Coyote Hunting Tips
Coyote hunting is one of those few sports that offer the hunter the excitement of chasing a smart cunning animal in the wild. One cannot help, but appreciate the intelligence of the animal, which makes coyote hunting even more fun. Coyote hunting is very popular in North America due to the increase in coyote population and the realization of how challenging they are to hunt. Hunting coyotes can be a very complex and a challenging task to which the hunters are always drawn. In order to capitalize on any presented opportunity, it is important for the hunter to know the habits and territory of the animal.
HTAT member Sheldon Arams and his bow kill coyote.
Understanding the coyote can help you a lot in your hunting success and therefore, it is important that you collect as much information about the animal as possible. Coyotes are found all over North America, throughout Mexico as well as Panama, and the best thing about coyotes is that they are adaptable to any kind of environment which simply means that the coyote can easily change its habits according to what the environment demands from it, which again proves how intelligent the animal can be. The coyote dens are usually very hard to find since the coyote continues to dig until it can make it big enough for its litter.
In order to become the best coyote hunter, it is important that you learn some tips as well as develop some. One of the most important thing that you should remember while hunting coyotes is that always camouflage yourself according to your surroundings. Being spotted by a coyote could blow your chances of a successful hunt.
The hunting equipment that you choose plays an important role while coyote hunting.
One of the most important aspects of coyote hunting is the coyote call. Every hunter should learn to coyote call. These calls can determine the outcome of your hunt to a great extent. For those who are hunting learning the sport, calling devices such as enclosed reed models would just be ideal since they are tuned in advance so that you don’t have to give much thought to the tuning process. This pre-tuned coyote-calling device has the ability to produce all of the required screams and cries that would come across as a distress signal to a coyote, to which the coyote will instinctively respond. Coyote calling may just be the most important tip that the hunter has to master. The trick for using it is that you should be moderate. The sound produced should be just right in order to lure the coyote. With respect to producing the perfect coyote calls, you can either use some electronic calling device or simply use your mouth, though you have to be really adept to produce the sound in the latter case. Currently, electronic calling devices are legal for hunting moose, coyotes, bear, turkey and deer in some areas.
Masking your body odor is another important tip that you should never forget to do. Coyotes have a very sensitive nose and if they smell something different in their territory, you might as well give up the hunt for the day.
Choosing the gun could be pretty confusing although many hunting enthusiasts swear by the advantages of Mini Bolt .22. Using a varmint rifle like a .17 center fire, a .223 or a 22-250 could be a great coyote hunting cartridge. A flat shooting rifle with a good range like a .243 Winchester could be another option. If you’re one of those hunters who prefers hunting using a bow and arrow, an 85 grain+ broadhead is suggested. It is strongly advised that you use the same setup that you use for hunting deer. No sudden movements should be made while hunting any animal, let alone a coyote. This strategy can take you a long way since it can help you sneak up to the coyote to get the perfect shot. Setting up a tree stand over a regularly traveled coyote route can prove effective as your scent and movements are above the prey.
After patterning the coyotes on his farm, HTAT member Chris Dyck used his Hoyt bow with 100 grain Thunder Heads and Gold Tip Expedition 5575 arrows to take his 1st coyote.
You have to develop the skills to perfect the art of coyote hunting and take proper care with respect to the equipment that you choose, i.e., rifle, cartridges, coyote calling devices, etc. All these tips will help you get closer to bring down the wily coyote that you encounter in the wild, but you have to act fast since coyotes are known to get away when you least expect it.
