Coyote Call Sequence

TxLite

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Recently started coyote hunting and have had some minor success, but lately I haven’t had much luck with calling with my x24. I can usually get a call back but getting them to come in has been a challenge.

I went this weekend and tried lone howl, pup in distress, etc. trying to paint a picture of a lone coyote coming into the area and attacking a pup. No response so. Waited a few hours and tried again but using fawn in distress. Had 0 response again. Nothing in the area that night? Bad luck?

What calling sequences are guys using this time of year?

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TxLite

TxLite

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I don't get to hung up on a sequence. If they hear it and r interested they will come.

If I don't have a response in under a half hr. I'm moving on.
Might be the move then. I only really hunt 150 acres

Check out foxpro’s website. They have a good video that explains call sequences relative to time of year. That will give you a good starting point.

Also, check out Calling all Coyotes on YouTube. Randy Anderson is a master.
I’ll have to check that out
 
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Might be the move then. I only really hunt 150 acres


I’ll have to check that out
How about you setup relative to them winding you? That could be an issue.

Also, they have pretty decent vision and will see you moving around. You may have to wait until they move again before you swing around on a dog.
 
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TxLite

TxLite

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How about you setup relative to them winding you? That could be an issue.

Also, they have pretty decent vision and will see you moving around. You may have to wait until they move again before you swing around on a dog.
I generally setup with the wind either coming at me or 90 degrees from where they would usually be coming from off of a creek. I also typically hunt at night with thermal. I stand behind a 4’ tall fence and use a tripod. The field I normally hunt has roughly 250 yards visibility in the directions I’d be shooting. So if they pop up to take a peek I can usually spot them
 

atrouth

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Listen to the FoxPro podcast when they post new episodes, not the end all but they usually give some relevant tips based on the time of year, gives an idea of whats going on. Right now the adults that have pups may not be as vocal (if you think about it, why would they announce they are there if they want to protect their pups) but I have noticed the bachelor males tend to still respond. Ive had both male and female come into pup distress this time of year, ive also had entire packs of bachelor males come into various sounds. Dont be afraid to mix it up too, if some sounds arent working, change what you are playing and see if something changes. Ive had them hung up howling and just switched to different sounds to see if they break. Sometimes its a blind task if you dont know they are moving, sometimes you can see how they are reacting and tweak your responses....at the end of the day, they are animals and what works in one spot may not work in another, just gotta adapt
 
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TxLite

TxLite

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Listen to the FoxPro podcast when they post new episodes, not the end all but they usually give some relevant tips based on the time of year, gives an idea of whats going on. Right now the adults that have pups may not be as vocal (if you think about it, why would they announce they are there if they want to protect their pups) but I have noticed the bachelor males tend to still respond. Ive had both male and female come into pup distress this time of year, ive also had entire packs of bachelor males come into various sounds. Dont be afraid to mix it up too, if some sounds arent working, change what you are playing and see if something changes. Ive had them hung up howling and just switched to different sounds to see if they break. Sometimes its a blind task if you dont know they are moving, sometimes you can see how they are reacting and tweak your responses....at the end of the day, they are animals and what works in one spot may not work in another, just gotta adapt
Thanks, I haven’t seen the podcast. I’ll give it a listen
 

atrouth

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Thanks, I haven’t seen the podcast. I’ll give it a listen
Im not sure what their latest episode is, but I try to look it up from time to time. They usually run about an hour, makes for a great listen when I'm driving out to properties. Torry Cook is frequently on there giving tips, he's the owner of MFK and raises coyotes/records their sounds, but he also goes out places and hunts
 
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TxLite

TxLite

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Im not sure what their latest episode is, but I try to look it up from time to time. They usually run about an hour, makes for a great listen when I'm driving out to properties. Torry Cook is frequently on there giving tips, he's the owner of MFK and raises coyotes/records their sounds, but he also goes out places and hunts
Are the MFK calls worth it? I haven’t been able to bring myself to pay $7 a sound or whatever they go for
 

atrouth

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Are the MFK calls worth it? I haven’t been able to bring myself to pay $7 a sound or whatever they go for
Depends how into it you are honestly and how many nearby people are running all the normal sounds. My buddy and I decided to load up our call and split the cost since we always hunted together, we sent in his X2S and had it fully loaded at the time, ended up being $1-2 a sound if I remember correctly, but it was the entire library so it was a few hundred. I'm in MD and the hunting terrain here is hit or miss, so we wanted every advantage we could have. You can grab just some of the popular ones, but if others are calling in the area, they may be played out. Id give it some time using what you have, getting more land to hunt on and getting a feel for it before diving in too far. Having multiple spots and allowing time for places to cool down has been helpful out my way, less chance of educating them. If you are competing with someone calling on neighboring properties, its going to be a lot more difficult.

