Legionnaire

Okay, I've decided that I need to start hunting yotes. Saw a couple while on deer stands the past couple of seasons. I've read a couple of books on coyote hunting, but they all seem to be geared toward hunting out west where one can travel for miles listening for and setting up on coyotes. In contrast, I have permission to hunt on several 150-plus acre farms in Central NY.

What do I need to get started? Would like input from others who hunt yotes in NY or other northeastern states (PA, VT, NH) with similar terrain.

I'm good to go with firearms, camo, etc. What do you recommend regarding callers? Links to good online sources for same would also be welcome.

Deer season's over and I'm itchin! Thanks in advance.

cogito, ergo armatus sum.

Edited by - Legionnaire on 01/07/2002 12:16:21

coyoteseeker

most of the methods used for huntin coyotes in the west are the same for the east.the ony real difference is there are not nearly as many coyotes in the east and becouse of that they don't responed to distress crys as aggressively,they don't need to.as far as calls go,its like turkey huntin you can never have to many calls.electronic call boxes and hand calls are availible from bass pro,cabelas.another good place is from nite lite,there web site is wwwhuntsmart.com. for hand calls if your just starting out you problably should use closed reed calls.there alot easyer to use but they do tend to freeze up in cold weather.theres variable pitch calls that work real well and are easy to use and are less prone to freezing.and then of caurse theres the open reed calls that are harder to control but don't freeze up and are capable of making many different sounds.the way to tell the difference is closed reed is completely enclosed in the plastic mouth piece,you can't see it at all.open reed calls the reed is exposed on one side.variable pitch calls have plastic on either side but you can see the reed inbetween the plastic mouth pieces.electronic call boxes are made by lohman,johnny stewart,fox pro,phantom caller denise kirk, and a few other.the fox pro and the phantom caller are digital callers,theres no tapes or cd's.and there very compact.if i were to buy another one today it would be one of these.but the old conventional ones work real well.you can even make your own and call in just as many predators.a bit of advice if you don't mind,don't think that your going to go out and tear the coyote world apart it just won't happen here in ny.coyotes here in most areas are educated and very spooky when responding to distress calls.even if they aren't educated in your area,there still very smart and slick. be prepared to be outsmarted on a regular basis.be patient and don't get frustrated,in time you will get the hang of it.coyote hunting here in the east is the ultimate challange.what ever calls you do buy,practice-practice-practice and then practice some more.do not practice in the field while trying to hunt.all this serves to do is educate every coyote within earshot.coyote huntin is a blast if you relize right from the start that your not going to bag one every time you go out and you deffinetly will not bag one at every stand site.relize this from the start and you will enjoy it more.

Edited by - coyoteseeker on 01/07/2002 16:48:11

D Buck Stopzeer

Coyoteseeker,
I just got started hunting the dogs...luv it!!!
How would you go about finding places on private land (with permission of course) without having to go door to door?!?!?!

Howler

Say, D Buck, I believe you can go to the county accessors office and look at the plat maps, which will show who owns the land, but I feel that there is know better way than knocking on the doors and talking to each land owner in person.I don't let a few turn downs bother me anymore and getting to know the land owners has also yielded some new deer hunting areas for me.At least around here, most ranches will let a guy hunt coyotes, as long as you talk to them first, and eventually I get thier phone numbers and call before going to hunt on thier property so that they know that I'm going to be there and if I'm taking some one with me, I let them know that too.

Legionnaire

coyoteseeker, thanks for the tips. Just what my wife needs to hear: I need a bunch of different calls! I took a look at the Cabela's catalog and found some info on the various electronic calls you mention. The Phantom looked promising, so I checked it out on the web. Only concern I have about the digital packages (which look really light and compact) is their limited repertoire compared to one of the cassette/cd callers that let you change sounds by changing tapes. Is this a concern? What would be really cool would be a digital caller that let you download calls into it via your computer!

Do you know whether Extreme Dimension will sell the call unit independent of the speaker? I could see buying one of the whitetail boxes as well if there was a package deal . . . The thought of spending $400 for the predator AND whitetail units makes the Lohman CD call look better. (Do you know who manufactures the unit Cabela's sells under its own name?)

Appreciate the comments on being patient. For me, it's the hunt rather than the kill that makes the day. Don't get me wrong: I enjoy taking game! But being out doors and seeing game is what I really appreciate about any of the hunting sports. I need to take up coyote hunting more as an excuse to get out on a regular basis after deer season is over!

cogito, ergo armatus sum.

DeerThug

This was first year hunting. I went out with the intent of hunting Whitetails but hey, Mr. Yote pulled into range after I blew a fawn bleat. This dog came looking for me and here's the outcome

coyoteseeker

d-buck,howler has some good advice there on finding out who owns the land. legionnaire,the fact that you only get certain calls with the digatals is a concern butthose who have them say its not that big a deal.you get plenty to do the job.it would be great to be able to download your own calls into them but it isn't possible with either of them.foxpro offers a total of up to 16 different calls and if you decide that those calls just don't cut it you can send the unit back to them and they will reprogram it with what you want,for a price of course.the last time i checked the large speaker was an extra for the phantom caller,not sure what the cost is.before you buy the white tail caller you might want to check the regs,the last i knew it was illegal in N.Y. to use electronic callers for deer,turkey and any kind of waterfowl.not sure who manufactures the cabelas brand,not even sure if there any good.never known any body that has one.i'm with ya on the fact that the kill isn't every thing,i just enjoy being out there.its why i took up predator hunting,you tend to go nuts being couped up all winter long waiting for turkey to roll around.let the wife complain,i just recently found out that its a law for all nonhunting women to complain about hunting,hunting accessories and or anything related to hunting and fishing.its the only explanation i can see for why my wife complains. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>


Edited by - coyoteseeker on 01/09/2002 18:37:55