North Eastern Coyote hunting

[vmathias]

I have found the North eastern Coyote is a VERY difficult animal to hunt. I have read much literature and own many videos on hunting these Wiley creatures to know avail. Called a bobcat and many fox but am yet to call in a coyote.

[labradigger1]

No luck here calling either. I usually pick them off during deer season.
Lab

[quilbilly]

I suspect it is much like hunting them here in our forests. For me the secret was to keep the volume down but hunt more locations and use only cries of animals common in your area. When not hunting with my 20 ga and #4 buck, I really like my 7mm TCU with cast boolits.

[Yodogsandman]

Eastern coyotes are tough to hunt, period! Lots of people are calling for coyote's and are just "schooling" them. Get away from the crowds. Learn to use a mouth call, too many are using electronics. Call and listen in the early mornings for them, they'll be close by where you hear them when it gets light out. Drive around and find a few sites to hunt before daylight. Enter your hunting sites from down wind and pay close attention for any wind changes. Good luck!

[vmathias]

I suspect it is much like hunting them here in our forests. For me the secret was to keep the volume down but hunt more locations and use only cries of animals common in your area.

I have tried pretty much everything. I use the wind and setup crosswind and down wind of the calls. I usually use young rabbit distress with some howls then pup distress. I have tried many different combos. I also added a quiver critter last year. I have worked both fields and wooded areas. Notta.

[vmathias]

Eastern coyotes are tough to hunt, period! Lots of people are calling for coyote's and are just "schooling" them. Get away from the crowds. Learn to use a mouth call, too many are using electronics. Call and listen in the early mornings for them, they'll be close by where you hear them when it gets light out. Drive around and find a few sites to hunt before daylight. Enter your hunting sites from down wind and pay close attention for any wind changes. Good luck!

I use both mouth calls and a foxpro. Heck I'd be tickled pink just to see one at this point. I have however seen them in town right in my yard. Never in the woods archery or rifle hunting.

[leeggen]

I have the same problem here in Tn. Now on top of that the neighbor had a male dog and 2 females that ran off a couple months ago. Couple night ago I was at the goat pin and heard a yote and 2 dogs and some pups howling, no yote has pups this time off the year so I went looking and found where they had been the night before. Sure enough 2 larger prints and a bunch of little tracks from pups. I think I k now where the neighbors female are. Now to figure out how to get them, they are under a big rock bluff that is tough to get close to. But just what we need half breed pups and dogs gone wild.
CD

[Yodogsandman]

It's mating season is right now and for the next month or so. Try checking open areas in the mid to late afternoons on warm days for lone, first year yotes looking for mates. More activity before a storm comes in, too.

Coyotes that you've located first will give you more confidence that they're around. Give calling spots at least a half hour but, try to wait an hour if you can. Check down wind for them to scent check before coming in to the calls, too.

[vmathias]

It's mating season is right now and for the next month or so. Try checking open areas in the mid to late afternoons on warm days for lone, first year yotes looking for mates. More activity before a storm comes in, too.

Coyotes that you've located first will give you more confidence that they're around. Give calling spots at least a half hour but, try to wait an hour if you can. Check down wind for them to scent check before coming in to the calls, too.

I usually dont leave a call spot for 45 minutes to one hour. The spots I hunt I know that they are there but pinpointing the times that they are there is the issue. I have read that coyotes will run up to 8 miles a night for the search for food. I know they are there I think I am just missing the times that they are there. Also I have read conflicting info on call volume. Some say to run full volume and others say to start low then increase volume as the set goes. Not sure?

[tdoyka]

they are fast!!! when i was still able to go(i'm stroke-abled) up into my tree stand, i seen a rabbit with a fisher(also very fast) hot on its heels. both crashed into the brush leaving me and my ruger#1 dumbfounded. a few minutes later i heard the rabbit screaming so i thought the fisher got its meal. then i heard brush crashing, got my gun up and .......coyote comes thru the brush at full speed and then he disappered right where i thought the rabbit screamed. i've seen 3 or 4 of them from west virginny to PA, and i never got a shot at any of them. foxes i can get, 'yotes i can't.

