Coyote hunting in Oklahoma

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rodman2112

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Love to hunt coyotes. Mainly hunt out west near Hinton, but also hunt in the southwest by Lawton.
I have tried using several different types of calls (mouth, Foxpro and a cheaper electronic coyote call). Also used a mechanical decoy. I have only had success calling in a coyote once using the cheaper electronic call (puppy cries). I have watched several videos and read multiple articles on the subject, all with no real success.
I need input from coyote hunters in Oklahoma that have had repeated success with calling. Which calls work best and how do you present the call? Do you change calls depending on the season, time of day? I have had successful hunts at all hours of the day, but only by glassing and stalking. I would really like to bring the coyotes to me!
Any assistance will be appreciated.
 

Tyson C.

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the way i start out is the night before sometimes. some of the areas i get to hunt, i can just about hear from my house through out the night before. not only that, but i have pretty much patterned the pack(s) that roam my area. i live out in the country (northern Ok.) and it is all open flat farm land with few creeks and tree lines running through those places. the places i hit less often or never that is when i get out the night before....cruise a little dirt and play some calls. i have a locator siren (police sound kind of) that plays from my phone to a 100 watt amp that is connected to an external speaker under the hood of my truck and or coyote locator howl call on my fox pro fx3. i give those a blast and see whats out and bout in the area and know where to maybe not waste my time the morning.

this is MY SET UP (everyone is diferent): once to the stand i figure out the wind and i usually start off with my hand call, either my green open reed lil' dog or my new Rufy Dog jr (my newest call learning how to work it). i will start out with a soft volume cotten tail distress for 10sec-20sec or so, i do a soft call to just see if anything close pokes its head up. wait about 1min, and call a little louder and longer for about 1-2min on the call. wait for a about 1min or so and repeat. the one thing i try is to see if i can get crows, hawks or owls in the area to stay interested this way i know the calls are sounding good (my made up theory)......if nothing shows or low activity i will wait for 5mins and use my foxpro at medium then adjust volume up and down for awhile using lightning jack call and or other cotten tail, bird distress. i use this call pattern threw out the day. i like to get out there early morning and late afternoon/evening. during breeding season (Feb-March) i will do more vocals...female invite, female challenge, male challenge (fox pro). aggresive, solo barks, challenge with a hand call, or play my fox pro and answer back with hand call. after the time the pups are born you can do a pup distress, dogs can't really count so they might think it is one of there pups?? my stand time is 20-30mins depending on activity. my favorite is a cold snap the night before, frost on the ground with a nice warm morning following it up....ya thats the ticket :)

decoy i have is the black jack spinning top. i have to say i have taken a handfull of yotes when i have decided to use it. more with out then with. sometimes coyotes are real skidish and the decoy can keep them away, espicially if you have shot at them or heavy hunt the area..they learn quick. the ones i have gotten i would say are 1-2yr old dogs at most... young and dumb.

other than that that is my day. best advice i can say is know what the yotes have to eat on in the area and go with that. also take your phone or whatever you might have and set it to record, get about 10yrds out and start calling. listen to the play back and see what you sound like. i would like to think i am a successfull hunter but everyone has the days of no show. it takes a lot of stands to make an episode....if it was easy they would be on everyday live...lol

good luck!!!!!
(ramble off)
 

rodman2112

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Interesting what you said about the crows and hawks. That is about the only success I can speak of (hawks circling and crows cawing nearby). Where I hunt, I have a high vantage point that can view several hundred acres. When we see a coyote in the distance and start the calls they just stare for a few seconds and move on. I typically use rabbit or bird distress. We are in cover and always verify the wind is in our favor. I can only assume that it's the technique we are using with the calls. Thanks for your input.
 

imhntn

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I start most stands with some lonesome howls on an open reed. I set the foxpro and decoy 30 yrds or so upwind or across wind from me. After the howls, I wait about a minute and turn on the distress. I mix it up with the distress and but like Lucky Bird, Lightning Jack, BayBee Cottontail and Kitten Distress. The sound does not seem as important as the location to me. My brother and I were talking about this yesterday. I have some great looking places with lots of coyote tracks that I have called multiple times and never called one in. I have found over the years that I can go back to the good spots and kill coyotes about every year. I have taken 2 off one place easy to get to near my house this year, one on each time I have tried it there. I like to have a buddy and make sure one of us is looking downwind but lately, the last couple years, it seems like more coyotes are coming at a dead run right up to the caller. Called 4 spots Satuday morning and called in 8 coyotes. 6 were in one bunch and they circled and winded us but the other 2 came right to the decoy. Nvrsatisfied is correct though in that everyone has their own system and they all can work. I just don't think the sound is very important at all. It is location and being a good hunter, playing wind and having a feel for where they will come from.
 

rodman2112

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Lonnie, I'm betting the ones coming right into the call are the hungry ones.

