Locating eastern coyotes

[Mountainman11b]

So I’m out attempting to locate some coyotes tonight. I’m new, it never even occurred to me to locate them before you hunt them until last weekend, right before daylight an ambulance siren off in the distance caused the coyotes in the area I was hunting to light up, that spot resulted in the only coyote of the day so I’m giving it a shot.

I’m thinking I’ve just picked a bad night for this, we have had a few good rains this week move through and another one just starting to hit now.

I’ve been picking high ground in likely looking areas, lone howling ( my caller is down at the moment, I’m waiting on a new battery holder, or else I’d be trying the siren), waiting about 2-3 minutes then moving on. I’ve hit about a dozen spots so far and have only gotten one dog to respond.

The local geography is hilly, rural and suburban with about a mix between 30% hardwoods, 30% hay fields/neighborhoods, 20% cattle fields and 20% thickets/over grown fields. (Ballpark percentages)

Can anyone offer up any advice on what I should be doing, What I need to change, things to consider, etc?

Also,

do you take into account roadkill coyotes during your scouting?

In certain areas of high Turkey populations, would it be safe to assume that the predator population is pretty low?

 

[Dzeek]

You didnt mention wind direction when calling. In my book that is always the number 1 thing to think of first. Your howls may not get a vocal response but the dogs may move in to invstigate, if they wind ya they are gone. Now u educated them and made a hard to kill animal even harder.
As far as calling to get a response, i use female howls this time of year more because its mating season. I mainly use my lucky duck roughneck but i also use mfk diagrams to call with.

 

[Mountainman11b]

I honestly didn’t think about it. There are roads all over the place so every so often I’d pull over, get out, and let out a howl. I didn’t really have an idea where they might be, I was just spraying and praying with my howls.

 

[Mountainman11b]

Ok, I gave it another shot tonight. Hit 6 spots, located one pocket of coyotes in a 4 acre block of timber/thicket in a cow pasture.

Ended up hanging the caller in the back of the truck. Pulling up to spots, hitting the group howl, got out listened for a couple minutes then headed out again.

 

[83cj-7]

Ok, I gave it another shot tonight. Hit 6 spots, located one pocket of coyotes in a 4 acre block of timber/thicket in a cow pasture.

Ended up hanging the caller in the back of the truck. Pulling up to spots, hitting the group howl, got out listened for a couple minutes then headed out again.

This is exactly why east coast coyotes are so hard to call in. Stop educating them! Every pickup truck that pulls off the road sounds like a coyote or a baby rabbit!

By buddy and I have been on a stand with NVGs and have seen trucks drive through fields with the caller hanging out the window blaring and a red light out the other side. No wonder a coyote won’t come to a call.

I’ve killed several coyotes but very few have ever come to a call. Most of them were shot while deer or groundhog hunting.

 

[FLATHEAD]

It is tough here in the East. And for me, it's so
tough it just doesnt work.

 

[Skerhunter]

If your coyotes are tough to hunt, I don't think locating them with a call at the truck is a great idea, you are probably just going to educate them further. I locate them by listening at sunset on calm nights and then making my stand based on their location. I have a few areas that I hunt where you really only get a couple good chances at killing them, so I try to make it count. But I'm still educating all of the ones that don't get shot on those stands.

 

[Mountainman11b]

so I’m not driving through fields, and I’m not driving through the woods.

I’m driving down paved roads that see plenty of traffic. Sometimes I’m stopping in the middle of the road or stop signs if it’s not traveled that heavy, sometimes I pull into church parking lots, sub stations, rail road crossings, marinas, etc.

I’m making calls, listening for a response, once hearing a response, I open my map, give my best guess as to where those coyotes are on the map from the direction and volume of their response, figuring out what would be my best route into the area and best stand location, then the following day asking permission to hunt from the property owner for where I want to be at.

 

[Skerhunter]

so I’m not driving through fields, and I’m not driving through the woods.

I’m driving down paved roads that see plenty of traffic. Sometimes I’m stopping in the middle of the road or stop signs if it’s not traveled that heavy, sometimes I pull into church parking lots, sub stations, rail road crossings, marinas, etc.

I’m making calls, listening for a response, once hearing a response, I open my map, give my best guess as to where those coyotes are on the map from the direction and volume of their response, figuring out what would be my best route into the area and best stand location, then the following day asking permission to hunt from the property owner for where I want to be at.

Understood - but you are risking further educating any that come into those calls or any coyotes that are already down wind of you.

 

[Mountainman11b]

Well how do you find them without doing so?

 

[Skerhunter]

What you are doing but without calling - just hang out and listen around sunset. Talk to land owners - they will be hearing or seeing them in the same areas all of the time. Go hunt and find out where they like to live. If you have success in a spot this year, safe bet next year will produce as well.

 

[sneaky]

It's breeding season this time of year and denning season. Coyotes are extremely s territorial this time of year. Use that to your advantage

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[npro04]

I’m not sure where you are located but I’m in Ohio and the yotes here are beyond educated due to every Tom dick and Harry screaming rabbit in distress calls and not paying attention to the wind or not making the shot. Similar to walking down a trail in CO squeezing the piss out of a hoochie mama and not seeing elk. Some of the other guys are on it. Just listen around sunrise and sunset. This time of year I do best just being discreet and listening. Once I hear a couple I’ll use female or juvenile howls trying to work on the territorial mating season. Or I’ve had good luck using a peacock turkey locator call. But it’s all a one and done kinda deal. If you go in calling and don’t kill it then you’ve just made that coyote even harder to get to commit to calls. It only takes a couple blown opportunities to fully educate one.