# Walking in to a stand?



## dfisher (Oct 12, 2007)

Hello Guys,

I have been reading some of the posts on here, as well as some of the articles on coyote hunting. Many of them say to quietly approach your stand site and don't silhouette yourself to any nearby coyotes.

They area that I'm hunting is, for the most part, farm country and fairly flat with just some roll to the ground. How do you approach a stand site in a situation like this? It seems as though it would be nearly impossible to get in without being seen my nearby dogs.

Anyone hunt similar country and could offer some advice?

Thanks,
Dan


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## LeviM (Dec 3, 2006)

Try entering in low light conditions.


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## kdog (Mar 13, 2007)

There must be some cover that you would be calling to. Try not to get too close to the cover, and make them come farther get to you. I liked Levi's advice, just pay attention to noise in either case. Good luck!


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## dfisher (Oct 12, 2007)

kdog said:


> There must be some cover that you would be calling to. Try not to get too close to the cover, and make them come farther get to you. I liked Levi's advice, just pay attention to noise in either case. Good luck!


Yea, I'm calling to sloughs and brushy areas that might hold gamebirds and rodents. 
I'm pretty new at this. When you say make them come farther and don't get too close, what are you talking? 300-400 yards? Half a mile or more?

Thanks for the replies and help.
Dan


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## Savage Rookie (Oct 10, 2006)

don't ridge line yourself, I know you probably don't have too much for hills but try to follow runoffs and draws as much as you can.


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## kdog (Mar 13, 2007)

Dan,

How close you get depends on how quiet you can approach, and whether it's dark or light. Generally, I would say that you would want to stay at least 300-400 yards out, but a half mile shouldn't be necessary. Again, conditions will dictate how far to go. Another factor is wind. If it is windy at all, (15 - 20 mph) you may want to get as close as you dare (300-400 yds.). If it is less windy or calm, then perhaps hang back farther.

A good guy to comment on this would be Saskcoyote, I'm sure he would have better input/experience. Maybe he will check in on this.

Good hunting! :sniper:


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## saskcoyote (Dec 30, 2006)

Hi guys: First off, kdog, good to hear from you.

Dan, as to a previous question about the coyote hunting up here: well, in a word, tough. It's just that time of year but I can't blame it all on that. There's the (how shall we say) the human factor. That's the polite way of saying 'screwed up'.

Here's what happened today and this ties into what you were wondering about stands.

I walked into the first stand of the morning, gave half a dozen lone howls, a couple group howls and then back to the lone howls. Then, with my head down and eyes focused on my FX-3 remote to switch to distress, I look up and there's a coyote 40 yards straight in front of me. I slowly tried to get the gun in position but the jig was up -- he busted me and off he went. I tried to bark him but no luck and he got behind some small hills before I could even get the crosshairs on him.

Know what, Dan? The stand I picked was as close to ideal as one could realistically expect. I was facing north. To my left I had a great view of the open field. To my right, same thing. The only problem was straight in front of me with that small hill.

I looked at it, calculated the odds that a coyote would come from that direction and thought those odds were manageable. Wouldn't you know it, against the odds he showed up at the absolutely best point for him and the worst point for me.

When I mess up, I always try to figure out what I could have done better in hopes I'll eliminate that same mistake in the future.

Here's what I'd do different. I had great views of the large majority of the field which the coyote would have to cross to get to the call. That small hill was the only problem. What I should have done to eliminate any problems that small hill could have caused was to place my caller at a different angle. Instead of positioning it staright north in front of me, I should have placed it to the northwest or northeast.

That way a yote responding to the call wouldn't have had me in his line of vision as he approached the call. As well, it would have neutralized -- or at least diminished -- the potential for problems.

I like to think it was a case of tremendous bad luck as well: that second where I was concentrating on the remote was the exact time he showed up. Had he been there a second earlier or a second later he would have been done like dinner.

Here's the rub. You walk into a stand, try to find a perfect one but that almost never happens. So what do you do? Pick the stand that's the next best thing.

