Late summer and early fall is a great time to hunt coyotes. Young coyotes are on their own for the first time, and like youngsters of any species, they are not savvy to the ways of the world. You can take advantage of these young coyotes and the many mistakes they will make.
Young coyotes are relatively easy to call. You don't have to be an expert to work them into gun range.
Start simple. That may be all it takes to call a young dog to the gun. Simple barks and yips are non-threatening and young 'yotes will often investigate out of curiosity and loneliness. Simply huff the word "huff" into a reed type call or mouth call. Knight and Hale, Primos all make quality coyote calls.
If the simple contact bark, or yip, does not do the trick after 30 minutes or so, try a friendly, non-threatening howl. Other coyotes, particularly young ones, will regard this as a welcoming "let's get together." Place your leaps further up the reed and blow a quick puff of air. Continue blowing for about five seconds. Then let the sound taper off all the way to the end of the series.
A friendly series of howls begins gradually and gets higher in the middle. The best run on the call is a long, lonely, melodic sound with no sharp spikes in the sound.
Alex Rutledge, of Birch Tree, Missouri, is an avid coyote hunter. "I like to put some friendly barks and howls together," Rutledge said. "That seems to be an invitation call. It sometimes brings in several coyotes, or an individual dog may try to sneak in to see which of his brethern is offering the invitation."
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| Johnny Stewart Whimper Coyote Predator Call |
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| Knight & Hale Moon Howler Coyote Call |
A good series includes two long friendly howls, a friendly bark, a pause, then a howl followed by a longer howl. It seems to work, according to Rutledge.
A combination of calls can also be useful when calling fall coyotes. One of the most popular series among coyote callers is a run of short barks, followed by a distress call of a prey species.
Couple your favorite coyote call with your favorite prey in distress call and you have a deadly combination according to Gary Lee, another avid coyote hunter in southern Missouri. "Setting up a scenario as if a coyote is closing in on a rabbit for the kill is more than a young coyote can often handle," he said. "They actually will bark a few times as they are closing in to share the kill."
Fall is full of hunting seasons. However, if you are in camp for a few hours and need a little predatory stimulation of your own to pass the time, pick up your coyote calls and do a little howling. Howling around the campfire, after the hunt, is a great way to spend an evening, too.
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