Coyote hunting basics

[Wvhunter22]

What are the basics you need to start night hunting coyotes?

 

[dirtytough]

Spotlight, mouth call, rifle.

 

[Wvhunter22]

Forgive my stupidity, how close do you call them in? From most of the videos I watched, everyone is running some sort of thermal setup, with rrs tripods etc and shooting from range.

 

[dirtytough]

You said basics. I figured if you wanted basics you were on a budget that didn’t include stuff like RRS or thermal.

If I was trying to setup with basic thermal for night hunting I would buy a 640 scanner and a 384 weapon sight. I would get an Innorel RT90c tripod and throw a Desmond Dlow 55 or something like it on top.

I would figure out which call brand is the most popular in my area between FP and LD then I would get the opposite. I would suggest the X24 or Roughneck.

The actual thermal to get is area dependent. If hunting tighter country you want more FOV. If hunt open country you want more mag.

Lights work well in tight areas also.

 

[Wvhunter22]

Thank you! I’ll look at the initial price, but I expected to around 1.5k min. Most of the people I day hunt with dogs.

 

[Legend]

4x4, cooler, beer, radio, and a good hunting buddy to BS with. Rifle is optional.

 

[Wvhunter22]

4x4, cooler, beer, radio, and a good hunting buddy to BS with. Rifle is optional.

Unfortunately, I just moved not to long ago so I don’t have the hunting buddy. I may be able to use my daughter and some Pepsi lmao.

 

[M44]

Basics. You need to be a good daytime caller before even thinking about nighttime stuff.

 

[Tbone26]

Basics. You need to be a good daytime caller before even thinking about nighttime stuff.

Why? I know multiple guys who jumped straight into the night game and are killing just fine. It's a very expensive leap initially but very fun none the less.

My suggestion, if you are serious about getting into night hunting, is go straight to thermal. I started with illuminated reticle and moonlight. Then bought different lights to supplement the day scope. Then went to night vision with IR. Then went to thermal. If you want to save money skip steps 1-3.

 

[Wvhunter22]

Why? I know multiple guys who jumped straight into the night game and are killing just fine. It's a very expensive leap initially but very fun none the less.

My suggestion, if you are serious about getting into night hunting, is go straight to thermal. I started with illuminated reticle and moonlight. Then bought different lights to supplement the day scope. Then went to night vision with IR. Then went to thermal. If you want to save money skip steps 1

What do you estimate that to be for a nice setup? I’ve seen some thermals priced at 3500 for a Thor

 

[Tbone26]

What do you estimate that to be for a nice setup? I’ve seen some thermals priced at 3500 for a Thor

Check out Outdoor Legacy’s website. They rep good brands and have budget friendly options or top of the line. I currently run iRay and Nvision products.

 

[M44]

I could also state my belief that anyone wanting to learn how to hunt coyotes should start with hand calls . Call it a building block if you desire.

Because predators are more active in the dark, most believe that throwing a butt load of money at thermal scope, rifles , tripods,and ecallers will transform them into instant rock stars. Do they know anything about coyotes or what makes them tick? I doubt it.

Coyotes are great at adapting. They will learn that they no longer own the night . Just like running from a truck when the engine rpms change. The guy standing behind his tripod in the middle of a cut bean field is simply out of luck. Had he learned what it takes to be successful during daylight, he would know what to do when that situation arises.

 

[weekender7]

You can get a pretty good setup for $6000-$7000.00. That would be a good scanner, scope, tripod & caller. You could get by on a lot less, but if you liked it, you would be upgrading and lost most of your cheaper stuff investment.

 

[BigDuckHunter]

What do you estimate that to be for a nice setup? I’ve seen some thermals priced at 3500 for a Thor

I’d steer clear of ATN. A couple buddies I hunt with have gotten those and regret it. I think pulsar and agm make good products that aren’t horribly expensive. I’d start with the scope and then buy a scanner as budget allows. I’d go the opposite of what’s suggested above and get a 640 scope. That way you can always identify what you’re about to shoot at. My ideal would be 2.5 base mag. Good FOV but still decent picture if you need to zoom. Then go with a 384 scanner. The scanner is just there to help you pickup the heat signature to know something is out there. Then you can get on it and identify with the 640 scope.

 

[Tbone26]

I could also state my belief that anyone wanting to learn how to hunt coyotes should start with hand calls . Call it a building block if you desire.

Because predators are more active in the dark, most believe that throwing a butt load of money at thermal scope, rifles , tripods,and ecallers will transform them into instant rock stars. Do they know anything about coyotes or what makes them tick? I doubt it.

Coyotes are great at adapting. They will learn that they no longer own the night . Just like running from a truck when the engine rpms change. The guy standing behind his tripod in the middle of a cut bean field is simply out of luck. Had he learned what it takes to be successful during daylight, he would know what to do when that situation arises.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t daytime hunt coyotes also but I also don’t think you have to start with daytime calling. Both are fun but two different styles. Coyotes are adaptive and smart. That’s why I continue to pursue them and they will always be on the landscape.

 

[Wvhunter22]

I’d steer clear of ATN. A couple buddies I hunt with have gotten those and regret it. I think pulsar and agm make good products that aren’t horribly expensive. I’d start with the scope and then buy a scanner as budget allows. I’d go the opposite of what’s suggested above and get a 640 scope. That way you can always identify what you’re about to shoot at. My ideal would be 2.5 base mag. Good FOV but still decent picture if you need to zoom. Then go with a 384 scanner. The scanner is just there to help you pickup the heat signature to know something is out there. Then you can get on it and identify with the 640 scope.

I went to a sportsman’s show today and saw some products from Guide. For 3500 they had a 640 with ballistics calculator and rangefinder. Ever heard of them?

 

[Wrench]

I went to a sportsman’s show today and saw some products from Guide. For 3500 they had a 640 with ballistics calculator and rangefinder. Ever heard of them?

They're the OEM for a lot of big names.

Don't be afraid of all atn products. I have a thor4 640 and it produces a better image than our pulsar which cost 2x as much.....pulsar app is absolutely better.

 

[dirtytough]

I went to a sportsman’s show today and saw some products from Guide. For 3500 they had a 640 with ballistics calculator and rangefinder. Ever heard of them?

There are a ton of thermals brands on the market now. 4 years ago there was very few.

If I was looking at a lower priced thermal I would look at the AGM offerings. There are a lot of AGM’s getting used now because of the price point and warranty. And not a lot of negative press.

 

[BigDuckHunter]

They're the OEM for a lot of big names.

Don't be afraid of all atn products. I have a thor4 640 and it produces a better image than our pulsar which cost 2x as much.....pulsar app is absolutely better.

How long have you had it? One buddy of mine had that one and the image definitely was a bit better than my pulsar of a similar price. However, it conveniently died about a month after the warranty expired. Mine is still kicking a few years later. Granted we were hunting pretty hard at that time, but that’s stuck with me. Hopefully yours does better than his did.

 

[Erict]

Basics? Nothing is more important than minding the wind. Nothing. Add to that just because you can't see shit at night doesn't mean you don't stand out like a sore thumb to animals - concealment is important.

There are places and times here in NY winters with snow down when I can hunt at night with just a rifle and a mouth call. You can get started and do okay with red led flashlights/spotlights.

Where legal, roadkill or other bait can greatly increase your odds.