I was taken by surprise by the yote this morning. he was on me so quickly that he couldn't have been more than a couple hundred yards at the most.

The distance I set up for the target area I hope to pull a coyote from differs. Today, I was expecting to pull one from about 300 yards away. Other times, I set up right beside a bush that I expect to draw something in from.

It's more a function of the terrain I hunt than anything. I don't call large expanses of open territory so my calls aren't usually more than 300-400 yards.

As far as walking in, I try to hug hedgerows, bush, etc. anything to make me less conspicuous. One poster here said walk into a stand in low light conditions. That's great -- for the first stand of the day and maybe for the last one -- but the ones in between are the ones you have to deal with.

I also don't walk long distances from the truck. I try to get into a stand as quickly as possible so I usually don't walk in more than 300-400 yards. My theory is the less time you spend walking, the less time you'll be exposed.

There, that's my two cents worth. It generally works for me but not always. Hope it's of some assistance to you.

PS: kdog, I was telling you my wife was headed to North Carolina and she agreed to pick me up a Song Dog. Well, she said she shopped and shopped and shopped but couldn't find one. No matter how many stores she went into, stores like Today's Woman, Fashions by Francine, Paris Boutique and so on, she couldn't find a Song Dog. I ordered one from an American company and it should be here within a week or so. Then those coyotes better be careful.

In the meantime, good luck and shoot straight. Saskcoyote


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## dfisher (Oct 12, 2007)

kdog, saskcoyote, that's a great help. Thank you.

I've been looking over this area that I know holds a coyote or two. Actually there are a couple other areas (sloughs) within easy earshot of a coyote nearby also. I haven't gone out this week, as I've a cold and am hacking and coughing around and would scare everything around. I've been looking it over though and there are a couple of places that I might, depending on the wind, be able to set up without being overly exposed.

I guess to go along with my question about walking into a stand sight, I should have also asked about how far you park from your stands? Sask, you said you don't park too far away, to limit the amount of time you spend walking in. Do vehicles parked along a road or in a field entrance spook coyotes and hurt your chances of success?

Also, when you go on stand, what do you do? I guess from my experience at hunting groundhogs and from the classic predator hunting pics I've seen, I think of being on the high ground, on your belly, rifle set before you on a bipod. Do you set up like this or do you set against a tree or brush to break up your outline? Maybe you, at times stand too?

Do you find that you have some stands that require a certain wind to be useable? This place I have in mind is, I think, going to require a wind from the easterly direction, north, or south. Is finding stands that need a certain wind to be huntable pretty common in this hunting?

Thanks for the replies guys. Sorry to be a nuisance,
Dan


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## Jrbhunter (May 24, 2006)

Whoa there Dan! Don't over-complicate the approach too much.

Don't stress over it if you can't breakup your outline... or if you have to crash through some loud weeds or corn stubble. Don't worry about getting too far away from the truck... but if trucks aren't commonly parked in the area I'd expect a coyote to act hoaky around it when you ask him to approach too close. If the truck is in plain sight I'll try to get at least 300 yards from it; but generally I can put the truck behind a barn or some bails or in with some other farm equipment.

You touched briefly on the most important part of a setup and that's wind direction. There are definately times you don't want to make a stand; and I organize my hunting spots accordingly. With a northerly wind I know I have X amount of options in this county and X amount of spots in that county. I never force a stand anymore- that's a mistake I used to make in the effort of saving gas and being more efficient with my time. Nowadays I realize how bad that will screw up coyotes and waste an otherwise good spot... so I'm very strict on usage of my primary stands according to wind direction.

Say you need an east wind for that setup. In a perfect world, you'd park well to the West.... out of sight.... and walk in without disturbing much good bedding area. Remember your scent cone exists not only while you are on the stand, but when you are coming and going as well. If you walk in from the north- with an east wind- you are broadcasting that scent briefly across everything to your eventual NW.

I don't like walking in the dark unless I'm night hunting. If I'm hunting right at daylight I like to keep the playfield even and wait until my eyes are working as well. Every once in a while you'll pick up a mousing coyote on the walk in- and those are just bonus's for dues paid elsewhere!

