Coyote Calls...Try A Fawn Distress Call For Spring And Summer Coyote Calling

The Coyote Calls I use vary depending on the area and the season of the year.

First let's cover area.

If I know an area has not been hunted before I will almost always use a rabbit distress call. On the other hand if I know it has had some hunting pressure from other predator hunters I will probably use a different call.

Now don't get me wrong. I like it that more and more hunters are starting to enjoy predator hunting. But I also know that when hunters are new to calling coyotes they use rabbit distress calls almost exclusively. I also know that there lack of experience makes for a lot of smart coyotes.

Since I know this I will change up my calling when in previously hunted areas. Maybe some coyote vocalizations or a fawn distress or bird distress.

Now let's talk about season

At the time of this post it is mid May here in Missouri. Turkey season is just over and deer are giving birth to fawns.....Ding Ding Ding!

Yep it's time to use the fawn distress call. One draw back to this is you are going to call in some deer as well.

The up side is that those old opportunistic coyotes know what time of year it is too. Coyotes dine on different critters at different times of the year and it is prime time for fawn distress calling.

If you have deer in your area and I bet you do...get out your fawn distress call and get out there and give it a go.

Good Luck and Great Hunting!
Grizz

Coyote Decoy...Here's How I Use Them

COYOTE DECOY

Flambeau make a great coyote decoy. In my opinion they really did their homework when designing it because they have made it in such a way that it can be placed in a standing position, a sitting position, or a prone position.

This matters for a couple of reasons to me. One is the wind. When I am calling in a fairly stiff wind I sit that decoy on it's hind end to make it more stable. Let's it not catch quite as much wind as it does when it is standing.

The second reason is the coyote decoys posture. A standing coyote has the appearance of a more aggressive posture. Where as a sitting or prone position coyote decoy would appear to be a less aggressive posture.

HERE'S HOW I SETUP MY COYOTE DECOY IN A GIVEN CALLING SITUATION

For Instance If I am doing a Challenge Howl

I will stand my coyote decoy up when in this situation. Hey I'm challenging him with my call so why not make my decoy look like a challenger? Works well for getting an alpha coyote all pumped up!

Other Ways I Use The Coyote Decoy

I have played with this decoy just about every way you can imagine. I have even placed fur in it's mouth when making distress calls so it looks like the decoy coyote has already made the kill.

Do you need a coyote decoy to be a successful coyote hunter? The answer is no. But I can tell you from experience that anything I can do to draw an incoming coyotes attention away from me, all adds up to a better percentage of coyotes killed.

Add A Crow Call To Your Arsenal

A new subscriber here named John brought to my attention the use of a crow call along with distress calls when he's out calling coyotes. I used to do this dog gone it, but forgot all about it in my recent years of experimenting with different calling techniques. Thanks for reminding me John!

I'm gonna share with you John's e-mail on how he has used his crow call successfully. Here it is:

"Kevin, Here is how I use the crow call with coyotes. I first use the distress rabbit for a minute or so, then I play the crow call ( a few crows ) then real quick play the distress rabbit, wait about 10 seconds and play the crow call again for about 3 minutes. The way I see it, the coyote thinks a rabbit is hurt and the crow have spotted it and are getting ready to have a easy lunch. The coyotes then move in for the easy kill. The first time I tried it, I called in a pair of males. Using a .308 ( 25 round magazine ) I took both. One sitting about 60 yards and the other ( full run - 3 shots.......they are hard to hit running, but very fun ) The running shot was about 150 yards. Any new ideas from you or the post would be great to hear."

Nice shooting John and thanks for the great info!

I want to tell everyone here that shooting a coyote standing still is the best. But I'm also gonna tell you that just like John I'm not going to pass up a running shot if I know I can cleanly kill a coyote.

I'm also going to tell you that I am a very good shot. I'm not bragging here. I practice all the time and I think any serious hunter should too.

Moral of the story...practice yourself and know your abilities and limits.

One more thing...it's a good story I promise!

I learned to hit moving targets with my rifle a long time ago when my wife was still a good sport about going hunting with me (just kidding hunny).

I would get me some old tires and wire plywood to the inside of them. Then my loving and supportive new bride (26 years ago) would roll those suckers down a slight hill for me while I practiced shooting them on the move. It was a blast and I learned a ton about leading and hitting a target on the move.

I know you're thinking "what a hillbilly". Guess you may be right, but I can pretty much smoke a coyote running inside a hundred yards and further if I can make a safe shot.

Thanks for reading and good luck!
Grizz

I know The Name Of This Blog Is "Coyote Calling Tips" But Would You Try Calling A Bobcat If I Told You Where To Find One?

I can't resist here to tell you a little bit about Bobcats. I love to call those critters too.

Any place I find a brush pile I am looking for Bobcat Sign. I know that here in Missouri bobcats can often be found in them. Above is a picture to give you an idea of what a bobcat footprint looks like. If you have any piles of brush in places you can hunt...check em out. See if you can find any tracks in the dirt around them.

