Could I be set up near a coyote den?

[fmrleatherneck]

Three different nights now, just about sundown, I've heard high pitched yelping and yipping. Sure sounds like puppies. Not sure how far away, but close. Closer than any of the farms around me. Off to my east, for whatever that may be worth.

I've got pretty big tracks in the mud, too. Do coyotes have especially big feet? Or do deer hounds have bigger feet than you'd expect? I know deer hounds are in the area, too, and, Wednesday night, I had a tall hound run through, not baying, that I figured was a "deer hound", but he was running with his head up like he had a destination in mind. (The tracks I found today were headed in the opposite direction of the hound I saw... but he may have turned around or something...)

I haven't seen any coyotes but I have heard them other times.

What do you all think? (I haven't hunted them before, but I'm getting set up a little bit to try it.)

[SongDoghunter]

Might not be a den necessarily but is likely coyotes. In this area, they don't always den in the ground. They are like any other dog in that they will seek cover from the weather in a thicket ot possibly in a ditch bank or log pile. In many cases, they just lay around in the woods like yard dogs. They frequently get cranked up into a pack howl or pack siren especially if stimulated by a rescue siren etc. The easiest way to tell if close to a den area is the evidence of repeated howling in the same area on several different days. There are 2-3 different groups in front of my home that have been there for years. They are always in the same location when howling.

[fmrleatherneck]

Do you hunt those guys right in front of you or are they too close to everything there? I'm pretty remote and have a lot of real thick stuff on the back of my property.

It sure seems like the yelps and noises are coming from the same spot each of the times I've heard them, that is what got me suspicious.

I'm putting together one of the homemade e-callers to use with a small MP3 player. Will that be alright to use with some of the downloadable calls and call sequences without just "educating" the local population (like I've read discussed here before)? Are the "Preymaster III's" that much better than a home-built? Are you saying coyotes have like a "song-post" spot that they always call from?

I know I've got to read a lot more on them before I actually get out to try it for myself. Hope you don't mind my asking a few stupid questions to get me going.

[SongDoghunter]

The key to calling coyotes is choosing the correct setup and sounds, as well as the calling sequence. Most hunters call too loud and too long. If you think you have a den area, a couple hundred yards away is close enough. No, the Preymaster is not that much better than a homemade call. Most of the sounds on the market are swapped around or stolen from others.

The single most important piece of advice I would offer is to conceal yourself as much as possible and be still. Have your rifle pointed in the direction you plan to shoot and try to eliminate any glare from your equipment. You can even be a little sloppy with scent control but they will not tolerate alot of movement.

[Mustang]

Some things that I prefer while calling:

1. I do not like to have a sling on my calling rifle. It just gets in the way and has the potential for making noise.

2. I keep my scope on the lowest power setting. This will greatly increase your odds when a coyote pops out at 25-30 yards. I learned this the hard way by missing a few coyotes up close due to the fact that I had too much power dialed in.

3. I've had luck with the following sequence: Male challenge howl (med volume) then a long pause (10 min or so) then I start in with some distress (cotton tail, snow shoe etc) on low volume...starting with a 15-20 second call then slowly tapering down to 5-7 seconds with 5 minutes between calls. Just an example.

4. I'll hit the camo thing again. Facemask, gloves and rifle camo (especially if you have any stainless or high gloss on your rifle) are a must. If they see you, it's over.

5. Predator hunting is not a group sport. One or two guys....no more.

6. I prefer a short, light rifle with a scope that has a low power setting (3-9 or 4-14 at the max). If you're just starting out then your deer rifle with suffice but once you get hooked on the sport I'd look into a dedicated calling rifle.

Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

[fmrleatherneck]

Doghunter and Usmc-mustang:

Thanks to you both. I'll use all of the advice I can get from you guys! Just what I've been reading has been enough to get me interested, that's for sure.

I have figured I'd try it with my deer rifle to start, (Remington in .270), and see where we go from there. I usually keep my 3x9x50 Buckmaster on 3 anyway, so that'll be no problem. Actually, this Remington came with the scope. Previously, I was always using iron sights on slug shotguns or rifles so 9x seems way too much for me to get used to. (I do like the "light gathering" performance of this scope, though!)

I'll make sure I keep up on the camo... always a believer. And, I've always been a loner with my own hunting. I love taking kids out, but that outing is for them. When I'm hunting; I'm alone. Period. Otherwise, the day is for whoever I have out (not always just kids).

I'll be sure to keep you all posted as I get my .... "stuff" together!

Thanks again.

[SongDoghunter]

One additional observation: remember that a coyote is a much smaller target than a deer. With high recoil deer rifles, shooting from the ground is not like shooting from a stand with a good rest or prop. I'd get a three legged adjustable shooting rest. The two leg type allows way too much front to back movement and is only aiding in shooting over or under the dog. The advantage of the small caliber predator rifles is that there is much less recoil and the chance of a flinch etc. Also, as Mustang mentioned, they are typically shorter barreled and easier to stabilize. Also, the small caliber rifles are not as loud and in many cases will allow for a second shot when a loud caliber weapon would scare the coyote off.

[fmrleatherneck]

Yeah, thanks, Doghunter. I can definitely see the advantages of a smaller caliber rifle. I'll have to see if I can get my "feet wet" with this .270 first before I jump in to the "deep end" of the "smaller caliber" pool, though!

I can see where this could get to reloading, trying other, proven combination's, then other different rifles for specific situations, etc., etc.. Clearly can get to be addictive!!

Do you think the XP-100 I want would be a fit? .221 Fireball was a standard caliber, I believe. I think there was a centerfire .17, too, but I don't remember if it was a Hornet or some kind of wildcat. What would you think?

(I've seen a 7mm that looks pretty sweet recently, but I think I'd like a smaller one, anyway. Only 50 rounds through this one, with some trigger work, so I haven't scratched it off the list yet. It's a center grip, though, and I really want another rear grip.)