[Hickory]

Twice in the same day in Wyoming, I was driving back roads looking for prairie dogs when one coyote was setting along the road about 30 yds out watching me drive up to it and I rolled down the window of the truck, pointed my Ruger 32 magnum out the window and shoot him.
Not 5 miles down the same road another coyote (probably from the same litter) was walking parallel to the road, about 25-30 yds out he stopped when I did, window was already down and the 32 spoke again. Sometimes they are really dumb.

[freebullet]

Mating call and decoy. Coyotes make love sounds too.

challenge calls and decoy. If your set is good the dominant will try to run it off.

Bait chained down. We killed a number as they fed on a dead calf they couldn't drag away. They kept coming back for days. Where legal its very effective especially at night. My cousin was still shooting them the next year chewing on the bones. No calling required and you can pattern them for time.

When I try calling I start soft to avoid spooking any that may be close. You can always go with more volume you can't take back an overly loud call. You ever just sit and listen to turkey or deer in the wild. 99% of the noises they make are very soft. I think most get way over excited with the volume.

If a yote appears I quit the calls and make mouse or kiss noises to entice them. Practice practice practice

Think like a yote and yotes will fall.

Get out there and stay at it.

[Wolfer]

Back in the 70s fur prices were high. I called in a lot of fox with an electronic call. Several years later I decided to take up coyote calling. Bought a Lohmans call and some cassette's and started hunting. It's a good thing I like to hunt. The first few years seemed to be an effort in futility.
I may have averaged a dog every 20 sets or so. If one did come in I was always surprised.
I called at full volume.

One day while placing an order with Burnham Bros I saw they had a small mouth call advertised. It's called the mini blaster.According to them this was the call used by more professional coyote hunters than any other. It was just 10 bucks at the time so I ordered one.

It showed up on a Friday and I thought it sounded pretty good. Saturday morning found me on a rock pile with a good field of view. A few squeaks and to my surprise here comes a coyote. The first four sets I made with this call all produced a dead dog.

Its not uncommon anymore for me to make several sets without calling up a dog. I average a dog about every four or five sets but I still may make 20 set without seeing anything.

Anymore though I expect to see action at every set.

Once I started calling up coyotes is when I started learning how to hunt them. Here are some of the things I've learned.

I walk at least 1/4 mile from my truck. 1/2 mile is better. They are very much in tune with their surroundings.

I sneak in like I was stalking a deer. I believe it's 4 times harder to call one up with two people than it is by myself.

When hunting with a partner no human words are spoke after we leave the truck.

When set up I call as softly as I can. Many times there will be a coyote there while the call is still in my mouth. After 5 min or so I call a little louder. 5 min or so later I call pretty loud. As a general rule if there's not a dog there in 10 min there ain't one coming. But I have had several come in a barreling after 30 min so I stay at least that long.

I try to call from downwind of where I think one might be but I have to be able to see downwind of me. Coyotes will come in hard from upwind but will circle downwind before closing the deal. Some will circle 100 yds out, some 15 yds out but most at around 25 to 45 yds out.
If it gets downwind you'll only get a Mach one running shot.

Coyotes can only see straight in front of their nose. If he's looking at you don't move. If your completely still you can be wearing hunter orange and he won't see you. If his nose is not pointed directly at you and especially if he's moving you can turn completely around and he probably won't see you.

His eyes and ears will sometimes lie to him but his nose is a force to be reckoned with.

Their never still for very long and when the hair is off their not a very big target. They are the hardest critter to consistently make good shots on that I've ever hunted.
They were also the most difficult critter to learn how to hunt that I've ever hunted. This is one of the many reasons I love them so much.

