I live on MN, Canadian border and have recently got into coyote hunting. I've got a .223 and an electronic caller and a few places to go. Here are my problems there are ALOT of trees and not very many coyotes. I've tried calling and baiting both failures.
So do you pro's see any flaws in my little adventures and i'm also open to any tips for anyone who tried this kind of hunting. Thanks in advance.

Join the growd yote calling in heavey woods is tough. I belive they hear you long before you can see them.

Not "Pro" but have been at it for a while.
It's hard to say much specifically without asking a full page of questions but two things straight away.

First, there has to be one within earshot of your calling and it must be convinced coming in is worth the effort. Curiocity works some but not consistantly.

Second, approach the area very carefully. Wind, and sound specifically. If you are heard going in you'll have to sit motionless for quite a while before you start calling.

One more consideration is how much the area gets hunted or disturbed by others. They can learn from other callers. If they start to associate the calling sounds you are trying to use with smoking, noisy, bad shooting varmint hunters they will ignore you completely. You may have to change your methods. Nate

It's been 20 years since I've done much calling but I used to call where there were lots of trees too. You can always find a large clearing somewhere, or a road through the bush. Set up with the knowledge that they WILL come from down wind and you need to get them before they smell or see you. They are very good at both and I've been busted with just the movement of taking off the safety although it was at 20 yards with one that surprised me.

They also like to come in through or along cover. So a strip of tall grass or some trees downwind is good. They will even simply follow a fenceline in open terrain, anything to help them hide. I'd rather do one good stand a day than 5 poor ones, so choose your spot well. then get into position and wait at least 10 minutes before starting your calling. If you only have one spot to call from you might as well stay a long time and I used to call a spot for 45 minutes at least. That seems long by todays standards but I would rather do that than go through the hassles of moving spots again.

It really helps to give them something to see, even if it's a white bag tied to a branch or fence and moving in the wind. Don't sit by the object but put it downwind and off to the side. If it's straight downwind they will probably get downwind of the thing they see (the bag) and then they are in a good location to smell/see you. I have them come into my deer decoys a lot so that's another thing to consider (especially for wolves).

I used to enjoy using a 12 guage and buckshot then getting them closer for a lil dose of lead, but it will work out to 60 yards nicely.

So take your time, be patient and make it a "thinking hunt" and you'll start to score. If you get magpies, crows and owls then you're on the right track, if not you need to do more thinking. It's quite the feeling to suddenly see a coyote standing in a spot that was previously empty.

Thanks for all the tips. The best place i've got going for me right now is a spot along a frozen river where the wind is usually in my favor but the best part is it turns my caller into ampitheatre stadium. My favorite part is i own an 80 acre deer hunting shack about a mile away from that location and at night i hear them things going crazy. By the way what could do to improve the coyote hunting conditions there. I know its got some real potential there couple weekends ago i went out to check up on it and on the way in rabbit & fox tracks covered the driveway and about 20 ydrs infront of the building a coyote killed a rabbit and took a duece about 10 hrs before i got there.

Try calling in area's with lots of rabbit/hare tracks.Food is key regardless of what your after.With lots of trees the .223 might not be the best choice.Though I to have a nice .223 more often than not I use my 835 12g with mod choke and 3" 4 buckshot since the cover is so thick where I do most of my hunting.What sounds are you using with the E caller?Volume setting?Good luck!

My caller is a foxpro spitfire with an extra external speaker, and i use rabbit distress sounds. Thanks.

Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to do some baiting along that river.

send me a pm i take over 100 coyotes a year ill help you with your set up a friend of mine that uses the same process i do out in sask has taken 220 coyotes this year so far.

do you have a trappers permit? if not i highly reccomend you get 1. hunting isnt bad but not even close to as effeint as PROPERLY baiting a site and knowing how to set up on that bait.

also what are you using as bait? also under a 100 yards have you considered a 22 mag or a 17 hmr i have center fire rifles but if i know all my shots are gonna be under 125 i bring the 17 hmr with 20 grain xtp's or 20 grain fmj's

I would suggest starting at a low volume in case they're close.If nothing shows after 15 minutes raise it up and try again.Still nothing move about 500 yds and repeat.Good luck!

100 coyotes, congratulations! That would make a great picture I'd love to see your pile of furs please post some pics for us.

will do my buddie took a crazy pic last year with him at the end of his barn with all the fur he took or at least most of it it was a nice pic im gonna have start doing the same thing as there great advertisment type pics

i caught 3 coyotes this mourning while i was out checking some snares while breakfast was cooking out back man were they nasty...all three had mange i threw them in a pile with some wood dumped about a 1/2 gallon of diesl on them and burned them i dont like other animals getting into manged carcasses.


nothing overly special about what i do i run 30 bait sites minimum with 6-7 power ram snares each bait site i just sit back and watch the fur roll in.

I shoot, trap and snare coyotes in the big woods of the U.P.
I use bait stations for some of my coyote shooting. What I do is make "meat sicles" you take fresh meat scraps and small bones put them in a 5 gallon buckets add hot water. Let them freeze then cut off the bucket to put at your bait site. It is better to use deer, moose, elk scraps that is native to your area.
DO NOT USE WILD GAME THAT IS NOT FROM YOUR AREA YOU COULD SPREAD DISEASE.
Using "meat sicles" a coyote cannot drag it off, crows, ravens and eagles have a harder time eating them. With the crows and ravens making noise at the bait it calls the coyotes in.
I have found that between 9 AM-3 PM is the best times to sit.
There is one blind at my hunting lodge used for bear hunting every year. I also dump food scraps year round there. All deer guts are dumped there also. Once temperatures stay below freezing there is always a "meat sicle" there.
When baiting only one person and vehicle go near the bait, use the same vehicle all the time, coyotes are smart don't give them a reason to stay away.
A trail camera will help tell who and when the bait is being used.

Lots of good advise here,
I swap back and forth between the .223 and a shotgun depending on the stand. I carry both a good bit.
I turn the caller on low for 2 min. then jack up the volume for 8 more. I usualy hit coyote pup distress when i stop the prey sound for just a few seconds. I wait 5 min., turn the caller on for 5 more and wait 5 more. Then im off too the next stand. 80% of the yotes i have killed come in the first 4 minutes.
I call most of mine to an opening next to thick cover. So even in the big woods clear cut edges and thick draws produce better especialy up in the day.

Road kill makes real good bait. Lots of times in the winter we have to drag the carcus down a logging trail with a snomobile to get it where we want them to be. Usally at 100 yards from a deer blind we can sit in.

Al

quote:

Originally posted by alleyyooper:
Road kill makes real good bait. Lots of times in the winter we have to drag the carcus down a logging trail with a snomobile to get it where we want them to be. Usally at 100 yards from a deer blind we can sit in.

Al

Watch Out!
You better have a tag and you can only use deer for bait during deer season in Michigan.

I have been hunting fox since the early 70s southwestern mn now there is more coyotes havent had lots of luck calling but using road kill deer at bait sights is working verry well this year my one budy and I each have a site and have taken 16 coyotes 3 fox hunting mainly on clear moon nights good luck

Best way I know to locate coyotes is drive the road after a new snow,cut a track you know they are close.I like to use a circe jack rabbit call,low at first then increase volume, Good luck.