Coyote Call - first attempt

[JimH]

I found Varmint Al's website after one of you guys suggested I check out his bi-fur-pod shooting sticks. So I built my set of shooting sticks and they came out pretty good. while I was at Varmint Al's I found his Coyote calling page. http://varmintal.com/coy5-20.htm  From there I spent a couple hours watching youtube videos on coyote hunting. Seeing that there's a long time before the season rolls around again, I figured I go out tonight and see if I could call in some yotes. I brought the Mrod22 along just in case I had to scare off a pack of wild dogs. I also brought my night vision camera in case we got lucky. I downloaded Al's 20 minute call sequence and played it through my son's ghetto blaster. We set up along a dirt road at the State Wildlife Management area next to our development. Not far from this spot is a full dear skeleton stripped clean of any meat so I know they are out there - we hear them at night. So we got to calling about 5 minutes in and these two yahoos come racing down the road on their 4 wheelers at about 55 MPH. Of course this is state land where no motorized vehicles are allowed and they had no idea we were sitting 10 feet off in the hedge row. Scared the crap out of us and no doubt any yotes. 20 minutes later we tried again but it was so dark even if there was yotes coming in we couldn't have seen them.

So assuming we want to do this again during hunting season, how does one know when a yotes near? I've seen those big red spot lights - do you just leave them on?

I think I'm going to go out again during the day...maybe around 6-7PM when I can actually see.

[atchman2]

Most folks in the east hunt them in the daytime.  The easiest way to figure out if any are about is to just ask the local farmers.  Go down to the Co Op and ask.  While farmers are particular about deer and turkey hunters, they don't seem to mind predator hunters at all.  

As far as lights, it doesn't matter if they are red, white, or purple.  Just like raccoons and possums, they aren't shy about lights.  Now if you are turning them off and on it is a different story.  

Varmint Al's site is great! I've built two sets of shooting sticks that I use and I just finished building the "El Cheapo" predator call. I downloaded some additional online sounds to add to mine.  When I tested it out, I could still hear it from over 600 yards away!  That tells me I was calling almost too loud, but you get the picture.  

If you have the Sportsmans Channel, you are in luck.  They have three great shows on predator hunting: Predator Nation, Predator Quest, and Predator Pursuit.  These are all in the west though and I've got to tell you with the exception of calling it isn't applicable to the east.  Lookup Eastern Coyote Hunters and they have a great site and purchase the video.  That is a lot more help to you than watching what they do out west.  

Also check out this forum: http://www.predatormastersforums.com/

it is the largest Predator Hunting forum around.  We have a local site too if you are intested in joining it:  http://tnpredators.com/index.php

I haven't shot one yet, but now that I've seen a few it makes me happy to know that they are around where I'm hunting.  The really nice thing is I'm scouting like crazy for squirrels, raccoons, possums, and other game.  While I haven't got a coyote, I've found lots of great small game hunting locations.  I'm sure when I tell them I'm hunting with air guns, they won't mind me coming back for some other stuff.  The other thing I've found is lots of places to shoot CROWS!  Oh my gosh how they come to predator calls!  

[airiscool]

Jim,

If your going to call them to your location, it's advisable to have a hunting buddy along to watch your back. Yotes are not the only preditor you may call in. I remember reading about a guy in full camo sitting in brush calling and was jumped by a Bobcat. Lucky for him he was wearing glasses when the cat, going by noise alone, landed on his face.

As to lighting, if you don't want to spend big bucks for night vison scope, or large spotlights, you can try calling during the day.  I've seen them a few times in the morning from my deer stand. After seeing them from his stand, once Deer season was over, my late hunting partner went back and called one in during mid day.

Since it's out of season now, couple of things to check on.
You may want to re-think having any kind of gun with you when calling. If you should call in a Ranger, not sure they would be convinced it's for "protection", or your just calling Red Squirrels with the sounds of a "Rabbit in distress".     A big walking stick, or pepper spray may be a better choice.  

And to top it off, calling out of season may be considered "harrasing game", which is illeagel. It should be covered somewhere in the general hunting regs.

Paul.

[atchman2]

Some of the local predator hunters got stopped this week.  They were given a warning.  It turns out that while you can hunt coyotes year around in TN, you have to hunt them with the gun that is legal for that particular big game season.   Technically they got them for the following:  1) rifle during shotgun only season  2) Electronic game call 3) Possessing equipment not appicable to the particular game season (guns, decoys, blinds, calls, etc kinduva catch all).  

Now the warden WAS nice and told them if they are going coyote hunting to just leave EVERYTHING else at home that doesn't relate to it.  No turkey decoys, turkey calls, etc.  Our association is working hard to change the laws, but haven't had any success yet as predator hunters are a very small community of hunters.

[Bogey]

Jim, My son and I use a Q-beam with the red filter at night to light up coyotes.  The red is used so that WE don't loose our night vision.   Which happens using white light.   Also we don't do that much night shooting even though we are lucky enough to hunt on family owned property.    The gun shots are too loud and scare the other land owners.   We try to notify them in advance that we will be out at night but some of them are so old that they forget quickly.   They get get scared and call the sheriffs dept.  Oh well.

Another reason I don't like to shoot at night is that we set-up in hay bales.   And eventually the wood rats come out and run across your feet.   I know one night,  one will run up someones pants leg.