Small Game, Predator and TrappingFrom shooting squirrels in your backyard to calling coyotes in Arizona. This forum now contains trapping information..
Go to extactly where you see them in full camo, including a head cover and gloves.
Pattern their movements in the area and learn how to best plan your final approach.
Otherwise, all you will do is educate them - understand, because they do !!!
Set-up in good cover with a good view, especially down wind of your location.
You would be wise to bring a low slung chair or at least a cushion, so you can remain motionless for extended periods of time.
Put a stick and strink with a turkey feather on it(any decoy will help) about 100 feet out front & upwind of your location.
Call softly until you get better...................they'll know exactly where the call is coming from, so no need to continuing calling once you see them (remain motionless).
You must see them before they see you !!!
Bring shooting sticks so you can prop your gun on them to steady your shot.
1 in 10 attempts is good for a hawk getting a mousse, so don't get discourged
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Silence is Acceptance. "To stand in silence when they should be protesting makes cowards out of men." ~ Abraham Lincoln ~ Stand Up and Be Counted !
First, I would check the state and local laws and regs. A .223 will do just fine. A 6mm Rem will give you some extra range.
Again, check the laws and regs in your area. If electronic calls are legal in your area, you can download free MP3 files from varmintal.com and play them on a portable boom box. You don't need to spend a lot of money on an electronic caller (if allowed). The hurt pup or rabbit in distress can be very effective. Some areas will also allow baiting, but some areas so not allow baiting.
If you have some very cold weather or a storm, they will be out more after these times looking for food. If your area allows hunting at night, try hunting just after dark. If night hunting is allowed, be sure to follow all rules and regulations regarding the lighting allowed, etc. Also be sure of your target, what is between and what is beyond.
There is no shortage of coyote hunting videos on Youtube.
Low turkey seat stools, or at least "butt-pads" are critical. If you're squirming because you're uncomfortable or cold on the ground, you're not going to knock down a dog. You need to stay low to the ground though, no full-seats/chairs.
Your sets should be designed to call from downwind of where you WANT them to come, but then still have plenty of room to see them if they come in from downwind of you.
I take a shotgun as a backup for all of my sets. I lay the shotty pointing behind me so if one DOES come in the back way, I don't have to swing all the way around.
Be pretty deliberate about where you're going to your sets. It's almost impossible to hide your scent as you're traveling (i.e. you WILL lay a scent trail). Some guys spray deer urine on their feet to act as a cover scent, personally, I just try to plan my approaches such that they won't cross my trail, or at least not before I'd see them.
Don't spend all day on a single set. If a dog doesn't come after 30min, he's not coming. Cut the call, give it 5-10min to cool, then move on to a different set. (Since you're hunting ONE property here, it might not be applicable).
Personally, the ONLY calls I rely on are cottontail distress and rodent distress calls. Howlers, fawn distress, bird distress, etc etc can all work, but often are more effective, or less, during different times of year.
Tape a mouse squeaker to the forend of your rifle. Once you spot the dogs, cut off your call. Having the squeaker at quick access lets you entice the dogs just a little closer, or stop a trotting dog to give yourself a shot.
Use a bipod or shooting sticks. No question, you will WANT support.
Honestly, in your shoes, I'd probably be hanging snares and laying traps in addition to calling. Calling can be incredibly effective, but you can't call every day.
Lots of great information here...I hope I can add to it to help You out also?As mentioned go in as if Your Deer Hunting,stay scent-free and slip in quietly...most of Your success rely on getting in quietly and un-noticed.
I like the looks of the 2 open fields with woods on both sides,that would be an ideal spot to set up and do some calling or even a quiet sit to see whats moving around?I have several rabbit in distress calls I use and have even called in a few Coyotes that were too close for using a Call with a simple "Kissing" sound You can make free-handed with Your mouth and lips.Good Luck and I hope You earn a lot of Free Deer Hunting Days!