Good hunting
Woody

[JWFilips]

I'm in NE PA & Over the years ( It varies) We have had our share of coyotes frequent our property ( suburbs of Scranton but way out near the mountains) I can only see them at night ( I'm old and I get up and wander the house at night after reliving myself!....just wait You will all get there!) Most times around Christmas when folks throw out the remnants of Holiday meals... I will usually catch a pack on the prowl If there is snow on the ground. Can't figure out how one would hunt them unless set up with some type of night scope.
I have only seen one in daylight crossing my yard early in the AM.... I saw him stumble & fall at the top of my hill and went after him with the .223 but when I got to the spot he fell there was some blood but just tracks leading far away. Not sure if he was wounded or if he got hit by a car...never did find him. The only other daylight encounter of sorts ( never saw a dawg) was on a long walk on a Game lands trail in fresh snow I'm pretty sure I was being followed! On my return on the fresh snow trail I saw numerous coyote tracks following me up that road ...crisscrossing off & on

Love to know the secret of hunting these eastern dawgs

[R8ed]

I use both mouth calls and a foxpro. Heck I'd be tickled pink just to see one at this point. I have however seen them in town right in my yard. Never in the woods archery or rifle hunting.

I saw a road killed coyote in Bensalem Pa a few weeks ago. It was in a womans front yard along Bensalem Blvd. The home owner was standing looking at. I stopped and told her it was a yote, she was amazed.

[vmathias]

I have read that North Eastern Coyotes are the hardest to hunt anywhere in the US. Not sure if this has to do with them having Timber wolf DNA in them. My brothers friend trapped one in upstate New York. It weighed 72lbs. They get BIG around here.

[FLHTC]

About 20 years ago, a friend and I were groundhog hunting just south of Peach Bottom and while we were glassing the hills for hogs, we spotted three coyotes that were standing just inside the tree line, looking straight at us. We had approached that power line hill through the cover of trees from the opposite side and the tree line where the coyotes were, was about 800 yards from us. Needless to say, they saw us long before we saw them. There was very little chance that we would be able to call them in but it was fun to stare each other down, so to speak.
Now they are here in Adams county and quite plentiful but nocturnal.

[trapper9260]

Where i was brought up in MA ,the year we where able to trap on land, that I had got 2 60lbs. coyotes but they are not as much as a fighter as the ones here in northeast Iowa, Also there is some out in MA and other New england states that have coydogs show up more and there is a few here in Iowa also.They are smart the ones that past the first year of birth.The ones that are before the first year are not the smart ones and alot more easy to get trapping and also hunting then the ones that got smarting up from the pressure of trapping and hunting.

[JWFilips]

Got a photo of one "zonked out" on the side of the road near my studio in Clarks Summit, PA back in May of 2006
At that time there were a lot of them about in that neck of the woods!
132674

We even had a large Bob Cat hit in the same area Mostly open farm lands with wood perimeters ( & lots of new developments)

[Yodogsandman]

I haven't been out, the snow's too deep for me now. Here's one my son shot earlier in the year before we got too much snow. I think it was 45 lb.?? He called it in with a mouth call and it spotted him at long yardage (250?) as it started going downwind, he got it on the run with his Mauser 95 .308....

[JWFilips]

Nice! That's way bigger then my drunk one!:razz:

[Tenbender]

Got 4 this morning. The snow is melting and the yotes are out.

[Yodogsandman]

Got 4 this morning. The snow is melting and the yotes are out.

Nice!! Fist pumps for you! That's 4 good coyotes! Bet they're hungry after the long winter...

[vmathias]

Got 4 this morning. The snow is melting and the yotes are out.

Share your secrets. Haha.

[Digital Dan]

I have found the North eastern Coyote is a VERY difficult animal to hunt. I have read much literature and own many videos on hunting these Wiley creatures to know avail. Called a bobcat and many fox but am yet to call in a coyote.

Try a sqeaker call.