Don't worry about getting elevation or laying on your belly. Find a place that you think the coyote will feel comfortable accessing, watch for things he'll prefer like farm roads/ridgelines or brushy drainages. Once you locate areas that you believe the coyote will use... simply find a place to hide as he manipulates the terrain to his advantage. That advantage will become his weakness, as coyotes are somewhat predictable in their approach. With you well hidden, waiting, and expecting a 140 yard shot at the end of a fencerow, you have removed a lot of the variables from the equation. Sitting in an area of high visibility may leave you vulnerable to an incoming coyote; I prefer to be a few yards back into the woods (outline breakup) with my rifle positioned on a couple "areas of interest". 
Good luck;


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## jerry hunsley (Jan 20, 2006)

Coyotes associate an upright sihouette of a man as danger. Sometimes when I make an direct approach to your stand all you can do is hunker down in a crouched position and move slowly until you get to your place you want to call. Does it work all the time? No, but some of the times. I think move slowly is the key in that situation.


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## kdog (Mar 13, 2007)

Dan,

As for the vehicle, it is always best to hide it. If I couldn't hide it, then I would be more than 300 yds from it (the farther the better) - that's just me, I wouldn't feel good about it. I think it is rare though that a hiding place couldn't be located.

Wind is everything (well, almost) when it comes to setups. Just make sure that the wind is blowing in such a way that you can see an incoming coyote and make a shot before it gets downwind of you. Not really all that complicated.

As far as laying, sitting, standing, I would suggest that you decide based on your personal ability to hit the target. I personally would never stand, unless possibly using a shotgun in a wooded setting. I'm not the best shot, so I choose to lay prone when possible, and shoot much better when doing so. My hunting buddy doesn't like to lay prone, but he shoots better than I from a sitting position. Again, it's all what you are comfortable with. Usually the terrain will allow you to do either - if you look around a little before setting up.

When it comes to being elevated, I think that it is an advantage - as long as you can stay below the crest of whatever rise or hill you are on. Be sure that you are not skylined from a coyotes view.

If you can put yourself in a position that affords you shade, causes an incoming coyote to look into the sun, gets you some elevation, is somewhat comfortable (whether sitting or laying), and you can feel the breeze on your face or cheek - then you have given yourself a great chance to score if you succeed in calling one in.

Good luck calling! :sniper:


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## saskcoyote (Dec 30, 2006)

Hi Dan: kdog and Jrbhunter pretty well summed up the situation from my perspective. I never lay prone because it reduces my field of vision too much, but then again I'm not hunting large, wide-open expanses of territory like many of you guys do.

I never use shooting stix or bi-pods. Because of the territory I hunt (wood lots and bushes adjacent to open fields) the large majority of dogs I shoot are pulled in from that cover. And I'm getting experienced enough to read where they'll most likely come. In my hunts, the action happens quickly and I don't have the luxury of seeing them come in from half a mile away. Thus, using shooting sticks or a bi-pod would be awkward when I'm trying to get on a dog if he comes in from another direction 50 yards away.

Although I have a pretty good inkling where the coyote will come in from, I still get surprised. For example, the last post I made detailed how the coyote appeared on the crest of a small hill. Well, that hill comprised about five per cent of the total area from which I expected the yote to come.

I played the odds and got beaten, not necessarily because I had the hill in front of me but, on reflection, more so because of tremendously bad timing. Had I not been focused on the FX-3 remote for that instance, that dog would have been dead. Because that hill was my most vulnerable spot, I paid the most attention to it but had to take my eyes off the crest of that hill for a second and that's when the yote appeared. Just goes to prove that if baseball is a game of inches, coyote hunting is a game of seconds.

As with every area I walk into, I consider the pro's and con's of each likely area to set up. Even with the small hill in front of me, it was still the best location.