Have you seen the drought causing them to do this, with less prey to feed on?

Most of the yotes I have shot during the day are the smaller (dumber & hungrier) dogs. Most were feeding on grasshoppers during the summer and fall.
 

tslabaugh

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I think it has to do with what nvrsatisfied touched on. If they aren't in the area, they definitely won't come on. I've had them respond to tons of different noises, if it sounds like an easy meal or something that triggers an instinct (territorial, hunger, or just curiousity) there is a good chance one is coming in. Not sure what type of areas you are hunting out there, but you may be calling them in and not seeing them. They might be winding you or seeing you move before you see them.

Not sure if you are a deer hunter, but if so...think of them as a deer. They want to be near cover for protection and food. If you can setup on an area between some cover or on an edge of cover (creeks, tree lines, wood edge), this can help a lot as they feel safer responding to the call. Granted, I don't hunt way out west, but I don't think we have shot a coyote that was more than 40 yards from some good cover.


Sometimes, nothing will bring a coyote in closer. I've had a few hang up at 400 yards and sit down until they lost interest.

Over calling an area can hurt you...don't educate them. Of course, we try to limit how often we hunt on certain properties depending on the size and layout of terrain.

Let us know how you do!
 

rodman2112

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Not sure if you are a deer hunter, but if so...think of them as a deer. They want to be near cover for protection and food. If you can setup on an area between some cover or on an edge of cover (creeks, tree lines, wood edge), this can help a lot as they feel safer responding to the call. Granted, I don't hunt way out west, but I don't think we have shot a coyote that was more than 40 yards from some good cover.

I think you might have hit the nail on the head. Most of the coyotes we have shot have been out in the open (dumb luck). They seem to be moving from the river area to ravines or creek beds for cover. When we try to call, we have always thought to be in an area with maxiumm shooting possibilities (making the coyotes have to travel in open areas-where they do not want to be). I will move closer to the river or creek beds and see if our luck improves.
Thanks for the info.
 

Tyson C.

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i will agree with that...coverage.... picture yourself sneaking in someone, your not going to walk out in the wide open...BUT this is a two way street at times it can also depend on the terrain. also know the valleys and blind hills. i have a spot that they are easy to spot "if" they come out into the open but if they dropped down into the bottom and follow the small valley, then no telling where they pop up at, they will be right on top of you. that is what makes it fun to me. i called a spot behind my house once and thought nothing there, then something caught my eye "i don't remember that bush being there?", sure enough it was a yote that creeped up from the bottom and was just sitting there along the tree/brush line about 300yrds out. cross hairs on the nose and yote down. i have no idea really how long he had been sitting there, that is one of my downsides is really scanning the area, i get in a hurry to go to the next stand. also its just me doing a one man show, so having a partner(s) is helpful, no telling how many i miss from blind spots and think "man i am having bad luck, i suck at this, screw coyote hunting. its sooooo stupid, what a waste of time"...oops my bad...lol

also make sure that you can get into shaded areas with the sun at your back (thanks to OKhunter on this tip). this might prevent you or your equipment from sending mirror signals to the yotes telling them where you are at. i like to take my hand saw and cut out a couple branches from a cedar tree and set up in there when possible, make for a good wind block when all else fails maybe and good coverage.

also decoy use, i forgot from previous rambling: set the decoy off to the side along a grass line, etc.. or out in the calling area off to the side. not inline of you, this way you can cheat a little bit of movement if need be. if you keep it inline then the yote might catch the movement in the back ground and get sketchy. i have went out with a few new guys and see them do this (line the decoy inline with them), kinda defeats the purpose of the term "DECOY" i tell them...lol

sorry for the long posts, work is a little slow and i enjoy getting all i can in or out of coyote hunting...imhntn and okhunter posts are some of my favorite to learn from....thanks guys
 

r00s7a

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Y'all keep it up. I enjoy reading all the tactics and tips from everyone.

okhunter, why is it that you use a shotgun and not a rifle? In my simple mind it would seem that a rifle would give you a little further reach for those that hang up, but knowing your skills and results, you seem to be on the right track with a shotgun, so was just wondering what it is that makes you choose that weapon?
 

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