Predator Call

With the recent growth of predator calling, all of us are finding it more difficult to find land that no one else is calling.  If there are more folks out there “screaming” at the critters then it stands to reason that there are more educated or pressured coyotes.  It is rare that a day goes by that someone does not call and say, “I know I have coyotes because I see their sign but I can’t call them.  What am I doing wrong?”  My standard response to them is, (and I don’t mean to sound like a wise guy) “I have not hunted with you so therefore, how can I tell you what you are doing wrong?”  This reply is generally followed by a brief period of silence and then I will begin to question them about the area they are hunting.

One of my first questions is “How many other hunters are calling the same property or property adjacent to where you are hunting?”  If they do not know, my second question is, “How do coyotes react when responding to your calls?”  If the response to either of these questions suggest that the coyotes are indeed pressured then one will have to drastically change tactics or find some fresh real estate.  To be honest with you, I would prefer to look for “new ground”.

If I did not have the luxury of moving to another area, here are a few tips that might make you successful in-spite of calling pressure.  If there are other callers working the area, find out if they are using electronic game calls or hand calls and use the opposite.  If possible find out what calls or sounds they have been using and use something else. 

Walk further to stands.  Make sure that the first sound that the predator hears is your call, not the pickup or ATV that you are driving.  Coyotes, more than most critters associate man with vehicles and will avoid them if he has had a bad experience with them in the past.

Give them less sound.  Reduce the time of your calling sequences to 10-15 seconds and use less volume.  Lengthen the time between calling sequences, three to five minutes.  If calling coyotes, use some canine whimpering and whining sounds.

Stay longer on a stand.  Typically, if I am hunting an area that has not been pressured, I will stay approximately 15 minutes on a stand.  If I am calling an area that has been called, I may stay over 30 minutes on a stand.  After I have called for say, 20 minutes with no response, I will remain on the stand without making another call or sound.  On many occasions, I have had a critter show himself in this quiet period. 

Try to situate yourself so that it is very difficult for the coyote to get your wind without exposing himself.  If possible, make it impossible for the critter to get your wind.  You can do this by putting a natural barrier behind you such as a bluff, body of water or a net-wire fence.

Do not move.  A call shy critter is likely to sneak in to the call, stopping frequently to survey the situation.  A nervous critter does not miss something that moves or is out of place.

And last but not least, don’t invite me to hunt with you.  Good luck, you are going to need it.