One other difference that I notice, at least for myself, between deer hunting sets and coyote sets is that I usually have really good luck on coyotes from out in the open. In general, when I'm hunting deer in open ground, I'll set up along the edge of a creek, fence line, hedge row, etc. Anything I can use as ample cover. For coyotes, on the other hand, I'll set up a small "hide-behind" blind near a clump of tallgrass or a bit of brush, etc out in the middle of a pasture so I can have a 360degree view. Honestly, I'm sure this technique would work well for deer as well, but I've never tried it that way. I suppose the difference, in my mind at least, would be that I don't expect a deer to try circling around behind me, and I DO expect a coyote to do so. In order to see them before they wind me, I sacrifice a little cover and keep them in open ground.
ADDED: For a new caller that isn't trying to get in neck deep on day one, you really only need 2-3 calls. Closed reed calls are the easiest to play for beginners, and are a staple of any caller's arsenal. Open reed calls are more versatile, but they are more challenging to master. I've amassed over 60 mouth calls over the last 20yrs, and if I were to narrow it down to TWO budget friendly calls, it'd have to be a Primos Double Cottontail Distress Call and a mouse squeaker ball (any brand will do). The Primos Double Cottontail has an impressive range, it'll play VERY loud, but can still pull back for close in, quiet work. It also runs about $12-15. The mouse squeaker is another standby of mine. They don't have much volume, but they are often a valuable "finishing touch" to bring a dog just a few yards closer.
Beyond that, another couple good call I would recommend (after you get the Primos Double Cottontail) would be, in this order: Buck Gardner Ultimate Coaxer-higher pitched closed reed rodent distress call, great for bobcats, and very enticing for coyotes. Runs about $10. Verminator Twisted Syco and/or Syco Tweety-open reed, split-reed call. These will play anywhere from jackrabbit pitches to high rodent and bird pitches. They produce a very shrill, raspy, "sound of death" that is very unique, and will make your skin crawl. Once you get a couple closed reed calls to play with, these are pretty easy open reed calls to learn on. These run about $14 each. Primos Double Jackrabbit Distressed-a lower pitched, super raspy jackrabbit call. Easy to play, and a raspy jack is a staple for all callers. It gives you a little more volume and range (lower pitch seems to carry better) for hunting over open ground. Played properly, you can make it sound like you're breaking a rabbit in half over a board. Runs about $14.
So for $50, you can get into a very versatile set of calls that will put fur on the ground.
Having a couple different versions of the same sound, or having multiple calls will be a good idea for you, since you'll be focused on a single area. Once you shoot at a dog over a certain call, or shoot one dog out of a pair (maybe one you didn't even see hiding in the brush while you shot another one), they'll learn your call sounds, and will become resistant. I've had experiences where I've gone back to the same set with a different call on the next day and dropped a dog. I've also had experiences where I've gone back to the same set with the SAME call a week later and got skunked, then switched calls on the next day, and brought in a dog.
Last edited by Nomercy448; 12-28-2011 at 08:49 AM.
Reason: Added recommended calls...
For me, the most important aspect of using a mouth call, is to call with emotion !!!
Best example; an infant crying..............................
__________________
Silence is Acceptance. "To stand in silence when they should be protesting makes cowards out of men." ~ Abraham Lincoln ~ Stand Up and Be Counted !
As Nomercy mentioned....I've seem to have good luck sitting in a open field with some cover around me or to lay prone/down if possible and watch over the area around me slowly with little movement.This past week I sat on the edge of an open field and cut a few cedar limbs and leaned them up against a fallen tree limb....just enough cover to see thru and around,even had a Doe with 2 fawns come out and a Spike Buck later on so the home made ground blind did its job of concealing me.
Hornady A-Max's or SST's would be a good choice for the 6mm rem for coyotes. A lighter constructed bullet like the V-max would start doing a LOT of pelt damage. For larger cartridges (larger than the 22 cal centerfires like the .223rem or .22-250 at least), a good DEER HUNTING bullet generally is a good choice for coyotes. The heavier construction big game bullets will expand less, causing less damage to the coyote.
For "oversized" or "over powered" cartridges on coyotes, you either have to get a frangible bullet so it doesn't exit, or get a hard enough bullet that doesn't push a melon sized exit wound out the back when it DOES exit. "Middle ground" bullets (V-max at one end, A-max at the other) will have a tendancy to tear up your hides.
New coyote hunter (advice)