[white eagle]

I agree they are tough in the east however it can be done
you are doing things rite for the most part just not seeing any at the time you are out
they may be in a different area
breeding this time of year
try coyote vocals keep the rabbit call in yer pocket
howling and other coyote sounds may bring em in
make your stands more frequent sound don't carry like in the open
try not to over call a spot switch it up
you are probably calling them in just not seeing them keep after em your luck will change

[ThatFishGuy]

My experience is only with those here on the west coast so i dont know if it carries over. But I tried many times at first with no luck at all. I used both mouth calls and an electronic call with all the usual stuff i read on the internet. Rabbit distress, howling, etc. Never could call anything with them. Then I thought to myself, "there's tons of ground squirrels here". Those squirrel chirps from my e-caller have worked better than ANYTHING else I have tried in my area. Small injured bird call is a close second. I really would have figured the coyotes would prefer the bigger meal, but they (and a bobcat here and there) come in to those little squeaks, on lower volume at that. I think the cottontail/ jackrabbit distress had been heavily burned out in many areas. Good luck, I need to get out there myself soon as my dad's been spotting alot of coyotes wandering on their ranch.

[vmathias]

I agree they are tough in the east however it can be done
you are doing things rite for the most part just not seeing any at the time you are out
they may be in a different area
breeding this time of year
try coyote vocals keep the rabbit call in yer pocket
howling and other coyote sounds may bring em in
make your stands more frequent sound don't carry like in the open
try not to over call a spot switch it up
you are probably calling them in just not seeing them keep after em your luck will change

This time of year I usually start out with a female coy howl. Then Ill go into a rabbit distress followed up with pair yips and howls then Coyote pup distress. Ill throw in a mouse squeak at the end. I think I am getting a tad carried away with call volume. I called in a monster Bobcat with a loud rabbit distress and have called in MANY red fox and raccoons with the rabbit distress and Red fox distress again at high volumes. Usually I can get Reds to hang at the call walking back and forth for up to 10 Minutes. Have some cool pics of this. That may just be my Achilles heal. I will try to run the volume on my foxpro starting around 5 then slowly working my way up.

[vmathias]

My experience is only with those here on the west coast so i dont know if it carries over. But I tried many times at first with no luck at all. I used both mouth calls and an electronic call with all the usual stuff i read on the internet. Rabbit distress, howling, etc. Never could call anything with them. Then I thought to myself, "there's tons of ground squirrels here". Those squirrel chirps from my e-caller have worked better than ANYTHING else I have tried in my area. Small injured bird call is a close second. I really would have figured the coyotes would prefer the bigger meal, but they (and a bobcat here and there) come in to those little squeaks, on lower volume at that. I think the cottontail/ jackrabbit distress had been heavily burned out in many areas. Good luck, I need to get out there myself soon as my dad's been spotting alot of coyotes wandering on their ranch.

You may have hit the nail on the head. Think Ill try a woodpecker distress next time I go out with some coy vocals.

[Yodogsandman]

Are you using eastern or western coyote calls on that FoxPro?

[vmathias]

Are you using eastern or western coyote calls on that FoxPro?

I have approx 100 sounds. I usually use Baby cottontail,Young cottontail, Eastern, DSG, Mouse squeaker, Coyote howls, Pup distress etc. I do have snow shoe rabbit jackrabbit etc but do not use them.

[Mumblypeg]

I've killed two. One a couple of years ago with a 25.06 while I was deer hunting and one a month ago with a 1995 Honda Accord. The one with the 25.06 stop moving just a few seconds before I shot.... the one with the car was moving... till the bumper hit him.

[Tenbender]

This time of year I mostly use yeps and howls. If it's a bright sunny day I use squeals. Later on I will go with rabbit. In the summer most anything goes.

[vmathias]

This time of year I mostly use yeps and howls. If it's a bright sunny day I use squeals. Later on I will go with rabbit. In the summer most anything goes.

I know around here March is the hot and heavy breeding time for them. I will try coyote vocalizations and some woodpecker distress.

[Pepe Ray]

Bait!!!

[TXGunNut]

Too many coydogs around here, partner with a shotgun watching downwind a very good idea. Coyotes around here love a distressed rabbit call.

[white eagle]

In Wis. where I hunt I stay on stand for an hour at least this 15 min thing is nice if your calling big country
I have killed em quick and have them come at the end of the stand been busted a bunch as well
a partner is a good idea and a extra eye down wind helps
call where they are sounds simple but a good looking area may be just that
this time of year you can smell where they have been their scent marking and scat is awesome
tried to kill a huge male but he would always get in a better position than me called him in twice no luck

[white eagle]

Rich Cronk a former member here (passed away) use to make a awesome hand call called the killer call
its a real good call

[vmathias]

Bait!!!

