Trouble hunting coyotes in dense woods

[THEMAKKER13]

I know the coyotes are there cause I hear them at night, but never have success calling one in. I think it's because the woods are so dense(live in southwest pa) that they smell me before I see them. Any tips for this?

[mortalcare]

find a clear cut,creek,logging road,trail,or anything that will give you some space between you and them.....if you cant find one hunt on a saddle looking downwind for coyotes coming up the hill.the raised elevation will make it harded for them to smell you,and you will be able to see them,and see farther.

[PREDATE]

Our season for yote's here in New York is from Oct.-Mar. So therefore I prefer hunting them in the snow when the foliage dies off. I hunt mostly at night when all you need to see is red eyes. They will also travel on frozen waterways too. You might try to get up in a tree or bait pile to lure them in. They're not called the most adaptable species in North America by being stupid. Early winter the young dogs may be easier to kill due to their lack of experience but it only takes a couple of missed shots or being spooked for them to wise up to your setup. Change it up often and be serious about scent control. Good luck!

[THEMAKKER13]

Ok thanks. I do have a pretty big creek and some gas lines where nothing grows(except grass), so I could try and use them to my advantage

[GTOHunter]

As Predate mentioned...if Your going to hunt Coyotes You still need to be as scent-free as possible,Coyotes will usually circle down-wind of You if your calling them in or if they are coming in to a bait pile.Personally I like to be up in a climber or ladder stand so I have the upper hand on the Coyotes and I can see further out,it is much easier to see and spot a Coyote when the leaves have all fallen off the tree's and when there is snow on the ground...another good place and time to hunt Coyotes is when the Farmers have cut their hay and there's a fresh cut open field for the Coyotes to look thru for mice and rodents.


I have the Flambeau Coyote Decoy and my Hunting Partner has the Mojo motion decoy to draw the Coyotes in also and I have the Hunters Specialty Feather Distractor that sticks in the ground and it will show the wind direction when its swaying in the breeze!I use the small Johny Stewart Caller with the hand-held remote,it is easy to use and only cost me around $35.00,my Hunting Partner uses mouth calls and does a great job of calling in Coyotes.

[Coyote Kid]

Coyote hunting in dense woods can be somewhat difficult; but not impossible. I too hunt in hilly country in the southwesten part of West Virginia. I have had the most success by using the terrain and wind to my advantage by setting up in the head of hollows and try to call to multiable hollows when possible. I mostly hunt in the AM when I can use the morning thermals to carry my sent to the ridges. Using sent control is a must; but I have found that if a coyote gets downwind before you get a shot IT"S over. I have called 12 coyotes and have taken 8 of them using this method. The calls I use the most is the fox pup distress. During the post mating season the challange bark has worked as well. Try to locate them like spring Gobbler season and setup accordingly. I will have a pic and a short story in the October issue of Predator Extreme of a male that came to a challange bark. Hope this helps and keep hunting.

CK

[GTOHunter]

I'll be looking for that magazine Coyote Kid,..."Congratulations" on getting into a well known Predator Magazine!

[Coyote Kid]

Thanks GTOHunter. I just took a chance with the short story and pic to PE.
Thanks again

[Nomercy448]

If you own the property, or have a good relationship with the landowner, consider doing some tree and brush thinning in the area you think you can call them into. Don't totally wipe out the trees, like clear cutting, but clear brush and smaller trees from the mix of older, established trees so you can have longer sight lines.

Landowners are generally agreeable to the thinning of trees, especially if you cut them in on the firewood sales (work out a sharecropping split, 50/50 or 2/3:1/3).

Taking out 1/2 of the trees in an area can drastically change the visibility and line of sight in the area. Cut the trees in a rhythmic pattern, leave several trees and some brush in a line, then space out an opening for 30-50yrds with a new line off to one side or the other. Essentially, you can cut the trees in a somewhat checkerboard style, which will let them feel comfortable following a good line of cover, then force them to cross the open to a new line of cover as they approach. Each of the lines should be thin enough that it won't quite conceal the target (deer or coyote), but still offer them a bit of security so they'll come in more confidently.

If you CAN'T reduce the brush/trees, then you'll have to get creative. Find natural clearings and edges that you can force the coyotes to cross. You'll have to play the wind to know that they'll be coming across those areas. Be sure to identify where the animals will be coming from. Find a topo map (if available for that area), or make a topo map for yourself, labeled with all of the low-lying land forms, edges, ridges, creeks, crests, etc etc. Coyotes don't need much cover to hide in a shallow valley and cover hundreds of yards before coming within range to wind you, and then escape along the same path. You'll need to know where these landforms are so you can play them to your advantage.

[Sheridan]

Hunt them just like you would turkeys.

Use a turkey call & a turkey decoy.


Set-up knowing that they will come in from down wind..............so be ready !

Even works for me in areas where they already know my Foxpro caller.