Small Game, Predator and TrappingFrom shooting squirrels in your backyard to calling coyotes in Arizona. This forum now contains trapping information..
I hate to start yet another new coyote hunter post, but hoping someone can give me a few hints.
I went hunting for coyotes yesterday for the first time; actually it was the first time hunting anything in 17 years. I have a friend that let me hunt on his wheat farm. He tells me every evening he hears the coyote yaps and howls of them. Well I got a little cammo'ed up (don't have much in the way of cammo, pants, cammo boonie hat, and dark green long sleeve shirt) and went out with a portable boom box and some sounds on a cd I got of the net.
Long story short I just sat in the hot 85+ semi dense woods all afternoon and evening and didn't get anything more then a few deer looking at me funny as they cursed by. Bad point didn't see/hear any coyotes, good point I know where I'm going to deer season if I decide to hunt them.
Can anyone give me a few pointers on time of day to hunt them, should I go to the bigger section of woods (15acors instead of a 7acor section), stay near the stream, better cammo?? etc....??? Anything I can try that may work better in the central Ohio area.
The coyotes should be active around the same times as the deer and other wildlife are active. I use Repel. Coyotes can smell it, but they can smell me just as good without it. Set your CD player up to play to coyotes downwind, then try moving downwind and to the side about 50 yards. Coyotes usually circle downwind to sniff things out before they come running on in. If you can set up a pretty good sized opening to your downwind side, you can see any coyotes coming that direction before they can wind you, and some will come in from a different direction because most are leary about wandering into a field or other wide open area.
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Coyote Pup Distress calls may work much better than Prey Distress calls while the coyotes are raising their young. Food is plentiful and with the hot weather, they don't need too much food that produces body heat like they need in the winter.Use their maternal protective instincts and go with Pup Distress.
Get an open-reed coyote howler/distress and learn to talk coyote as well as prey animals. The Li'l Dog Howler by Primos is a very easy to blow call with two mouthpieces and instructional tape or dvd and gets attention.... Grayfox taken with Ruger M-77.22Mag & Li'l Dog Howler/Distress:
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With the tall wheat fields and the wooded patches between fields I don't have to worry about them being in the open. I'll be luck to get a 50 yard shot with the woods and the wheat (I think its wheat) is up to my chest so I won"™t get a shot there. The little boom box I was using didn't have the volume to get through the woods very far (I think) to call any in. I'm going to building an e-caller, well, build an amp to hook up to a loud speaker and attach my mp3 player to it. With a Johnny Stewart CD maybe I'll have better luck.
Johnch - I'll start with the volume low and work up. I never really thought about it and just started with it cranked.
Swampbird - Thanks for the idea on pup distress, I guess food is o-plenty in the spring. I would love to work up to a mouth call but I really want to see if I enjoy hunting coyotes first. Everything I read says it can be a challenge and addicting. If I like it and plan to continue I'll try working on the Art of mouth calling.
how bout some help from a felow ohioan. You sound like your in a good spot. They will stick near their food source. Use bait. Keep puting foood in one spot. They should kepp coming. Try to get near some cover. They will come out look stright at you. If possibe get a decoy. Oh and hunt at night when they are one the prowl. You only need a single beam light.
Little Boone, Thanks for the info. I'm almost done making my e-caller, shoe sting budged. When I get done I'll have an e-caller that will allow me to be, well as far as I want to be away from it. In the woods around here that is only up to 100 yards or so. I have not been able to get back out to hunt yet. Been way to hot around here. Too busy also. This area isn't bad as I can tell. I keep hearing the coyotes but have yet to see one. I wish I knew where to get any food/bait I could put out.
The area isn't bad. I think I just lucked out when I started a friendship with one of the guys from my gun club. Between him and his parents they have 120+ acres, most of which is for farming. But the patches of woods are good for deer and I'm hoping coyote.
On the night light issue in Ohio. Don't you have to use a white beam for night hunting?
I wouldn't mind a little helpful info on hunting coyote during deer season from ya, sometime. The ODNR website is a little confusing on hunting coyote during that time.
New Ohio Coyote Hunter