I set up in a small island of willow-poplar in a cultivated field. Had I set up 20 yards to my right, I would have had a very restricted view of the large expanse of field to the northeast, and would have been restricted by another small hill. Had I set up to my left 30 yards away, my view was restricted to the northwest and west. Plus, the cover for a set-up wasn't as good and would have made me more visible.

Which brings me to another point. Because I'm not a great free-hand shot and because the terrain I hunt isn't conducive to shooting prone, I shoot kneeling. Thus, I alway try to have a couple trees right in front of me -- not just because it breaks up my outline but because those trees offer me a ready-made rest.

I shoot the large majority of my coyotes from the 40-50-60 yard range so having cover is a top priority for me. The tree-for-a-rest thing isn't necessary for the 50-yarders but it's nice to have when I'm forced to take the 150-yard shot.

As for hiding the truck, I'm probably in a different situation that most of you who hunt wide-open area. Because of the woody country I hunt I don't have a problem hiding the truck. I often get to a set-up within 100 yards of where I park. (I've also got a secret weapon when it comes to hiding the truck but I'll tell you about it some other time LOL).

I read an article in a magazine my wife brought back from her trip to North Carolina (although, kdog, she couldn't find even a single Song Dog in all those women's stores she went into -- the Song Dogs must have been all sold out to fanatical female coyote hunters). That article said: "Be basic, be brief and be gone".

That credo matches perfectly the way I hunt. My first consideration is wind, I won't work stands if the wind isn't to my liking. I don't take a lot of do-dads into a set-up (I don't use a decoy anymore), I call a stand for 15 minutes unless I get a response, and I get out just as I go in, quickly.

That's how I hunt and I've enjoyed decent success although since deer since started, I've had to work for every dog I call in and I don't expect it'll improve a whole lot until after Christmas.

This is a lengthy post -- I've got a bad habit of doing it -- but discussing coyote hunting isn't something that can be done in few words. What would be the best scenario is to have you and kdog (and even some other guys who are as crazy about yote hunt as I am) up here in Saskatchewan for a weekend of yote hunting during which a couple days in the field would enable us to trade suggestions. Unfortunately, as kdog is aware, that's not possible, at least at this juncture, due to regulations.

In the meantime, keeping asking questions and I'm hoping that the guys on this site can provide the answers you and others seek.

Good luck and shoot straight. Saskcoyote


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## dfisher (Oct 12, 2007)

Thans for all the kind responses. There is a ton of information in these posts. I'll be thinking about this for awhile. :lol:

Tell me though, when you guys decide on a stand, what makes you decide? Seeing a coyote? Maybe the place looks similar to a stand that you've had luck at in the past? Sign? Or do you just stop by and try it and see what happens?

This country is so big and they aren't exactly like a flock of snow geese or a covey of pheasants where you can see them a long way off or they are just standing by the road, by their cover. Something has to clue you in that a particular spot my be excellent an coyote area.

Thanks again for the replies. 
Dan


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

When I look for stands I like to find areas void of roads (this is where good maps come in), with a water supply, good food source for rodents (sunflowers, CRP, etc.) nearby, cover for the coytes, and a place I can get a good vantage point and have good visibility. And yes, if I have seen a predator there that helps too.


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## Rich Cronk (Nov 8, 2007)

I see that there are a few coyote callers of great knowledge here right now, so here comes a question that I would like to see some feedback on. We know that a coyote usually likes to circle down-wind before it's final approach. Suppose that you know of a thicket which requires your approach from the south. The wind is blowing straight out of the north this morning. Would you call the thicket, even though you know that the coyotes would have to approach with the wind at their back?


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## coyote_buster (Mar 11, 2007)

from what i understood from that you would be downwind of the thicket with no cover downwind of you. If that is what you meant of course i would call that area. I wouldnt think they would like going in the open so i am guessing he is going to be on the edge of the thicket so you would probably want to be within shooting range of the thicket.


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Rich

I think I have the layout you are talking about right in my mind.

