# getting into some coyote hunting , tips, advice ?



## AK-47 (Aug 21, 2009)

I used to hunt a lot as a kid and then I got lost for a while and now after 15 years I plan on getting back into hunting again. From the Bismarck area, My interest is fur bearing animals. I plan to hunt some coyote this fall/winter and have a few questions. 
1. What times of day do u feel best for coyotes ? I was thinking about sitting out at nights with decent moon light. What time would be good though, 12 midnight or perhaps 4 am I don't know.
2. What would be the best type of call to use, just a wounded rabbit ? 
3. Does anyone like to use bait or both bait and calling ? 
4. Positioning, where should I be positioned, Top of highest point ? 100 , 200 yds out ? I have access to farmland in the family would it be good to bait in a field or maybe a empty pasture ? I will be using a 223 caliber gun So i'm thinking I want to get them in at least 200 yds or closer.

I'm sure I'll have many more questions in the future but just a few basic things I thought I'd get some opinions about and I realize the area can depend on a lot of factors but a general observation on these issues I appreciate it.


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

Night hunting seems to be best from about half hour before sunset to a few hours after sunset, than again a few hours before sunrise to an hour or so after sunrise. Just as in mid-day, there seems to be lull in the dead of night.

Jackrabbit works just fine. As does a cottontail, bird distresses, fawn distresses........lots of sounds out there.

Bait can work.

Set up in the best position to make the terrain, wind, sun, and other environmental conditions work in your favor. This may be 200 yards out, or it may be half a mile out or more.


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## Snowgooser (Mar 28, 2008)

I don't know a single thing about night hunting, other than we can't do it in Canada. Everything else Jack said is right on IMO. The only thing I will add is when picking your location don't skyline yourself. I usually try and sit off the peak of a hill just enough that I can't be skylined, but still have a commanding view. I read an article about baiting coyotes at stand locations. I can't remember a whole lot about it, but if I can find it I will post it for you.


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## Marine Sniper (Aug 23, 2009)

well i would say 200 yards but i carry a shotty cause in a lot of cases they come bolting 25 or so yards away towards u and u just need to skatter it i like a few hours before sunrise thats my favorite time.


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## kingcanada (Sep 19, 2009)

Bismark is a little different terrain than i hunt for coyotes here in wyoming, but i am familiar with the area.
first off, time of day depends on time of year and weather. i only hunt yotes during the months when they have prime pelts, it's a respect thing. but during warm weather hunt early and late in the day, especially dawn and dusk. dawn and dusk are peak times year round and coyotes are more aggressive at these times. however, i hunt often when the high temps hover around zero. during such cold weather, late morning through afternoon is best. reason is that the prey will be out only during the warmest part of the day and coyotes will focus on this. i have done the all night run many times, i can't say that it is the magic wand some claim it is. i kill more dogs by day.
any distress call works, but pup distress is what i rely on when the chips are down. i have heard excellent reports about feral pig distress calls, but have no interest in packing an e-caller for dogs. i already carry a pair of crows. more on that later.
shotgun? i quit carrying my 10 ga. last year after becoming proficient with running shots with my rifles. that only took me 18 years! :sniper: but i killed many dogs with T steel shot from the 10 ga. lead bb's were highly recommended, but never broke ribs like T steel. hevi shot costs too much for me since i go out 3-4 days a week in the winter. in the rolling hills and brush thickets along the missouri river, i would absolutely say take your scattergun.
for location, i sit much lower than others do. i used to sit near the top of the hill, but often had coyotes hang up (calling /hunting pressure is VERY high here and the dogs get wise instantly). after i started taking friends out on stand i realized that a coyote at only 20" tall can see you skylined well below a hill top unless you have pretty tall brush behind you. now i often work the flats and sit at the base of the hills instead. my results have improved greatly. you don't always see them coming from as far away though! i will use the top of a hill if i intend to lay prone though. if hunting pressure is light in you area, call up wind. if coyotes are hunted a lot there now, always call cross wind and setup to shoot down wind. once they have been hunted in an area the dogs almost always circle downwind on you. i use a pair of avery fully flocked crow decoys to divert the coyote from my scent stream. i went to 2 because with one, they would often come in at attack speed and leave even quicker once they touched that crow! now they have to stop and choose one first. this is when they die! use the flocked crows only. if you think shiny decoys scare geese, just wait till you try it with yotes!
bait? if you have a spot to set it, do it. try to use a dead cow or something that will last awhile. i have seen coyotes kill a wounded antelope and consume it down to the bones overnight! of course there were a lot of coyotes in that area. a bait set may attract over a dozen.


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## kingcanada (Sep 19, 2009)

didn't mean to write a novel, just been doing this successfully for a long time. one thing i forgot about calling, don't sound like a broken record. vary your cadence, pitch and timing between series. many electronic calls (most) are basically a feedback loop of sounds, coyotes learn this real quick. if electronic is your thing, then keep this in mind when searching for good sounds. you can sit down and record an entire 15-20 minute session with a mouth call and download it into some of the mp3 type callers though. remember, a dying rabbit doesn't try keep a tune, neither should you. try to make it sound like the world is coming to an end for 30 seconds or so, then wait a few minutes. if a coyote is coming in, let him come. don't call again until he starts to lose interest. if he stops and looks at you then to the side, to you and back to side repeatedly, you probably have another coyote sneaking up from the direction he keeps glancing to. how all this helps. bring 'em and sting 'em!


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