly in your face.  I believe it puts the coyotes more at ease if they can work the wind some on their way to you.

All that’s left is to get out there and try it!  For minimal investment you may just find your next passion afield.  There’s a tall skinny guy in the Jackman, Maine area who professes that staying on top of the coyote numbers has helped the wintering deer in the Jackman area tremendously.  You too can help your local deer population.

Outfitters are also an option.  Doing your homework again and asking questions you can find experienced guides that have both night vision and thermal for you to try if you choose and you’ll have the opportunity to see proven tactics.  

Seth Edwards, Registered Maine Guide (Www.207outfitters.com)