Now when you are trying to call a bobcat, you are probably going to have to be a bit more patient calling. There have been times when I have called them in fairly quickly, but most times they come to the call much slower and more wary than coyotes. Remember bobcats just like house cats are stalking type hunters.

Think about a house cat. Have you ever seen a house cat when they are trying to sneak up on a bird? Bobcats are no different. They are stalkers.

I can't tell you the number of times I've been hunting only to see the hind end of a cat that busted me before I busted him. Which brings me to another point.

When you are calling bobcats you really have to pay very close attention and scan the area very closely. These sneaky little varmints can be setting there watching you and you don't even know it.

My favorite call for bobcats is the Primos Cat Nip Predator Call Just use it like you would any other distress call.

Hope this has been helpful for you. Get out there and get yourself a bobcat. Last season good cats with lots of spots on there underside were worth about $60 here in Missouri and I think the cats from further north where the fur is better brought a lot more.

Early Morning And Mid Day Coyote Calling Tips

Morning, evening, and at night are when coyotes are most active. Call areas where they will be feeding when hunting at these times. These ares include:

• wheat fields
  
• corn fields
  
• bean fields
  
• dead animal dumps
  
• feed lots, etc.

During Mid Day Hunting Call Where a Coyote Might Be Taking A Nap... Areas like:

• Timber
• Grassy Areas
• Abandoned Farm Buildings
• Swamps
• Sage Brush
• Brush Piles
• Den Areas

Coyote Hunting Videos...All Time Greats!

When it comes to all time great coyote hunting videos I gotta give one of the top spots to Byron South and the other to Randy Anderson.

Byron's Video "CALLING PREDATORS DVD - Hunting Coyotes, Fox, Bobcats & Alligators
" is not only jam packed with hunting scenes, it's equally full of helpful tips and stratagies for calling the most predators.

Randy's Video Calling All Coyotes, Vol. 2 is equally as helpful and entertaining.

If you enjoy these types of videos and haven't seen these yet I highly suggest them as my all time favs!

Here's A Couple "Kick Butt" Coyote Calling Tips

First Coyote Calling Tip today is to have 2 people calling at the same time. Especially if your using any type of Howler Call and doing some Ki Yi's in your calling set.

This gives the impression that there is more than one coyote and brings in any curios Coy Dog just a screamin!

Second Coyote Calling Tip today is to make certain you can see your down wind side when you are calling. I can GUARANTEE you that any coyote coming to your call is going to try to get down wind of where the sound of the call is coming from.

There you have it...still the best way to learn to call coyotes is just to get out there and do it yourself.

So You Called A Coyote...Don't Assume Your Done

Here's another Coyote Calling Tip For You:

More times than not when you've called up and hopefully bagged a coyote, the action is probably not over. Most times there is more than one coyote coming to your call. You may not have seen another one, but just assume he is there.

Gun shots don't seem to bother many coyotes...so here's what you do.

Get on your Little Dog Howler call and start letting out a series of Ki Yi calls (sound like a wounded pup). A lot of times you will lure in another coyote because he just can't help himself from coming back to see what's going on.

All for now...Good Luck...Make sure you take a child hunting or fishing when ever possible.

When to Howl and When To Use Distress Sounds

Lots of predator hunters are not sure when they should call using howls and when they should only use distress calls. Well, I personally do both at almost every place that I set up to call. With one exception, and here it is.

If I think there could possibly be a bobcat in the area, I will only use distress calls to begin with.

You might say, "Well there could be a bobcat at potentially every place you call".

This is true, but I do relentless scouting of the areas I hunt, so I know the areas where there is bobcat sign and where there is not, and you should too. I can't stress enough the need for you to scout the areas you intend to hunt. Know what's there.

Do you have coyote or bobcat tracks along creek bottoms and water holes? Do you have both?

Here in Missouri where I do most of my predator hunting, I know that bobcat's LOVE brush piles. So I especially look for bobcat sign around brush piles...(hint hint that's a little secret for you. Check out areas you can hunt with brush piles;)

So let's talk about the best times to use a "Howl" when calling.

I will generally start out with a long, lone howl when I first begin to call. Not too loudly though. Then I will follow it up a few minutes later with my distress call. I will still mix in a few howls now and then, but I will primarily keep right on with the distress call.

As I post this though it is in the latter part of winter here in Missouri and the Coyotes are in there breeding cycle.

This is PRIME time to be howling. Coyotes become extremely territorial this time of year and respond to howls very aggressively. Use a short "Challenge" Howl with just a couple "Barks" mixed in. This will bring em in just looking for a fight! Too Much Fun!

Get out there and have yourself some fun. Remember to pass along your love for the sport and take a child hunting and fishing whenever possible. Till next time.....Good Luck!

For even more tips from me visit me on Squidoo at: http://www.squidoo.com/coyotecalling