I would try to cross wind it. I like calling cross wind when I can. I suppose a lot of this does depend on the other terrain that is available. For instance if there is a concelled way to approach the stand, the visibility you will have once you set up to call, and perhaps even the position of the sun so you can sit in the shade and get the sun in the approaching coyotes eyes.


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## dfisher (Oct 12, 2007)

Rich Cronk said:


> I see that there are a few coyote callers of great knowledge here right now, so here comes a question that I would like to see some feedback on. We know that a coyote usually likes to circle down-wind before it's final approach. Suppose that you know of a thicket which requires your approach from the south. The wind is blowing straight out of the north this morning. Would you call the thicket, even though you know that the coyotes would have to approach with the wind at their back?


 I don't have a clue, but I'm gonna take a shot in the dark at this one. :lol:

I'd say that if a coyote(s) are in the thicket, they are probably going to be on the downwind side. This only makes since to me, as it would keep them out of the wind and they can observe anything trying to approach from downwind, slipping out to the north and having the wind in their favor if danger approaches. 
I think that I would try to work it out so I could get in on a cross wind, either east or west of the thicket, depending on which side had the most cover/terrain to allow an approach. 
But, I guess a lot might depend on the terrain to the south of the thicket too. But, for my money, I'll try the cross wind. I have always had good luck with it for everything else, so why not?

Good hunting,
Dan


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## Jaybic (Sep 8, 2005)

Hey all,

I agree with you guys about trying to get crosswind from it but being that rich said it "required" a south wind approach I would not call it at all unless the wind was minimal to nonexistant and I could get to my chosen stand unseen. otherwise I would move on and this is my logic:

As was mentioned, I think the coyote would hang out on the south side(lee side) to be out of the wind and yet let his nose watch his back while his eyes guarded his front. If he leaves to go hunt it will probably be into the wind(north) the way any hunting dog would normally work, which would be thru the thicket and you wont get a shot anyway. The only way to get the sun at your back when facing north is in the middle of the day and then its probably too high to do you any good, although it would work of the situation were turned east to west!

Also, the sound of your call is being carried away from him due to the north wind so if its blowing very hard he may not even hear you.

I also like to give them every reason to come in and make it real easy so they dont have a good reason to say "no thanks" to my rabbit meal. If they have to go to far around me to get wind of "that dying rabbit", maybe its not woth it to the coyote.

If he only has to circle a couple hundred yards out to the left or right of the thicket, he can confirm that dead rabbit with his nose and then stop by for his meal. I just want to make sure when he steps out to circle down wind that I can get crosshairs on him before he gets my wind, so I like a crosswind that is slightly quartering towards what I am trying to pull the coyote out of. I want him to think" Wow, this is easy! I just circle out here a bit and if its the dying rabbit it sounds like, its time to eat.

Thats the last thought that I want in his head before he gets a 50gr sleeping pill!

Otherwise in the same setup I would wait for an e/se wind or a w/sw wind and it would be perfect IMHO.

At least this is just my best guess anyway. :beer:

Jaybic


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## Jrbhunter (May 24, 2006)

Rich Cronk said:


> Would you call the thicket, even though you know that the coyotes would have to approach with the wind at their back?


My .02;

Never try to make a coyote do something he doesn't want to do. If he does something stupid on his own, take advantage of it, otherwise... don't require ignorance of him. It's a low perecentage bet.

I approach coyote stands differently than a lot of folks I know. I look for ways to make it easy on the coyote to comfortably work the stand. If he wants the wind, give him a chance at it. If he wants some cover, give him the option. Give him ALMOST everything he needs to bust you and you'll kill more coyotes. That's my experience anyway.


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## Jaybic (Sep 8, 2005)

Jrbhunter,

I agree with you 101%. You just said everything that I was trying to say with alot less words! :beer:

Jaybic


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## Rich Cronk (Nov 8, 2007)

I agree with the cross-wind guys, and I give JRB an A+ on his above post also. I used to call with wind in my face, but that was during my early days. :wink: I like the cross-wind approach, and will call sort of "Down-winderly" when possible but I don't place my self directly upwind of the honey hole either. 8)


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