The farmer who has allowed me to hunt on their property for years has asked me for help with a coyote problem. I have never called/hunted coyote, except for the few I killed while deer hunting which are targets of opportunity. I will "invest" a little money to assist the farmer in this coyote operation. I plan on purchasing and e caller but want to limit it to 2-300 dollar range? Since I have no experience using mouth calls. Any suggestions? Looking at Foxpro Wildfire II?

Lastly will be setting up? The farmer's field is a rectangle, but they removed almost all the cover except for the "tree row that lines the property. It has one water drainage that runs through the middle of the property. The rest is bare soil for the most part? How do I set up with no cover?

Thanks.

I use a wildfire II. No complaints Just like every other foxpro product. Great.


The mouth calls are a good idea. They aren't hard to use. YouTube can teach you a lot. I reccomend a good closed reed to start off. But it can freeze up in colder weather. Kerry carvers Swift call gets my vote. As far a production call. I really like CRITR calls. Especially the peewee model.

Nice handle. You chasing pike or Muskies?

Thank Ky221,

Primarily Pike with a flyrod but equally go after musky although they are tougher to find and catch in my neck of the woods.

I will check into a few of those calls.

I primarily use mouth calls; but, I use and electronic caller too. I have the FoxPro Hellfire and really like it. Mouth calls are very easy to learn. As for setting up based on the scenario you provided. Don't skyline yourself, camo yourself and be still and you will be fine. Keep the wind either in your face or, as I prefer, some sort of crosswind.

Foxpro , you just can't go wrong

Very cool. I'm anxious to put a couple of dogs down for the farmer! They had a a flock of guineas 30ish gone. Then they lost a cat or 2, so they are upset. They shoot them when they can as well but hoping to help. Seems like a lot of yote this year in the area.

Don't be afraid of a mouth call...

My biggest concern is the yote would locate me more readily using a mouth call? But I plan on trying it anyhow.

if your crosshairs are on him when he locates ya, what's the concern?

I've had coyotes locate me, then I drop them. Don't shy away from a hand call, I prefer them over electric callers....use equipment to help hide you, be mindful of the wind at all times......

Good luck

Even more than camo - being still is important.
Last I called in - I was sitting on a rock, in the pasture, wearing a khaki Carhartt jacket. Got him at a little over 100 yards circling downwind.

How big is this property?

I use a FoxPro, but unless you are going to do a lot of calling, try a hand call.
Wind is an issue, try calling with no or very light wind. Get set up without being seen and play the wind.
They spot movement, so keep it to a minimum and move slow,

Listen to those guineas and try to imitate them especially when they are riled up. If coyotes are preying on them that will be the dinner bell. Crit'R call is very good both the Standard and the PeeWee. Can't go wrong with a FoxPro. Good luck. Good hunting. Be Careful it's addicting.

100 acres

Thanks guys.

Foxpro has a Guinea distress sound. I would lean towards cat, puppy and farm animal distress sounds first before trying rabbits and woodpeckers. Hand calls are great but tough to do some sounds on.

Use the treeline that borders the property for cover. It doesn't take much cover to break up your outline when your sitting. I often lean against fence posts.

Find the best spot to enter the area without creating a disturbance and a spot that also gives you a wind and even sun advantage. Depending on how adjoining properties look I'd think coyotes will hunt along and use the drainage ditch as a travel route. Set up to where you can funnel one to you. Be set up by shooting light.

I know deer are running straight across the open field and use that drainage for travel even though it doesn't look like much at the moment.

How long is a typical calling sequence when using a hand call vs and electronic call?

Some variables for sure, but I pretty much stay on stand the same length no matter if I'm using a handcall or e-call. Usually around 20 minutes give or take.

I was planning 30 minutes, but didn't know how long of a call sequence I needed? 20 minutes of straight calling or is it like 3 minutes, pause for 1 minute and continue?

100 acres is not big at all. Your sounds can reach out to a mile or so, depending on conditions, so you could be covering 2,400+ acres in one stand at full volume.

The wind is absolutely crucial to success on a small property (any property for that matter). I won't hunt a property if the wind isn't right.

Try to leave the open patches dead downwind of your stand. Coyotes generally don't like to expose themselves any more than they have to, plus you can see them easier in the open and get them stopped for a shot. Stop them before they hit your scent cone.

I would hunt the edges of this property, calling to the neighbors land, using very soft calls, rodent squeaks being a good quiet sound. The idea is to call to coyotes maybe 500yds deep in the neighbors land, then move to another stand and repeat. This way you can make several stands on 100 acres.

The coyotes will use the drainage and the tree lines to approach you, hence paying attention to the wind.

Be aware that once you start to call, every coyote that can hear you knows exactly, and I mean exactly, where you are sitting, so pick a good stand location.

Sorry for being long winded.

I don't typically hunt small patch farms but have on occasion. 100 acres isn't very big, however my uncle has a little 100 acre wood patch surrounded by grain fields and bordered on one side by a hog farm. The first stand I made on that little spot produced a pair of hard chargers that I was lucky enough to roll up with my Benelli. I killed 11 coyotes on that farm the first year I hunted it. The second year I took 9 off that place. Then he let his chit head step son move there and I quit hunting it because the little moron is a smart ass punk and always wants to tag along. Tried that once and after the barrel of his gun swept me for the third time I headed to the truck. I tried to have a polite conversation about safety and after some dipchit replies from the guy I had to leave because of the overwhelming urge to bend the barrel of his shotgun over his thick head. I told my uncle I wouldn't be going back as long as that punk was on the place. He understands. The point being if the layout is right and you hunt it smart you can kill coyotes on a small place.

Good info K22.

MOGC, can't blame you for not going back!

That wasn't long-winded... It was a lot of information packed into a few paragraphs. Well said K22.

Biggest thing is getting in undetected, so sneak into where you are going to call from.

they will circle down wind so sit where you can see downwind as advised.

DO NOT walk across the area you expect them to come through, they will pick up your scent.

In Jan / Feb always be prepared for doubles, they are pairing up for mating so they often come in pairs.

Some dogs come in fast, some come in slow.. Don't call if your not ready with the gun up, and don't leave the stand you make too quickly.

If you hunt with a partner one takes a rifle, the other a shotgun.

Not sure what your coyote density is, but at best you will get 20 to 25 percent of them calling. They get smart quickly. If you want to truly reduce the coyote numbers,learn to hang some neck snares. It generally takes a multi faceted approach to truly reduce numbers.

If I can talk the farmer into checking a trap line. I would be willing to hang some snares for sure!

I have a foxpro with a remote control. I put it about 50 yards away, at a right angle to the approach I am expecting. I also have a little decoy that looks like a rabbit and wiggles back and forth. That goes next to the speaker. It gives the critters something to look at when they are coming in. In your case, you could put the speaker and decoy 50 yards down the fence line. A few weeks ago, one of my buddies who uses the same setup had a coyote get a hold of his decoy it came in so fast. After administering a healthy dose of #4 buck, he retrieved his decoy from the would be thief.

That sounds like a rush! Looking forward to learning/hunting some yotes. Thanks guys for the help.