18 replies to this topic

[dangerranger]

At the feed store today I got an invite to shoot a new place. They have free range chickens and have been loosing quite a few lately. They have noticed a coyote hanging around lately mostly in the evenings. the owner said he has shot at it a few times but have yet to connect.

Now Im unproven at calling but Im really good at sitting quietly under a shade tree. So do You all think I should take a chance at calling or play it safe and wait it out? DR

[GSH]

I had never called the first time I went hunting, started with an e-caller, ran the batterys down broke out the hand caller and in it came. Give it a try the worst that will happen you will not see the coyote.

[Frank]

It won't hurt to call... you can always wait in ambush any time. Calling adds another method to slay him & will be a lot more fun. And if he has never been tricked by a caller, he should be very easy to call in. And again, a lot more exciting & fun. If using a mouth call, do not worry about sounding good on it. Don't need to.

Good Luck

[Bisley]

Now Im unproven at calling but Im really good at sitting quietly under a shade tree.

You throw in a pillow and bottle of good whiskey and can't nobody compete with me at this! And I can do it for hours



Good luck, and be sure to let us know what happens.

[KNOCKED UP]

After seeing some of these video's on u tube,
I wouldn't worry, you could probally call them in with an Elk call.
Tom

[Yote hunter]

Did you go After them yet?

[rustygun]

Update? Inquiring minds whant to know.

[dangerranger]

Ive been out twice, the first time the owners dogs broke loose and were having such a fit that nothing would come in. I have such good luck with farm dogs! The second time out we set up farther out from the house and I caught a look at a coyote but out of range and in a direction I wasn't prepared to shoot. I rember a house being in that direction. But after driving around later I have a better outlook of where all the houses are within a couple of miles.[ all but one are near the road.]

Friday Im hosting a horse show for the 4H kids, but sat and sun Ill be back at it. DR

[BCF]

Keep going. Another thing I've found is that if I can see the coyotes BEFORE they see me, I can usually call them in. The opposite also holds- if they see ME first, then I can never call them in! So, if you see one a ways off, CALL THEM IN! I've seen them come charging in from 2000 yards. Very exciting to watch them coming in, and anticipating what's going to happen when they get close enough....

Like you, I'm learning. Luckily, we have some good teachers here. Most important thing is the wind. I got one of those "Windicators" last week. I used to carry light weeds around and rip them up to test the wind. I really love the windicator, because I can just stop my truck, hold it out the window and decide whether to park before my area, or after the area so I can hike up or down to my stand with the wind roughly in my face. As for the call- use the one you have most confidence in, and use your gut feeling on how to make it sound. Sometimes I'll call frantically, sometimes- long sad calls. Sometimes call for 10 seconds and stop, other times call for a minute or two straight. Trust your gut.

[Thumper Dunker]

Well if you want to make sure you get the cicken eater wait. If you call you might get one that never been there before. A chicken thief might be a bit wizer than one that will come to a call easy.IMO . I would go and wait acouple of times then call.

[acewhite]

Ive been out twice, the first time the owners dogs broke loose and were having such a fit that nothing would come in. I have such good luck with farm dogs! The second time out we set up farther out from the house and I caught a look at a coyote but out of range and in a direction I wasn't prepared to shoot. I rember a house being in that direction. But after driving around later I have a better outlook of where all the houses are within a couple of miles.[ all but one are near the road.]

Friday Im hosting a horse show for the 4H kids, but sat and sun Ill be back at it. DR

Google Earth is an excellent tool for checking out your hunting territory for potential hazards.
Just a suggestion- best of luck!!

[dangerranger]

I got out at sun up this morning to hunt. The owners are up north so I had the place to myself. I had picked out two places to make a stand from. So I'm walking out to the first one and I see 6 cotton tails in about 75 yds. I get to the fallen tree Im going to use as cover, and another one shoots out. I get seated and within 5 min I see a pair of coyotes zig zaging through the brush at about 350yds, but they are going away from me. So I try my best distress call, Both coyotes look up and then right back to what they were doing! I try it again and get the same reaction. Now I pull out my best Pup in Distress, and still nothing! they just kept going.

I then try a few more calls and try another stand. I just get sat down and a lone coyote walks to within 70yds, sits down and starts scratching its ears. I have a clear view of his head and shoulders. I hadn't gotten my sticks set up yet so I'm trying to get the cross hairs on him when he sees me and ducks down! I was busted because I wasn't ready. After that no amount of calling was going to help so I called it a hunt. And Ill be back at it this evening. DR

[dangerranger]

I caught the chicken thief today! He came out of some brush at the fence line at a full run, sprinted to a chicken that had wandered to far out, and was on his way out when a 223 caught him just behind the ribs and exited just in front of the opposite shoulder. When he piled up he dropped the chicken. It ran off and mixed in with the others so I could not tell how bad it was wounded. I was surprised at how he came in. the fence is field wire [4"squares] up 3' and two strands of barb wire above that. I was watching three places he had dug under before. But this time he just jumped over the field wire and under the barb wire. I shot him as he slowed to make his jump. Of course this could also mean that the digger is still out there. While watching this place Ive seen quite a few coyotes. Calling has had no effect on them at all. I'm thinking that they are well fed and I need to appeal to something other than their stomachs.

I also met the neighbor today, He said I could shoot anything on his side of the fence also. There are no cattle on his property till Sept or Oct. He said his family comes out for the Dove opener but after that I was welcome to shoot doves and quail there also.

So not a bad day already! DR

[Frank]

Way to go DR... And pretty cool getting more land to hunt in the process. Guess that's what happens when making the land (& chicken) owners happy, eh? lol

Yeah, them coyotes sound spoiled. Perhaps somekind of coyote vocals (or) could be tried? Callenge howls, fox/coyote fighting etc.

Anyway,

[ShooterJohn]

Good shooting glad to hear you got him.

[Bisley]

Nice going. It would have been really great to have been able to snap a pic of that dog in mid-jump. Always amazing how agile wild game is.

[Thumper Dunker]

Way to go on getting the thief. More land is always a cool. Have you tried chickin distres stuff. Again good job.

[dangerranger]

Bisley, I just need to rember to bring a camera. As cheap as little digital cameras are I should just put one in each truck. Or get a phone with a camera.

Thumper, I'm not sure about a chicken distress But Ive learned to do a pretty good House cat imitation. that comes in handy along the edges of a housing tract. DR

[rustygun]

getting the thief and finding another place to take care of business. Thumper you beat to the chicken calls to use.