A lot of people say this time of year is the toughest to hunt, so dont get discouraged. Nobody likes dry holes, but it happens. Whether thats because they arent in the area, or not interested, is hard to say, but thats where having multiple spots comes into play. I usually stop calling by 30 min in if theres no response and I dont see anything. If I'm working a coyote thats interested but not coming, Ill keep trying for longer. Last one I shot was howling in the woods about 15-20 minutes into the set after silence, responded a few times then went quiet again. Decided to finish out the set I was running and had a pair come in around the 40ish minute mark to pup sounds. But if they are nearby and listening, last thing you want to do is educate them, especially if they managed to spot or smell you when you were setting up or walking in. And if you dont already, make sure you play the wind, if they smell you first, you will likely never see them. I prefer crosswinds when I can, because they tend to circle down wind of the call.
 
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On smaller acreage I’ve had success with bait. Use pig guts in big bucket or lure like cat man do. Have cameras that show them coming by daily to pattern them.

No idea where you are hunting, but down here in south it’s a lot different than the shows you see hunting on 5000 acre parcels.

That said my crew and I have killed a ton of them this year m
 
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TxLite

TxLite

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On smaller acreage I’ve had success with bait. Use pig guts in big bucket or lure like cat man do. Have cameras that show them coming by daily to pattern them.

No idea where you are hunting, but down here in south it’s a lot different than the shows you see hunting on 5000 acre parcels.

That said my crew and I have killed a ton of them this year m
150 acres in central Texas and realistically it might as well be 30 with the way houses and creeks are laid out.
 

BigNate

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How often are you hitting that one spot?

How far away is the next area they could come from?

I dad wrote a book on calling coyotes back when books were still a thing. There's been some good stuff shared already, but one thing that I think makes a big difference is approach and concealment. Wind direction is absolutely crucial, noise carries and coyotes remember bad events so smells, noises, etc. they had experienced as bad will make them wary. If they see you approaching, hear you setting up, loading a gun, smell people smells it will tip them off. With that many houses close by some sounds and smells might not be as much of an issue. But distinct odors always will be.

They definitely have a language, and using the wrong howl , or yipping wrong can be a warning, or a challenge they may avoid.

I usually try to sneak in, have shooter that can cover down wind, and start with quiet distress sounds. An example of this was imitating fighting muskrat along irrigation canals and ditches. If they're close enough to hear it, they'll usually respond quickly.
Pup distress and whining work well right now.

Don't sound like everyone else. When electronic calls were new lots of people with no knowledge started going out playing everything they could and the coyotes got smart quick. They sounded like fake rabbits. So rabbit calls had them coming in slow.

With all those houses close by try puppy noises, chickens, goats, sheep, even crying babies. What's normal for the area?
 
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TxLite

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How often are you hitting that one spot?
Realistically once or twice a month. 3 times if I’m lucky, depending on the family’s schedule.
With all those houses close by try puppy noises, chickens, goats, sheep, even crying babies. What's normal for the area?
My grandparents bought the property 35 years ago. 10-15 years ago I’d have a different answer from today. The area has grown up a ton recently and people are really only messing with cattle if anything. Most folks are using the area for a retirement house. I’m the only one in the area that I’m aware of (within half a mile) that even hunts.
 

BigNate

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If you've thinned the herd, how far do new prospect need to come?

Are the retirees pet owners, snow birds, pretendfarmers?

You may need to let it rest a bit, depending on how likely other animals are to move in / through.
If you go out there at sunset and just after are the coyotes talking?

I'd try kitty sounds if the houses around are occupied.
 
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