Not sure its legal to bait in Pa. Have to check the game laws.

[fastdadio]

Back in the 70s fur prices were high. I called in a lot of fox with an electronic call. Several years later I decided to take up coyote calling. Bought a Lohmans call and some cassette's and started hunting. It's a good thing I like to hunt. The first few years seemed to be an effort in futility.
I may have averaged a dog every 20 sets or so. If one did come in I was always surprised.
I called at full volume.

One day while placing an order with Burnham Bros I saw they had a small mouth call advertised. It's called the mini blaster.According to them this was the call used by more professional coyote hunters than any other. It was just 10 bucks at the time so I ordered one.

It showed up on a Friday and I thought it sounded pretty good. Saturday morning found me on a rock pile with a good field of view. A few squeaks and to my surprise here comes a coyote. The first four sets I made with this call all produced a dead dog.

Its not uncommon anymore for me to make several sets without calling up a dog. I average a dog about every four or five sets but I still may make 20 set without seeing anything.

Anymore though I expect to see action at every set.

Once I started calling up coyotes is when I started learning how to hunt them. Here are some of the things I've learned.

I walk at least 1/4 mile from my truck. 1/2 mile is better. They are very much in tune with their surroundings.

I sneak in like I was stalking a deer. I believe it's 4 times harder to call one up with two people than it is by myself.

When hunting with a partner no human words are spoke after we leave the truck.

When set up I call as softly as I can. Many times there will be a coyote there while the call is still in my mouth. After 5 min or so I call a little louder. 5 min or so later I call pretty loud. As a general rule if there's not a dog there in 10 min there ain't one coming. But I have had several come in a barreling after 30 min so I stay at least that long.

I try to call from downwind of where I think one might be but I have to be able to see downwind of me. Coyotes will come in hard from upwind but will circle downwind before closing the deal. Some will circle 100 yds out, some 15 yds out but most at around 25 to 45 yds out.
If it gets downwind you'll only get a Mach one running shot.

Coyotes can only see straight in front of their nose. If he's looking at you don't move. If your completely still you can be wearing hunter orange and he won't see you. If his nose is not pointed directly at you and especially if he's moving you can turn completely around and he probably won't see you.

His eyes and ears will sometimes lie to him but his nose is a force to be reckoned with.

Their never still for very long and when the hair is off their not a very big target. They are the hardest critter to consistently make good shots on that I've ever hunted.
They were also the most difficult critter to learn how to hunt that I've ever hunted. This is one of the many reasons I love them so much.

Good hunting
Woody

Excellent post packed with valuable info for us noobz. Lurkin and lurnin! Thank you Woody.

[Wolfer]

Thanks Fastdadio. I've spent a lot of time in the field to learn this much and I still have a long way to go.
Im tickled if I can pass anything on.

[Ehaver]

I do not know how it is in your area, but this year in Colorado, sucked for Coyotes. It was too warm with too much food, my opinion. Everywhere I went I was still seeing rabbits and mice everywhere. Keep at it!

[Wolfer]

They are certainly harder to call up when there's lots of food.

[white eagle]

seem like around here I am seeing tracks and road kill coyote where there were few if any before
looks like their expanding their turf which isn't bad for us coyote hunters

[GabbyM]

seem like around here I am seeing tracks and road kill coyote where there were few if any before
looks like their expanding their turf which isn't bad for us coyote hunters

Here in Illinois I can drive at night for six hours and see nothing but a couple of coyote. Not a good thing.
Will be taking a nap now then in three hours driving up through IL and into IN to arrive at 7 am in Goshen with 9 Amish for a funeral. 5 hour drive.
I hate all nighters. If I fall asleep I kill off an entire family tree. But I'll wager I see nothing but yotes. I'd bring along my rifle if it weren't for freaking out the ladies. Sometimes being professional takes the fun out of life.