silverguns6890

first let me say I am a new member and this is my first post.

I am moving back to Conn. in January 2013. A good friend of mine asked me if I would like to go Coyote hunting with him the next season and I ofcourse said yes.

I read the laws and regulations for firearm hunting in CT, we will be hunting on private land. I have never done any hunting except Hogs in FL where I live now.
I most likely will be hunting often for predator species in CT so I don't mind spending a little more $$ on gear.
I am looking for recommendations on:
-Hunting attire
-Game calls
-Is a Ground blind neccessary
-Misc gear (Scent blocker, scent attractants etc)
-Caliber/type of firearm. I have a .22LR Ruger 10/22, .410 bore Single Shot Shotgun, .17HMR bolt action to choose from

Any tips and advice would be great too!
Thank you all very much
Dave.

Savage_99

Welcome to the forum Silverguns,

While I too am new here I am not new to hunting, guns or the forums.

I read also that you have been in CT as well as you say your moving back. As you know it's colder than heck here in January!

Be prepared for the cold.

I hunt coyotes in season as well in CT. I use centerfire rifles where they are allowed.

Talk to your friend and just go along with how he does it. For the first time out in the winter I would not buy anything special yet for coyotes unless your friend suggests it.

A call and blaze orange if required is all you need along with your gun.

Let me add the advice to approach the land or area from downwind. Do everything including where you park the vehicle to start the hunt so that your hunting into the wind.

silverguns6890

Savage: Thanks!
I am up here in CT right now visiting for Christmas. Good to see some snow, but my skin doesn't like the sudden change of climate!

When it comes to type of rifle, the only centerfire rifles I have are 3 AR-15's in 5.56, Lee Enfield .303British, and a .308 and .223 bolt action. I don't plan on bringing my AR-15's up when I move. I think I will sell them or trade them.
I was thinking about using either my 22WMR bolt action with hollow point ammo, or my
.410 single shot shotgun with slugs. Do you think either of those would be good choices?
My buddy hunts with a Mosin Nagant so I guess I could use my .223 bolt action?
I am going to talk to him about private land hunting. I am originally from Woodbridge and my parents property there has 12 acres of woods full of Deer and Coyotes. I think (if it is legal) I will put an ad on here, Armslist or Craigslist looking for private land that we could hunt.

What call can you recommend? I just bought a Primos Predator pak from Cabelas per my uncles advice. It has a DVD and two calls with it for like $30.00. He also said that buying a decent rabbit decoy or something would be a good idea.

I have camo clothing that I can wear, but it is all Fall Mossy Oak patterns. If there is snow on the ground when we go, does having snow pattern camo matter?

Thanks
-Dave

GTOHunter

A 22 WMR with hollow points would be a good light caliber for any Predators/Coyotes,the .223 would do even better using a light bullet in say 40-45 or the 55 grain Hornady V-max bullets which I use in my Savage .223 bolt-action!


Snow Camo is nice but not necessary if You have regualr Camo and use a Cedar tree or thicket/bush for concealment.One of the Outdoor Life or other Hunting/Fishing Magazine did a nice Article on cheap Snow Camo,they used those light weight throw-away white shirts and pants that You can buy for painting or dirty jobs and lightly spray painted them with misc Camo spray paint and used them over Your exisiting warm clothes to hunt in Snow!

Personally I use the simple mouth calls for calling in Predators or the cheap portable Johny Stewart Predator Caller that has about 5 sounds on it for about $35.00.Another simple item/decoy to use is simply a long dowel rod/stick and put a colored feather on a short string and stick it in the ground out in plain view!I think Johny Stewart also makes a nice foldable one (Feather Distractor) to catch the attention of a Coyote,Bobcat or Fox...and it works!I've had Coyotes come in to my Calling and their attention was on the Feather and they ended up with 39 grains of Sierra Blitz King .204 bullet in them!


The following Mouth Calls work well just about any where.
Knight & Hale Cottontail Distress,Knight & Hale Jackrabbit distress,Lohmans "Circe" Jackrabbit,Primo's Katnip Caller for Bobcats and any good Fawn in Distress call...the Primo's Lil' Dog open reed callers in a small green Call and larger white/black Caller for howls and barks!

Remnard

Welcome Back to the Peoples Republik of Connecticut Silver Guns! Predator hunting can be quite challenging here as it requires lots of land, and private land hunting is difficult to secure. State land has possibilities but you are hampered by having to use a 22rimfire or shotgun.

I took my first coyote this year while deer hunting. It weighed 48 pounds on a game scale. I have seen many but usually while driving I would see them in a field or crossing the road. What area of the state will you be in? Good luck!

Savage 99 whereabouts are you?

mace1700

Well, there's no need to buy a decoy: a turkey feather tied to a stick will work just as good. Also, in the winter months coyotes are more concerned about keeping their species alive than anything else so a howler or challenge bark call will work the best.

One thing I like to do is get a map of the land and drive around on dirt/log roads the night before. I then use an ambulance siren (on my mp3 player/ipod) which gets them to howl back. I then circle their general location on the map. Once I get a few positions pinpointed I go home and get some rest.

Personally, I would use the .223, but the .22 would work just as good with proper shot placement. The vitals are more or less in the same area of a deer's; the heart is right above the shoulder, and everything is else is right behind it.

Happy hunting, and stay safe!