jmac33

well my big problem is i havent seen one in about 20 different sits!!!! i have been hunting fox and coyotes the last 4 years ever year i get a couple fox never a coyote though. but just last night me and my buddy went out at 3 in the morning to do soome spot lighting with the red lens for some yotes or foxes. we did two set ups but nothing. we heard some yelping but from a very far distance and it was down wind. is that common for yotes to do or was it even them. i enjoy the thrill of predator hunting and love being out there. but i would like to at least see some game. i guess i need to start and square one. i really have my heart set on a yote this year but ill take a red any day of the week. i need some tips from scratch. i use always a cotton tail in distress mouth call. and have used the electronic caller, rabbit in distress cd. i have had better luck with the mouth call. i usually hunt the morning right before sun up and some down. during the day too. never any luck during the days, and just started the night hunting. whats are some tips i can get on calls, different things to do at different times of the day. and where to hunt. all the spots i have been i have seen fox during the deer season and have seen tracks and have got word from the peoples land i have hunted they have seen yotes and fox. what shalll i do!!! please any tips i would love hearing.
good hunting

jmac33

also what are the best conditons too!!! thanks

Howler

jmac33, I'd say since you've gotten Reds in the past, then you're on the right track. But, for as much effort that you're putting into it, for the lack of action, you must being missing something. When trying to call predators, especially coyotes, you need to pay attention to little details. Hunt with as much stealth as you can. Things like, make sure they can't see you, can't hear you, and most of all, they can't smell you before you call them. Make sure they don't have to cross where you walked recently. Make sure they don't hear your door slam shut, and they can't see the vehicle while they are coming to you. Try to put open area at your downwind side where you can see well. They often, not always, will try to get downwind of you. Don't under estimate thier ability to smell, and don't move any more than you have too, they can see movement very quickly, and they won't stand around to ask "what was that". If your doing all these things right, maybe try a different sound. Like jack rabbit, or wood pecker distress. Most callers that do it alot, will not go calling without 3 or more calls around thier neck. Don't be afraid to try soemthing different with your calling cadence. Such as quicker, louder, softer, less or more. Keep your calling erradic(sp). If the yelping you heard was barely audible to you, you probably needed to move in closer to them to call them. If possible, in that situation, pull out, move around to get the wind in your favor and try them again. As far as best conditions for calling, cold. The colder the better. They have to eat more when it's cold. When it's really cold, you can call them any time of day. Hope this helps. Good Luck!

coyoteseeker

the first thing you need to do before you leave the house is decide what you want to hunt,fox or coyote.generaly speaking you don't do both at the same time.although when working coyotes with howlers and distress sounds you might get a gray to come in,reds will have no part of it.with out seeing what you are doing wrong its hard to say what the problem is.since reds are your main target,are you keeping your volume down?? reds are volume sensitive and will shy away from volumes that you might use for grays and coyotes.of course when working fox you might get a coyote to responed so there again decide what you want,fox or coyote.the fox will most times come in first,especially the grays.fox hunting at night will be ten fold more productive then day time hunting.during that golden hour of first light and last light is also good.the best conditions for any predator hunting is extremely cold weather,the colder the better.throw in 6 inches of snow and you have perfect conditions.times of deep powder snow(over a foot deep)will accualy hurt the predator hunter.but after the first semi thaw when the remaining snow gets a crust on it,this is also a real good time to get out hunting.howler said it,details.small over looked details can and will ruin a coyote hunt before it starts.the experts claim that a coyote can hear a mouse under a foot of snow at 500 yards.i have never had the oppertunety to test this at 500 yards, but have at well over 300.one morning i took a stand and was giving things a few to calm down before calling,a coyote happened to stroll by.in my pocket i had a mouse squeeker.i gently squeezed it,it produced a very muffled soft bearly audible sound.the coyote instantly stoped and looked right at me.i was amazed to say the least.would he have heard it at 500 or more yards?don't know but he did at over 300.the coyotes hearing is impeckable so hunters who whisper to each other and make to much noise going to the stand are busted before they get started.this is one of the details howler is talking about.did i get that coyote??not hardly.this was totaly unexpected and i was no where near ready to pull the trigger.i was hoping he would circle around to find that mouse but he never showed.